Litter, chewing gum on the pavements and the state of benches and other town centre furniture are amongst residents' top concerns when the council asks about services. In addition to its regular cleansing service and planned maintenance programmes, the council has put in place a new resource, initally for the town centres, but to be expanded across the borough.
The 'town centre caretakers' are part of an ambitious council blueprint for better environmental services aimed at making the borough's town centres more enjoyable places for shoppers and everyone who works or lives there. Dedicated operatives have now begun their duties, making the town tidier and also acting as troubleshooters for a whole host of street scene issues.
Launching the scheme, Wigan Council Leader, Cllr Peter Smith said: "People have told us that the local environment should be our top priority. This is what the Respect Your Town initiative is all about, with teams dedicated to tackling litter, grass cutting and roads and pavements - in fact, all the things that really affect the quality of life."
Working in teams, and into the evenings, the caretakers are briefied to look out for everything from chewing gum to wobbly paving stones. They are also equipped with maps and information to point people in the right direction should they be asked any questions. With a joined-up approach encompassing CCTV, more litter patrols, as well as new touches such as attractive displays of flowers, Respect Your Town really does involve everyone.
Public consultation
Preceding the scheme, a "vox pops" consultation was carried out on the streets of Wigan and Leigh. In Wigan, 77% of people said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their town centre; in Leigh, the figure was 66%. In both towns, the two largest concerns were litter and chewing gum, and for both, nearly 50% of those asked were enthusiastic about the new floral displays around the town.
Around 100 people of all ages in Leigh, and a similar number in Wigan, were asked about the quality of their town centre environment in late July 2006.
- Leigh: 14% very satisfied, 52% very satisfied with general cleanliness
- Wigan: 19% very satisfied, 58% very satisfied with general cleanliness
- Leigh: 37% saw litter as priority for improvement, with 28% for chewing gum
- Wigan: 46% saw litter as priority, with 49% saying chewing gum
- Leigh: 45% had noticed the flowers as an improvement, 28% noticed extra bins
- Wigan: 47% noticed the flowers,17% noticed the extra bins
Other issues needing attention mentioned by those consulted were fly tipping (9% Wigan, 12% Leigh); improvements to pavements (Wigan 17%, Leigh 11%) and street lighting (5% Wigan; 6% Leigh).
Martin Kimber, Director of the council's new Environmental Services Department, told the press: "We are working hard to make improvements that truly matter to people. We have invested in a new 'gum buster' machine to tackle existing chewing gum mess, plus new gum bins are being added to try to stop the problem recurring. The town centre caretakers' work programme will regularly take them into all the borough's urban centres over the next few months to ensure everyone sees the benefits of their work."
The council's Environmental Services Helpline, 01942 404364, takes calls on issues affecting the local streetscene. Many street cleansing concerns can also be reported online using the street cleansing concerns form.
