A SCHEME to improve the streets has been attacked by a York councillor as falling short and being potentially frustrating for users.

Councillor Derek Smallwood, the Labour opposition spokesman for the environment, said his party supported the new street environment team, but would be watching its progress closely.

He said a vital phone-line for reporting problems had been cut from including evenings and weekends to an office hours-only service, which he said could lead to disillusionment from users. "The thing we didn't want was a telephone answering machine," he said. "People can't stand those machines. If they need a service and have gone to seek help, they want to talk to a person."

He said: "Like many services out of hours, if you are not there people get frustrated, thwarted. Problems still arise out of hours and, in the end, I think that is going to be a key element of the success or failure of the scheme."

The street environment team will come into full operation on Monday, when six officers will look after neighbourhoods in the city full-time to cope with any environmental problems.

Coun Smallwood said: "I am hoping it does work out. We were desperate for this scheme to come in so people have a direct contact with somebody who can do virtually anything needed in the local neighbourhoods.

"It should be a case of 'if I can't help you, I know a man who can', which should be invaluable for residents, but the service has to work for them. I am going to watch it very carefully."

Liberal Democrat spokesman for environment and sustainability, Andrew Waller, said: "We are looking at how we can utilise other call centres in the city to report problems as and when they arise.

"For serious issues there is a 24-hour emergency contact.

"But Labour have got to realise that there are budgetary implications for a 24-hour service for this."

Updated: 08:55 Saturday, September 27, 2003