COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 14, 2010

MOTION NO. 17

MOTION: Councillor S. Crowe

This Council agrees to call on the Manager to give a report outlining his precise proposals in relation to the funding set aside in this years Councils Budget covering the Public Realm.  

REPORT:

Each of the following departments has a role to play in managing and maintaining the public realm:   Roads, Housing, Environmental Services and Parks Departments.  

The Council is continuing to develop new methods and priorities in performing the duties associated with maintaining the public realm and these involve inter-departmental collaborative working arrangements which have been demonstrated this year  already in the clean up of the Halloween bonfires and the clearing of ice and snow from the paths and the removal of substantial quantities of litter from estates estates throughout the county.

Due to the exceptional response warranted in the foregoing cases, the costs have been funded/part funded from the budgetary provision for the public realm 20l0.

This combined working arrangement which involves the sharing of Council resources,  plant and machinery will continue to ensure the most effective and efficient use of the resources available to the Council.

With regard to litter and grass cutting the following is the position:

Litter:

There are at present 47 staff  employed fulltime in the Council’s Cleansing Unit attaching to the Environmental Sevices Department of the Council,   supported by an Administrative and Technical Team and a Team of 6 Litter Wardens.  In 2009   approx.  10,000 tons of rubbish was collected  throughout the county  from the following sources:  gully cleaning, fly tipping, litter bins and major clean-ups.

Grass Cutting:

There are 4500 acres (l650 hectares) of open space and parkland in the charge of the Council.  This area comprises in the main of approx. 500 acres of pitches, approximately 700 acres of roadside verges and margins (excluding verges fronting residential and commercial properties) with the balance (3300 acres) comprising of regional, neighbourhood, local parks and residential open spaces.

During the grass cutting season the Parks and Landscape Services Department has a complement of approximately 75 grass-cutting machines varying in size from the large l6-ft. roller  mowers to the smaller ride-on mowers all of which are fully deployed throughout the season.  The deployment of the various machines is dependant on the size configuration and impediments of each area of grass to be cut. 

80% of the staff of the Parks & Landscape Services Department (excluding park rangers and crafts working staff) are deployed fulltime during the season on the cutting of grass and litter picking, where possible, in advance.

The Parks Department is reviewing the grass cutting rota for the county to ensure a standardisation of service.  In the review, priority and increased frequency will be afforded to the cutting of playing pitches.

It will be necessary in the review to take into account the following issues which can impinge on the grass-cutting programme for any season i.e. weather conditions, machinery breakdown, repair and servicing, health & safety, training and insurance, annual leave and leave due to illness and short term redeployment for specific works.

Social Credits

It is intended that the Social Credits Scheme, a draft of which was brought before the Environment SPC in January 20l0, will form part of the public realm function.  http://intranet/cmas/documents/Environment%20SPC/2010/January/January2010EnvironmentSPCMeeting/21789_Social%20credits%20consultation%20spc.ppt

It is intended to hold a briefing with the Members in June or July 210l0 at area level for the purpose of identifying priority areas for attention and inclusion in the review of the 20l0 budgetary provision for the transformation of the public realm.