Tabled Question in the Name of Cllr A Barr

"I have received numerous complaints from residents and an MLA regarding dog fouling within MEABC. 

Therefore, may I ask for clarification on MEABCs position regarding the provision and deployment of enforcement officers and any changes to staffing levels within that department?

Moreover, what is the current capacity and resourcing of street cleansing services?"

“The deployment of Enforcement Officers is determined by service needs. At present, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has five Enforcement Officers covering the entire borough, including a Senior Enforcement Officer who manages this area, along with the day-to-day running of the Animal Welfare Service.

There is one vacant post that needs to be backfilled due to an existing Enforcement Officer currently on secondment as an Animal Welfare Officer.

As advised, the workload of Enforcement Officers is driven by the needs of the service. Dog control responsibilities take priority, including incidents such as dog attacks, stray dogs, and nuisance dogs. In addition to dog control, Enforcement Officers are also required to deal with a range of other issues, including, but not limited to:

• Illegal dumping
• Fly-tipping
• Abandoned vehicles
• Litter-related complaints

Where time and resources permit, Enforcement Officers will proactively target problem areas. However, while carrying out dog control duties, they are also actively monitoring for offences such as dog fouling and failure to clean up after dogs.
The street cleansing service across the borough is currently managed through a combination of mechanical sweeping and manual litter picking, with resources distributed across our three primary depots in Carrickfergus, Larne, and Ballymena.

In Carrickfergus, our mechanical capacity consists of four sweepers: two compact sweepers, one 7.5t sweeper, and one LGV sweeper. Under normal operating conditions, all sweepers are deployed daily to various locations, including the Town Centre and high footfall areas. While two of these sweepers are currently offline due to staff on annual leave, we have prioritised our remaining resources by dedicating the LGV sweeper to the bin route and one compact sweeper specifically to the dog foul bin route. This ensures that core duties remain covered and we expect the full fleet to return to normal operation by the first week in April.

The service in Larne is supported by two compact sweepers and one LGV sweeper, which focuses on the Town Centre and identified hotspot areas. While Larne is also facing staff shortages due to staff members on long-term sick leave, the department allocates these routes to other qualified HGV drivers within the team to ensure that sweeping schedules continue without significant interruption.

In Ballymena, we maintain a specialised fleet of five sweepers: one LGV sweeper dedicated to the Town Centre, a second LGV sweeper covering villages and outlying sites, and a 10t sweeper for town-specific sites. These are supported by two compact sweepers for footpaths and lanes. While these machines are deployed daily, it is important to note the rapid expansion of Ballymena, which increases demand for the service. Furthermore, the team frequently diverts from scheduled routes to address direct requests from Elected Members, which are prioritised and completed as quickly as possible.

All mechanical sweeping efforts are assisted by manual crews who perform daily litter picking in high traffic areas and follow a structured weekly schedule for residential routes.

Overall, while recent staffing levels across all three depots have been impacted by a combination of annual leave and both short and long-term sickness, we are also managing occasional vehicle downtime for essential maintenance and repairs. We are utilising internal cover and reassignment to maintain service level standards."

Tabled Question in the Name of Cllr M Collins

"Can an update be provided on the renaming of Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus?"

"Since Council approved to rename Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus, officers have contacted the Cabinet Office, seeking permission to rename the street with a Royal connection, in addition guidance for a naming convention with a royal connection was requested.  A response from the Cabinet Office is still outstanding.

Furthermore, following January Full Council, a barrister’s opinion is now being sought on the legalities of street renaming under the current legislation to ensure that Council have interpreted the legislation correctly before proceeding."