York business leaders took to King’s Square today armed with brushes and litter pickers – as they issued a clarion call for everyone to help clean up the city.
The York High Street Forum wants as many businesses as possible to do their bit.
It has teamed up with Indie York and the York BID (Business Improvement District) to have a day of cleaning.
At an event in King’s Square, heralded by York Town Crier Ben Fry, chair of the forum David Skaith explained why it was important.
“We get so many visitors to York we need it to look in as clean and as tidy as possible,” he said. “Also, the locals coming want to see a nice, clean city.
“We know services have been cut back a lot by central government to councils. They don’t have the cleaning staff that they need.
“We’re looking to help them along the way, and showcase how much we need the city looking the best it possibly can.”
So what can people do to help? “We’re asking local businesses to do a bit of extra cleaning, around their premises, around their shop.
“If you see a local bin or bench nearby, just do the extra little bit of cleaning. We’d love people to highlight what they’ve done as well.”
This would help them identify problem areas that could be tackled by City of York Council and the York BID street cleaning teams.
The York BID teams have been on hand all day doing specialist spot cleaning around the city.
Andrew Lowson, the BID’s executive director, said: “The street cleansing teams, funded by York businesses, are working really hard with local authority staff to keep the city clean so we can all enjoy it at its best. We welcome support from everyone to help keep York looking beautiful.”
Cllr Paula Widdowson, the council’s executive member for environment and climate change, said is urging everyone to do their bit: “Litter is an ugly problem that affects us all. The cleaner we can keep our city the more we all enjoy it.
“So get involved, whether it’s your school, your park, your street or your favourite green spot you can arrange a litter pick.”
Find out how you can help on the council website here, and you can join in on social media with the hashtag #YorkSpringClean.