This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Launch of Street Smart campaign
31/01/2003
The environment in North Lanarkshire is set for
improvement with a £1.5 million campaign launched today to
clean up local streets and the local community.
Street Smart, which is partly funded through the
Executive's 'Quality of Life' initiative, aims to tackle
such issues as dog fouling, graffiti, litter and abandoned
cars. It will introduce:
- dedicated graffiti hit squads,
- 20 new vehicles and pieces of cleansing
equipment,
- almost 40 new staff (including members of graffiti
and litter hit squads, additional street sweepers,
drivers and a supervisor),
- thousands of new bins (including dog fouling
bins),
- major clean-ups in black spot areas as well as
regular community clean-ups twice a year.
Launching the initiative at Strathclyde Country Park,
Minister for Finance and Public Services Andy Kerr
said:
"Local communities have a right to expect streets and
public areas to be clean. Litter, dog dirt and graffiti can
all drastically alter the look of an area and these are
issues which really matter to local residents.
"Street Smart is exactly the kind of innovation which
our 'Quality of Life' initiative was set up to encourage.
Communities need resources to tackle trouble spots in their
area. However, as local people we must also put litter in
the bin, clean up after our dogs and try to control
graffitti. I believe, if these steps are taken together,
this campaign will make a real impact on the lives of those
living in North Lanarkshire."
Street Smart will work in conjunction with the thirteen
area-based litter hit squads currently in place throughout
North Lanarkshire.
The Executive has allocated £95 million to the 'Quality
of Life' initiative for 2002-03. North Lanarkshire's share
was £5.883 million. It aims to improve the local
environment and the quality of people's daily lives through
funding local projects.