Published on Wednesday 02 December 2020
Residents in Christchurch will see increased street cleansing between January and March 2021, if plans set out in the December Cabinet budget paper are approved. In a three-month programme, a new pavement sweeper would be rolled out alongside three staff dedicated to pavement cleaning, tackling litter, and dealing with fly-tipping. In addition, two staff would be deployed to carry out winter gully cleaning to reduce incidents of flooding and bring the service in line with that already provided in Bournemouth and Poole.
Part of an increased focus to improve the pride in our place after a year of significant challenges, the budget report also asks councillors to consider reinstating six staff to support manual cleansing all across the area, a pilot scheme to improve the experience for those visiting Bournemouth town centre, vibrant window dressings for empty shop windows, and a six-month trial of greater detection and enforcement around fly-tipping.
The budget would also see 1,600 new trees begin to be planted in the first three months of 2021, creating a hectare of woodland.
Money is also being requested to provide lockers for safe storage of the personal belongings of those who are homeless, whilst accessing help to get them off the streets for good, as well as enhanced funding for CCTV provision.
Cllr Drew Mellor, Leader of the Council and portfolio holder for Finance, said, "I truly love our area, and I know our residents do too. This budget request is about levelling up some crucial frontline services in Christchurch to the same standards as those experienced in Bournemouth and Poole, as well as bringing forward initiatives that will maximise on the positivity and pride we see across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and start creating a cleaner, greener, safer place."
He continued, "This three-month investment is just the start. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is a special place, both rural and urban, spanning countryside and coast. Our regeneration plans to deliver homes, boost the economy and improve the prospects of those who live here are underway, and are ambitious. They will take time to come to fruition, and in the meantime, we must get the basics right. This is what this initial budget allocation is all about – the first step to making this amazing place even more special."