Lack Of Respect For Local Environment!

[megilleland]

 

 

[megilleland]

Received acknowledgement to my litter report:

 

BBHER - Production System Agent BBHER_Production_Sy...@ondemand.confirm.co.uk via hotmail.com 

13:33 (1 hour ago)

 

to megilleland 

 

Your enquiry has been logged in our system and will be allocated for inspection based on current priorities and an assessment made if work is required.

 

If you have an queries please call

01432 261800.

 

Your reference numbers are provided below to assist you.

 

Herefordshire Council Ref:

CAS-495477-M3S8B4

 

Balfour Beatty Ref:

11019797

 

Thank you for contacting Herefordshire Council.

 

Subject: Litter Picking Request

 

Description:

Please record description of issue:

 

Amount of litter on highway verges along A49 needs clearing. When would this happen?;

 

A466 FROM A49 TO BROADWAY

Location: Easting: 349613.63328 , Northing: 232381.8088. Please include a short description of the location:

 

The complete length of A49 throughout Herefordshire, especially the section from Hereford to Shropshire border and south of the city between Callow and A466 Monmouth turn.

 

Please do not reply to this email

 

Please 'Do not Reply' to this message, this is an automated message responses will not be read or actioned.

 

Note two reference numbers . I hope they are liaising or is this to bounce you back and forwards.

[twowheelsgood]

Over the weekend i submitted a number of litter, flytipping and blocked gulley reports via 'fixmystreet'. I was concerned about the Hereford to Sutton road in particular, as I cycle along there regularly and the litter is just awful. Just to make it worse, some scumbag had dumped a small van load of rubbish next to the River Lugg bridge. Gulleys were ones I've reported many times in recent years and none of them have ever been cleared. I shall go out again next weekend and see if anything has happened. I know for a fact this road hasn't been litter picked once in two years, let alone twice a year - who the hell checks that these things are being done and why isn't it done?

[dippyhippy]

Precisely, Two Wheels. It's an absolute farce.

 

As Megilleland has found, you are passed from pillar to post. Each department adamant that it's somebody else responsibility.

 

And round and round we go. It's never ending.

[megilleland]

Cycling through Castle Green today and by Victoria Bridge came across this mess:

 

 

Meanwhile just a 100 yards away from the scene were these two venicles!

 

[twowheelsgood]

"Not our job gov!" or "We haven't got a ticket for that job" are some of the standard phrases I have heard trotted out in these situations.

[megilleland]

 Friday 6 March 2015 in Hereford Times Letters

 

Tourists don't want to come to see a rubbish dump

 

Am I alone in thinking that Herefordshire is fast becoming a rubbish dump?

 

I travel along the B4224, A449 and A40 from Ross to Monmouth every day and I am appalled by the amount of rubbish that has spread along this route.

 

Old road signs left over from roadworks, bollards, shredded plastic, tyres, parts of cars – the list goes on.

 

The lay-bys along the route all have bins – these have been overflowing for weeks, indeed months and no-one seems to be emptying them.

 

The result is that there is litter everywhere with very little grass in evidence. The council (or whoever is responsible) are happy to come and strim the verges but not pick up any litter. The strimming doubles the problem as anything in its path is lacerated into tiny pieces.

 

I have been in touch with the council and the Highways Agency – both of whom seem to pass the problem from one to another and never take any responsibility.

 

It’s not just a case of the county looking a mess, there are serious implications for wildlife which inadvertently eats the rubbish, causing hideous digestion issues and probably death. This rubbish also can get into the river and eventually ends up in the sea, again causing massive problems for our dwindling marine life.

 

The council hopes to entice tourists to the area to enjoy our beautiful countryside, but who wants to come and see a rubbish dump? Towns and cities seem to have less of a litter problem than this county.

 

Can anyone or any organisation help me in galvanising the council into doing something about this?

 

I am happy to help in the campaign but it needs to be led by an organisation that can put pressure on them, not just a random resident who pays her council tax on time every year (for what, I wonder?).

 

KIRSTIE MACFARLANE

Fownhope

 

And another on the same day.

 

Friday 6 March 2015 in Hereford Times Letters

 

Time for a clean-up - even if it is only one day

 

WE are visitors from Australia and in our five-week stay, so far unfinished, we have been appalled at the amount of junk scattered along country roads – in the grass, in the hedgerows, even in the drains.

 

It’s little better at home – with one significant difference. Every year about this time we have Clean-Up Australia, a weekend campaign to get rid of the debris left by people keen to use the land as a rubbish dump.

 

Volunteers fish out such exotic items as fridges and washing machines from streams and gullies.

 

Of course it doesn’t last – one weekend in 52 is never enough. But at least it makes everyone aware of the desperate need to keep the place clean.

 

Could a similar campaign not begin here?

 

PC & J WILSON

Miami, Gold Coast, Australia (written from Presteigne)

 

Our litter is obviously proving to be an attraction.

[Denise Lloyd]

Ring the Parish Council, who will ring the localities officer who will ring the lengthsmen the localities officer will ring the Parish Councillor back who will ring you and tell you! For heavens sake people get with the program! It's simples!

 

I was just about to post the same comment but see Flamboyant has already done it.  Instead of phoning I would probably copy the correspondence to the PC - they have more the necessary contact details 

[Denise Lloyd]

I should also add to the above that the majority of the PC live in the area and do actually care about the area!

[megilleland]

Cycled over the Victoria Bridge today and note that there has been a clean up of the rubbish illustrated in post 95 above. Some litter scattered amongst the trees has been left - a bit tricky to get to (Health & Safety?), but a good effort and quick response. Now its just the rest of the city and county that needs attention.

[megilleland]

I was just about to post the same comment but see Flamboyant has already done it.  Instead of phoning I would probably copy the correspondence to the PC - they have more the necessary contact details 

 

Within Hereford city boundaries you mean Hereford City Parish Council. Here is the address of their town clerk:

 

Stephen Kerry, Town Clerk

Hereford City Council

Town Hall

St Owen Street

Hereford

HR1 2PJ

[Biomech]

"Tourism is Herefordshire’s second biggest economy worth over £466 million in 2011, providing more than 8,500 FTE jobs within the county. With over 7,500,000 tourist days enjoyed within the county …"

 

 

 

Really? I would love to see a breakdown of this

[twowheelsgood]

Really? I would love to see a breakdown of this

 

Ask the MD to justify her statements?

[megilleland]

MEETING: General Overview and Scrutiny Committee

MEETING DATE: 10 March 2015

TITLE OF REPORT: Task and Finish Group: Balfour Beatty Living Places - Public Realm Services

REPORT BY: Task and Finish Group

 

Appendix A

TITLE OF REVIEW: Balfour Beatty Living Places - Public Realm Services

SCOPING

 

Reason for Enquiry

To consider progress made with the delivery of public realm services since the start of the new contract with Balfour Beatty in September 2013 and to make recommendations to cabinet regarding improvements which could be made to inform service planning and delivery for the financial year 2015/16.

Balfour Beatty Living Places - Public Realm Services - Review Report

 

List of recommendations. Read the background to find how they arrived at these points

 

Communications and the relationship between Herefordshire and BBLP

Recommendation 1: The group is encouraged by the level of active and robust contract management in place for management of the BBLP contract. It is recommended that the council maintains this in order to ensure that there is no slippage in the quality of delivery to the people of the county.

 

Recommendation 2: It was noted that the BBLP Public Realm contract contains appropriate terms and conditions requiring them to provide applicable information in good time at the end of the contact in order to support effective TUPE transfer. The group recommends that similar terms are used for other suitable future contracts and that an effective exit strategy is embedded which includes provision for a comprehensive transition to the new contract.

 

Recommendation 3: It is recommended that as part of any decommissioning/commissioning process the council should undertake an assessment of any key dependencies required to ensure safe and efficient transfer of responsibilities from one contractor to another. To support this requirement it is recommended that contract managers should maintain a clear asset register and business continuity plan. It is expected, as an example, that such practices would have addressed the telephone issues described above.

 

Recommendation 4: That the council and BBLP continues to work together to keep citizens informed of contract changes and manage citizen’s service expectations. Regular online updates on council websites, and newsletters are options to achieve this.

 

Recommendation 5: That the council and BBLP continues to work together to host a ‘members seminar/member briefing’ every six months, or earlier if circumstances dictate, to keep members up to date on contract performance and any potential service changes. These sessions to be chaired by the Chair of the General Overview and Scrutiny Committee with the Cabinet Member with responsibility for the BBLP contract present. In addition, any major issues should be reported to the chair of the GOSC immediately. 

 

The complaints procedure

Recommendation 6: The group notes the recent changes by the council to transfer customer contact to Balfour Beatty Living Places (BBLP) for areas of service for which they are responsible for. The group is supportive of this approach and recommends these changes are kept under review to monitor its effectiveness. In addition, it was recommended that BBLP communications were aligned with council policy, e.g. a 10 day deadline to provide a response.

 

Recommendation 7: That when receiving an insurance claim as a result of a potential road defect, the complainant receives an acknowledgement to the claim and be advised of the process and anticipated response times. In addition, it is recommended that a clear definition with regards to categorisation of road defects is also provided. It is noted that a number of key dependencies apply to such cases, not least that the details received include clear information of the location of the road defect, that the defect is on a council maintained road, etc.

 

Locality Stewards

Recommendation 8: The group is highly supportive of the locality steward approach. The group recommends that all applicable BBLP staff have handheld tablets to support communication and maximise the effectiveness of the CONFIRM system.

 

Recommendation 9: Where member’s requests are raised with locality stewards the group recommends that members are kept informed of status, particularly where schemes are not to be delivered or are to be delayed. In the event a decision is made not to undertake a particular request then the member is provided with a brief on the reasons and a transparent appeal process is introduced if necessary.

 

Enhanced Lengthsman Scheme

Recommendation 10: The group is highly supportive of the council’s recommendation to roll out the use of the Enhanced Lengthsman Scheme and recommends that as many parish councils as possible takes up this option.

 

Local suppliers and local workforce

Recommendation 11: The council to work with BBLP to make it easier for small, local organisations to engage with BBLP and bid for sub-contractor opportunities. To support this it is recommended that the council adds a forwarding note to its eTendering portal, providing BBLP contact details for interested sub-contractor organisations.

 

Recommendation 12: As a general recommendation, the group also noted that typically reports detail distances in kilometres, it is recommended that BBLP include miles as well.

 

Customer complaints comes under fire with no proper telephone system in place at start. Locality stewards work directly with elected members, parish councils and citizens to address problems that arise and ensure specific local needs are met. Do they?

[Denise Lloyd]

Really? I would love to see a breakdown of this

Tourism is Herefordshire’s second biggest economy worth over £466 million in 2011, providing more than 8,500 FTE jobs within the county. With over 7,500,000 tourist days enjoyed within the county …"

 

These figures really are puzzling me even if they include Hay on Wye which they do sometimes the figures would not stack up - perhaps a contributor to this site could enlighten me.  With all that money buzzing around the county there must be some very very wealthy people hiding in the undergrowth.

[twowheelsgood]

The Council's 2011 statistics data show 4734 people working in 'Accommodation and food service activities' and 4178 in 'Other industry' which includes the arts, entertainment and recreation industry. Which make the tourism figures look decidedly questionable. Chain fast food outlets do not a tourist destination make - unless perhaps you are a statistician.

[Biomech]

It's probably like the figures for the OLM, they're just counting shoppers whether local or not. I know when the OLM released a statement of success the footfall count was a CCTV head count and included high town workers, repeat visits, browsers and every person passing back and forward whether they shopped or not 

[Ubique]

Re my Post 60 regarding the FLYTIPPING of a settee near to my home and the following reply from the Council on the 24th FEB ,

Dear UBIQUE

 

Thank you for contacting Herefordshire Council. Your report has been forwarded to our Community Protection Team (EHTS) to deal with. If you have any future Reports or wish to speak to them directly their phone number is 01432 261761 or their e-mail is Ethelpline ethelpline@herefordshire.gov.uk

 

As the settee is still in location I emailed EHTS ? last Friday asking for an update , to date I have not received a reply . So today I emailed the Council and they have passed it to EHTS , we'll know saying. " what go round comes round ! I would have been quite happy from them to say they it's going to be left in ditch to rot or it should be collected in 10 days , it's a reply that I am seeking from the Team / Unit responsible for collecting it , just do not treat me with contempt thinking I will go away.

 

My Cllr has also been involved but to date the Flytipped settee is still in the ditch . I have thought of taking a photo of it and send it to the HT asking if any of their readers know where it had come from - might still do it .

[twowheelsgood]

Yes, you're right Ubique - it's the contemptuous attitude that really rankles. If they simply responded "Thank you for your report - it's been filed in the bin because we really don't give sh i t" we would all at least know where we stand.

[flamboyant]

Ubique there is now only one person responsible for all the calls going into the Council for EHTS and that person also deals with all the emails. Previously the calls were taken by customer services but the calls were transferred back to the department under the guise that it was more efficient!

 

Bang goes your audit process, the EHTS department are not going to put their hands up and say we are inefficient. When the calls were handled by Customer Services they could highlight underperformance in particular departments.

 

Another really good decision by Cabinet! Balfour Beatty will fair no better but the only way anyone will know is when it goes in the public domain.

[Ubique]

Re the Settee .......the below is one of the replies to me from my Cllr ..........

 

". I have today been with our locality steward from Balfour Beatty and raised the issue with him. He told me that the problem does not come under their remit and has to be reported via Herefordshire Council. Even he has to do the same. "

 

Sounds quite an efficient setup ........eh , really

[dippyhippy]

Oh it's just a complete nonsense of a situation.

 

I'm sure that the intention is to drive you to distraction with all of this bungling and faffing and passing the buck.

 

Unable to put up with the ineptitude any longer, you'll end up driving this old sofa to the tip yourself.

 

And why doesn't fly tipping come under the localities stewards remit? I would have thought this did???

[Ubique]

Dippy , are you a mind reader , the below is part of my tongue in cheek email to the Council.......

 

". What I now intend to do is withhold my March Council Tax payment of just over £100 hire a van and remove this settee to the Council Tip at Rotherwas. I can justify the expense because I will lose at least two hours work in my Office where I charge £70 an hour plus VAT .

 

If you have any observations relating to me being a good spirited Community person or any H and S advice I would be very happy to receive a reply from somebody relating to this settee. "

 

Ubique

[twowheelsgood]

Ubique - could I suggest driving it to Plough Lane rather than the tip, having arranged for the HT to be present when you dump it on their doorstep and present them with a bill. Really, its farcical, infuriating and deeply worrying in equal proportions. Councillors - we've elected you to run this County on our behalf - get it bloody sorted!

[dippyhippy]

It will be interesting to see if your direct action response, elicits a reply!

 

You could also try adding that you have a crack team of highly trained hedgehogs at your disposal....... and you're not afraid to use them!

[megilleland]

Ubique have you followed the process exactly?

 

[dippyhippy]

Enough with procedures, partner working, protocols and policies!

 

It's time to get tough.......

 

Send in the hedgehogs!

[flamboyant]

Ubigue, please read the following information before undertaking any works. Further information and advice can be obtained via the following link.

 

https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/media/5250329/hsa015_final_risk_assessment_arrangements_201209_nrc.doc

[Ubique]

Megilland , having read the notice a few times I think that I have or may have followed procedures or perhaps i haven't. But one thing is certain , I do not think the Provider has.

 

Dippy , the hedgehogs are now coming out of their hibernation so with a short course on Customer Services they will be ready.

 

Twowheelgood- Plough Lane is a consideration , it's nearer for me as well .

 

Flamboyant , thank you , I will keep the H and S information handy for my risk assessment - I presume that as the lane is only a single carriageway I will have to,apply to have the lane closed for a period of time , that will mean planning a diversion route , telling the householders affected and put notices in the HT. More expenses I presume. Of course it would be cheaper and more final if I splashed some petrol over it , set it on fire and stand back - or stand back and set it on fire .

[flamboyant]

Ubique, before lighting a bonfire please, contact the EHTS dept where you can speak to them directly, their phone number is 01432 261761 or their e-mail is Ethelpline ethelpline@herefordshire.gov.uk.

 

Thank you for contacting Herefordshire Council, we will do our best to reply within ten days. If you have any complaints about our services please ring customers services and they will send you the appropriate complaints form. Please be patient the lines are very busy but our staff will be delighted to help if and when you get through.

 

Kind regards

Herefordshire Council