Agenda item

A Member asked if an update could be provided on the number of upside down drinking water fountains in the City, both working and in the planning stage.

The Director of Transportation and Public Realm advised that there were seven drinking water taps in total, five of which were in operation and two undergoing repairs. As part of the City Corporation’s initiative to reduce plastic, officers had been looking at opportunities to introduce further water points as part of the public realm programme and had been working with local traders to introduce refillable points in stores.

In response to the Chairman’s question, the Director of Transportation and Public Realm confirmed that the pipes were turned off in cold weather.

A Member explained that complaints had been received from residents in the Ward of Aldersgate who had been bitten by mosquitoes and asked officers; “whether environmental services could investigate this”. The Deputy for the Ward added that this was a serious matter for those in Tudor Rose Court and other areas of the Barbican and queried “whether the water from the ponds was causing this issue?”.

In response the Port Health and Public Protection Director confirmed officers would look into this and report back to Members. The Director of Open Spaces added that officers had tested water bodies in the Wildlife Garden and the mosquitoes had been tested for analysis. It was thought that the mosquitoes may have arrived via the London Underground. The Chairman suggested that officers liaise with TfL on this matter.

A Member queried the extent to which resources should be spent on this, in response the Chairman advised that a report should not be brought back before Committee, but an update on the investigation would be helpful.