Council to invest £500k to focus on street cleaning in East Ayrshire

The proposals include £500,000 of one-off capital investment alongside increased annual spending, leading to an annual additional spend of almost £520k after savings and other contributions are taken into account.

One of the most visible changes will be an overhaul of East Ayrshire’s street bins.

A survey found that 500 of the council’s existing 1,400 bins were in poor or very poor condition.

All 500 would be replaced, while another 200 would be installed at new locations.

The council says new housing developments have not routinely received litter bins in recent years, leaving gaps in provision.

Replacement bins will be vermin-proof and include bird flaps, with £225,000 earmarked for purchase and installation and another £15,000 required annually for maintenance.

The council is also proposing to increase staffing across Cleaner Communities.

A total of 19 additional operative posts are planned, including 10 Streetscene staff carrying out litter picking, street sweeping and other environmental work.

The move follows an earlier decision to delete four vacant Streetscene posts as part of £130,000 of savings.

Those savings had been linked to plans to remove 500 litter bins, but the reduction in bins was rejected.

However, this left the remaining workforce to continue servicing the existing network shorthanded, with street-cleansing work sometimes having to be stopped to allow staff to concentrate on emptying bins.

The latest proposals effectively reverse those previously agreed staffing savings.

Other additional staff would support plans to bring bulky waste collections and more fly-tipping work in-house.

The council currently uses an external contractor for bulky uplifts but wants to establish an in-house service with six additional operatives and three box vans fitted with tail lifts.

It is aiming to collect bulky items within five working days.

Officers say items can currently remain outside properties for up to seven working days, which can be unsightly and potentially encourage other people to add waste to the pile.

A further two posts would support fly-tipping removals, alongside three additional tipper vehicles.

The report says the current process for arranging some fly-tipping removals can take up to 28 days.

The council intends to continue using redeployable cameras to target persistent littering and fly-tipping, while barriers, fencing and gates could also be installed at problem locations.

Overall, the six additional vehicles would require £555k of capital investment, comprising £300k for three box vans and £255k for three caged/tipper vehicles.

The council is also seeking permission to begin discussions with employees and trade unions about introducing a seven-day operating model.