Islington Labour manifesto commitment of enhanced street cleaning service delivers results
An independent survey by Keep Britain Tidy has confirmed that Islington’s streets are now the cleanest they have been for 10 years, following Islington Council’s implementation last year (May 2018) of a new 5-day-a-week street cleaning service for all roads, with main roads receiving a 7-day-a-week service.
The new service has seen 86 street sweepers given their own ‘beats’, meaning residents have their own dedicated street sweepers for their neighbourhood. The reformed service also includes a cleansing visit after refuse crews have collected recycling and household waste, and there are also three borough-wide graffiti removal teams and two extra pavement pressure washers to help keep the main roads even cleaner.
Despite massive ongoing cuts by the Tory Government – which have seen Islington Council lose 70 per cent of its core central government funding since 2010 – Islington Labour is committed to protecting and improving services that local people rely on, like street cleaning and maintaining weekly bin collections.
Cllr Claudia Webbe, Executive Member for Environment & Transport, said:
“I want Islington to be looking its best all year round, and I am really pleased that our new enhanced service has helped deliver this noticeable improvement in street cleanliness.
“The dedicated neighbourhood street sweepers are making a real difference, and I have received lots of comments from residents who have got to know the familiar faces who are helping to keep their streets looking shipshape.”
Since the new service was launched:
- dog-fouling reports have fallen by 66%
- complaints about missed street sweeping have fallen by over 20%
- reports of fly-posting have fallen by 35%
The new service has also seen 12 polluting diesel vehicles that were previously used as part of the service removed, cutting the carbon dioxide emissions of the Street Cleaning Service by 60%.
The Council has also been awarded the prestigious Keep Britain Tidy award for Outstanding Service Delivery in recognition of the success of the changes to the Street Cleaning Service.
During March and April the Council will be delivering its annual ‘Spring Clean’ initiative – more information can be found here – www.islington.gov.uk/springclean.