Minutes:
The Committee considered the undernoted report:
“1 Background Information
Background
As part of the Departmental Improvement programme a number of operational efficiency reviews have been ongoing since January 2012 and have resulted in recommended improvements being approved by Committee. This report sets out recommendations from an operational review of the department’s Mobile Playground / Litter Attendants.
Current Situation – Inspection of Playgrounds and litter lifting.
At present there are 8 teams consisting of 3 Mobile Playground/Litter Attendants per team. The main role of the squads is to travel between each playground/ open space/ car park on their routes, picking up litter and glass and inspecting each playground for defects and making play apparatus safe. Repairs that are required are noted and forwarded to Property Maintenance for the repair to be undertaken. Teams operate in North, West, South and East Belfast and provide a seven day inspection and litter collection service. For minor repairs this is an inefficient practice as playground equipment may be rendered unusable for a number of weeks until the repair is undertaken. Defects, such as small holes in the wet pour rubber surfacing at playgrounds, can attract further vandalism and the minor repair can escalate into a larger more costly repair.
A Review of the Mobile Playground Inspectors was undertaken to consider how the role could be adjusted to be more efficient and effective. The review involved meetings with staff and trade unions and determined that the Mobile Playground/Litter teams could, with the appropriate training and access to the necessary tools and equipment, conduct a number of minor repairs and undertake additional duties, including grass cutting, weed spraying and the use of appropriate Information Systems to support the process.
2. Key Issues
· It is anticipated that the response time for minor repairs and time taken to complete minor repairs will be reduced compared to the current situation and this will reduce the potential for costly compensation claims, currently £206k per annum.
· Playground equipment will be out of action less often as the squads will be able to complete temporary repairs rather than ‘taping off’ units, awaiting repair.
· In some instances the size and cost of the repair will be minimised e.g. where small holes appear in the wet pour rubber safety surface. If these are repaired quickly it will deter vandals from making the situation worse and therefore increasing the cost to the Council to repair.
· The addition of minor repair responsibilities and additional horticultural duties will enhance the job role, skills will be enriched and post-holders will experience greater job satisfaction and ‘ownership of the locations’ on their routes.
· It is proposed that supervision of the Mobile Playground Inspectors on the ground remains with the Parks Operational Managers and that there is a central role created within the Landscape, Planning and Development Unit to oversee the maintenance of playgrounds and to have oversight of incident reports and public liability claims. This new central focus on maintenance will be aligned to the current inspections regime which forms part of the annual Playground Improvement Programme.
It is also proposed that a post of Claims Investigator is developed and trialled for a period of two years to ensure the improvement of our information and capability to defend claims. It is proposed that a case for this role will be put forward under the ‘Invest to Save’ initiative and that it will pay for itself by a reduction in claims.
Parks Officers have consulted all Mobile Playground/Litter teams and Trade Union representatives regarding the additional responsibilities and changes to existing job description. Consultation is ongoing with Facility Management officers concerning minor repairs and implementation of the new responsibilities.
Further work is required to review the current inspection routes to minimise travel time and ensure resources are allocated effectively to each geographical area.
3. Resource Implications
Financial
It is estimated that the implementation of Parks & Leisure Services staff conducting minor repairs once identified would lessen the demand for major repairs ,improve the quality and safety of the facilities and reduce the legal liability/compensation costs to the Council, currently costing £206k per annum.
The proposed new Playground Inspectors post has an indicative grade of
Scale 4. The implementation of the changes to the existing Playground/Litter Squad Attendant posts (Scale 3 to Scale 4), will be approximately £59,996. (24 posts).
It is envisaged that this cost will be offset by improved management of repairs and reduction in cost of repairs. The additional cost is included in the revenue estimates 2014/2015.
Human Resources Issues
There has been extensive consultation with staff and Trade Unions resulting in a joint agreement on the recommendations. Normal Human Resource policies procedures will be applied in implementing all changes.
4. Equality Implications
There are no equality implications.
5. Recommendations
· Committee is asked to approve the revisions to the role of Mobile Playground Inspector and the subsequent increase from scale 3 to scale 4.
· It is recommended that the existing inspection routes are further reviewed to establish new balanced routes designed on concentrated geographical areas to minimise travel time.
· A temporary post of Claims Investigator is trialled for a two year period subject to funding.”
The Committee adopted the recommendations and noted that an update report on the operational efficiency of the review would be submitted for its consideration after a six month period.