Agenda item

Cllr Hallam fed back to the forum regarding two issues that were raised to him at a previous meeting. Firstly, the land on Leicester Street is not part of the Enterprise Contract. Secondly, the B and M hedge has now been sorted.

Cllr Hallam recapped about the Enterprise Contract, and the achievements that have been seen, such as Bloom, Green Flag etc., and improvements in grass cutting.

Cllr Hallam explained that the Council are tied into the contract with Enterprise for 7 years (2011-2018).  Mid-2016 will be the time to look at changes we want to make to the contract. There are benefits to the contract, but in hindsight, it would have been useful to have small mini-break clauses to review the contract and its terms.

JR asked whether there is any possibility of looking at changing the recycling containers used. Cllr Hallam advised that the lead time for the supply of recycling boxes is a national issue. To change the containers, the Council would need to put up the capital, as Enterprise would not do this - NBC would not be in a position to provide this amount of capital commitment. Any boxes that are damaged by the crew themselves, Enterprise is liable for the cost of this. A discussion about recycling followed.

The forum discussed the charge of £25 for bulky waste collection. Cllr Hallam commented that he would like to look at possibility for discounts for certain people, such as Pensioners, in the future. GS advised that Care and Repair also offer bulky waste collection; this is charged at their hourly rate of £15. Cllr Hallam commented that the hands of the council are tied with the contract currently, but come 2016, other options will of course be explored with other organisations.

Questions were raised by forum members about an ingestion plan for Westbridge. Cllr Hallam advised that Cabinet has approved a proportion of land at Westbridge, but plans could not be discussed further yet, as the proposals are in their very early days. More information will be shared once it is available.

Cllr Hallam advised that there are two people in the contract team, the Partnership Unit: Mick Tyrell and Olive Grey. Peter Hackett, who has previously worked for NBC and was transferred across to Enterprise, has now been brought back to NBC also. There are meetings between Daventry District, Northampton Borough and Amey to oversee the contract.

DH asked about the frequencies of street sweeping and refuse collection. Cllr Hallam advised that the contract is not frequency based; the only frequency based element is refuse collection. The rest of the contract is output based, measured by a number of different criteria. DH commented that he believes a number of streets do not comply with the Environmental Protection Act. DH advised one issue is around frequency of street sweeping. Cllr Hallam advised he will look into this and will return with a response in the future. Cllr Hallam told the forum that two new street cleansing machines have been purchased, one by NBC and one by the BID. There is also now one warden allocated just for the Town Centre.

DH also raised concerns about weeds, when the herbicide is applied, and also about rubbish left after football matches at the Racecourse.

RR commented that the pensioners forum have a lot of experience and expertise from their time in employment, and could look through contracts to support the Council. Cllr Bottwood advised that third parties are often not able to be involved with this process. Cllr Bottwood also commented that with environmental issues, we all need to take responsibility for reporting.

Cllr Hallam commented that if he is still in his position mid-2016, he would be looking to come to the forum to discuss what should be in the contract, and what services the Council should pay extra for etc.