Street Cleansing Charter

Street Cleansing: Our charter to you:

Over the period 2003 - 2006 the Council will be focused on the following which is one of its priorities;

"The Council will improve the safety and cleanliness of the street scene and public spaces".

Our targets:

• Increase the percentage of residents satisfied with the level of service.
• Achieve year on year improvements on levels of street cleanliness, which is measured by an independent body. Current level is 69%, the target is 72% by Spring, 2006.
• Improve the performance rating of the Environment street scene from its Best Value score of a 1* service to a 2* rating for the service.
• The Council is responsible for keeping adopted highways clear and litter-free, within the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA).

What We Will Do:

• The street cleansing operation starts at 0600 and ends at 1800, 7 days a week including bank holidays with the exception of Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
• We will aim to keep the environment as pleasant as possible. There will be a routine sweeping schedule supplemented by extra sweeping when needed
• Fly-tipped materials on public land will be removed within 1 working day of being notified of its presence.
• The beach will be cleaned daily in the summer and weekly in the winter
• Provide a quick response team to deal with littering and fly-tipping
• Cleaner roadside gullies at least once per year
• Empty litter and dog waste bins at least twice per week
• Carry out a weed-spraying operation to all streets at least twice per annum.

What we will not do:

• Litter pick privately owned shopping arcades, car parks and retail parks
• Clear fly tipping from privately owned land
• Clear fly tipping from rear access passageways
• Clear rubbish from private front gardens or empty council housing.

Standards We Work To:

Cleanliness standards are described in the Environmental Protection Act. This specifies zones which are a reflection of how busy an area is and therefore how much litter is generated. The standard allows us to concentrate on dirty areas and not waste time or resources on areas that are already clean.

We do not have the resources to sweep all streets at the same frequency and therefore we try to reflect the perceived need. We do not always get it right, if you think that an area has fallen below the high standard of cleanliness you would expect, tell us and we will respond. If we agree that the areas is under our control and that it is below the acceptable standard we will bring the area back to standard within 5 days or sooner if the legislation (the EPA) REQUIRES A MORE RAPID RESPONSE.

If you have a query or complaint you can contact us at the office between 0900 and 1700 hours Monday to Thursday and 0900 - 1630 hours Fridays on telephone number 01472 324500, by email: customerrequests@nelincs.gov.uk, or by post to: The Cleansing Unit. Environmental Services, Doughty Road Grimsby, DN32 0LL

The Standards You Can Expect:

We try to maintain the highest standard in our street cleaning work. We, therefore, monitor;

• Your satisfaction with our cleansing work.
• The percentage of streets cleaned to the required standards.
• Spending on street cleansing activities. We report on our performance in our Best Value Performance Plan every year and also publish our targets for improving our performance.

Help Us To Help You:

• Please respect our staff, who are doing a difficult job
• Please provide any documentation required as quickly as possible.
• Please ask for help and advice if there is anything you don't understand.
• Do not drop litter.
• Respect the environment.

Feedback:

We are constantly working to improve our services to you - so,

• If you have a good idea about how we can improve things, we would like to hear from you
• If you are happy with the service you have received, please let us know and we will pass on your comments to the staff concerned
• If you have a complaint, we need to know so that we can take the necessary action to put it right

Useful Contacts:

Street Cleaning

Dog Bins

Fly Tipping

Gully Emptying

Litter and Litter Bins

NeAT Team

Call Centre

Enforcement

Email:  customerrequests@nelincs.gov.uk

Grounds Maintenance

• Following receipt of an enquiry relating to grass maintenance, we will inspect within two working days and, where necessary, cut within five working days of carrying out the inspection.
  
• We will ensure that vegetation is not allowed to obscure road signs - all complaints will be responded to within five working days.
  
• We will cut rural road verges to maintain adequate visibility.
  
• We will regularly clear litter, leaves, weeds and other debris from ponds.
  
• We will cut back shrubs and hedges in order to prevent them obstructing footpaths.
  
• We will regularly collect and remove blown litter from around the perimeter of grassed areas, under hedges and around trees.
  
• We will cut wildflower meadows at appropriate times of the year and will remove the cut grass from site.
  
• We will maintain rose beds, rockeries and flowerbeds and regularly clear them of weeds and litter.
  
• We will keep football and cricket pitches clearly marked out and suitable for playing on throughout the playing season.

What we will not do:

• We do not cut privately owned grass verges and shrubberies
• We do not prune privately owned trees

The Standards You Can Expect:

• To provide an economical, effective and efficient service;
• Continually evaluate our service;
• Consult with customers, members of the public and user groups;
• To carry out work to the highest standard;
• Ensure that all work is carried out safely;

Help Us to Help You:

• Please respect our staff carrying out a difficult job throughout the year
• Please contact us if you have any queries regarding the service we provide
• Avoid obstructing grass verges or damaging grass verges/open spaces or dumping rubbish
• If you have a complaint, please contact us so we can take the necessary steps to put in right.

Feedback:

We are constantly working to improve our service to you, so;

• If you have a good idea about how we can improve the service in your area, please contact us
• If you are happy with the service provided and alternatively if you are not

Useful Contacts:

For

customerrequests@nelincs.gov.uk

Further Information:

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