(a)

the Plan for Trees public engagement event had run from 20 August 2018 to 16 September 2018; during this period a total of 1105 individual responses had been received;

(b)

the results of the engagement exercise would help to shape the City’s Plan for Trees and the delivery plan which would set out how the tree maintenance backlog would be tackled, as well as, establishing a new cyclical maintenance programme;

(c)

in the City there were an estimated 40,000 street trees, 200ha of woodlands as well as trees within parks and greenspaces; over 380 trees required immediate attention and over 1000 trees had been identified as having an issue; a full audit of the City’s tree stock would need to be undertaken;

(d)

the introduction of the Street Services Information Management System (SSIMS) which through a combination of technology, handheld devices and better data management would assist in transforming how frontline services worked.

(e)

the process that would be adopted for trees that required maintenance work within conservation areas;

(f)

whether consideration would be given to the appropriate type of tree would be planted in certain areas, in order to avoid the current situation of pavements lifting due to tree roots;

(g)

the cost and the impact on the Council’s insurance premium regarding tree damage to buildings;

(h)

whether a target had been set for the number of responses received regarding the tree engagement exercise and whether the feedback had been meaningful due to the small percentage of responses that had been received;

(i)

whether there was currently a budget for tree maintenance;

(j)

what measures had been put in place to address the increase in missed bin collections in May, June, July and August 2018;

(k)

the breakdown of calls received regarding Waste Services (ie, complaints, enquiries, etc);

(l)

what enforcement measures were in place to prevent persistent offenders from fly tipping;

(m)

whether there were plans to roll out communal bins in similar areas as in the Drake ward;

(n)

whether there were plans to undertake further meetings across the City at which residents could raise their concerns;

(o)

whilst the audit of trees was being undertaken (which could take a considerable number of months) would the programme of tree maintenance works continue;

(p)

whether the number of calls received included self-service information;

(q)

how benchmarking for street cleanliness was undertaken and what target had been set for Plymouth;

(r)

what measures were being put in place to increase recycling rates within the City.

(1)

the pilot scheme for the Street  Services Information Management System is scheduled for a future meeting of the Committee (the Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Scene to provide the timeline for this item);

(2)

data is sought from the Service Director for Customer Services regarding the breakdown of calls received for Waste Services (ie complaints, enquiries, other).