Chewing gum removal / street cleaning

The request was successful.

Dear Bradford City Council,

We are researching the costs to your organisation for completing chewing gum removal, we have 6 simple questions.

*If you do not hold separate analytics for gum removal alone, please report on street deep cleaning/cleansing/power washing (not sweeping).

1. What primary method of removal do you use for *chewing gum removal:
a. High pressure water lancing
b. Chemicals/solvents
c. High pressure steam
d. Other (please state)

2. If you use high pressure lancing, have you suffered any damage to mortar, paving substrate or paving stones themselves during cleaning?

3. What was the cost of *chewing gum removal (whether carried out in house or contracted out) in:
a. 2015?
b. 2016?

4. Do you contract out your *chewing gum removal services or is us completed all in house?

5. If outsourced, what is the renewal date of the cleaning contract?

6. Please supply the name and contact details for the department responsible for managing this contract.

May I take this opportunity to thank you in anticipation of your assistance and cooperation with this information.

Yours faithfully,

Bronwen Smithy

Margaret Knapton, Bradford City Council

Dear Ms Smithy

RE Request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act) / Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR)

Thank you for your enquiry which was received on 11 August 2017.

Requests for information that is recorded are generally governed by the FOI Act. The information you have requested is environmental and it is therefore exempted from the provisions of FOI Act under part 2 s.39 (1). We will therefore consider your request under the provisions of the EIR. This matter is now receiving our attention and we aim to have a response out to you by 5 September 2017 within the period of 20 working days allowed for disclosure.

The Regulations allow us 20 working days to respond to a request from the date of its receipt. However, it is occasionally necessary to extend the 20-working-day time limit for issuing a response because of the complexity and volume of the information makes it impractical for the authority to respond within the original deadline. If this is the case the authority will notify you of this delay

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Should you have any queries regarding your request, please feel free to contact us at [Bradford City Council request email] quoting the reference no FOI-Aug44.

Yours sincerely

Margaret Knapton
FOI & Complaints Officer
Neighbourhood and Customer Services

Tel: 01274 431447 ● [mobile number]rd Floor Argus Chambers, Britannia House, Hall Ings, Bradford, BD1 1HX
Email: [email address]
Secure email: [email address]

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Department of Place

Margaret Knapton, Bradford City Council

Dear Ms Smithy

RE FOI-Aug44 Request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) / Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR)

Thank you for your enquiry which was received on 11 August 2017.

Requests for information that is recorded are generally governed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).The information you have requested is environmental and it is therefore exempted from the provisions of FOIA by FOIA s.39(1). We have therefore considered your request under the provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR).

Council’s Response

We do not hold separate analytics for gum removal alone, we have therefore reported on street deep cleaning/cleansing/power washing.

Q1. What primary method of removal do you use for *chewing gum removal:
a. High pressure water lancing
b. Chemicals/solvents
c. High pressure steam
d. Other (please state)

Response - The majority of street deep cleaning/cleansing/power washing is carried out ‘in house’. We use high pressure/hot water lancing. In the City Centre additional cleansing is carried out by an external contractor using high pressure steam, on an as and when required basis.

Q2. If you use high pressure lancing, have you suffered any damage to mortar, paving substrate or paving stones themselves during cleaning?

Response - We have had no lasting damage to mortar, paving substrate or paving stones. If we are cleaning tarmac and the surface is already unstable we have found that there is significant risk of further damage to the surface.

Q3. What was the cost of *chewing gum removal (whether carried out in house or contracted out) in:
a. 2015?
b. 2016?

Response a. £37,608
b. £35,324

Q4. Do you contract out your *chewing gum removal services or is it completed all in house?

Response - The majority of street deep cleaning/cleansing/power washing is carried out ‘in house’. Additional cleansing is carried out in the City Centre by an external contractor on an as and when required basis.

Q5. If outsourced, what is the renewal date of the cleaning contract?

Response - This is not carried out on a contractual basis.

Q6. Please supply the name and contact details for the department responsible for managing this contract.

Response – N/A

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me : Jill Wilkinson, Ancillary Services Manager. (01274 438822)

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) / Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR), if you are not satisfied with the reply to your request you can ask for a review. A request for a review must be submitted within 40 working days by contacting [Bradford City Council request email] or by writing to Information Governance Team, Bradford Metropolitan District, 5th Floor, Britannia House, Hall Ings, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 1HX.

If you are still not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review you have the right of appeal to the Information Commissioner who can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Tel: 01625 545700 URL: http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

Jill Wilkinson
Ancillary Services Manager

Kind regards
 
Margaret Knapton
Executive & Systems Support Officer
Neighbourhood and Customer Services
 
Tel: 01274 431447 ● [mobile number] 100307
3rd Floor Argus Chambers, Britannia House, Hall Ings, Bradford, BD1 1HX
Email: [email address]
Secure email: [email address]

 
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Department of Place

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