Council Day of Action Highlights Anti-Social Issues whilst Tidying Newark Town

A day of action took place in Newark on Tuesday 25 May with council teams cleaning, litter picking and decorating in an effort to raise town morale.

Newark and Sherwood District Council’s waste management, grounds maintenance and public protection teams dealt with a range of environmental issues alongside members of Totally Locally, Newark in Bloom and Newark Town Council as part of the Cleaner, Safer and Greener initiative and to help provide a boost to the local economy through increased tourism.

Issues highlighted by the scheme found anti-social behaviour involving street drinkers and their antics which were dealt with promptly by the council’s public protection team.

The removal of illegal graffiti was high on the day’s agenda as part of the council’s newly-approved Graffiti Policy, with Councillors Roger Jackson and David Lloyd joining teams scrubbing writing and drawings on walls and buildings.

Creating and maintaining safer communities was also a key focus for the council and its four-strong Community Protection officer team dealt with a range of crime and enforcement issues that compromise the safety of residents.

One-off government funding has been allocated to councils across the country as part of a nationwide scheme designed to make sure high streets look their best and thrive, amid what has been described as a challenging time for high-street retailers as online spending increases.

Councillor Lloyd said: “We want our town centres looking at their very best and following the success of the three days of action we held during the Cleaner, Safer and Greener campaign, this concerted programme of action in Newark town centre has produced some excellent results.

“Our waste management teams are ‘on it’ and deal with litter issues quickly so the town centre is generally in good shape but we also need to drive home the message that it is everyone’s responsibility to look after the environment, not just the council’s. My thanks to all involved for all their hard work in helping to maintain the town as a great place in which to live, work and visit.”    

The council teams under took extensive clean up work on the day and in the run up to the day of action, including the removal of 2.5 tonnes of waste, planting 100 plants in the Church Gardens Area and cleared over 100 pieces of graffiti from the town.

In the last year, the council has organised three days of action in different locations across the district in partnership with the police and other agencies to build a sense of pride, well-being and the desire to maintain a clean environment.