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Environmental Improvements Report Card (landscape)

POPULATION: �� Residents of Maidstone

OUTCOME: �� Residents are proud of their environment

What does this look like?�� A safe, clean and tidy borough, with high levels of community spirit and participation, where people are supported to look after their local neighbourhoods and community assets.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Neighbourhoods have a significant impact on the conditions in which individuals and families live and the quality of their lives. Local environmental factors can affect what makes somewhere a good place to live; the sense of belonging or community spirit; perceived or actual levels of crime and antisocial behaviour; property prices; economic investment; regeneration; and health.

Source: ENCAMS

KEY POPULATION INDICATORS

Insert trend line chart

DATA DEVELOPMENT / RESEARCH

� Analyse recycling provision and gaps across the Borough (including availability and accessibility of recycling facilities by area, housing type/tenure etc)

� Levels of graffiti and littering over time

� Traffic congestion/speeding levels over time

� Volunteering / community participation rates over time

� Property-related insurance premiums over time

Possible data sources for additional trendline charts:

� Local Environmental Quality Survey (source: ENCAMS / Keep Britain Tidy) � Since the national requirement for this survey ceased, Keep Britain Tidy no longer undertakes the survey on a district basis every year; now different districts are sampled to build a regional picture.

� Residents� satisfaction with local area (source: 2011 residents survey, Place Surveys, General user Satisfaction Surveys)

� Influence over local decisions (source: 2011 residents survey, Place Surveys, General user Satisfaction Surveys)

THE STORY BEHIND THE CURVES

� To be completed once the trendline charts have been finalised.

KEY PARTNERS

� Maidstone Borough Council	� Kent County Council	� Environmental Agency	� Social housing providers
� Local businesses	� Schools & Colleges	� Residents

WHAT WORKS?

� Making recycling accessible � including doorstep food waste collections, recycling for residents in flats

� Quick pro-active responses

� Educating and empowering people and communities � including communicating existing initiatives

� Improving the street scene (eg hanging baskets)

� Designing-in recycling through Planning

ACTION CRITERIA

� Appropriate to the local environment	� Working with residents and local businesses
� Range of �Tipping Point� initiatives	� Deliverable by Maidstone Locality Board partners

STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN

To deliver a programme that improves the street scene and enhances community wellbeing � TO BE DEFINED.

Including:

1. Make recycling more available.

2. Identify and work with key litter-producing businesses.

3. Link up with the outcomes of KCC�s review of household waste recycling centres and future service delivery.

4. Review street furniture provision.

5. Commission the Environmental Quality Group to deliver/co-ordinate the programme (on a task & finish basis). Quarterly progress reports to be presented to the Maidstone Locality Board.