My report to Council

Posted By: Irene Davidson
Date Posted: 23/07/2009

Thank you Mr Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Environment & Sustainability Portfolio.

As the new Portfolio Holder for Environment & Sustainability I have, with the help of my Officers, tried to bring you up-to-date with what is happening in all parts of the Service. I am looking forward to the next year in post. I hope that if any member has a problem with any of my Services in the future that they contact me.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Recycling Rate
The confirmed recycling rate for 2008/9 is 32.93% for 2008/9 (24.82% 2007/8) which makes us third best in Greater Manchester (Stockport 1st - 39.25%, Trafford 2nd - 33.5%). This is an increase of 8.11% on the previous year. We are the best performing Local authority in Greater Manchester in 2008/9 for the collection of dry recycling which excludes garden waste.

Waste to Landfill
In 2008/9 the lowest amount of domestic waste sent to landfill per household in Greater Manchester was 512 kg per household

Blue Bins for Paper Cardboard
Approximately 10,000 requests for blue bins have been received since introduction in April. Due to the overwhelming demand for these bins there is a delay in getting bins out to households. We would ask residents to remain patient and we will deal with their requests as soon as possible.

Heywood Cemetery Extension
Work has begun on developing a new cemetery extension. This will provide the Heywood Township with further new burial space at Heywood cemetery for the next 25 years. The project is on target and scheduled to be completed in September 2009 before land space in the existing cemetery expires.

Valley Road Community Leisure Gardens (Allotments)
Valley Road Community Leisure Gardens is a flagship development arising from disposal of a derelict allotments site. It has taken some time from concept to be implemented, as there have been issues with land contamination and discovery of a disused mineshaft which have required significant additional remedial action. There should now be plant on site within 6-8 weeks. The scheme brings together progressive principles of Community Leisure Gardens, local food growing and community empowerment and integrates these with a Play Pathfinder, natural play development. The site will be managed by an emerging Community Leisure Garden Society and features such as the wildlife walk around the edge of the site, the wildflower meadows and willow sculptures will be constructed by a social enterprise attached to Rochdale MIND.

Green Volunteers
The Green Volunteers are now at the end of their second year in operation and they continue to grow and increase their scope. Development days for RMBC staff have been offered and Financial Services are the first Service due to participate in the pilot as soon as a date is finalised for July or August. This will combine team-building activities with practical conservation tasks and cleanups. The Green Volunteers are working with Rochdale Centre of Diversity to increase the number of volunteers from a range of ethnic backgrounds. There are close to 100 volunteers who delivered £34,700 worth of work in kind during 08/09 with a projection that the service will 'cover its own costs' by 2010/11.

Green Flag
Judging for Green Flag criteria has recently taken place at seven locations throughout the Borough and we are eagerly awaiting the results of whether we have been successful in gaining or retaining Green Flag criteria this year for these sites. Five of these areas are parks that achieved the Green Flag standard in 2008/9 these are, Queens Park, Broadfield Park, Hare Hill Park, Milnrow Memorial Park and Rochdale Memorial Gardens. In addition to these existing parks we have submitted Truffet Park in Middleton and the Packers Spout/St Chad’s area for judging this year.

Enforcement and awareness
The past 12 months has seen a decrease in environmental crime reported to us such as flytipping. This alongside a significant increase in public awareness via the Big Clean campaign, community litter picks and school presentations alongside pro-active and effective enforcement action has meant that the Environmental Management Service are on target to deliver in March 2010. The target is to reduce the percentage of areas that fall below an acceptable standard of cleanliness to 8% or below. The work that has taken place in the education and enforcement programme should help us to make further much needed improvements into flytipping, dog fouling, littering and graffiti throughout the Borough.

We also want to assure our residents and businesses that wherever possible we will continue to investigate every flytipping case brought to our attention. This is proven as we carried out or secured over 2000 flytipping clearances in the Borough. Last year alone we secured three arrests for this offence alongside 33 convictions for environmental offences. We currently have another 24 cases being brought before the courts in the near future. Under the Payback Scheme over 270 hours of community service have been given to offenders with one particular offender having a curfew order imposed by the Court.
Floral Displays & Borough in Bloom
We congratulate the Horticultural Service for their stunning displays not only in the Town Centre but also the gateways and parks throughout the Borough. This has been achieved due to the successful re-opening of Bowlee Nursery following the arson attack last year. The staff successfully created these displays with over 200,000 self-grown plants. It is hoped that this hard work and the colourful and pleasant aspects that this brings to our town and villages will be further rewarded by recognition through the Borough in Bloom Campaign recently launched. The judging for this will take place at the end of this month.

School Travel
86 of 94 schools (91.5%) have active travel plans. We are now moving into the implementation phase, organising workshops and similar events to promote sustainable travel choices for pupils and staff. There has been a notable increase both in cycling to school and the provision of cycle storage facilities at schools.

Eco-Schools
This is an international scheme for assessing and accrediting a schools commitment to sustainability issues. Currently 63% of the Borough’s schools have an accreditation under Eco-Schools. St. Edwards Primary in Castleton was recently awarded their fifth consecutive Green Flag award; only the third school in the country to achieve this.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
The Borough is nationally recognised for its good practice with regard to ESD. Both the regional finalists for the Sustainable Schools Teaching Awards were from the Borough, with St. Edwards short-listed in the top three to contest the National finals, which are televised in October.

Climate Change
Energy Saving Trust, One to One Support Programme – The one-to-one support programme helps Local Authorities reduce area-wide carbon emissions and demonstrate local leadership in addressing climate change. It works on a seven stage process that takes place over two years, to develop, implement and review a climate change action plan.

Carbon Trust, Local Authority Carbon Management Programme – This programme provides Councils with technical and change management guidance and mentoring that helps to identify practical carbon and cost savings. The primary focus of the work is to reduce emissions under the control of the Local Authority such as buildings, vehicle fleets, street lighting and waste. The Carbon Management Plan commits the Council to a target of reducing CO2 by 34% by 2014.

Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) – This new mandatory emissions trading scheme for large energy users will come into force in 2010 and will rank the carbon performance of all eligible organisations in a league table, together with financial incentives/penalties for good/bad performance.

Manchester University Client Project – We are working with Manchester University to look at how “climate proof” our Local Area Agreement is.

Sustainable Transport
Community Cycling Champion – We hosted Karen Carter from the CTC (the National Cyclists’ organisation). She is working with a wide range of communities across the Borough to increase their involvement with cycling. Karen has had many successes, notably the establishment of a cycling activity centre at Hollingworth Lake Water Activity Centre, together with trained staff and bicycles for use in outreach work. We are also the only Authority in Greater Manchester to have both CTC and the Bike-It programme from Sustrans operating in the Borough, bringing over £900,000 of funding into the Authority.

PLANNING & REGULATION SERVICE
Local Development Framework
Good progress is being made with the LDF. We have agreed a Scheme which sets out our programme. The key document is the Core Strategy and public consultation on the Preferred Option will start later this summer. Prior to this we have consulted all Townships and had a series of workshops with key stakeholders including members. The Preferred Option is an additional non- statutory stage which will allow us to test key ideas prior to a formal submission of the Strategy to Government early next year.

Transport Strategy
We have prepared, in conjunction with Impact and the RDA, a draft Transport Strategy which will identify the Council’s transport priorities and schemes for the next 15 years. This is a vital document which will help us to identify those schemes we need to support growth and development and to ensure we have a sustainable approach to improving access to places both within and outside the Borough. This will also help with future funding. The document will work alongside the Local Development Framework to provide an integrated approach to planning and transport matters. The formal stage of consultation will take place in the next few weeks to ensure that key stakeholders are ‘bought in’ to the key projects and principles.

Quality of Place
The Quality of Place Partnership is being developed and we are optimistic that the Board will at its next meeting in August be able to agree that it has now become fully formed and can take its place within the Pride Partnership structure. This is important as the partnership has responsibility for key areas of work in support of the CAA and can set out well-defined priorities and responses to current issues.

Transport Funding
At long last funding has been secured for Metrolink Phase 3a (Manchester to Rochdale Railway Station via Oldham) with stops at Newhey, Milnrow, Kingsway Business Park and Newbold (Kingsway). The recent announcement of the Greater Manchester Transport Fund also offers the prospect of a funding package £30m for schemes in the west of the Borough.

East Lancs Railway
The East Lancs Railway with the support of the Transport Funding will be developed as a commuter route complementing other work being undertaken on developing the Line’s tourism potential. Following a recent consultant’s study the proposals included a scheme to link the East Lancs Railway to Castleton providing a focus for its regeneration and future development opportunities. It also offers a range of development opportunities in Castleton and in Heywood including the Phoenix Brewery and at the Sefton Street site which complement the already successful activities on East Lancashire Railway. We are also looking at the feasibility of new stations at Castleton and on the East Lancashire Railway at Broadfield as well. The proposal provides an opportunity to connect Heywood to the rail network and a 15-20 minute rail journey into Manchester.

Swine Flu
Coroner and Registrars Services are meeting to co-ordinate local flu pandemic planning with Greater Manchester plans. Members will be kept fully informed.

Other Services
Registrars are holding an open day on Sunday the 13 September, which is being promoted through a competition run via the Observer. All Members are welcome to attend if they wish.


HIGHWAYS & ENGINEERING SERVICE
Highway Maintenance Contract
The Council’s Highway Maintenance contract transferred from Carillion to Balfour Beatty on 1 June. The contract will deliver all of our routine highway maintenance work, including gully cleaning, pothole repairs, winter maintenance and the smaller highway scheme work as part of their contract. I will be working with Highways to ensure this new contract provides a quality service, gives value for money, and delivers the efficiencies which have included in the contract. I will ensure the Impact partnership provides regular reports on the contractor’s performance in the delivery of this service.

On gully cleaning the new contract will ensure our gullies are maintained at least once a year, and in those priority areas where there is a known risk of flooding gullies are cleaned more regularly. The additional investment last year enabled the service to clean the full network for the first time in many years, and has provided improved data on damaged gullies. The additional investment approved this year will help repair damaged gullies in the priority areas identified last year.

Officers have reported that Balfour Beatty mobilised the new contract with the minimum of disruption to service delivery. New vehicles and equipment were operational on day one, emergency and urgent reactive work was not interrupted. This has helped deal with the increase in the level of repairs to pot-holes needed following the severe weather in the early part of the year.
Street Lighting PFI
I am pleased to report the Street Lighting PFI project is still on track despite the difficult financial market. This project will deliver significant additional investment (£35m) and is currently being concluded for service commencement later this year. We are also pleased to report that the preferred bidder (Community Lighting Partnership - CLP) has proposed to base their operation at Kingsway Business Park, to support our wider regeneration objectives. Carillion are continuing to provide Street Lighting services as an interim arrangement prior to the commencement of the new Street Lighting PFI investment programme with CLP

Townships – Devolved Budgets and Work Programmes
Officers are currently working with Township to agree priorities and work programmes for this year, and schemes to be delivered though the Highways Capital Programme. I will be working with Impact Partnership to ensure these work programmes are delivered efficiently and provide value for money.

COUNCILLOR IRENE DAVIDSON