Business plans

Targets

The Noise Team aims to respond to 95% of complaints made via the Environmental Action Line within 45 minutes.

Premises Management Delivery Plan 2010 - 2011

Historical Statistics

Costs

The noise service has made a saving of £189,000 over the past two years and despite inflation, the overall cost of the service is still cheaper than it was in 2003/2004.

This £189k was a saving of 14.2% of the original budget. When inflation is taken into account the actual saving was £116,400, 8.74%.

In 2001, the team consisted of 18 officers and the cost per customer service request was £52.50. Today, there are 19 officers the cost is £57.53, an increase of 9.5% in four years. This increase also includes the cost of an additional duty manager post.

Service requests for 2004/05

*Vehicle, machinery and equipment

Westminster noise team's service priorities are:

Service priority



Provide a safe and well regulated environment by meeting our statutory obligations to residents, businesses and visitors.

Origins/drivers

• Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act
• The Environmental Protection Act
• The Control of Pollution Act 1974
• Civic Renewal Priority: Order
• Core Value: Meeting customer needs.

Context and pre 2004/05 activities

In 2003/04 the noise team:

• dealt with around 16,000 complaints
• issued 999 abatement notices
• carried out work in default 112 times
• prosecuted 21 noise offenders

Westminster is the only London borough to have been awarded the Government's Charter Mark a record four times for the noise team's work.

Westminster's noise team was the first in the country to use interactive data on hand held units.

Outputs/targets

We aim to maintain our 24 hour/365 days service tackling noise and other statutory nuisance by responding to customer requests and where necessary taking effective action.

We achieve this through working to our business plans:

• 2004/2005
• 2005/2006