EHJ March 2004, pages 76-79
Peter Gibson from Encams presents this year's annual survey on the state of England's cities and towns and looks to Europe for innovative ideas

Local authorities, already under the spotlight for setting higher council tax, will draw little comfort from Encams' latest Local environmental quality survey of England (LEQSE). Put bluntly, it shows that two-thirds of the population now endure substandard environments and that, where need is greatest, councils are failing to deliver value for money.

Of course, it is entirely wrong to put the blame squarely on their shoulders. It is not councils who set fire to bins, allow their dogs to foul, vandalise street furniture or create the mountain of packaging that ends up as litter. But many local authorities are not planning properly by devoting resources where and when they are required most. This is leading to a discrepancy between rich and poor by exacerbating the fear of crime in deprived communities, robbing them of much needed revenue.

Perhaps it is the bias towards social services and education that is driving cleaning to the bottom of the pile. If so, it is entirely out of touch with the public's growing concern about the state of its spaces - and the government's aim of improving the liveability of our communities.

The report itself looked at over 10,000 sites across England and is the second of its kind, showing only a slight improvement in standards since last year. The study's methodology took 14 years to develop, is recognised by many local authorities and endorsed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It examined all land uses and graded a raft of environmental indicators as good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory or poor. There is even a local version of LEQSE on the market, offering training to land managers, enabling them to accurately assess their particular patch. 

Among its plus points was a slight decline in domestic litter, with builders' rubbish and clinical waste staying at the low levels seen last year. Dog fouling dipped by a staggering 27 per cent and fly-tipping, flyposting and graffiti were seen in only small quantities. Significant improvements have been made at seaside resorts, parks and other recreational areas, with a big reduction in litter and graffiti and a marked upturn in the quality of bins and pavements.

The authors of the report believe that these high standards have much to do with councils recognising the importance of combating the environmental problems people can actually see or, in the case of dog fouling, genuine concerns about health. They also realise that people are discerning and won't visit a beach or a tourist attraction unless it offers proper facilities and is spotlessly clean.

Bizarrely, those high standards aren't applied in the same way in the neighbourhoods where most of us live or in other areas where a squalid environment is a barrier to economic growth. Some 71 per cent of higher density housing areas and 68 per cent of lower density social housing regions, were deemed "unsatisfactory". For those in the very poorest areas, litter, poor lighting and derelict housing made them feel more unsafe in their surroundings. Which is why the marked decline in landscaping, often the only bit of greenery in some neighbourhoods, was so disappointing, as was the condition of our alleyways - 63 per cent of which were branded below par. Contrast this with the state of lower density and rural areas where things had improved, with litter picked up, stains washed away, pavements repaired and landscaping better cared for. Could this be a case of those who complain most get the best service?

Similarly, the state of neighbourhood shopping precincts gave cause for concern. Standards here had also slipped in the last year, particularly on litter. This is hardly the incentive consumers need to ditch the out-of- town complex in favour of the local store. The paltry collection of public toilets, kept in slip-shod condition, also does little to attract families to local shops instead of the hypermarket. Retailers themselves have a role to play in solving some of these difficulties. One of the biggest problems is drink cans and chewing gum sold by local shopkeepers who should provide bins for customers to keep the area around their premises clean. But councils must begin to make these areas a priority, rather than just an afterthought.

The same applies to the roads leading into our towns, which often shape the visitor's perception of our community. These gateways to commercial centres were flanked by poorly maintained landscaping, shoddy street furniture and were strewn with litter. Rubbish from fast food outlets was up 12 per cent, with much of it having travelled because of the advent of the drive-through. To stop this appearing on our main highways, a section in the recent government Fast food code of practice asks large restaurants to take greater responsibility for the litter they help to create - even when it is found three or four kilometres away.

If the grubby appearance of main roads creates a poor initial impression, so too do messy bus, train and tube stations. Although there was a slight improvement here, 63 per cent were still deemed "unsatisfactory" with facilities in London the worst. This gives many visitors a poor view of the city, which has made improvements since the introduction of the capital standards programme. But it's the first view that counts, of course, and unless our boroughs concentrate more resources in this direction, tourist guides such as Lonely planet will continue to tag London as "the dirty man of Europe". Grimy pavements, smelly toilets, litter and graffiti also do little to persuade motorists to ditch the car and use public transport.

Prioritising tourist hotspots and targeting litter grotspots, is something that many European cities already do. According to a study by the University of Vienna, the municipal authority there ensures that city centre, market and high street shopping areas are swept to perfection, seven-days-a-week. Similarly, the Bruxelles-proprete public/private partnership ensures that showcase areas of the Belgian capital are cleaned thoroughly, 365-days-a-year.

In fact, there are many lessons surrounding flexibility, training and equipment that English councils could learn from their continental counterparts. Researchers working on the LEQSE noted that cleaning tended to be done at regular hours, when pedestrians pounded the streets, cars were parked and cafŽ tables and signs were in the way. Indeed, they noted that 70 per cent of pavements and 51 per cent of gullies were impossible to clean mechanically because of these obstructions. Cleaning up town centres during daylight hours also makes little sense when the vast bulk of fast food litter is dropped after the pubs have closed. As part of a programme called Eat neat, Stoke-on-Trent Council opened a dialogue with restaurants, which tried to fit cleaning around their boom times. In fact, one of the main recommendations of the Fast food code of practice was that, if outlets were granted a licence to sell food after hours, they should also contribute more to the cost of cleaning up.

Litter droppers in England don't suddenly become civic minded, just because it's holiday time. As anyone who has witnessed the state of our streets following the new year's revels will testify, when people congregate to celebrate, the streets later resemble a bomb site. In Frankfurt, Prague and Vienna, extra staff are taken on at these times to supplement the existing workforce.

Having the necessary tools for the job also helps. While out surveying, the LEQSE researchers observed 38 teams of street sweepers going about their business. On only five occasions did they do the job correctly. Often this was due to not having the right equipment. Sometimes staff were simply armed only with cumbersome litter pickers, when mechanical equipment would have cleaned in a far more efficient manner. There were other times when the street sweeping machine was unable to get to rubbish trapped behind post boxes or under benches. In Frankfurt, the entire cleaning facility has been harmonised, so that the vehicle fleet is fully equipped with washing and weeding facilities, and backing up street cleaners on the ground, is a mobile unit, always on hand to shift larger items of rubbish.

Back in England, our researchers also noted that, on a few occasions, our street sweepers' attitude was lackadaisical - a state of mind that has much to do with the status of their profession in this country, where they are underpaid and undervalued. Organisations such as the British Cleaning Council are working hard to rectify this, but we've a long way to go to match our European rivals. In Brussels, duties are often built around what the cleaner is capable of and, if you're a long serving member of staff, you get to do less arduous duties. Because they and their counterparts in Vienna, Barcelona and Frankfurt split their city into sweeping districts, empowering their staff to manage the cleaning function, including setting shift rosters, this engenders a tangible sense of pride in their work. Whether they are privately or publicly managed, this ethos also encourages a healthy sense of competition - with the Viennese street sweepers even asked to report on their neighbouring borough's failings. This approach has been used in places such as Portsmouth and south Lanarkshire, improving the state of the environment and proving a hit with residents who, at last, see the council responding to their very real concerns.

The Vienna study also revealed a much more strategic approach to planning, as well as cross-departmental working. In the densely populated city of Barcelona, managers sat down and assessed the Catalan capital's design before ripping out bins and replacing them with bigger receptacles, many equipped with computer chips to measure fill. There's also a fair bit of imagination shown elsewhere on the continent. For example, one of Vienna's biggest problems is manure from the city's 2,000 horses. What was the response? Diapers, or as they should be more accurately described, harnesses attached to the front of traps to catch the offending items. This idea has since been adopted in Prague, New Orleans, Savannah and Luxor.

If there is one area where England is taking the lead, it's in public campaigning - a fact that might surprise some local authorities, since they recently identified this as a weakness in a national survey. While Encams would like many councils to take a far more sophisticated approach to their marketing, targeting their messages instead of taking a "one size fits all" approach, at least they are connecting more with residents than the soft education-led ethos of campaigns elsewhere in Europe.

Back in England, the bald facts of our survey indicate that litter is being found at 97 per cent of locations and that there are still too many items of street furniture, landscaping and pavements that are substandard - 26 per cent of pavements were in such poor condition that they were actually considered dangerous. Hope is, however, on the horizon, not least in the shape of the government who, by hypothecating fines back to the authority that issues them, has made it easier for councils to prosecute those who litter our streets. The Fast food code of practice should also begin to make in-roads into the growing problem of takeaway rubbish and the setting up of a chewing gum working group, made up of manufacturers and other interested parties, serious attention should be given to this issue too. What it takes now is the will on behalf of councils to play their part, by taking the findings of this report, not as stinging criticism but as a series of recommendations that have been proven to work here - and abroad.

Certainly, there is a major groundswell of public opinion demanding better quality environments. Local authorities will also have noted the lurid headlines warning of homeowners' rising anger at higher council tax bills appearing in the national and regional press. Now, more than ever, they need to start delivering value for money by creating cleaner neighbourhoods for all. Encams firmly believes that by taking a more holistic approach, which is fluid in its planning and careful in its execution, they can do just that. And for the sake of all of those for whom grubby, squalid and dangerous streets have become too much a way of life that process needs to start right here, and right now.