Issue - meetings

Cabinet considered the coastal waste review report with recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Panel. Members agreed that these recommendations would best be further considered in more depth in the autumn when officers would not be as busy as they currently were. Members were advised that some of the issues raised in the recommendations had been looked at before, and had already been addressed. Officers were continually looking for ways to further control litter.

With regards to the review of the council’s corporate priorities, it was advisable that at this stage of the council cycle, that such a review may be more appropriate to be conducted by the incoming Administration after the 2023 May Local Government Elections. Members acknowledged that litter continues to be a serious problem. There was a need for cultural change to the problem of littering in order to help manage the problem.

The following Members spoke under Council Procedure Rule 20.1:

Councillor Austin;

Councillor Albon;

Councillor Wing;

Councillor Keen.

Cabinet notes the report and instructs officers, in conjunction with the relevant portfolio holders, to undertake a comprehensive review of all the matters raised in the OSP report and to report back to Cabinet before the end of the year.

Councillor Fellows introduced the item. He explained that it had been a thorough review, with 20 recommendations made. 

The Chair stated that the report was well set out and thanks were offered to the panel for their efforts. It was noted that discussions on how Town and Parish Councils can cooperate better were needed. 

Members commented and asked the following questions:

• The recommendations could lead to large improvements; members suggested that volunteer groups needed to be liaised with more frequently; 
• The Plastic Free Regime, recommendation number 6, was noted as a challenging recommendation. Members questioned how the Council could deliver this recommendation? 
• Members questioned the current TDC website. Suggestions were put forth regarding reporting fly tipping and waste issues via the ‘Fix My Street’ website. 

Councillor Fellows and Gavin Waite responded to the comments as followed:

• It was agreed that volunteers felt underappreciated;
• Volunteers were to receive further support, i.e. equipment;
• The Plastic Free Regime recommendation could be implemented in a number of ways; this could be through pubs ceasing the use of plastic cups, or fish and chip shops reusing some of their packaging;
• There previously was an app that members of the public could use to report fly tipping and waste issues, however the app was unsupported and so its use was stopped.

Councillor Fellows proposed, Councillor Tomlinson seconded and the Panel agreed the Coastal Waste Scrutiny Review Working Party report findings and recommendations as detailed in the working party report and that these be forwarded to cabinet for consideration by the Executive. A summary of the recommendations is as detailed below:

 1.  Thanet District Council should re-evaluate its corporate priorities to better reflect that beaches and coastlines are fundamental to the identity of Thanet as a tourism destination and as a result funding for their preservation and cleanliness should be prioritised;

2.   To expand our resource base to enable Recommendation 1, we should explore a broader range of funding options, partnerships and models of delivery;

3.  We should consider introducing bylaws and/or licensing conditions to control use of polystyrene containers, cardboard chip boxes & other frequently littered items;

4.  TDC should look to promote a plastic free regime in Thanet;

5.  TDC should develop flexible staff roles for beaches and the coastline;

6. TDC should consider approaching voluntary litter picking groups first when recruiting extra seasonal staff;

7.  An annual litter bin survey should be carried out with the help of parish & Town Councils (and volunteer groups if appropriate);

8.  Current work on modernising our bins - phasing out dog waste bins, reducing aperture size when bins are replaced, fitting the size of the bin to the location and making all bins ‘smart’, for example - should be progressed with all speed;

9.  TDC should monitor use and effectiveness of dog waste bag stations;

10. TDC should set and publicise challenging performance indicators for beach & coastal cleanliness and establish a schedule of Council & public reporting on these;

11.  TDC should adopt stronger public messaging on litter;

12. We  ...  view the full minutes text for item 379