Published on Friday 10 September 2021
At its next meeting, Cabinet is planning to strengthen its investment in BCP Council’s Cleaner, Greener, Safer programme.
The Cleaner, Greener, Safer initiative was announced in December 2020, as the council recognised a key aspect to providing a better environment for all its communities, was to get the basics right so that residents can have a sense of pride in where they live. Over the last six months, the new scheme has seen an increase in litter bins, a tree planting programme and additional Community Safety Accredited Scheme (CSAS) Officers recruited.
The council is now set to increase its investment in the programme, which will see improvements made under three key themes. The first theme, town centre refresh pilotsfor our three main town centres, which concentrates on street cleansing, improving town centre greenspaces and removal of graffiti and fly-tipping on public land. The second theme is, conurbation-wide investment,which considers water quality engagement and strategic greenspace investment. The final theme is community and businessClean, Green, Safe partnerships and volunteering, which seeks to enhance community safety and reduce vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
Councillor Drew Mellor, Leader of BCP Council, said: "At the end of last year we made a clear commitment to the Cleaner, Greener, Safer initiative, as we absolutely recognised that to be a world-class city region we had to make sure we were getting the basics right. We are already seeing some early benefits but I’m proud that we are seeking to invest further in the works, which will have a positive impact on our residents via improvements to our town centres and green spaces.
"It is vital that we all have a sense of pride in the place we live. That’s why Our Big Plan clearly sets out our desire to be one of the best coastal places in the world to live, work, invest and play. We have big ambitions to meet, alongside our commitment to tackling climate change, and it is great that the Cleaner, Greener, Safer programme really underpins so many of our strategic aims.
"The pandemic has proven why access to clean, green and safe public spaces is so important. Access to good quality, well-maintained public land can help improve our physical and mental health, providing a powerful weapon in the fight against ill-health. I’m proud that this programme, which encompasses so many of our aims in our wider corporate strategy, is being built-upon and developed."
The Cleaner, Greener, Safer commitment directly supports BCP Council’s vision: ‘Vibrant communities with outstanding quality of life where everyone plays an active role’.
The full report which will be taken to Cabinet can be read here