Agenda item

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee received a report of the Department of the Built Environment on the Department of the Built Environment (Cleansing Services) Business Plan Progress Report for Period 1 (April - July) 2020/21.

A Member commented that he observed from the news, that Suez is going into a merger with Veolia and if this will impact the City of London’s KPI with Veolia. The Assistant Director - Cleansing Operations and Street Environment confirmed that he was informed that Veolia’s is looking to merge with Suez, and the City of London will continue to monitor its local performance, he further advised that he did not anticipate any problems with the City’s contract with Veolia or service delivery as a result of the merger.

This was followed by another Member who commented that they had tried to use the City of London’s public toilets but faced difficulties due to not having a 50p coin and asked if there are any plans to go cashless.  The Assistant Director - Cleansing Operations and Street Environment confirmed that there are cash points in all the City of London’s public toilets but going cashless means that the Department will have to factor in additional budget.

The Deputy Chairman reminded the Committee that there is a need to strike a balance between going cashless and ensuring that the option to pay with cash is also available as not everyone may have access to the right IT accessibility.

The Chairman asked if the cashless payments on the City of London toilets can be explored given that mobile payments at Hampstead Heath are now provided with cashless solution. Additionally, he mentioned that in light of the COVID-19 it is observed that physical cash are not good to carry due to the infection risks involved and as such this case is worthy of a review.

RESOLVED – that Members;

• Noted the content of this report and the appendices; and

• received the report.