District Services - Policies & Performance

Comprising a broad range of services including refuse collection, waste minimisation and recycling and street cleaning, parks, play areas and open spaces, cemeteries, sustainable development and climate change, vehicle maintenance and management of our Customer Services Team.

Foreword by Cabinet Member for Waste and Recycling, Councillor Jim Sheppard

Waste and recycling remains a priority for Lewes District Council. Supporting these frontline services there are some important backroom services such as vehicle maintenance and the Customer Services Team.

We are always looking at ways to improve our services and this will continue with further developments in our kerbside recycling service over the coming months to include a trial of cardboard collection which, if successful, will be rolled out in other parts of the District. We will also continue to look at how the collection of food waste may be undertaken within the District.

Foreword by Cabinet Member for Health and Environment, Councillor Andy Smith

Provision and maintenance of outdoor leisure facilities such as parks, gardens and common land remains an essential aspect of a good quality of life which we are rightly proud of in Lewes District. This links to our work on environmental management locally which contributes to wider issues such as climate change.

The focus on carbon reduction and climate change continues to be important, especially as we look at ways to further reduce energy costs. We will continue to put measures in place to deliver energy and cost savings wherever we possibly can and will be supporting the implementation of (PV) photovoltaics and other techniques to reduce carbon emissions. We will retain our EMAS and ISO14001 accreditation during 2011/12.

Finally, we have a portfolio of parks, play areas, nature reserves and public open spaces. Local residents expect these to be maintained to a high standard of cleanliness, safety and environmental quality. We will continue our programme of providing play areas and open spaces that meet the needs of local communities and in particular, over 2011/12, we will be co-ordinating a very significant and major improvement in Peacehaven called the Big Parks Project (among others) where, in consultation with the local community, we will be spending more than £1 million to improve provision of recreational facilities in the area.

What follows is a plan for the ongoing efficient and effective running of our District Services.

Services

Waste (refuse) Collection (Residential and Commercial)
Recycling (Mini Recycling Centres and Kerbside Recycling Scheme and commercial recycling collections)
Street Cleaning
Parks Service (Nature Reserves, Open Spaces, Play Areas.)
Cemetery Maintenance.
Customer Services (Managing all customer enquiries for the services)
Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
Energy and climate change management.

Service Objectives

Waste Collection, Recycling & Street Cleaning

Service Objectives	Outcomes (desired/expected)
To offer efficient and accessible services to all of our customers, including those with specific needs.	A fair and cost effective service is provided to all households in the District.
To develop dialogue with our customers on the services provided and to keep improving our services in line with customer needs.	Customers are satisfied with the service they receive.
To promote public awareness of waste minimisation and encourage re-use and recycling through information, education and empowerment.	Levels of household waste are reduced or growth is curtailed and there is a sustainable increase in recycling across the District.
To manage the environmental impact of the Department’s own activities and to promote good practice in environmental management to others.	The environmental impacts of our services are minimised and wider environmental quality is protected.
To develop innovative methods of service delivery including through partnerships with other agencies.	A continuously improving service.
To provide an efficient and reliable street cleaning service and to keep the district clean and tidy in line with national standards and targets.	The District is cleaner and local people recognise this
To provide an efficient and reliable vehicle maintenance service which meets the needs of staff and our customers.	The Council’s vehicle fleet is safe and well-maintained.

Parks Services

Service Objectives	Outcomes (desired/expected)
To monitor and manage contracted services. To provide professional advice and expertise in project design, implementation and management. To deliver a range of new facilities. To protect and manage the natural environment. Manage cemeteries to a high standard in a sympathetic manner.	Local facilities which are accessible to all, are clean and well-maintained and meet all relevant health and safety standards. Good levels of user satisfaction. Increased biodiversity and habitat provision. Burial services and cemetery upkeep is respected and praised.

Customer Services

Service Objectives	Outcomes (desired/expected)
To provide professional and caring administrative support and public interface services. To efficiently and effectively log and pass relevant compliments, enquiries and complaints to relevant sections to deal with. Signposting relevant enquiries to other service areas and other organisations	Customer standards and expectations are fully met. Good levels of user satisfaction are achieved. Minimising avoidable contacts by providing relevant and accurate information first time every time. Issues are dealt with accurately, efficiently and effectively.

Environmental Management

Service Objectives

Outcomes (desired/expected)

Promote environmental sustainability including mitigating the effects of, and adapting to, climate change.

Demonstrate good environmental management through EMAS verification and registration and ISO 14001 accreditation.

Improve energy efficiency in public sector homes and administrative buildings.

Encourage the installation of renewable technologies throughout the District.

Reduction of CO2 emissions per head of population.

The Council maintains its registration as an EMAS authority and accreditation to the ISO 14001 standard and continues to improve its environmental performance.

There is a contribution to waste minimisation and sustainable living through education, awareness and training in local communities.

There is a reduction to the climate change impact from the Council’s activities.

The Council effectively manages its legal obligations as regards the environment.

Service Standards

In addition to our Customer Charter we have adopted the following service standards that you can expect from us.

Refuse collection

Collect refuse weekly from the edge of properties.
Collect missed bins by the end of the next working day of it being reported.
Remove bulky household waste (beds, cookers etc) within 7 working days from receipt of payment.
Let customers know in advance of any planned change in their collection day.
Provide special bags/boxes for clinical waste and collect by prior arrangement.
Offer regular commercial waste collection services (at a charge).

Recycling

Keep our bring-bank recycling facilities clean and tidy and inspect them regularly.
Respond to complaints about the cleanliness of bring bank sites within 3 working days.
Provide kerbside recycling boxes and bags free of charge to all households who participate in the scheme.

Street cleaning

Maintain a regular scheduled and reactive street cleansing service.
Ensure levels of cleanliness in public areas meet national standards.
Remove illegally dumped material within 4 days (unless there are legal reasons for delaying).

Managing our own waste

In addition to providing waste management services to local people, we actively manage our own waste and operate within clear environmental management policies which are set out in our Eco Management and Audit Scheme.

Comply with all environmental legislation.
Minimise waste produced by the council.
Work in partnership with others to ensure that environmentally-friendly solutions are found. Use recycled and environmentally preferable materials wherever we can.
Provide guidance and information on environmental good practice and sustainability.

Cemeteries

Respond to all burial requests with utmost courtesy and sympathy.
Respond to all enquiries within 1 working day

Children's play areas

Maintain all children’s play equipment to national safety standards.
Inspect all play areas once a week
Respond to reports of damage within 1 working day

Parks, open spaces and nature reserves

Inspect every site at least once a week.
Respond to any reported incident within 1 working day (sooner if any incident has a health and safety implication)

Environmental Protection

Comply with environmental legislation, maintain EMAS registration and ISO 14001 accreditation and monitor our performance regularly

Equalities

Under the General Public Sector Equality Duty (2010) we must :-

eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation;
advance equality of opportunity between different groups in the community; and
foster good relations within the local community

We carry out equality impact assessments (EIAs) for new or existing policies, strategies and services to see what effect they will have on different groups within our communities. This helps us to identify potential consequences for these groups and ensure any negative impacts are eliminated or reduced. They can also help us to identify actions to eliminate discrimination and promote positive relations between groups which are incorporated into our Departmental Service Plan.

Further information is available on our Equalities Policy and for copies of our Equality Impact Assessments.

Developing and Improving our Services

We have assessed the risks and the main drivers for change likely to impact the service in 2011/12:

National impacts

New Government agenda – localism and neighbourhood planning
Budgetary pressures on local authorities
The “Big Society”
Equalities Act 2010

Local impacts

New political administration at LDC
Organisational change within LDC

Performance, Progress and Forward Plans

We have reviewed our progress and performance last year. A summary is provided here.

PDF
PDF District Services Department – Service Plan 2010/11 – Progress and Performance Report (0.21mb)

Our detailed plans for the year ahead are set out below along with an overview of our service level resources. This Plan will be monitored regularly:
PDF District Services Department – Service Plan and Resources 2011/12 (0.06mb)