Agenda item

To consider a report setting out the Service Improvement Plan.

The Committee considered a report providing an update on the progress that had been made towards achieving the aims and objectives set out in the 2018/19 Service Improvement Plan.   

It was reported that the 2018/19 Improvement Plan focused on four key areas:

·         Service Delivery Improvements

·         Technology Improvements

·         Safety and Wellbeing of staff

·         Contractual Delivery Improvements.

It was reported that whilst progress against the agreed targets had been made a number of key initiatives were still ongoing and these would be incorporated into the 2019/20 Improvement Plan.

Arising from the subsequent discussion the following points were noted:

Service Delivery Improvements

·         Additional In-Cab technology units had been purchased and staff trained to fix them onsite.  This had significantly reduced the time taken to complete repairs to hours rather than days.

·         Improving the functionality of the ICT systems in relation to bulk waste and restricted access collections was a priority work area for Amey’s ICT team.  It was expected that work on the restricted access rounds would be completed by the middle of March with work on the communal rounds completed during April.

·         A small number of agency staff were employed at each site to provide cover for sickness and annual leave and the majority were in the process of completing the twelve week transfer process to permanent contracts.

·         A full audit of all properties requiring assisted collections had been completed.  Work was taking place to improve the Propmain reports relating to these properties and improve the functionality of the In-Cab system so that staff were alerted to the property in real time.  In the meantime, it had been stressed to staff that if a property was flagged as a ’Risk’ on their round reports then every effort was to be made to locate the bins.  The date for completion of this work would be confirmed.

·         Supervisors had been issued with tablet computers to track vehicles on rounds, carry out vehicle pre-checks and provide an overview of complaints and known ‘hot’ properties.  Work was taking place to explore how the vehicle checks might be combined with those of JWS and it was expected that an agreed format would be available at the beginning of March.

Technology Improvements

·         JWS should receive daily reports on the location of contaminated bins at flatted developments so that steps could be taken to encourage and improve recycling rates amongst residents.  Where contamination was identified in communal bin stores, the waste was collected as refuse on the following working day.

·         Amey had conducted a full review of the Garden Waste sign up process and were confident that the revised processes that had subsequently been put in place, including an upgraded payment system, would deliver a smoother process going forward.

The Committee acknowledged the work undertaken and expressed frustration that not all the actions had been completed.  It was stressed the 2019/20 Improvement Plan needed to be realistic in terms of what could be achieved and that any objectives had clear, demonstrable and measurable outcomes.

It was agreed that future plans needed to be simpler and more forward looking taking into account a range of emerging long term issues for example increasing recycling rates, reducing carbon emissions and the Government’s Waste Strategy.

It was agreed that Amey would draft an overarching Improvement Strategy that set out a vision for the service, core improvement areas and key commitments in each of these areas.  It was agreed that this would be brought to the Committee’s next meeting for discussion.