THURROCK Council has revealed that it is failing its own street cleaning targets.
The results were part of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny document which details how the council is performing in a number of areas from repairs to primary school performance through to sickness levels.
But with the council investing millions in a campaign to clean up the borough, it was surprising to read that it had failed it’s target for cleaning litter from the Thurrock streets.
The document went into some length to explain why it has failed to reach its target.
The document stated: “The assessment of street cleanliness is based on surveys of 10 different land types with each inspection covering a number of wards.
The survey provides snap shot data of the appearance of parts of the borough, at that point in time.
With the Cut it, Clean it, Fill it initiative, the service has focused resource and effort on improving the standards of cleanliness in high profile areas such as town centres and the gateways to the borough.
The performance in relation to levels of litter has dipped below target after the second of the three inspections. This is largely due to lower standards of cleanliness on rural and main roads.
Of the 303 transects inspected 31 were reported to be below an acceptable level. Although the system of monitoring street cleanliness has been in place for a number of years and is rigid, there is an element of subjectivity in the scoring.
With effect from April 2017 the assessments will be conducted by Keep Britain Tidy. Their scoring is carried out in a different way and to nationally recognised standards. Whilst the council will not be able to compare to previous years, it will ensure a more objective scoring process.
