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Keeping clean and tackling grime crime |
In a bid to make Basingstoke and Deane a cleaner greener borough, the council’s new service standards to keep the streets, parks and open spaces clean come into force from 1 April and throughout 2007.
Clear response times to reports of offensive graffiti and abandoned vehicles causing a hazard on the streets together with penalties for litter bugs, fly-tipping and other environmental crimes have all been set out in a leaflet sent to all households with their council magazine Basingstoke and Deane Today.
The standards clearly set out what the council will do and what is expected from individuals, householders and businesses across the borough.
In exchange for cleaner streets and better parks residents are being asked to do their bit. This includes keeping their bins inside their own property boundaries and not on the streets, and not dropping litter or allowing their dogs to foul public areas without cleaning up after them.
A big change is the introduction of an enforcement policy, which clearly sets out exactly what the council will do in the event of an environmental crime such as fly-tipping, using unlicensed waste contractors, dropping litter or dog fouling and businesses failing to make adequate arrangements for the removal of their rubbish.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Community Services Cllr Elaine Still said: “Street cleaning is one of the most visual and important jobs a council does for its residents. Everyone has a view on this and there is always more that can be done.
“We currently spend over £1m a year on keeping our streets clean and green. These standards set out clearly what the council does so residents know what they can expect from our teams, understand their individual responsibilities and what happens when they report graffiti for example. It also introduces a clear enforcement policy with fines for extra crimes to protect our local environment further.
“The standards will come into forceover the coming months and will include clear schedules showing how often streets will be cleaned, the recruitment of a dedicated enforcement officer and a graffiti charter for local land owners to sign up to.”
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