Issued by City of York Council
The Tang Hall community will be out in force next week to give their ward a spring clean between Monday 13 to Saturday 18 May.
With a helping hand from MP for York Central, Hugh Bayley and Cllr David Levene, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, they will be putting on their boots and joining forces with North Yorkshire Probation Trust’s Community Payback team and local residents to help litter pick and clean their local area.
The event at Tang Hall is part of month-long campaign to target areas city wide and organise litter picks or general tidy ups which will help to encourage public involvement.
Cllr David Levene, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, said: “Smarter York sums up how we want to engage and empower residents and businesses to keep York a beautiful place to live and work.
“Throughout the Spring Clean we’re encouraging residents and communities to tell us where they want the team to clean. 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.”
Hugh Bayley, MP for York Central, said: “Litter can be a real eyesore that spoils York’s streets. Cigarette butts, snack wrappers and food containers are the most commonly discarded Items. The problem is if people see litter as the norm they think it is ok to add to it, making a bad situation worse.
“The Spring Clean in Tang Hall is making a difference. The Community Payback Team are working with the council, businesses and local residents to clean up litter and erase graffiti. It is a really worthwhile project and the area is looking much cleaner as a result.”
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.”
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.
Residents are welcome to join the team throughout the week-long events and find out how the project will be supported in their area at family events taking place at:
- Tang Hall Community Centre – Saturday 18 May 10am-2pm
- Bell Farm Social Hall – Saturday 25 May 10am-4pm
- Oaken Grove Community centre, Haxby – Saturday 1 June 10am-2pm
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 the Smarter York web page or follow @SmarterYork on Twitter. Residents can nominate an area they think is need of a spring clean by calling 01904 551551, emailing the council or downloading the Smarter York mobile phone application from all app stores.
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