Agenda item

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 9th December, 2010, it had agreed, as part of a Departmental Improvement Programme, to the implementation for a period of nine months, commencing in January, 2011, of a Park Warden Pilot Scheme.  The Assistant Director of Parks and Leisure reported that the scheme had been initiated to develop working practices, provide an improved service and create safer green spaces. The existing Park Ranger service would be enhanced by putting in place a team of Park Wardens who would respond quickly to and record incidents of damage and anti-social behaviour at sites across the City. They would be trained and authorised to enforce specific bye-laws in support of existing Council Wardens and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, open and close the Council facilities where they were based and engage with the public to deliver education awareness and a quality customer service.

            She explained that the pilot scheme had been shown to have met its objectives and had established more flexible working practices which would be enhanced with the further development of technology and anti-social behaviour reporting systems. Project outcomes had included the establishment of a programme of job-shadowing with Litter, Dog and Community Safety Wardens in order to share knowledge and develop practice. In addition, a series of workshops had taken place between Council officers and senior officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland which had created an improved network between Parks Wardens and that Service in terms of responding to reports of damage at Parks, Leisure and Facilities Managed sites. The implementation of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 had provided staff with a valuable opportunity to raise public awareness in relation to dog control and litter and to inform parks users about the Council’s new enforcement powers.

            The Assistant Director of Parks and Leisure reported further that, given the success of the pilot scheme, it was now proposed that the role of Park Warden become a permanent one.  In order to achieve that, the Parks and Leisure Department would work with Park Wardens and Trades Union groups to ensure that a new job description was developed which would meet the additional requirements.  She informed the Members that the Health and Environmental Services Committee, at its meeting on 17th September, had agreed to allocate eight Community Safety Wardens and the associated budget to the Parks and Leisure Department. Further consultation would be required on the exact role to be undertaken by Park Wardens within the Department.  It was envisaged that the process would be finalised by the end of the current financial year and that the additional operational staff costs would be in the region of £40,000, which would be met from within the Department’s existing budget.

            The Committee approved the permanent provision of a Park Warden resource within the Parks and Leisure Department and noted the decision of the Health and Environmental Services Committee of 17th September to allocate eight Community Safety Wardens to the Department.