Agenda and minutes

The Chair, Councillor Susan Erbil, welcomed all attendees to the meeting.

Apologies had been received from Councillor Elif Erbil and for lateness from Councillors Mahmut Aksanoglu and Birsen Demirel.

Members of the Council are invited to identify any disclosable pecuniary, other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests relevant to the items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To agree the minutes of the meetings which took place on the 20& 21 July and 5 August 2021.

AGREED the minutes of the meetings 20, 21 July and 5 August 2021.

To receive a “Fly-tipping” update.

RECEIVED the update circulated to Members, and presentation from Councillor Rick Jewell (Cabinet Member for Environment), Doug Wilkinson (Director of Environment Operational Services), Sue McDaid (Head of Regulatory Services), and Jon Sharkey (Head of Public Realm Services).

Points highlighted included:

•  Increased flytipping was a national problem, not unique to Enfield, and had also been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns.

•  Key challenges included regular turnover in the resident population, lack of awareness about proper waste disposal, over-occupied properties, some types of properties with little space for waste storage or recycling, business over-generation of waste, the perceived low threat of being caught, and the lengthy legal processes to be followed.

•  The strategic approach being followed by the Council included working with a number of services and other agencies.

•  The Council had a good record around proactive flytip clearance but had not previously promoted all its activities.

•  Measures to prevent recurrence were set out.

•  More recently, a communication campaign was begun to increase public awareness, including on social media, to generate positive interest.

•  There was robust enforcement, but processes had to be followed which were labour intensive and time consuming. Joint operations were conducted with the Police and with the Environment Agency. Outcomes were highlighted over the past five years. Prosecutions were now able to be put through the Single Justice System electronically, but there was a limit to 140 per month, and a limit on the Council for all court prosecutions of 12 per month.

•  There had been recent service changes including waste enforcement team posts, and new deployable CCTV cameras, and the move to a free bulky waste collection service to be implemented this month. Also, additional refuse collection crews to carry out refuse collection from Council Housing Estates, and additional refuse collection vehicles and flytip crews.

•  Case studies were quoted from other local authorities’ approaches.

•  Officers would like to see banning of cash transactions for waste removal, and tougher sentences from courts, and as much court time as possible provided for prosecution of flytippers.

Committee Members provided the following comments and questions:

1.    The Chair asked about education around dumping of rubbish. It was advised that there had originally been plans to provide talks to residents and pop-up events: these had been put on hold but could now be re-started, including visits to schools. Awareness of the amount of rubbish dumping should be raised. Social media was an important educational tool. There had been engagement with residents on street walkabouts.

2.    In response to queries about the bulky waste collection service, it was confirmed that details were being finalised and the free service would launch formally in the next few days. The service would be able to do up to 50 pick-ups a day, each of up to 6 items. Residents could make a booking online. There would be a small charge to reserve a specific pick up time, and there would still be a charge to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To receive an update on the “build a change” programme.

RECEIVED the Build the Change Programme update, and presentation from Mark Bradbury (Director of Property and Economy) and Shafiara Muttalib-Mehra (Build the Change Programme Director).

Points highlighted included:

•  Overview and Scrutiny Committee had received a comprehensive briefing on this programme on 17/2/21, and there had been two reports to Cabinet in the last 18 months.

•  The vision of the Build the Change programme was to improve working practices, the environment, modernising the offices and bringing services closer to people who needed it most.

•  Pictures were provided of the old Housing office and the progress on the Housing Hub construction at Edmonton Green. The hub would bring together five different teams from across the borough. The contractor had been on site since June and was due to complete by the end of November, then networks and communications would be installed and staff moved in early in 2022. Different zones would provide for collaborative working areas, video and phone conferencing, quiet study areas, and modern breakout areas. Natural light would be maximised by the large windows and use of glass.

•  The first and second floor layouts of the Children and Family Services Hub, at Thomas Hardy House, were shown. Work was on track to begin in January 2022 for completion by the end of that year. Teams from three current sites would be moved to this large office, and some multidisciplinary teams. A number of themed rooms would be provided, including interview rooms.

•  Changes in culture arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, such as increased working from home, had made adaption easier. The principal focus of the office buildings was to be customer facing and to facilitate collaborative working.

•  New furniture was being trialled in B Block at the Civic Centre and Members were invited to visit and take a look.

Members were invited to give comments and questions:

1.    The Chair asked for an update on Civic Centre future plans. It was confirmed that tenants on the upper floors wanted to stay until the end of their lease and so the current focus was on the second floor canteen and increasing the efficiency of that floor, and of the Conference Room, the ground floor and B Block South. A ground floor meeting hub was proposed, with better committee rooms, conference room and greater public accessibility. This would free up the first floor for re-fitting. A report to Cabinet was planned in late 2021 / early 2022 in respect of the business case. Layout styles and furniture were being trialled in B Block, where light refurbishment, repairs and redecoration were proposed.

2.    Councillor Levy asked about the improvements for service users at the hubs. It was clarified that at Thomas Hardy House the first floor layout would be different from the second floor, which would be predominantly offices. There would be clear delineation between front of house and back office functions. Service users would be received at the first floor. The design was user-led, with service users  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To agree the dates of the next Overview & Scrutiny Committee Business Meetings as follows:

Thursday 4^th November 2021

Thursday 16^th December 2021

Thursday 10^th February 2022

Thursday 31^st March 2022

NOTED the dates of the next Overview and Scrutiny Committee business meetings.