Agenda item

Clean, Green and Tidy Service - Twiggs Grounds Maintenance Year 2 Update - John and Wendy Twigg

Minutes:

Wendy Twigg and John Twigg from Twiggs Grounds Maintenance were welcomed to the meeting to give an overview of performance and work carried out for the 2021/2022 contract period. 

 

Members heard how it had been a difficult year due to a number of changes in restrictions as a result of the Covid pandemic, staffing changes and difficulties with recruitment, but that the Team had worked hard in adapting to all the changes in order to provide a continuous service and help out when volunteer groups had the need to isolate.

 

An overview of the services provided was given including flexing the service in order to provide support to other strained Barnsley MBC core services and of work undertaken and the groups and organisations engaged.  The tool bank initiative was being used by a number of families and volunteers who were more dependent and self sufficient in disposing of any rubbish collected themselves, this was evident from the 533 bags that had been requested with only 79 requested for pickup. 

 

Members questioned as to whose responsibility it would be for the purple rubbish bag collections and were informed that this was mostly the responsibility of Neighbourhood Services but that Twiggs and volunteers themselves were also collecting and disposing of bags. 

 

Sites had been maintained whilst volunteers had been isolating to avoid undoing the work achieved and support to keep those relationships and people positive by way of a phone call, email or visiting to chat through a window.  A Plant Swap initiative had begun in order to link groups during isolation and a Christmas Tree competition supported by the Spar in Penistone.

 

An update was provided on the progress made with Team Greenmoor, HB+ and Royd Community Gardens as an example of the variety of work that volunteer Groups had carried out in their communities during the year and continued to do so with support and guidance from Twiggs. 

 

Engagements with a number of businesses had taken place and members were informed that support had once again commenced with some Schools as they started to open up due to restrictions lifting.

 

Members were informed that Twiggs had made a number of environmental pledges including the widespread use of electric tools which were lighter to use, had no petrol fumes and were easier to maintain.  Some vans had been fitted with battery chargers in order to charge the tools whilst travelling from one place to the next.  A paperless system had been created in order to record and produce instant reports once a job had been completed.  Green waste had been reintroduced, where possible, to put it back into the environment as opposed to disposing of it at a tip site. 

 

The use of a herbicide free solution for controlling unwanted vegetation called Frontline Foam was introduced to members who were informed of the multiple uses and benefits it could give in a variety of areas such as kids playgrounds, weeds, algae and chewing gum.  This was a product that could be used unrestricted in all territories reducing the use of glyphosate products in the environment. 

 

A new apprentice had joined the Team following the resignation of the previous apprentice.  Members heard how there were 7 apprentices in total in the Team on a rotational programme around the different areas in order to gain the most work experience in all aspects and areas of work carried out. 

 

Staff training days had taken place in partnership with Oakwell Training Ltd and included manual handling, working at heights, needle stick awareness and blood born viruses, Health and Safety, Emergency First Aid and Mental Health Awareness.  Members were informed that training had been set up independently during the pandemic as courses had continually been cancelled or rescheduled, and so in order to aid staff training in a timely manner Oakwell Training Ltd was created to carry out accredited in house training and to create specific packages and programmes on subjects such as How to use Power Tools Safely.

 

An update was provided on the work carried out on the Take a Seat campaign.  A number of benches that had been earmarked for ‘badging up’ needed restoration and the general areas around them tidying up.  Further work needed to be carried out to identify additional benches to aid the campaign.

 

In the independent household statistics, 32 adult volunteers and 13 young volunteers had been engaged along with 29 households receiving support. 

 

In terms of volunteer engagement statistics, members heard that there were 459 sustained adult volunteers and 54 new ones but that the biggest increase had been seen in the young volunteers with 14 sustained volunteers and 40 new ones.  In total there were 567 volunteers which had resulted in 831 volunteer hours being accrued and a financial return of £11,384.70.

 

Members enquired as to whether a monthly or weekly report could be circulated informing people of where work was scheduled to be carried out in their areas in order for people to take part or see what was happening in the future.  They were informed that due to Covid measures and restrictions this hadn’t been possible as Twiggs led events were unable to take place and smaller volunteer group meetings needed to be maintained and manageable in numbers.  However, it was indicated that once all restrictions were lifted this would be reinstated and a calendar of scheduled events could be circulated either on a fortnightly or monthly basis.

 

Members raised the issue around planting trees and informed Wendy and John Twigg that if they identified an area that trees could be planted, then these could be funded from the Council as part of it’s commitment to plant 10,000 trees by 2023.  They also enquired as to whether a project to plant some Christmas trees in the community could be created in order to have a future supply in place of commercially buying in expensive trees on an annual basis.

 

RESOLVED that thanks be given for the presentation and hard work undertaken by Twiggs Grounds Maintenance in improving the area.

 

Supporting documents:

 

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