Agenda item

To consider the final report and recommendations of the Landscaping Task Group.

(Report attached)

The Committee considered the final report and received a presentation from Councillor Gay Hopkins, Chair of the Landscaping Task Group, on behalf of her Group. She and her fellow Councillors had taken the decision to scrutinise landscaping because it was a key issue for the Council and the residents of the town given the green nature of the Borough and one which prompted many enquiries of elected Members.

The landscaping service was undergoing transformation during the course of the review and Members had the benefit of observing the adoption of new processes being introduced. It was apparent to Members engaged in the review that the introduction of multi-operative working by staff on the ground was having benefits for both the areas in which they were operating and for the staff themselves in that they were achieving a greater level of job satisfaction. The positive effects on the landscape in the Winyates area, where the new way of working was being undertaken, was demonstrated through the presentation. Customer satisfaction and community engagement were both reported to be increasing overall as a result.

The Task Group wished to ensure that Members were made aware of the work of the landscaping service generally and of particular landscaping issues within their local areas through regular updates and annual reporting. A suggestion was also made that the Council should consider the potential to generate revenue to fund the service through bulk planting and the sale of logs.

The Executive Committee welcomed the report and commended the enthusiasm of the Members who had been engaged in the review. The Committee broadly supported the recommendations although there was a degree of concern expressed at staff capacity. This concern was expressed in terms of the provision of updates to local Members and also around the carrying out of a feasibility study into bulk planting. It was explained that information for particular areas could be provided from the existing software relatively easily, although there was a cost implication for providing the same information on a Ward by Ward basis. Members were keen to see the provision of such information carried out on a trial basis initially to establish take-up rates. The proposal to investigate bulk planting was stated to have been supported by Officers although it was conceded that this would be a limited feasibility study given that it was not a core Council activity.

RESOLVED that

1)        new Members should be invited to visit teams responsible for tree maintenance, landscaping and cleansing services as part of the Member Induction process to provide them with an opportunity to learn about the work of these teams;

a)    a short briefing outlining the work of the place intervention, tree intervention and landscaping teams should be provided prior to a Council meeting early in the municipal year to provide those Members who are unable to participate in the member induction visit with an opportunity to learn about the work of these teams;

2)        a contact list of key senior and operational Officers, containing the telephone and email details together with the basic information about the Officers’ responsibilities, should be provided for the consideration of Members;

3)        Members should be provided with updates on progress made addressing landscaping issues that they have referred to Officers at the request of residents including at the point of resolution;

4)        data relating to landscaping cases reported for each area be provided for Members’ consideration on an annual basis.  Every Member should receive data for the areas they cover on a trial basis initially to gauge levels of take-up across the Council and with the option to receive or not according to Members’ wishes;

5)        one of the Environmental Services Teams’ performance measures should be to monitor the number of landscape cases that take longer than six months to resolve.  The information obtained through this monitoring process should be reported in the strategic measures for consideration of Senior Officers and elected Members;

6)        Officers should undertake a feasibility study, risk assessment and cost benefit analysis to assess the potential for the Council to bulk plant trees in Council open spaces and other appropriate locations.  This feasibility study should take into account the following matters:

a)     the legal implications, if any, of this action;

b)     the financial costs involved in planting and maintaining these plants;

c)     the availability of grants from the government and other sources to help pay for bulk planting in the Borough;

d)     demand within the market;

e)     where bulk planting would take place in the Borough;

f)      the size of the plots available for bulk planting;

g)     the implications for the Council’s Planning Department in relation to the Local Plan;

h)     the potential revenue that could be accrued by the Council; and

7)        Officers should investigate how to dispose of logs in a way that would maximise income for the Council.  Part of this investigation should involve a risk assessment.  Any revenue from these sales should be reinvested in landscaping services.