Questions and Answers from Transportation and Street Services – 25th June 2006

As new Scrutiny Chair for Transportation and Street Services I am holding weekly meetings with Neil Dancer, Chief Highway Engineer, and Ian Coghill, Assistant Director of Fleet and Waste Management. The meetings are organized around answering the questions set out at the bottom of this e-mail.

The two departments are presently pulling together information to answer these questions. However I am satisfied that one of the questions has now been answered.

The question is:
Do we actually collect statistics on refuse on a Ward-by-Ward basis? Could we start doing that?

The answer is:
Yes, this begun in early May.

Please note that my original question said ‘statistics on refuse’. What I really wanted was statistics on how clean or dirty the city was, so that we could focus in on where the grime spots are.

Since early May the Council has employed two full time Environmental Quality Surveyors to survey all the Wards in Birmingham over a six month period for cleanliness. The surveyors assess approximately 70 spots in each Ward, producing marks on cleanliness based on the ENCAMS system of surveying.

The timetable for surveying is as follows:

April 2006 - Set-up, training, etc.

May 2006 -Sutton Trinity, Washwood Heath, Shard End, Quinton, Weoley, Moseley and Kings Heath, Brandwood, Stockland Green plus 6 Neighbourhood Element areas

June 2006 Soho, Harborne, Perry Barr, Longbridge, South Yardley, Sparkbrook, Sutton Four Oaks, Bournville.

July 2006 Erdington, Stechford and Yardley North, Aston, Sutton New Hall, Oscott, Kings Norton, Springfield, Lozells and East Handsworth, Sutton Vesey, Northfield.

August 2006 Billesley, Tyburn, Nechells

September 2006 Selly Oak, Handsworth Wood, Hall Green, Sheldon, Bartley Green, Kingstanding, Bordesley Green, Hodge Hill

October 2006 Acocks Green, Ladywood, Edgbaston, Moseley and Kings Heath, Brandwood, Stockland Green, Soho, Harborne plus 6 Neighbourhood Element areas

November 2006 Perry Barr, Longbridge, South Yardley, Sparkbrook, Sutton Four Oaks, Bournville, Erdington, Stechford and Yardley North

December 2006 Aston, Sutton New Hall, Oscott, Kings Norton, Springfield, Lozells and East Handsworth

January 2007 Sutton Vesey, Northfield, Billesley, Tyburn, Nechells, Sutton Trinity, Quinton, Selly Oak, Handsworth Wood, Hodge Hill

February 2007 Acocks Green, Ladywood, Weoley, Shard End, Washwood Heath

March 2007 Hall Green, Sheldon, Bartley Green, Bordesley Green, Kingstanding

The results of the surveys so far are to follow:

The remaining questions I awaiting answers for are as follows:

Street Services
What is the timetable for the roll out of doorstep recycling in south Birmingham?

Could we have a scheme where graffiti is removed off brickwork without the need for prior permission from the owner? This is a particular nuisance with empty shops or abandoned houses where the Council insists the non-existent owner must sign a form to allow the graffiti to be removed.


Transportation
What is happening with reducing the cost of installing dropped kerbs to allow parking in front gardens?

What is happening with providing funds to allow one residents parking scheme per Ward per Year? At the moment it is only one residents parking scheme per District per year.

Why can’t Councillors be provided with a Ward map showing where road accidents have happened over the last 5 years? This would allow Councillors to prioritize traffic calming measures, if any.

What are we doing to make it easier to install mobile CCTV cameras on lampposts? At the moment the Highways Department insist that any lamp post that is to have a rapid response mobile CCTV has to be first individually tested to ensure the lamp post will not topple over. They then charge an exorbitant rate to put the camera on and off the lamppost.

What are we doing to make it easier and quicker to change Traffic Regulation Orders?

When is the Highways Department going to start removing Advertising A-boards that clutter our High Streets? Other Councils do this, but Birmingham Highways Department refuses to do so.