Smarter York spring clean



Issued by City of York Council

City of York Council will be joining forces with York and North Yorkshire Probation Trust’s Community Payback team and local residents next month to carry out a city wide spring clean of York.

The council will be working with offenders performing Community Payback, who will be undertaking several “spring clean” tasks throughout the month, such as painting over graffiti, fixing broken fencing, picking litter and clearing overgrown areas. York residents will also have the opportunity to nominate communal spaces for the team to spruce up and help make a smarter York.

Community Payback is physically demanding work carried out by offenders as part of their community sentence on work that might not otherwise be completed.

The spring clean will focus on different wards each week throughout May, starting on 7 May in the Westfield ward. The overgrown field behind Westfield School has been singled out for the team to work their magic on and transform the space for local residents.

For the second week the team will be focusing their efforts around the Tang Hall area, then moving on to the Bell Farm area for the third week. For the fourth week the team will be working with volunteers from various parishes and towns across the outer areas of the city.

To follow on from the work the community payback team will be doing there will be Smarter York events in the three wards and outer parishes throughout May and June. At these events residents will be able to sign up to the Smarter Charter and pledge that they will help to keep York clean and tidy.

Children are very welcome at the events where their will be several items of machinery on display and available to sit in, including a refuse truck, mechanical sweeper and a ride on mower.

The events will be held at:

Foxwood Community Centre – Saturday 11 May 12pm-6pm
Tang Hall Community Centre – Saturday 18 May 10am-4pm
Bell Farm Social Hall – Saturday 25 May 10am-4pm
Oaken Grove Community Centre, Haxby – Saturday 1 June 10am-2pm

Cllr David Levene, Cabinet member for Environmental services, said: “This is a good way for the Community Payback scheme to really help the residents of York, and I hope that people will be forthcoming in their recommendations of areas for them to tackle and help to make a Smarter York.

“This is also a great way for the council to highlight the volunteering opportunities available to other individuals and groups who wish to get involved in their local area.”

Ed Gray, Community Payback Manager, York and North Yorkshire Probation Trust, said: “We are delighted that York’s Community Payback team is able to provide the manpower required to help the council achieve its aims.

“At the same time this is a terrific initiative which sees offenders giving visible payback to the communities where they have caused most harm through their offending.”

Smarter York aims to help maintain a clean, green and safe environment for York. The initiative encourages and works with residents to create attractive neighbourhoods with a real sense of community and to tackle the things that can spoil our neighbourhoods for example littering or graffiti.

Any suitable work that is put forward by residents that is not completed in May will be completed in the coming months in an on going partnership between the council and the Trust’s Community Payback team.

For more information please visit www.york.gov.uk/smarteryork or follow @SmarterYork on Twitter.

Residents can nominate an area they think is need of a spring clean by calling 01904 551551 or emailing [email protected] or download the Smarter York mobile phone application from all app stores.



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