Shamed by councillors? City launches pre-Election clean-up

Earlier this week Newcastle City Council announced a major clean-up of the city "a spring clean" as they're describing it.

£1m has been found from reserves to sweep the streets, pick up litter, remove dog mess, erase graffiti and cutback overgrown shrubbery. New posters will appear on litter bins and livery on council vehicles.

Every ward will benefit and extra resources will be used in environmental hotspots with intelligence from communities and ward councillors. Like those Liberal Democrats ward councillors pictured here, and othe rs.

The clean-up follows the results of the Residents' Survey in which 57 per cent of people said clean streets were the most important thing in making neighbourhoods a good place to live.

In addition to wards, the council will spring clean Hadrian's Way at Walker in the East and Lemington in the West.

Newcastle's Spring Clean comes just weeks before the Great British Spring Clean takes place from March 4 to 6.

The spring clean will be carried out by 10 ward teams, five citywide teams and four green space teams, two additional mechanical sweepers and a graffiti team. But Liberal Democrat councillors have been showing the way for the past year. Pictured : Cllrs Brenda Hindmarsh and David Faulkner in Fawdon; Cllrs Dom Raymont and Nick Cot in Gosforth Central Park; a young resident shows her opinion of the state of cleanliness in Newcastle; Cllr Griff Kane and Focus editor Ciaran Morrissey in Ouseburn; Lib Dems Deputy Leader Cllr Wendy Taylor in Dene

Asking where the money had come from, Lib Dems Leader Cllr Anita Lower was told : "The money was put aside last year from the New Homes Bonus for environmental purposes. It was put into the reserves for a one off purpose. We have now decided to put in place the spring clean in response to residents' survey findings. This spring clean will also help prepare the city for the Great Exhibition of the North." She said "We've been saying for a long time that there's money in reserves that could be used for purposes like this. Many may think that it is a cynical ploy when local elections are only a few months away."