Issue - meetings

The Committee received a report from the Environmental Health Manager. 

The report outlined an overview of the council’s Streets and Open Spaces, Environmental Health and Shared Waste service activity in the Area Committee area over the past six months. 

In response to Members’ questions the Environmental Health Manager said the following: 

      i.         The number of reported dog issues has reduced, in part due to an improved reporting mechanism.  Spreading dog warden duties across the team had increased the ability to manage capacity. 

    ii.         During the pandemic, the public have been less likely to allow their dogs to stray, keeping doors closed and dogs on leads when in public.  This had meant a large reduction in the number of reported stray dogs during the last year. 

   iii.         There was an increase in the number of Section 47 notices served on businesses following re-opening in summer 2020 after a period of closure, where those businesses may not have been able to afford a suitable number of waste collections.  The council has worked with businesses to manage their waste and minimised the number of prosecutions and fixed penalty notices. 

  iv.         There was an increase in fly-tipped cardboard, likely due to increased home deliveries.  The Street Enforcement department had been working with the waste team, including on problems with shared bin stores in housing estates. 

    v.         A number of members within the team had worked hard on compiling the report for the committee, and the Environmental Health Manager asked to credit them following praise from councillors regarding the quality of the report.