Cleaner, greener streets for Gateshead
A major new £2m annual investment is delivering extra staff and a campaign to smarten up Gateshead's streets and back lanes, and tackle fly tipping head on.
The environmental investment means an extra 45 members of staff across a range of specialist roles. That adds up to significant increases in staffing on an area that residents tell us is one of their top priorities.
The new additional members of staff include:
- 20 street cleaning and grounds maintenance staff and apprentices
- 10 early intervention environmental ASB officers
- Four street maintenance and weed clearance officers
- Four tree safety and maintenance officers
- Three specialist rapid response fly tipping officers
- One graffiti removal operative
- One dog warden
Beyond the new staff being employed, the council will also be encouraging local communities and schools to get involved in volunteering initiatives and to report problems, so they can be resolved rapidly.
Information on residents and landlords being legally responsible for dealing with their waste properly will also be shared widely.
The new £2m investment comes after more than a decade of Gateshead Council suffering severe cuts to its central government grant, which has had a hugely damaging impact on our ability to fund all services, including those caring for the local environment.
Now council officers are responding to feedback in surveys that says the condition of streets and public areas in our neighbourhoods is a top priority for residents - and that they want to see fly tipping tackled as robustly as possible.
So, the council has found extra investment to be ploughed into keeping streets and back lanes in better condition - and trying to cut off fly-tipping problems at source.
The focus on cleaning up neighbourhoods will also see a focus on a small number of streets in the Saltwell area where rented homes are licensed, and fly-tipping is a problem.
Advice, visits, licence conditions for landlords and action against persistent fly-tippers is holding to account those responsible for any fly tipping and waste found in back lanes.
This will be supported by the addition of extra CCTV coverage to tackle problem areas.
If this proves successful, the council will look to roll out this approach to other areas.
By Councillor John McElroy, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said:
"We know the condition of our neighbourhoods is important to all residents in Gateshead, and has a real impact on everyone's wellbeing.
"So we've worked with officers to support new spending and recruit extra staff to improve the local environment.
"It's about all our council staff working hard on these areas - but we also want to work with local residents to encourage volunteering, to report problems, and provide information to us when people are not playing by the rules.
"We need vigilant residents to report any instances of anti-social behaviour as soon as possible, so we can intervene and take action.
"We all want to see Gateshead looking cleaner and greener, and we are investing in our services to make that happen."
While this project is still in its infancy, by working closely with residents and landlords we are already seeing its impact.
Hattie from Saltwell told us her daily life was affected by the dumping of waste in the back lane adjacent to her home:
"I couldn't believe the sheer volume of rubbish being dumped in our back lane. At one point we had mattresses, a cooker, children's toys, even bags of animal waste. It was disgusting and the smell was atrocious. You couldn't walk through the lane without treading through rotting food. I felt like a prisoner in my own home, and it really took a toll on my mental health.
"My neighbours and I have often tried to clear it up, but no sooner was it clean, more fly-tipping would occur, and we were back to square one. It was so disheartening."
Hattie says the work of the council is making such a difference to her and neighbours:
"I'm so happy the lane is clear. It looks lovely. I now feel a proud when family visit."
If you spot an incident of fly-tipping, please report it immediately.
A major new £2m annual investment is delivering extra staff and a campaign to smarten up Gateshead's streets and back lanes, and tackle fly tipping head on.
The environmental investment means an extra 45 members of staff across a range of specialist roles. That adds up to significant increases in staffing on an area that residents tell us is one of their top priorities.
The new additional members of staff include:
- 20 street cleaning and grounds maintenance staff and apprentices
- 10 early intervention environmental ASB officers
- Four street maintenance and weed clearance officers
- Four tree safety and maintenance officers
- Three specialist rapid response fly tipping officers
- One graffiti removal operative
- One dog warden
Beyond the new staff being employed, the council will also be encouraging local communities and schools to get involved in volunteering initiatives and to report problems, so they can be resolved rapidly.
Information on residents and landlords being legally responsible for dealing with their waste properly will also be shared widely.
The new £2m investment comes after more than a decade of Gateshead Council suffering severe cuts to its central government grant, which has had a hugely damaging impact on our ability to fund all services, including those caring for the local environment.
Now council officers are responding to feedback in surveys that says the condition of streets and public areas in our neighbourhoods is a top priority for residents - and that they want to see fly tipping tackled as robustly as possible.
So, the council has found extra investment to be ploughed into keeping streets and back lanes in better condition - and trying to cut off fly-tipping problems at source.
The focus on cleaning up neighbourhoods will also see a focus on a small number of streets in the Saltwell area where rented homes are licensed, and fly-tipping is a problem.
Advice, visits, licence conditions for landlords and action against persistent fly-tippers is holding to account those responsible for any fly tipping and waste found in back lanes.
This will be supported by the addition of extra CCTV coverage to tackle problem areas.
If this proves successful, the council will look to roll out this approach to other areas.
By Councillor John McElroy, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said:
"We know the condition of our neighbourhoods is important to all residents in Gateshead, and has a real impact on everyone's wellbeing.
"So we've worked with officers to support new spending and recruit extra staff to improve the local environment.
"It's about all our council staff working hard on these areas - but we also want to work with local residents to encourage volunteering, to report problems, and provide information to us when people are not playing by the rules.
"We need vigilant residents to report any instances of anti-social behaviour as soon as possible, so we can intervene and take action.
"We all want to see Gateshead looking cleaner and greener, and we are investing in our services to make that happen."
While this project is still in its infancy, by working closely with residents and landlords we are already seeing its impact.
Hattie from Saltwell told us her daily life was affected by the dumping of waste in the back lane adjacent to her home:
"I couldn't believe the sheer volume of rubbish being dumped in our back lane. At one point we had mattresses, a cooker, children's toys, even bags of animal waste. It was disgusting and the smell was atrocious. You couldn't walk through the lane without treading through rotting food. I felt like a prisoner in my own home, and it really took a toll on my mental health.
"My neighbours and I have often tried to clear it up, but no sooner was it clean, more fly-tipping would occur, and we were back to square one. It was so disheartening."
Hattie says the work of the council is making such a difference to her and neighbours:
"I'm so happy the lane is clear. It looks lovely. I now feel a proud when family visit."
If you spot an incident of fly-tipping, please report it immediately.
