Agenda item

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 stretched so that a targeted approach is deployed in hotspot fly tipping locations – such as deployment of additional resources in Wembley and Alperton.

 

4.          It is possible to change behaviours and educate people about how to treat our streets and opens spaces, through well run, targeted and engaging education campaigns.

 

5.          Volunteers who spend hours every week trying to keep our borough clean and tidy must be commended for the work that they do and assisted wherever possible by the Council.

 

The blue bag scheme will be reviewed in 2024 with improvements to be considered by Cabinet and the recommendations by Scrutiny looked at again.

 

This Council therefore resolves to call on the Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action:

 

1.          To make a non commercially sensitive version of the new Waste Service Contract with Veolia publicly available to enable effective scrutiny of the company and so that we can be confident that they are meeting the set-out terms of their contract with Brent.

 

2.          To continue to work with partners across the Council and with outside agencies to identify additional resource to assist the existing Waste Enforcement teams across the borough in delivering effective enforcement against those who continue to disrespect our area.

 

3.          Where additional resource is needed to scope the possibility of employing apprentices to work alongside Neighbourhood Managers and Enforcement Teams in fly tipping hotspot locations in the borough.

 

4.          Subject to further engagement work, to work with the Cabinet Member for Customers, Communities & Culture, to undertake an internal review of the Brent Connects areas, particularly the Wembley Connects area, to see whether splitting them into smaller geographical areas can help with more effective, targeted waste enforcement work.

 

5.          To continue the education campaign including door to door communications about the Council’s renewed focus on dealing with rubbish dumping and fly tipping in the area, this will include details of fines individuals would face if caught not adhering to the law.

 

6.     To ensure that until the New Year all blue bins are emptied according to criteria and scheduled times published in residents’ calendars.  The Council will instruct the contractor to ensure that blue bags are not thrown about and that all bins are returned to the correct location. Above all the Cabinet will consider the feedback from residents and the emerging data from the roll out to consider all options that will support residents with recycling more cardboard and paper utilising the Capital budget of £1.6 million which has been allocated for this.

 

7.     To lobby the government regarding the possibility of introducing a long awaited deposit scheme for cans and bottles, which would discourage dumping in our area.

 

8.     To work with other London local authorities to gain insight on best practice around dealing with ongoing rubbish and fly tipping issues that are sadly prevalent in some areas in the capital.

 

9.     To continue our ongoing work with the Mayor of London to ensure areas in our borough under his jurisdiction are kept clean and safe, including TfL land.

 

10.   To write to Government urging that they consider banning the sale of paan, or at the very least require businesses who sell it to have a License.

 

11.   To write to Government about the ongoing fly tipping problems in Brent and request additional funding to support renewed efforts to get to grips with this issue.”

 

Eligible for Call-In: No

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 had not, the constraints placed upon the Council in relation to the increasing level of demand on services whilst at the same time having to mitigate against the extensive funding reductions imposed by central government and prioritise protection of the most vulnerable residents.  In highlighting the hard work, funding and difficult nature of decisions required to resolve the issues identified Councillor Krupa Sheth advised that, whilst sharing the frustrations expressed in relation to the problem of fly-tipping and illegal dumping of rubbish, the amendment moved had sought to recognise the work required to address and purse the minority of individuals causing problems as well as the range of actions being taken to create a cleaner and greener borough.  On this basis, the amendment moved was as follows:

 

To add the wording underlined and delete the wording indicated:

 

Making our Borough Clean and Safe

 

This Council notes:

 

A major issue of upmost importance to Brent Council isTthe general condition of our area. is poor and rResidents are increasingly frustrated that a small minority of individuals disregard their streets are full of and use them for rubbish and illegal fly tipping. As ward Ccouncillors 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 that is getting worse, not better.

 

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 Council’s campaigns to reduce unsightly, unhygienic mess caused by this bad habit have failed 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.

 

Decisions made by this Labour Administration have negatively contributed to the problem, by making it harder for some people to dispose of waste in the proper manner and by not prioritising effective enforcement and education campaigns that would deter this illegal behaviour.

 

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 created more problems and confusion. already led to a 50% increase in the tonnage of paper and cardboard collected in the first month. Operatives throw bags around which are then blown away and lost. While the scheme requires Rresidents are then penalised, to adjust to the new regime and their more blue bins bags not are already being collected on the grounds of 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 turning their back on it increase levels of recycling.

 

It is unlikely 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 renewed 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 need to be reformed in order to ensure Enforcement Teams are not overly stretched and so that a targeted approach is deployed in hotspot fly tipping locations – such as deployment of additional resources in Wembley and Alperton.

 

4.          It is possible to change behaviours and educate people about how to treat our streets and opens spaces, through well run, targeted and engaging education campaigns.

 

5.          Volunteers who spend hours every week trying to keep our borough clean and tidy must be commended for the work that they do and assisted wherever possible by the Council.

 

6.     The blue bag scheme needs to will be reviewed as soon as possible in 2024 with and improvements to be considered by Cabinet and the recommendations by Scrutiny looked at again.

 

This Council therefore resolves to call on the Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action:

 

1.          To make the a non commercially sensitive version of the new Waste Service Contract with Veolia publicly available to enable effective scrutiny of the company and so that we can be confident that they are meeting the set-out terms of their contract with Brent.

 

2.          To continue to work with partners across the Council and with outside agencies to identify additional resource to assist the existing Waste Enforcement teams across the borough in delivering effective enforcement against those who continue to disrespect our area.

 

3.          Where additional resource is neededTto scope the possibility of employing apprentices to work alongside Neighbourhood Managers and Enforcement Teams in fly tipping hotspot locations in the borough.

 

4.          Subject to further engagement work,Working with to work with the Cabinet Member for Customers, Communities & Culture, to undertake an internal review of the Brent Connects areas, particularly the Wembley Connects area, to see whether splitting them into smaller geographical areas can help with more effective, targeted waste enforcement work.

 

5.          To develop continue the an education campaign including door to door communications about the Council’s renewed focus on dealing with rubbish dumping and fly tipping in the area, this will include details of fines individuals would face if caught not adhering to the law.

 

6.     To Eensure that until the New Year all blue bins are emptied at every collection according to criteria and scheduled times published in residents’ calendars. The Council will Iinstructing the contractor to ensure that blue bags are not thrown about and that all bins are returned to the correct location. And aAbove all the Cabinet will reconsider the feedback from option of providing residents and the emerging data from the roll out to consider all options with a smaller wheelie bin that will support residents with for their mixed recycling more and converting the larger bins for the bulkier cardboard and paper collection utilising the Capital budget of £1.6 million which has been allocated for this.

 

7.     To explore lobby the government regarding the possibility of introducing a long awaited deposit scheme for cans and bottles, which would discourage dumping in our area.

 

8.     To work with other London local authorities to gain insight on best practice around dealing with ongoing rubbish and fly tipping issues that are sadly prevalent in some areas in the capital.

 

9.     To call on continue our ongoing work with the Mayor of London to ensure areas in our borough under his jurisdiction are kept clean and safe, including TfL land.

 

10.   To write to Government urging that they consider banning the sale of paan, or at the very least require businesses who sell it to have a License.

 

11.   To write to Government about the ongoing fly tipping problems in Brent and request additional funding to support renewed efforts to get to grips with this issue.

 

The Mayor thanked Councillor Krupa Sheth for moving the amendment on behalf of the Labour Group and then opened the debate for contributions from other members in relation to both the original motion and amendment.

 

Councillor Mistry, in supporting the original motion, highlighted the continued problems being created by a minority of residents with specific reference to illegal dumping of rubbish and also paan spitting.  Despite having previously raised these concerns, Councillor Mistry felt that current reporting methods and level of action being taken in response were not sufficient with reference made to ongoing issues along Kingsbury High Road and within Queensbury.  Expressing support for a ban on the sale of pann and the work being undertaken locally by residents to monitor issues, Councillor Mistry ended by also highlighting the need for improved education and for the Mayor of London to enhance funding for the Police in order to support the work being undertaken across neighbourhoods.

 

In support of the concerns raised regarding the introduction and operation of the blue bag recycling scheme, Councillor Lorber felt it important to remind members these had also been raised at the time the changes had been considered by the Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee.  Recognising the issues raised as part of the deputation on the same matter earlier in the meeting, he pointed out that concerns highlighted during the Scrutiny Committee meeting had included the quality of the bags, potential issues with contamination and collection with the suggestion made that residents should be offered an alternative option of a separate bin.  In support of the original motion moved as the basis of the debate, Councillor Lorber felt that the decision to proceed with the blue bag recycling scheme had not only been poorly implemented but was also contributing to the problem of keeping local streets clean and free of rubbish by creating excess litter.

 

Councillor Fraser, in expressing support for the amendment moved, felt that the focus for any concerns raised would be better targeted at the need to ensure Councils were being properly funded by central government to tackle fly-tipping and waste collection as well as other key services and to support the reintroduction of communication campaigns and initiatives such as “Keep Britain Tidy” to support the work being undertaken to change the behaviour of the minority of people who caused problems.  In addition, Councillor Fraser felt there was a need to recognise the extent of the financial pressures being faced by the Council and impact these were having not just in relation to recycling and litter but also across a range of other crucial services relied on by many residents across the borough.

 

In pointing out that Brent were third in London for prosecutions relating to fly tipping and eighth for fines issued for fly tipping, Councillor Miller supported the need to focus attention on those creating the problem.  In recognising the extent of littering and fly tipping as an issue across London the need to address individual behaviours was highlighted as a specific focus, including the issue of rogue landlords within the private rented housing sector.  In commending the introduction of selective licensing schemes to better regulate the sector he was keen to ensure the necessary protections continued to be sought for tenants with action taken against landlords found to be in breach of their licence or to have been illegally fly-tipping as a means of avoiding business expenses. To conclude, Councillor Miller expressed disappointment that central government had decided not to bring forward the proposed Renters Rights Bill and in expressing support for the amendment moved, also hoped for a cross-party consensus which would result in the implementation of the renters’ rights provisions in future.

 

Councillor Kansagra in contributing to the debate and supporting the concerns raised in relation to introduction of the blue bag recycling scheme felt it was important, in considering the motion, to recognise the strength of public feeling which had been expressed on the issue and limited level of public support for the scheme which appeared to have been received in response.  For these reasons he advised he would not be supporting the amendment moved by the Labour Group.

 

In responding to previous comments Councillor Dixon, whilst acknowledging the concerns raised regarding the blue bag scheme felt it important to recognise that the introduction of any borough wide scheme would require a period of review and adjustment, which she advised the majority of residents appeared to have understood given what the Council was seeking to achieve in terms of improving recycling rates and reducing the borough’s impact on the climate.  Whilst patience would be required in refining and addressing operational issues, the priority in dealing with these at the same time as needing to focus on a range of other significant issues impacting on residents across the borough was highlighted, which it was felt the amendment had sought to recognise in a balanced way.  For these reasons Councillor Dixon advised she would also be supporting the amendment moved rather than original motion.

 

As there were no further contributions, the Mayor then invited Councillor Krupa Sheth, as Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action, to summarise and close the debate.

 

In drawing the debate to a close, Councillor Krupa Sheth reiterated that the Council would continue to pursue those who littered and illegally fly tipped, detailing the outcome of a recent successful prosecution as evidence of the approach being adopted.  Furthermore, Councillor Krupa Sheth advised of the work being undertaken to explore all available options in addressing the issue, including the use of new technology and wider use of the community skip initiative.  Rather than singling out the blue bag scheme, members were advised that the amendment had sought to highlight and support the wider environmental and climate impact being achieved as a result of a wide range of initiatives with members assured that the blue bag scheme would continue to be reviewed moving forward in order to ensure it remained as effective as possible.  In summing up, Councillor Krupa Sheth provided examples on the wide range of activities being progressed by the Council in addition to the recycling scheme, which included lobbying for a bottle deposit scheme, reducing the impact of paan spitting and littering as well as the efforts being made to seek an increase in funding from central government to support the range of initiatives outlined.  Taken together it was felt this approach would best serve the borough in terms of creating a cleaner and greener future which she hoped all members would support, as a final outcome of the debate.

 

Having thanked members for their contributions, the Mayor then moved to the vote on the motion moved as the basis for the Non-Cabinet Member debate starting with the amendment moved by the Labour Group. The amendment, as set out above, was then put to the vote and declared CARRIED.

 

The Mayor then moved on to put the substantive motion, as amended, to a vote which was declared CARRIED.

 

It was therefore RESOLVED to approve the following motion 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 stretched so that a targeted approach is deployed in hotspot fly tipping locations – such as deployment of additional resources in Wembley and Alperton.

 

4.          It is possible to change behaviours and educate people about how to treat our streets and opens spaces, through well run, targeted and engaging education campaigns.

 

5.          Volunteers who spend hours every week trying to keep our borough clean and tidy must be commended for the work that they do and assisted wherever possible by the Council.

 

The blue bag scheme will be reviewed in 2024 with improvements to be considered by Cabinet and the recommendations by Scrutiny looked at again.

 

This Council therefore resolves to call on the Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action:

 

1.          To make a non commercially sensitive version of the new Waste Service Contract with Veolia publicly available to enable effective scrutiny of the company and so that we can be confident that they are meeting the set-out terms of their contract with Brent.

 

2.          To continue to work with partners across the Council and with outside agencies to identify additional resource to assist the existing Waste Enforcement teams across the borough in delivering effective enforcement against those who continue to disrespect our area.

 

3.          Where additional resource is needed to scope the possibility of employing apprentices to work alongside Neighbourhood Managers and Enforcement Teams in fly tipping hotspot locations in the borough.

 

4.          Subject to further engagement work, to work with the Cabinet Member for Customers, Communities & Culture, to undertake an internal review of the Brent Connects areas, particularly the Wembley Connects area, to see whether splitting them into smaller geographical areas can help with more effective, targeted waste enforcement work.

 

5.          To continue the education campaign including door to door communications about the Council’s renewed focus on dealing with rubbish dumping and fly tipping in the area, this will include details of fines individuals would face if caught not adhering to the law.

 

6.     To ensure that until the New Year all blue bins are emptied according to criteria and scheduled times published in residents’ calendars.  The Council will instruct the contractor to ensure that blue bags are not thrown about and that all bins are returned to the correct location. Above all the Cabinet will consider the feedback from residents and the emerging data from the roll out to consider all options that will support residents with recycling more cardboard and paper utilising the Capital budget of £1.6 million which has been allocated for this.

 

7.     To lobby the government regarding the possibility of introducing a long awaited deposit scheme for cans and bottles, which would discourage dumping in our area.

 

8.     To work with other London local authorities to gain insight on best practice around dealing with ongoing rubbish and fly tipping issues that are sadly prevalent in some areas in the capital.

 

9.     To continue our ongoing work with the Mayor of London to ensure areas in our borough under his jurisdiction are kept clean and safe, including TfL land.

 

10.   To write to Government urging that they consider banning the sale of paan, or at the very least require businesses who sell it to have a License.

 

11.   To write to Government about the ongoing fly tipping problems in Brent and request additional funding to support renewed efforts to get to grips with this issue.”