A question session with the Lead Councillor for Environment. Councillor Steel’s areas of responsibility:
• Waste
• Licensing (including Health and Safety regulation)
• Parking
• Parks and Leisure
• Arts and Tourism
• Bereavement
• Environmental Health and Protection
Minutes:
The Chair introduced the Lead Councillor for Environment and reminded the meeting of Councillor Steel’s areas of responsibility: waste; licensing (including health and safety regulation); parking; parks and leisure; arts and tourism; bereavement; and environmental health and protection.
The session began with questions about the waste and recycling service. In response to a question about delays in supplying new bins and difficulties in collections, the Lead Councillor for Environment stated that the Council were struggling to get hold of some containers and bins. He indicated that there were supply issues due to a global plastics shortage, an international shipping container shortage, and a shortage of haulage due to issues with drivers. The Lead Councillor for Environment provided the Committee with details of the availability of containers, including food waste caddies, sharps boxes, and refuse, recycling, and garden bins. The meeting was informed that the delays on some container types and the issues with securing supplies were likely to continue for a number of months.
In reply to a query about the disruption of waste and recycling collections, the Lead Councillor for Environment indicated that the Borough had not witnessed service disruption from a shortage of drivers. The meeting was advised that post-Covid use of leave combined with some isolating staff and sickness had occasionally impacted services. The Lead Councillor for Environment indicated that there was a risk of future service disruption if drivers left for higher paying driver roles elsewhere as had occurred in some neighbouring boroughs.
In reply to a question, the Lead Councillor for Environment suggested that missed bin collections could be reported through MyGuildford online or by contacting the Council by telephone.
In reply to questions about recycling, the Lead Councillor for Environment indicated that the amount of recycling contaminated by the wrong items being recycled was low. He advised the Committee that the issue of contaminated recycling was addressed through identifying the source and providing educational information to the property or business concerned. In addition, the Lead Councillor for Environment indicated that the Surrey Environmental Partnership provided key recycling literature to all properties across the county.
In response to a question about benchmarking recycling rates, the Lead Councillor for Environment advised the meeting that Guildford was currently ranked third among waste collection authorities in Surrey and nineteenth nationally.
In reply to a question about the recycling of the Borough’s plastic waste, the Lead Councillor for Environment confirmed that plastic waste export details and end destinations were published as part of the waste data flow reports to Defra.
A member of the Committee questioned whether the decision to replace the Council’s waste fleet vehicles with fossil-fuelled vehicles was being reconsidered. In response, the Lead Councillor for Environment indicated that the diesel waste fleet vehicles had been purchased last year and were currently in use. He stated that this was expected to be the last fleet of new diesel waste vehicles purchased by the Council. The Lead Councillor for Environment advised the meeting that there were no viable hydrogen-powered dustcarts available to purchase. In addition, he advised the Committee of issues installing the infrastructure for hydrogen or electric powered vehicles at the Council’s current depot. The Lead Councillor for Environment indicated that he believed it would be achievable, subject to funding being available, to decarbonise almost all the Council’s fleet of vehicles by 2030.
With reference to the increase in the minimum charge for off-street car parking introduced in the winter, a member of the Committee asked whether there were statistics to show whether car park use had increased or fallen. The Lead Councillor for Environment indicated that car park usage was approximately eighty per cent of pre-Covid levels. The Lead Councillor for Environment undertook to provide details of usage levels to the Committee members.
A member of the Committee asked for an update on the return of the park and ride service. The Lead Councillor for Environment indicated that the capacity at Artington was reduced due to the vaccination centre, Onslow not operational and was being used by the NHS as a testing centre, Merrow was back up and running, and Spectrum was operating at a reduced level. The Lead Councillor for Environment undertook to provide fuller details to the Committee members.
In reply to a question about the possible closure of the Tourism Information Centre (TIC), the Lead Councillor for Environment advised the meeting that there were efforts underway to maximise the digital impact of the TIC. He indicated that there was currently a desire to have a physical form of TIC to provide an in-person service for members of the public who required it.
A member of the Committee asked the Lead Councillor for Environment to outline his visitor and tourism strategy and update the Committee on his interactions with counterparts across the county and at Surrey County Council. In response, the Lead Councillor for Environment confirmed meeting the Chairman of Visit Surrey and advised the Committee that the tourism and visitor strategy across Guildford and Surrey should be technologically advanced. He advocated the importance of tourism being eco-friendly and sustainable.
[At this point in the meeting the Lead Councillor for Environment had internet connection difficulties and the Committee considered the next item of business before concluding the question session as below].
In reply to a question about a lack of data for the Council’s performance indicators for statutory nuisance investigations, the Lead Councillor for Environment stated that as part of implementing the new structure and forming the new team within Environment and Regulatory Services a comprehensive set of KPIs and performance measures were being developed including COM18 about statutory nuisance. He indicated that councillors would start seeing regular performance data in corporate reports.
The Lead Councillor for Environment advised the meeting that his current portfolio priorities were the contract extensions involving G Live and Freedom Leisure and responding to the national waste strategy.
In response to questions about Spectrum 2.0, the Lead Councillor for Environment stated that the rebuild project had been paused until assessments of the current building had been completed. He advised the meeting that the results of surveys of Spectrum should be available in early or mid-2023. The Lead Councillor for Environment referred to options for the future management of the Council’s leisure facilities, including collaboration between Guildford Borough Council and Waverley Borough Council.
The Chair thanked the Lead Councillor for Environment for attending and answering questions.