Impact Assessment Form for functions/policies/services – low impact

A) Waste Collections, Refuse, Recycling and Food Waste B) Current or ProposedC) Priority High/Medium/Low

Department and Division: E&R,

Head of Service: Cormac StokesOfficer completing assessment: Brian McLoughlin

Date: 16 February 2011

Brief description of function/policy/service including aims and objectives

The collection of Refuse and Recycling waste from residents and Customers of the London Borough of

Merton.

“Waste Operations will deliver cost-effective and sustainable waste management services including Waste

Collectio, street cleaning, recycling, graffiti, civic amenity facilities and pest control services that are

responsive to the needs of it’s customers and meet legislative and regulatory requirements.”

Service Aims:

  • Deliver high quality services through both efficient effective management and by continuously reviewing and improving the quality of our services, adopting the Councils principles of sustainable communities
  • To develop and work in partnerships that ensure waste operations services are affordable and represent value for money
  • To provide services that are reliable and readily accessible to all the Community
  • To operate in a responsible and sustainable manner, creating value for our stakeholders and delivering successful and sustainable waste management solutions
  • Improve the Quality of the Public Realm
  • Address public perceptions and concern

Service Objectives:

  • Be ambitious through investing in resources so that we build on opportunities proactively
  • Improve our customer information and improve feedback
  • To protect and care for the welfare and development of our employees, the environment, our customers and the local community in which we operate. To be transparent in every area of our business. To this end we will ensure that we comply with legal requirements and conduct our activities fairly and with integrity.
  • We will provide a safe and supportive environment for all our employees and strive for outstanding health and safety performance. We encourage personal development, provide opportunities for career development and actively encourage our employees to become involved with the local community.
  • To value our staff by ensuring good communication, support, training and development recognizing and celebrating achievement
  • Develop electronic access, GIS mapping and mobile working
  • Investigate the feasibility of new collection methods
  • Encourage closer working with the waste management industry to secure expert advice and investment in the infrastructure required to deliver sustainable waste management solutions
  • Provide a customer focussed approach to service design and improvement
  • Engage the community through effective consultation and customer feedback mechanisms
  • Improve levels of satisfaction with services provided

Minimise environmental impacts through the effective procurement of environmentally sustainable goods and services

The Council is responsible for ensuring legislation is complied with. Therefore, please ensure that all questions are answered even if a third party provides the service

Does a third party provide the function or service? No If so who?…………………….

The word Service is used throughout the form as a generic term to include Function/ Policy or Service.

Please ensure you answer all questions relating to the current or proposed Function/Policy or Service identified at C)

What are the general equality issues associated with the use of this type of policy or procedure? This can be based on local or national research or consultation?
1 / Could the policy/service affect people differently so that some groups may not have equal and fair access to services? / Yes.
2 / Could the policy/service have a negative impact on community cohesion or cause tensions in the community for people of different backgrounds, faith, race, culture or age? /
  • access to collection service where people do not live in a suitable house type
  • access to information on the assisted lift scheme and the application of the eligibility criteria;
  • access to education and information on recycling in different formats;

3 / How does the service take into account what might be different needs across different groups of people?
Consider: age; disability; gender; race; sexuality; socio-economic status; where service users live in the borough. /
  • We provide an assisted collection for disabled or elderly and infirm customers.
  • For residents who occupy above shops or where the front door opens onto the street we provide a blue bag service.
  • Diversity learning to frontline staff.
  • A food waste and recycling from flats service
  • All Council communications are made available on request, in the customer’s preferred format. All service leaflets we produce on mass have the translation trigger on them and are pictorial for those who have reading or sight difficulties. Recycling from home information is on cassette.

4 / Have you conducted consultations/satisfaction surveys with service users?
If not, have you considered that there may be issues about which you are not aware? / Yes.
5 / Have you analysed the result of these consultations/surveys to identify any trends across different groups of people?
If not, why was the consultation/survey undertaken? / Yes.
6 / If number of responses to consultation/survey has been low, what steps have you taken to ensure a reasonable sample size e.g. taking results over a longer period or conducting surveys over the telephone. / N/A
7 / How will you measure the success of any improvements that are put into place? / Compare with results of previous surveys.

IMPROVEMENT PLAN SUMMARY

When formulating the improvement plan consider:

Might a more effective service/policy be delivered if a different approach is taken to: service delivery; training or supervision; consultation; measuring the effectiveness of service delivery?

Issue arising from impact assessment / Action Required To Resolve Issue / Lead
Officer / Timescale / Costs / Targets/Pls / Frequency of monitoring
Access to information on the assisted lift scheme and the application of the eligibility criteria; / Ensure information is readily
available / Pat DeJesus
Access to education and
information on recycling in different formats; / That councils provide information in alternative formats in accordance with the provisions in their Equality Schemes / Pat Dejesus

Low Impact assessment form – July 2005