Agenda item

Following the Scrutiny Review of the Grounds Maintenance Service in 2018, to consider an update on preparations and the action plan for the 2019 grass cutting season.

The Committee considered a report, set out at Agenda pages 11 to 34, which gave details of the grass cutting delivery plan for 2019.

Councillor Graham Howe (Deputy Executive Member for Environment, Leisure and Libraries), Peter Baveystock (Service Manager, Cleaner, Greener and Reactive Highway Services), and Emma Pilgrim (Specialist – Place Clienting) attended the meeting to present the report and answer Member questions.

Nigel Payne (Regional Director) and Peter Fry (Area Manager) attended the meeting as representatives of the Council’s contractor, Tivoli.

The Committee had requested the report as a follow up to its Scrutiny review of the Council’s Grounds Maintenance service in 2018. The Scrutiny review had included 12 recommendations which were approved by the Executive in January 2019. The recommendations focussed on measures to ensure that the Council’s contractor (Tivoli) had sufficient resources in place (staff, supervisors and machinery) to enable the grass cutting service to be delivered effectively. Appended to the report was a schedule containing Officer comments and actions relating to the 12 Scrutiny recommendations.

The report stated that an action plan had been developed with the contractor which identified key risks and mitigating actions put in place. These included:

·           early recruitment and training of contractor staff;

·           a focus on ensuring readiness of new and existing machinery;

·           a clear two-way communications plan which enabled early warning of emerging issues;

·           contingency arrangements in the event of delays in the grass cutting programme.

Members were informed that work on the action plan had commenced in January 2019 and that good progress had been made. This included staff recruitment, the procurement of new machinery and maintenance of existing machinery. Current key performance indicators (KPIs) had been reviewed and new KPIs added in order to make targets more realistic and penalties more appropriate.

The report stated that progress in delivering the action plan would be monitored during the year and would be discussed at regular review meetings between the Council’s client team and Tivoli. Further update reports would be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee as the grass cutting season progressed.

During the ensuing discussion Member raised the following points:

In relation to the Risk Matrix attached to the report, what actions had beentaken to address the risk relating to lack of WBC monitoring resource? It was confirmed that the Council’s new Locality Services team would provide increased resilience to contractual arrangements by engaging with local stakeholders and providing feedback on emerging service issues.

How was the Council addressing the problems caused by hedge encroachments onto footpaths? It was confirmed that this was more of a street cleansing/highways issue. Specific issues would be investigated and addressed.

In relation to Winnersh Meadows, there were major problems in 2018 when the grass was up to four feet high which attracted ticks and fleas. What improvements were planned for 2019? It was confirmed that a management plan would be developed for Winnersh Meadows in consultation with the Council’s biodiversity experts and local Members.

As the weather was currently very mild were plans in place to deal with early growth? It was confirmed that preparations were well advanced relating to staff recruitment/training and maintenance of machinery. Three sub-contractors were also in place to act as a backstop.

Was the current distribution of waste bins across the Borough adequate, especially in relation to the collection of dog waste? It was confirmed that dog waste could be placed in general waste bins. There were currently around 1,000 waste bins in place across the Borough. Officers were happy to look at specific issues to determine whether local provision was adequate and effective.

What were the key lessons learned from earlier years and what were the key improvements in place for 2019? In order to illustrate the response Peter Fry gave a presentation to the Committee on the changes being introduced in 2019. These included earlier recruitment of full-time and seasonal operatives and enhanced maintenance facilities with two full-time mechanics. Tivoli were also introducing a new operating platform comprising hand-held devices which would improve productivity, reduce paperwork and strengthen health and safety procedures.

What measures were in place to improve communication about the grass cutting service to residents and Members? It was confirmed that details of the grass cutting schedules would be shared with Members. Work was ongoing to place improved information on the Council’s website. In the meantime residents’ queries and complaints should be submitted to the Council’s Customer Service team. Information received would be fed into the Dynamics system which would enable more accurate monitoring and reporting.

What was the potential for using drones to monitor the effectiveness of the grass cutting programme? It was felt that drones may not add much value to the monitoring of grass cutting but may be useful to improve health and safety and reduce risk in relation to arboriculture work.

Members considered the most suitable time for a follow-up report once the grass cutting season was under way. It was felt that a report to the Committee’s June 2019 meeting would be appropriate followed by a “lessons learned” report to the October 2019 meeting.

RESOLVED That:

1)     Graham Howe, Peter Baveystock, Peter Fry, Nigel Payne and Emma Pilgrim be thanked for attending the meeting to update the Committee and answer Member questions;

2)     the Officer response to the Committee’s twelve Scrutiny review recommendations be noted;

3)     the grass cutting delivery and communication plans for 2019 be welcomed and supported;

4)     the Committee receive a further update report at its June 2019 meeting and a “lessons learned” report at its meeting in October 2019.