Wolverhampton City Council's Public Realm street cleaning service is set to bring changes that will see staff and vehicles used consistently across the city while helping to make saving in terms of cost and energy efficiency.
Among the changes being put forward include a new programme of cleansing all roads in the city and the purchase of smaller sweeping machinery for use in city and town centre areas, which are easier to manoeuvre than the larger current equipment.
Mechanised channel sweeping on A-roads will be carried out at least fortnightly, on classified B roads every 6 weeks and all other roads every 12 weeks. Mechanical pavement sweeping will also operate on A- roads at least fortnightly, on B -roads every 6 weeks and all other roads every 12 weeks.
Manual litter picking will be carried out at least every week on A -roads, fortnightly on B roads and every 6 weeks on all other roads in the City.
Currently, there are different frequencies for cleaning in different areas of the city and this new approach will ensure all streets receive consistent treatment.
The use of sweepers will also have practical benefits for getting around busy town centre areas as well as helping reduce current costs such as fuel, maintenance, tyre wear and the carbon footprint.
Other benefits will include a balanced work load for all staff and ensure achievable rounds for teams.
Councillor John Reynolds, Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for City Services, said: "We have carried out a review of our street cleansing service to make it more efficient both in terms of reliability and capacity while helping us reduce costs.
"Our crews currently do an excellent job but it is not always possible to complete all the current cleansing requirements consistently.
"By having a regular plan of visits, we are ensuring that all the streets across the city are cleansed when they require it and on a regular basis.
"Also, by redesigning our fleet, we are potentially making savings as well as cutting down on our carbon footprint.
"There are no redundancies as a result of these proposed changes. This is about providing an effective, efficient and consistent street cleansing service to meet the requirements of the city."
The proposals will go before Wolverhampton City Council's Enterprise and Business Scrutiny Panel later this month, before going to Cabinet Resources later in the year.
released: Friday 26 July, 2013