Question:
WBC regularly publicise their attempts to track down fly-tippers but never reveal why the Highways Department and their contractors have special exemption to deposit litter across the town. One doesn’t have to travel far to see council-sponsored fly-tipping; Cantley Park is bookended with five abandoned signs for road works that were completed several months ago. The same applies to Norreys Avenue where sandbags and signs have been discarded at both ends and in the middle of the road.
Photographic evidence has been provided to all Members. You’ll notice that the photos have been taken in a small part of Norreys ward, not because its special but because I came across the fly-tipping on one short walk. It is typical of the whole Borough.
It is paradoxical that whilst residents are being encouraged to recycle the Highways team are indulging in single use signs at great cost to Council Taxpayers.
These remnants of roadworks et al create trip hazards, make the town look scruffy and, they provide examples and positive encourage for residents to follow and drop their own litter also. Are you proud of this?
Minutes:
Question:
Photographic evidence has been provided to all Members. You’ll notice that the photos have been taken in a small part of Norreys ward, not because its special but because I came across the fly-tipping on one short walk. It is typical of the whole Borough.
It is paradoxical that whilst residents are being encouraged to recycle the Highways team are indulging in single use signs at great cost to Council Taxpayers.
These remnants of roadworks et al create trip hazards, make the town look scruffy and, they provide examples and positive encourage for residents to follow and drop their own litter also. Are you proud of this?
At this point in the meeting, it was proposed by Pauline Jorgensen that Public Questions be extended by 10 minutes to enable all questioners to put their question. This was seconded by Keith Baker.
Upon being put to the vote this was agreed.
Answer:
The Council have identified that our contractor has missed picking up signage after the works have been completed. We have brought this to the attention of the contractor and are undertaking inspections after the works are completed to check that all signage, A frames and sandbags are removed after the works have been completed.
As the highways authority through our function and network management duties, our Streetworks Inspectors will log abandoned signs, barriers and other equipment and attempt to identify their owners via work permit records. If it is an external utility company, charges for unreasonable occupation of the highway under Section 74 of the New Roads and Streetworks Act 1991 will be pursued.
It is inevitable that some abandoned equipment will not be seen by Inspectors so we encourage our residents to inform us of this via our customer service number Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm - call 0118 974 6000 so that we can investigate, to get the equipment removed and take the appropriate enforcement action.
Supplementary Question:
Most of the signs left behind are Council ones because utility companies being private organisations, they are accountable, and they do take them away. In the real world organisations normally inspect their works after they have finished to check that they have been done properly before authorising an invoice for payment. Case in point would be when a surgeon checks that all the tools used in an operation are removed from a patient before stitching up the wounds. Clearly this does not happen at the moment as contractors are able to submit invoices willy nilly in the knowledge they will be paid without any checks, so hopefully what you have just said is going to prevent this in the future. I will keep an eye on it and be back if not.
Supplementary Answer:
There are approximately 5,300 roadworks undertaken in the Borough annually. 75% of those are undertaken by the utilities , and yes they do leave their signs and equipment behind.