Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Tony Little.

None.

It was confirmed that all items were marked as Part I, and would therefore be considered in public.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed as a correct record.

Bill Hickson, Anti-social Behaviour and Environment (ASBET) Manager, introduced a report updating the Committee on Fly Tipping within the Borough.

The report was summarised and it was confirmed that fly tipping was a criminal offense that, upon conviction, carried the potential for a fine, imprisonment, or both.

The investigation process was detailed, and the Committee was informed that the number of reports received for investigation had been seen to have declined over the past 5 years. However, the issue of fly tipping remained a problem, often due to residents putting out refuse for collection too early, or leaving refuse in the wrong location with the expectation that it would be collected.

Heat maps showing the frequency of reports received by ASBET by ward, set out in the meeting papers, showed that the issue was more common in the south of the Borough, but certain wards in the North also had high instances of fly tipping. The number of successful prosecutions was accepted as being too low, and a number of current and proposed actions to address this were detailed. These included:

·         Over recent years, ASBET had focussed on issuing fixed penalty notices for littering and other anti-social behaviour covered under the Community Protection Notices.

·         ASBET has introduced targeted waste carrier operations, conducted with the assistance of the local Police. These operations included stopping vehicles that were carrying waste, to check that the drivers or companies held the appropriate licences and permits. Failure to hold the appropriate licences and permits could result in a fixed penalty notice.

·         Inspection of businesses or premises were carried out to ensure traders were storing and disposing of waste correctly.

·         Since November 2017, officers had been working with colleagues from Waste Services to inspect regular fly tipping hot spot areas. Deposited waste was searched for evidence of perpetrators. The inspections were showing a reduction of repeat perpetrators and that personal information, such as names addresses, were being removed from domestic waste (likely to be due to anti-fraud awareness.)

It was considered that the proactive work detailed was a contributing factor to the reduction in the number of reports received.

Ongoing developments included:

·         The potential introduction of a new fixed penalty notice for lower level fly tipping offences;

·         Working with the Corporate Communication team to develop a publicity campaign aimed at residents and businesses, to highlight the issue of fly tipping;

·         Continue and increase current ‘waste carrier’ operations being undertaken in partnership with local Police services;

·         Extend the number of ‘waste management’ inspections of business premises.

·         Reinforce a zero tolerance approach to all offenses relating to the management of waste;

·         Build closer working relationships with the Environment Agency in terms of the larger scale of fly tipping that they have a duty to enforce; and

·         Continue and increase the current ‘cage van’ operations being undertaken in partnership with Waste Services during which evidence is sought from small to medium scale fly tipping  that occurs mainly on the public highway.

It was confirmed that there were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

Annette Reeves – Finance Manager, Control Accounting, and Paul Richards –Head of Green Spaces, Sport & Culture, provided evidence as part of the Committee’s review into payment modernisation across key resident services, focussing on the ways that residents and customers currently pay for services within Hillingdon.

Alongside the report set out in the committee papers, Ms Reeves tabled additional documents which included an updated Appendix A, which set out payment details for the libraries within Hillingdon, as well as the Battle of Britain Bunker. In addition, the tabled document included details of emerging technologies such as a Capita Smart Mobile app and Electronic Point of Sale (EPoS) service, alongside a case study of Enfield Council’s use of a Public Service Virtual Agent. It was pointed out that Enfield were not yet able to use the virtual agent to take payments.

It was highlighted that the Council was currently using an income management system provided by Capita, which processed all income. The contract with Capita was due to expire in April 2020. At that point, officers would review potential alternate providers. However, it was highlighted that the current maintenance cost of £16k per annum under the existing contract was small in comparison to the more costly initial set up. There would therefore likely be a significant cost and time implication to the introducing a new provider.

Mr Richards updated the Committee on how areas under his remit took payments.

It was confirmed that sites such as the adult learning centres or Breakspear Crematorium had a computer based point of sale system that was linked to the Capita income management system.  In addition, sites such as golf courses allowed for payments to be made through electronic tills with pre-programmed buttons, alongside card payments via chip and pin.

Golf courses did not provide residents with the ability to pay by cheque, and cash was often preferred, particularly for pay and play green fees. In addition to the playing fees, the three Council-run courses had small shops on site, which sold golf equipment, as well as snacks and drinks.

At the Council’s garden centres, cash was the most popular payment method, though paying through card readers was available.

The Crematorium functioned as a hub for payments from cemeteries, and for burial and grave monuments, and allowed for payment by cheque from funeral directors and the public at large. 

Library payments were currently cash only. Payments included library fines, refreshments, stationary, reading glasses, and room hire. New electronic point of sale technology, previously trialled within the Registrars department, was to be introduced to libraries. The new system would be able to sync with the existing library management system, and talks were ongoing with the relevant IT departments on how to progress the matter.

IT colleagues were also reviewing the feasibility of introducing payments via PayPal, though officers were mindful that a cash option should be retained.

The Committee asked a number of questions, including:

Were cash payments the most expensive payment option for the Council to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

RESOLVED:  That the Cabinet Forward Plan be noted.

Members suggested that the Work Programme be amended to better accommodate forthcoming items across future meetings. It was agreed that an updated programme would be drafted, in consultation with the Chairman and Labour Lead.

RESOLVED: That an amended Work Programme be drafted in consultation with the Chairman and Labour Lead.