Issue - meetings

To enable Non-Cabinet Members to raise an issue of relevance to Brent for debate on which notice has been provided in accordance with Standing Order 34 and to receive reports from Cabinet members, as required, on any issues previously raised.

Members are asked to note that the subject identified for debate at this meeting is as follows:

Making our Borough Clean and Safe.

Please note: The motion submitted as the basis for this debate has been attached.

(Agenda republished on 17 November 2023 to include a Labour Group amendment to the original motion submitted as the basis for the Non-Cabinet Member debate)

Following the approval of an amendment moved by the Labour Group in relation to the original motion submitted, the following motion (as amended) was AGREED as the outcome of the non-cabinet member debate:

“Making our Borough Clean and Safe

This Council notes:

A major issue of upmost importance to Brent Council is the general condition of our area. Residents are increasingly frustrated that a small minority of individuals disregard their streets and use them for rubbish and illegal fly tipping. As ward councillors we are receiving daily updates from local people about dumping in the Borough, and we work tirelessly with Council Officers to resolve these enquiries and prevent the problem from getting worse.

This includes large fly tips in hotspot locations that have been identified by the Council for a considerable time, but with limited resources it is an ongoing battle for our environmental enforcement teams to tackle. Nonetheless we do ensure that proactive action is taken to prevent further ongoing dumping at these sites.

In some areas of the borough ‘paan spitting’ continues to be a major problem local people are forced to contend with. The Councils campaigns to reduce unsightly, unhygienic mess caused by this bad habit will encourage behaviour change.

Rubbish on our streets contributes to how people view the area and can have a knock-on effect in terms of further Anti-Social Behaviour in the community.

A key priority of this local authority must be to address to scourge of fly tipping and crack down forcefully on those who continue to disrespect our community.

The new Waste Service Contract with Veolia is in place, and it is crucial that the company are held to account in delivering the set-out terms of their contract, particularly around targets on street cleansing.

The roll out of the new blue bags recycling service has already led to a 50% increase in the tonnage of paper and cardboard collected in the first month. While the scheme requires residents to adjust to the new regime more blue bin bags are already being collected without contamination, with a record low of 1% contamination. There is a risk of local people losing confidence in the Climate Emergency Strategy should we choose to do nothing to improve the revised recycling system and increase levels of recycling.

It is likely that the new system will result in the Council’s stated aim of increasing the boroughs overall recycling rate.

Prioritising making our borough clean will have a positive effect on the way people feel about where they live and how others who visit Brent view our area.

Therefore, this Council believes:

1.          Keeping local streets clean and free of rubbish must be a continued focus, particularly in light of increased dumping locally.

2.          The best way to discourage illegal behaviour is by a programme of mass fining and continuing a zero-tolerance approach to rubbish on our streets and in our open spaces and paan spitting.

3.          The Brent Connects areas ensure Enforcement Teams are not overly  ...  view the full decision text for item 14

In accordance with Standing Order 34, the Mayor advised that the next item on the agenda was the non-cabinet member debate, with the subject chosen for consideration being Making our Borough Clean & Safe.

Members were advised that the motion submitted as the basis for the debate had been circulated with the agenda and that the time available for the debate was 25 minutes.

The Mayor then invited Councillor Georgiou to introduce the motion which had been submitted as the basis for the Non-Cabinet Member debate.  In moving the motion, Councillor Georgiou began by highlighting what he felt was the need for the current Administration and Lead Cabinet Members to recognise the concerns being expressed by residents at the cleanliness of the borough’s streets, anti-social behaviour and also in relation to the blue bag recycling scheme.  The motion submitted for debate had sought to raise these matters given the frustration and concerns being expressed by local residents at the general condition and cleanliness of streets across the borough, and on which it was felt decisions made by the current Administration had also negatively contributed towards.

Whilst calling on the Council to take more proactive action in relation to fly tipping and enforcement of the street cleansing contract, the motion had also sought to highlight the significant concerns being expressed by local residents (as highlighted by the strength of feeling expressed within current petitions and the deputation considered earlier in the meeting) relating to the roll out and impact of the blue bag recycling scheme.  The motion was therefore calling for an immediate review of the scheme in order to avoid any longer term loss of confidence in recycling initiatives with the Liberal Democrats Group having already proposed an alternative approach when the matter was reviewed by the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee.

In outlining the key actions being sought through the motion, Councillor Georgiou ended by querying the position of the Administration and Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action on the issues identified with the need for urgent action highlighted in order to address the concerns raised in seeking to make the borough clean and safe and positively impact on how local residents felt about the borough as a place to live.

The Mayor thanked Councillor Georgiou for introducing the motion and then drew members’ attention to an amendment submitted by Councillor Krupa Sheth on behalf of the Labour Group, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting.

In moving the amendment, Councillor Krupa Sheth, as Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action, felt that the original motion moved as the basis for the debate had missed the opportunity for a genuine cross-party discussion about making the environment cleaner, acknowledging the extent of work that was being undertaken within the funding available along with the challenges and compromises required to achieve the Council’s target for carbon neutrality by 2030.  The amendment had therefore been designed to recognise, in a way it was felt the original motion  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14