Agenda item
Smarter York and environment issues - with Russell Stone CYC
Minutes:
Russell Stone from the Smarter York team updated the meeting on the work of the team. A Smarter York initiative will be taking place in all wards in March involving street cleansing and green maintenance. They are working towards increasing the number of volunteers to work alongside the council such as snow wardens and litter pickers. He had 15 litter picker tools with him tonight for any volunteers to take home with them.
The team would be repeating the Smarter York Spring Clean again this year on 17th March to 11th April, and on 24th to 30th March they would be working in the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe ward. Work identified included the Nelson play area, work on Chapmans Pond, Foxwood Park, Acomb Wood and the rough areas along the edge of the Knavesmire. The team was increasingly working with Community Pay Back Scheme.
If you have any suggestions we will leave some contact details and get these organised. If we cannot complete the work in that week Community Pay Back have undertaken to finish any tasks we have not completed.
Q. Concerns were raised about urinating in public, cigarettes thrown down, litter bins overflowing (at the side of the Royal York), and the filthy state of the streets, including at Energise.
A. Council properties should be kept clean. Russell will speak about this to Energise.
Q. The bus shelter at Rougier Street is very dirty, office staff smoking and dropping cigarette ends.
A. The offices do try to do something for their employees, providing smoking bins. Once a month during the summer months this area is scraped and power washed. The Council has just invested in a new scraper/washer machine with attachment.
Q. The public has to take responsibility for litter. There are less litter bins than there used to be.
A. A number of litter bins were taken out of service a couple of years ago. Information is that standards have not dropped since then.
Q. There is a shop on Tadcaster Road where the staff throw cigarette ends onto the pavement.
A. Information provided will be passed on to the Enforcement Team.
Q. There has been previous debate of preventative measures, i.e more litter bins. There are a lack of notices warning people of the consequences of dropping litter and that it is an offence
A. We have spoken about signage and why are there no notices on litter bins. The Enforcement Team are working on signage for bus shelters. Cllr Semlyen said that Leeds had a private company for litter enforcement and this could be the way forward for York.
Q. Can we get firmer with businesses and litter in the Micklegate area?
A. Planning Department inform me that there are a list of restrictions that we are able to put to new businesses but the licence means we have limited options. They are required to clean around the area of the shop but that is as far as we can go.
Q. Why don’t the council pick up the rubbish from fly tipping in ditches around Askham Bar/Askham Richard and Copmanthorpe? A. Once a month our staff and Community Pay Back go down the rural roads to pick up rubbish. Rubbish needs to be reported.
Q. Why is there not a campaign in the papers and Radio York regarding these issues?
A. We regularly talk with the Press but they do not always print the story if they deem it to be uninteresting.
Q. Would you recommend that we report litter bins overflowing to CYC?
A. Reporting can be done online or ringing 01904 551551. Any reports are directed straight to the front line staff Monday to Friday. In an emergency we will try to get people out at the weekend. Weekend messages are monitored and passed to the team first thing Monday morning. We do have staff on duty seven days a week in the City Centre. They start work at 5.00am and are on site until 7.00pm.
Q. How many staff are there?
A. The City Centre team have a total of seven staff. Volunteers are always welcome.