HyPER Spokesman, Chris Gunness, briefs the Leader of the Council on HyPER’s Mission
This was an opportunity for HyPER to engage with Westminster Council at the highest levels and lay out for Councillors details of our work with and for the community: from pop-pop gardens, to electronic vehicle charging and our championing of local businesses.
The launch of a new 60-strong fleet of fully electric cleaning vehicles such as bicycle carts and rubbish trucks, was in Waterloo Place, W1, where the movers and shakers of policy regarding Hyde Park Estate were assembled.
I was able to tell the Leader of the Council, Rachel Robathan, about our work with the ward councillors and the City Inspector’s office to combat fly-tipping. She was clearly delighted that an active resident’s group was engaging so constructively with her team.
I briefed James Spencer, Cabinet Member for City Management, about local sentiment following the postponement of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood Scheme. He took note of our disappointment and gave assurances that the issue was still on the table.
And I conveyed to Gavin Graveson, Veolia’s Senior Executive Vice-President for the United Kingdom and Ireland, how vital it was that the private sector was supporting local efforts to keep our streets clean and our air quality at acceptable levels.
This was HyPER’s first opportunity to engage in public diplomacy alongside senior council members and the message I conveyed as HyPER spokesman was clear.
We want to work constructively with our councillors, as a positive force, making our streets clean and ensuring that the air we and our children breathe is safe. HyPER looks forward to further cooperation with the Council to make this vision a reality.
Chris Gunness, HyPER Spokesman
The new electric fleet will be one of the largest operated by a waste and street cleansing contract in any local authority in the UK. It’s part of a strategy that aims to build a sustainable future for the city.
According to Westminster Council, “this fully electric fleet will allow an 89% reduction of CO2 emissions compared to a diesel fleet, in line with Westminster City Council’s carbon net zero by 2040 plans. It will also help improve air quality and lower noise pollution as electric motors are significantly quieter.”
