Agenda item

The Committee considered the report of the Corporate Management Team which presented progress against the Councils corporate basket of performance indicators for the Altogether Greener theme and report other significant performance issues for the fourth quarter of the 2016/17 financial year (for copy of report, see file of minutes).

The Corporate Scrutiny and Performance Manager gave a presentation focusing on:

·       Achievements

·       Partnership Update

·       Performance Summary

·       Refuse and Recycling

·       Improved Environmental Cleanliness

·       Improved Environmental Cleanliness Enforcement

·       Fly-tipping

·       Fly-tipping Actions and Outcomes

·       Condition of the Local Authority Road Network

·       Reduction in Carbon Emissions

·       Renewable Energy Generation

Mr Kinch sought clarification as to whether the Council had won a blue flag award for beaches. The Corporate Scrutiny and Performance Manager responded that the Council had not received this award but he would look into this matter to see if the Council met the relevant criteria.

Councillor Martin referred to achievements one of which was the completion of works at Villa Real bridge and commented that the work had taken longer than expected due to the discovery of utilities and asked if any work had been done to look at the current condition of bridges in the county to ensure that any delays due to utilities would not happen again.

The Corporate Scrutiny and Performance Manager responded that the relevant Service Grouping was conducting a stock condition survey of all bridges in the county and that he would provide the Committee with further information as to where Durham County Council is with the survey and if it includes detail of whether the bridges are being used to carry utilities so that arrangements can be made for rerouting if necessary.

Councillor Jopling referred to the increased charges for garden waste and asked if it was cost neutral.

Councillor Clare responded that the Council had a contract with farms in the county who take the garden waste for a fee and then compost the waste for use later on their fields.

Mr Kinch indicated that in Teesdale they had a different system as a private company collects the bags of garden waste which are then sold on for compost.

The Corporate Scrutiny and Performance Manager confirmed that he would check as to whether the charge for garden waste covered the costs of collection.

Resolved: That the report be noted.