More street sweepers set to be hired by Enfield Council

It comes as the new Conservative administration aims to fulfil its election promises on cleaning up the borough, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

Street litter in Enfield and (inset) cabinet member Maria Alexandrou

Enfield Council is hoping to fill more than two dozen “vacant” posts on its street cleaning team as it aims to tidy up the borough.

The civic centre is launching a new recruitment campaign for 28 staff in the service, with the aim of creating a “significant, positive effect” for public spaces.

Earlier this month, Enfield Labour released a statement claiming that the new minority Conservative administration, which came to power following the local elections in May, had made “cuts to the borough’s street cleaning team despite the heatwaves”.

This claim appears to have been prompted by the ending of a temporary contract for additional street cleaning services, which ran from January to June this year.

But it is now understood the council had only hired temporary agency workers for this period and that no staff from “core operations” were let go when it ended. Instead, the local authority says it is actually looking to hire more permanent staff.

In addition, the council is exploring the possibility of reintroducing weekly bin collections for all residents.

Maria Alexandrou, the Tory-led council’s cabinet member for environment, said: “We are absolutely focused on improving the cleanliness of Enfield for the long term, not with short-term fixes.

“To that end, we are filling 28 vacant posts in the street cleansing team. At the same time we are pursuing our proposals for weekly bin collections which we believe would have a dramatic, long-term impact on Enfield.

“We know that these arrangements will have a lasting and significant, positive effect on the borough’s environment.”

“Cleaning up Enfield’s streets” was one of “five pillars for change” promised by the Conservatives ahead of this year’s local election. This, the Tories argued, would include the introduction of weekly bin collections and a “freeze” on green bin charges.

The Conservatives, who formed a minority administration in May, also said they would “tackle the fly-tipping epidemic that has blighted our neighbourhoods”.

The local authority’s street cleaning services include street sweeping of residential roads, currently at a rate of once per week, between Monday to Friday. Shopping areas are meant to be “cleansed daily”, including on weekends.

The council’s street sweepers are also tasked with clearing fallen leaves from public areas, which usually peak between mid-October to late December. This includes extra services for “heavily tree-lined streets”.

In addition, local authority staff are meant to remove weeds from all hard surfaces and pavements on the public highway, including paths. This is typically done three or four times a year, “depending on the weather”.

The council uses “premixed glyphosate-based weedkillers” for this, typically “distributed by electronic controlled droplet applicators which allow accuracy of coverage”.

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