Back in January, I blogged about my constituent Graham Bennett and his tireless efforts to get the Council to tackle the problem of bins on pavements and the lukewarm response he has received from Labour councillors and officers.
I'm pleased to report that the issue will be on the agenda for the next meeting of the Environment Scrutiny Panel which takes place on 3 March.
This scrutiny panel has taken a much more active role in investigating waste and recycling issues since opposition councillors took over the chair and vice-chair. And, as Glenn pointed out earlier this week, the Labour-run Cabinet is being forced to sit up and take action to improve the Streetcare service for residents as a result, which can only be a good thing.
On March 3, the Panel will be discussing the results of a recent pilot project undertaken in Katesgrove where black sacks replaced wheelie bins, following representations by my colleague Cllr Gareth Epps about the number of bins left on pavements around Alpine Street.
There are more details about the pilot in the Council's press release:
'Last August the Council's Streetcare team began a trial in Alpine and Edgehill Streets, two streets with narrow pavements and a mix of front gardens. Persistent offenders who regularly blocked pavements with their bins were sent an escalating series of letters and notices, starting with a friendly warning letter reminding them of their responsibility to clear their bins from pavements.
Where bins continued to be left out, a Section 46 Notice - prohibiting them from leaving their bin on the pavement - was issued, warning the householder that they risk being prosecuted. In cases where the offences still continued, a third and final warning letter was sent out.Fixed penalty notices of £100 were only issued if the third letter was ignored and people continued to block the pavement with their bins. Trials showed more offenders complied at each of the various stages of warning, well before a fine was issued.
Since the scheme was extended boroughwide in October last year 419 residents have received the first letter and an accompanying information sheet; of these 128 have received the S46 Notice; and of these just 10 have been issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice. Of the residents who have received some form of action only 2.5% were issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice. The Council also found during the trial that the majority of people will comply with requests after receiving the first letter.'
Let's hope the Council's Streetcare department learns from this pilot and replicates this more proactive approach to enforcement in other parts of Reading suffering the same problem such as around Eldon Terrace and Addington Road in Redlands.
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