Next steps for culture change at Cityclean
Councillors are meeting next week to agree recommendations and actions for culture change at Cityclean.
A report being presented to the Strategy, Finance and City Regeneration Committee on Thursday 25 January follows up on the recommendations of the independent inquiry into serious whistleblowing complaints about behaviours at Cityclean.
Committee decisions
Councillors are being asked to endorse the recommendations set out in the report on the independent inquiry by King's Counsel Aileen McColgan and approve the action plan to ensure the serious and devastating findings of the inquiry are addressed.
Committee members are also being asked to move forward the first of these recommendations that will ensure employment decisions are made in the right places following findings which described ‘a high degree of interference from politicians in disciplinary processes’.
Firm actions have already been taken
Council leader Bella Sankey, who called for an inquiry following the whistleblowing disclosures, said: “In the months since the report was published firm actions around behaviour, equalities and workplace culture have already been taken.
“Staff and managers have told me they can already feel the weight of the change and I’ve personally seen the service transform
“There have been improvements to the quality of service too. Data shows the number of missed refuse and recycling collections reported by residents through our website has reduced dramatically compared to the summer.
“I’ve witnessed this change for myself when I’ve visited the depot and have recently been out with some of the Streets team to see first-hand the excellent work they do around fly-tipping, litter picking and clearing weeds.
“This is just one step in a much bigger journey but it’s an important one. Having a fair, inclusive and safe workplace is vital for our staff and in turn will ensure a better service for residents.”
Action plan
A detailed action plan based on the recommendations in the report, sets out a culture change programme and initiatives to create a healthy workplace and ensure service improvements over the next 12-18 months.
Some of these actions are already beginning to have a positive impact on the service our residents receive.
- Missed kerbside refuse collections reported through the website went from 2552 in the first two weeks of August, to 205 in the first two weeks of December. A reduction of over 90% in 4 months.
- Missed kerbside recycling collections dropped by 68%.
The action plan will be published for full transparency and accountability.
