CQ529 - 11 from Councillor Eddy Arram EH Can he confirm that a) The Waste disposal sight in the London Borough of Bexley is similar to that proposed by the South West London Waste Disposal Partnership (b) Was that sight approved by the then relevant Minister? (c) Who set down the parameters for the type of Waste disposal unit that the South West Partnership could go out for Tender? (d) Did the Labour Group on Croydon Council at any time during the South West London Waste Disposal Partnership tender process make representation to the Minister requesting that the parameters for the unit be restricted? Reply “There is no decision yet on which bidder has been chosen by the South London Waste Partnership for its residual waste treatment contract. The Partnership has recently completed a rigorous evaluation of the final two bids, following a meticulous two-and-a-half year procurement process. This has resulted in the Joint Waste Committee (a formerly constituted Committee made up of Councillors from the four partners boroughs) making a recommendation about which of the bidders should be awarded ‘Preferred Bidder’ status. For the time being, that is all it is: a recommendation. This recommendation has been approved by each of the four partner boroughs’ executives and is now only subject to the outcome of tomorrow evening’s scrutiny meeting. Until that time, the Partnership and the four partner boroughs are bound by strict commercial and legal obligations that prevent us from releasing any further details about either of the bidders’ solutions. We expect to be able to make a public announcement about which company has been awarded Preferred Bidder status after consideration of the decision has been completed. What we have been clear about right from the very start of this process is that the residual waste treatment solution that the Partnership procures must be significantly more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly than landfill, which is where the majority of our non-recycled household waste currently ends up. We remain confident that we will be able to deliver on that commitment.

CQ530 - 11 from Councillor Eddy Arram EH When was the free 30 minute parking within district centres introduced and has it been welcomed by both traders and shoppers? Reply Free 30 minute parking was introduced in the district centres from 29 March 2010. All indications are that both shoppers and traders welcome the free parking arrangements. The current pay & display machines do not record the number of sessions for either free parking or paid for sessions. The cash boxes are collected each day and the income counted and banked so we can track overall income by machine number only. However this will change with the roll out of the first tranche of 350 new pay & display machines from Parkeon starting in December and completing in February 2012. This is an approved capital investment project following a recent OJEU tender and contract award. The machines will be equipped with ’Parkfolio’, a real time information system which will flag up fault reporting immediately and provide data on number and type of transactions which can be interrogated by a PC software reporting solution.

CQ534 - 11 from Councillor Yvette Hopley EH What is the reduction in refuse to landfill since our wheelie bins have been emptied every other week? Reply The overall reduction in waste landfill during October 2011 compared to the same month last year was 1,600 tonnes. Before these recent changes this waste would have been sent to landfill, which is not environmentally or financially sustainable.

CQ535 - 11 from Councillor Ian Parker EH The previous Labour Government gave the go ahead for an incinerator in Bexley. Which Councils send their rubbish to that incinerator? Reply The Belvedere Energy From Waste facility is operated by Cory, and receives waste from the boroughs consisting of the Western Riverside Waste Authority that include the London Boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Lambeth, Wandsworth & Kensington & Chelsea, and separately from the City of London Corporation and the London Borough of Bexley.

CQ536 - 11 from Councillor Michael Neal EH Before any Waste to Energy facilities are built, what determines its environmental impact and what Govt Depts check whether it’s fit for purpose? Reply All applications for the building of new modern waste treatment facilities are required to comply with strict environmental conditions as stipulated by the Environment Agency.

CQ538 - 11 from Councillor Clare George- Hilley EH How much food has been recycled since October? Reply Since 3 October to 25 November a total of 1,712 tonnes of food waste has been collected through the new and improved recycling service.

CQ543 - 11 from Councillor Tony Pearson EH Could you clarify if charges will increase for up to 1 hour parking in the CPZ area around Central Croydon and will the 30 minutes free parking continue for District Centres like New Addington? Reply I can confirm that parking charges for the first hour across the Borough both on and off-street are being frozen. In addition in the Croydon CPZ (comprising of 6 permit zones) all on-street charges are being frozen apart from the flat fees for evenings and Sundays within the Central Zone. The 30 minutes free parking for the district centres, including the existing 30 minute maximum stay in the Central Parade Service Road are to remain.

CQ544 - 11 from Councillor Avril Slipper EH Could the Cabinet Member please tell me if the street lighting improvements will include any additional lamp standards to improve pedestrian safety in dark spots? Reply I can confirm that a significant proportion of the existing street lighting over the next 5 years will be replaced with street lighting that complies with the latest standards. The introduction of new lighting will allow the Authority to provide a better street lighting service for residents, the benefits include: o Regeneration benefits: better access to local services and transport, leading to a

positive influence on town centres and the wider community; o Impact on crime: improved lighting will have a positive impact on reducing crime

and the fear of crime. o Improved road safety: improved lighting will deliver improved street safety and

reduce road traffic accidents across the borough; o Improved efficiency: Upon completion of the replacement initiative there will be

reduction in energy consumption of approximately 20%; and, o Greater sustainability: the transition to more controllable and energy efficient street

lighting will lead to sustainability and carbon reduction goals being included in service management objectives for the first time.

CQ547 - 11 from Councillor Terry Lenton EH Can the Cabinet Member please tell me how many requests have been received for extra recycling bins since the rollout of the new recycling scheme in October? Reply Since the start of the new recycling and landfill collection service there have been nearly 7,000 extra recycling boxes delivered to residents throughout the borough.

CQ554 - 11 from Councillor George Ayres EH Following a heavy shower of rain King Henry's Drive was flooded once again at the junction with Goldcrest Way. This is a repeated problem that adds to the risk of an accident and the possible closure of the road. What plans does the Council have to reduce the risk of flooding and make this important road safe to both motorists and pedestrians? Reply The Transforming Highways contract commenced 1 October 2011 and this contract brought together a number of services including cyclical gully cleaning. During October a detailed cleaning schedule, up to the end of March 2012, has been developed on a ward by ward basis. Cyclical gully cleaning programme A cyclical cleaning programme has been developed and detailed below by ward. Month Ward October Addiscombe November Purley

Waddon December Kenley

Sanderstead January Selsdon & Ballards

Heathfield February New Addington

Fieldway March Fairfield

Croham In addition to this, during the recent heavy rain, additional resources were deployed on the borough network to address localised flooding as it was reported to the Council.

CQ565 - 11 from Councillor Shafi Khan EH The Council has a huge responsibility in keeping the borough running, whatever the surprises the weather may have in store for us this winter and the people of Croydon especially our Norbury constituents would like to get assurances from the Cabinet Member that they can count on Council highways teams being better prepared than last two winters. Can the Cabinet Member assure us that, children will be able to get to school safely, their parents will be able to get to work, care workers would be able to help the needy ones, ambulances and police will be able to tend to emergencies and the wheels of local businesses will be in motion this winter if we have snow fall like last two winters? Reply I can give an assurance that the highway winter maintenance operations are ready to tackle this season’s adverse weather and reiterate the Council's highways winter service policy sets out the arrangements for taking preventative measures in anticipation of ice and snow and for the removal of ice and snow. It is the intention to minimise the risk to safety that highways users confront in winter conditions and minimise the non-availability of the highway network through ice and snow. However, these arrangements recognise that given the scale of financial and other resources involved in delivering the Winter Service, it is not practically possible to provide the service on all parts of the highway network. To this end a priority network for both roads and footpaths has been established. The last three years has seen extreme weather events with localised substantial snowfall over a very short period of time and the gritting teams work hard to minimise the disruption to road users. Over the last two years in particular the Council performed at a high level in keeping the principal roads clear wherever possible and services running. Over the summer months officers have been reviewing the operations and lessons learnt have been incorporated into the service such as to ensure we have sufficient supplies the council has replenished its salt stockpile during the summer months and we currently have 4500 tons of salt in stock. In addition provisions are in place should the authority need to purchase more salt during the winter months. To assist residents and road users as a self help facility salt bins have been provided across the network at locations where difficulties are likely to be experienced. There are 570 of these bins around the borough and increase of 35 following requests from members. These have been replenished in the run up to the winter season and will be topped up as necessary throughout the season as resources become available.

CQ570 - 11 from Councillor Sherwan Chowdhury EH Could the Cabinet give us assurances that Croydon Council is ready to meet the demand for spreading grittier on the roads if there are severe weather problems with snow? It is worth remembering that despite Councillor Thomas admission in Council meeting in 2008 that he had learnt his lesson, the shortages of salt in 2009 meant he had failed to spreads salt and grittier on the road resulted peoples of Croydon could not come out from their home. The peoples of Croydon are now worried for 2010/2011 winter because the Council is cutting services in all sectors including elders. Reply I take exception regarding learning from past mistakes, when in fact Croydon provided an excellent service to the highway users during extremely difficult times for the whole of the UK, the last three years has seen extreme weather events with localised substantial snowfall over a very short period of time and the gritting teams work hard to minimise the disruption to road users. I can give an assurance that the highway winter maintenance operations are ready to tackle this season’s adverse weather and reiterate the Council's highways winter service policy sets out the arrangements for taking preventative measures in anticipation of ice and snow and for the removal of ice and snow. It is the intention to minimise the risk to safety that highways users confront in winter conditions and minimise the non-availability of the highway network through ice and snow. However, these arrangements recognise that given the scale of financial and other resources involved in delivering the Winter Service, it is not practically possible to provide the service on all parts of the highway network. To this end a priority network for both roads and footpaths has been established. Over the summer months officers have been reviewing the operations and lessons learnt have been incorporated into the service such as to ensure we have sufficient supplies the council has replenished its salt stockpile during the summer months and we currently have 4500 tons of salt in stock. In addition provisions are in place should the authority need to purchase more salt during the winter months. To assist residents and road users as a self help facility salt bins have been provided across the network at locations where difficulties are likely to be experienced. There are 570 of these bins around the borough and increase of 35 following requests from members. These have been replenished in the run up to the winter season and will be topped up as necessary throughout the season as resources become available.

CQ578 - 11 from Councillor Manju Shahul-Hameed EH Can the Cabinet Member give me the reasons to choose Beddington Lane as the preferred site to build the incinerator? Have you considered the impact it will have on the health of the local residents? Reply There is no decision yet on which bidder has been chosen by the South London Waste Partnership for its residual waste treatment contract. The Partnership has recently completed a rigorous evaluation of the final two bids, following a meticulous two-and-a-half year procurement process. This has resulted in the Joint Waste Committee (a formerly constituted Committee made up of Councillors from the four partners boroughs) making a recommendation about which of the bidders should be awarded ‘Preferred Bidder’ status. For the time being, that is all it is: a recommendation. This recommendation has been approved by each of the four partner boroughs’ executives and is now only subject to the outcome of tomorrow evening’s scrutiny meeting. Until that time, the Partnership and the four partner boroughs are bound by strict commercial and legal obligations that prevent us from releasing any further details about either of the bidders’ solutions. We expect to be able to make a public announcement about which company has been awarded Preferred Bidder status after consideration of the decision has been completed. What we have been clear about right from the very start of this process is that the residual waste treatment solution that the Partnership procures must be significantly more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly than landfill, which is where the majority of our non-recycled household waste currently ends up. We remain confident that we will be able to deliver on that commitment.

CQ589 - 11 from Councillor Humayun Kabir EH Since September this year it became apparent that there are too much rubbish in the in the north of the borough. Can you explain why and what action will be taken to reduce from the affected area. Reply Can you please advise me of specific locations so that I can arrange for officers to visit the areas and discuss with residents about the options to recycle more of their household waste.

CQ593- 11 from Councillor Wayne Lawlor EH

The Cabinet Member will be aware of my questions relating to the disused toilets at the top of South Norwood Hill. Please can you confirm the cost of demolishing the building; what efforts have been made to make alternative use of the building, and the cost of cleaning graffiti from the building in the past 13 years? Would he also confirm that discussions have taken place in respect of future use of this site?

Reply The disposal of these former public toilets has been actively considered and as part of this process advice from the planning team regarding alternative uses has been obtained. This highlighted that part of the site has been identified as being required for proposed road improvements at the junction of Church Road and South Norwood Hill. Land forming part of the adjoining Transmitter site has also been identified as being required for this scheme. Arquiva the owners of the transmitter site have previously expressed an interest in acquiring the toilets. This is being followed up as if a full or partial land swap with Arquiva is possible as this will minimise the land acquisition costs of the future road scheme. However, the Councils Engineering team have now advised that this project is not within any current road improvement programme and therefore will not be commenced before 2013/14 at the earliest. In view of this, alternative disposal options are also being considered. Costs for demolishing the existing structure and clearing the site have been estimated at between £15-20,000. The Street Scene Manager advises that the costs per square metre for graffiti removal is £8.72 on brickwork and £6.06 on a painted surface but is not aware that there has been any graffiti removal to this property since 2009 but has been unable to access such information prior to 2009.

CQ599- 11 from Councillor Gerry Ryan EH Can the Cabinet Member responsible for cleaning up fly tipping give me the financial cost of cleaning up as there has been a noticeable increase since the introduction of the fortnightly refuse collection. Can I also be advised on how many complaints have been received on this matter? Reply There have been 690 incidents of illegal flytipping of waste recorded via the Council’s reporting system during October 2011, this compares with 694 incidents reported for October 2010. The cost of clearing the illegally fly tipped waste was £7,500 for October 2010 and £5,140 for October 2011. Fly tipping is a problem throughout London and not just Croydon. This Council is determined to take legal action against anyone we catch fly tipping.

CQ600- 11 from Councillor Gerry Ryan EH Can the Cabinet Member advise me on how many missed bins there have been since the introduction of the fortnightly service, as I have received complaints and what is the cost of this. Reply During the month of October there were 2,736 reported missed non-collections out of 716,350 collections. This equates to 0.38% of the total collections. As Councillor Ryan is aware having been a Cabinet Member responsible for refuse collections, whenever there is a change in the way you collect rubbish/recycling, there are missed collections. He can be assured that any problems have now been resolved.

CQ603- 11 from Councillor Timothy Godfrey EH Residents have been complaining about the poor street lighting and their safety leading to and from the mainline Selhurst Station, in the Dagnall Park area, including roads surrounding the Brit School, Selhurst Sure Start Centre and the Crescent Primary School. Will the Cabinet Member look at replacing the street lighting in this area as a matter of priority given the importance of encouraging public transport use? Reply I can confirm that a Core Investment Programme (CIP) over 5yrs has been developed for Croydon and where possible on a ward by ward basis with Selhurst ward planned for street lighting renewal in year 3. This will include all Streetlighting and illuminated signs on the highway and street lighting within council managed housing estates. Selhurst Road and Nothcote Road as the main thoroughfare for public transport has received street lighting improvements in 2009/10 and therefore the streets are lit to the current standards.

CQ604- 11 from Councillor Timothy Godfrey EH Re CQ441 - 11 / non recycling of Tetra Paks in Croydon. I welcome the Cabinet Members commitment to want to recycle Tetra Paks. His answer blamed the contractor for not having the facilities, yet these materials are collected and recycled in neighbouring Lambeth, Sutton, Merton and Kingston. What practical steps will he take to ensure that Tetra Paks are added to materials collected in the next year? Will he consider terminating the Veolia contract if they are unable to process Tetra in a reasonable time frame? Reply The Council is in discussions with the Council’s recycling & waste management contractor Veolia to explore options to introduce liquid fibreboard materials as part of the comprehensive kerbside collection of recyclables service. Once a sustainable outlet has been agreed, residents will be advised of the new service through Your Croydon and the Council’s web pages.

CQ605- 11 from Councillor Paul Smith EH To ask the Cabinet Member for Environment & Highways if he stands by his well stated position that he is opposed to an incinerator being built in or nearby Croydon? Reply I am on the record as being opposed to an incinerator being built in Croydon.

CQ606- 11 from Councillor Paul Smith EH To ask the Cabinet Member for Environment & Highways if he agrees with me that a more than 58% rise in charges for Residents’ first parking permit is a stealth tax on drivers living in the borough? Reply On 21 November 2011 the Traffic Management Cabinet Committee agreed an increase in the charge for the first permit at a household from £70 to £76 which equates to an 8.6% increase – not 58%. Resident parking permits in Croydon are still good value for money in comparison with other Boroughs. All increases in parking charges are regrettable, but we are in tough economic times and we need to increase revenue to cover our costs.

CQ607- 11 from Councillor Paul Smith EH To ask the Cabinet Member for Environment & Highways to detail the number of complaints that has been received in relation to the new food waste collection and what lessons have been learned from its roll out? Reply During the period 3 October to 18 November 2011 the Council received 167 Stage 1 complaints in respect of the new recycling & landfill collection services. Overall the scheme has been a real success with over 1712 tonnes of food waste collected so far. Demands on our customer contact centre were much higher than we expected or saw at other local authorities and we will therefore review how we resource that service during any further service changes. We will also be reviewing how we can make leaflets and information clearer for residents and improving the information on the Council website. In fact, you can now see the date of your next bin collection as a result of improvements we have made. Further detailed analysis is underway to ensure that all lessons are learnt and an ongoing development plan is in place.

CQ614- 11 from Councillor John Wentworth EH Can you confirm whether in the last 5 years you have attended any events or meetings with the now abolished Atlantic First Organisation? Reply I am not sure what this question has to do with my role as Cabinet Member for Environment & Highways

CQ615- 11 from Councillor Patricia Hay-Justice EH It appears to be highly probable that the Council will be entering into a long term contract with a private organisation for the provision of an industrial scale incinerator being sited in or close to the border of Croydon. By its very nature, the firm’s primary objective will be to make increasing profit with no or little concern of the overall wellbeing of the community wherein the incinerator will be sited. In its commissioning role what actions will the Council take to ensure the community’s safety if the private company chose to accept hazardous and toxic national and international waste? Examples of such are certain types of radioactive waste, deadly bacteria, viruses and fungi that might be used in biological warfare. Reply “There is no decision yet on which bidder has been chosen by the South London Waste Partnership for its residual waste treatment contract. The Partnership has recently completed a rigorous evaluation of the final two bids, following a meticulous two-and-a-half year procurement process. This has resulted in the Joint Waste Committee (a formerly constituted Committee made up of Councillors from the four partners boroughs) making a recommendation about which of the bidders should be awarded ‘Preferred Bidder’ status. For the time being, that is all it is: a recommendation. This recommendation has been approved by each of the four partner boroughs’ executives and is now only subject to the outcome of tomorrow evening’s scrutiny meeting. Until that time, the Partnership and the four partner boroughs are bound by strict commercial and legal obligations that prevent us from releasing any further details about either of the bidders’ solutions. We expect to be able to make a public announcement about which company has been awarded Preferred Bidder status after consideration of the decision has been completed. What we have been clear about right from the very start of this process is that the residual waste treatment solution that the Partnership procures must be significantly more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly than landfill, which is where the majority of our non-recycled household waste currently ends up. We remain confident that we will be able to deliver on that commitment.

CQ616- 11 from Councillor Patricia Hay-Justice EH In the event of the Council agreeing to an incinerator being operated by a private firm, from where will the council draw upon individuals including technical experts that should then form a set of credible service level agreements and associated key performance indicators for the topical incinerator? Post completion what will be the background of those who will be responsible for the monitoring of the technical part of the contract? Reply There is no decision yet on which bidder has been chosen by the South London Waste Partnership for its residual waste treatment contract. The Partnership has recently completed a rigorous evaluation of the final two bids, following a meticulous two-and-a-half year procurement process. This has resulted in the Joint Waste Committee (a formerly constituted Committee made up of Councillors from the four partners boroughs) making a recommendation about which of the bidders should be awarded ‘Preferred Bidder’ status. For the time being, that is all it is: a recommendation. This recommendation has been approved by each of the four partner boroughs’ executives and is now only subject to the outcome of tomorrow evening’s scrutiny meeting. Until that time, the Partnership and the four partner boroughs are bound by strict commercial and legal obligations that prevent us from releasing any further details about either of the bidders’ solutions. We expect to be able to make a public announcement about which company has been awarded Preferred Bidder status after consideration of the decision has been completed. What we have been clear about right from the very start of this process is that the residual waste treatment solution that the Partnership procures must be significantly more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly than landfill, which is where the majority of our non-recycled household waste currently ends up. We remain confident that we will be able to deliver on that commitment. Regardless of the outcome of the procurement process and method of waste disposal the contract will be managed on behalf of the four boroughs by the Royal Borough of Kingston. The contract management team will incorporate the appropriate technical and commercial skills to ensure there is effective contract performance management.

CQ621- 11 from Councillor Mark Watson EH

Will you please publish the latest maps of air quality data for particulates (PM10), and oxide of nitrogen (NO2) on the Council website?

Reply Croydon’s website provides a link to each monitoring station that can be accessed through the pollution module and is entitled ‘Related Information’. This link will then open the Kings College interactive London Maps into which data from Croydon’s monitoring stations are fed. Having reviewed the website I do agree that this link could be better described and steps are now being taken to make the link more accessible.