Deep cleaning ‘hit squad’ to be part of almost £1 million investment to improve Dudley street scene

After £268,000 was approved for additional street cleaning and roadside gully maintenance in February’s budget, a further £670,000 has been invested in the service to make improvements and boost pride in the borough.  View the video here

A dedicated street cleaning ‘hit squad’ will be heading out to target litter hotspots and gateways to the borough. Five new teams will be created to carry out manual cleaning in each of the neighbourhood areas, Dudley North, Dudley Central, Brierley Hill, Halesowen and Stourbridge.  

The council is recruiting 15 people to support grounds maintenance on the 200 miles of grassed areas, verges, central reservations, traffic islands, public footpaths, parks, open spaces and network of council housing, with some of the crew already in place. 

Under funding as part of the street cleaning hit squad, there will be provision for traffic management during weekend removal of fly-tipping and weeding on central reservations and traffic islands.  

After recent investment in weed ripper arms for Dudley Council’s small footway sweepers and specialist brushes for larger road-sweeping vehicles, some of the additional funding will go towards a dedicated weed treatment team.  

Extra officers are also being taken on to bolster enforcement action and tackle illegal fly tippers, who will work alongside the council’s existing surveillance tools and drone.  

Anyone caught fly tipping can receive a fixed penalty fine of up to £500 for fly-tipping.  

The authority has already re-introduced 2 hours free parking in council car parks and now is about delivering further visible change: cleaner streets, better maintained environments, and places people can feel proud of again.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said:  

“We know people are passionate about where they live and we want to create an environment where residents have a sense of pride as they step out of their front door and move about our borough.  

“We have had to make difficult financial decisions in recent years to deliver a balanced budget while protecting some of our most vulnerable residents. Our national budget settlement remains lower than most metropolitan boroughs, and we have stood by our pledge that residents will not see an increase above the national minimum increase of 4.99% each year on council tax.  

“This did mean reducing some services, including street cleaning, to protect things we knew we couldn’t replace, like our leisure centres, libraries, family hubs and vital community assets. We have also invested where it has mattered most, like building Penns Meadow specialist school for children with special educational needs. 

“I’ve always been clear, that when we were in a position to do so, we would reinvest in the services people see and feel every day. I’m delighted our fortitude has paid off and our finances are more stable, and we’re now investing £1 million into cleaning up our neighbourhoods, starting in areas like this, where it will make a real difference. 

“As part of this we are now able to be making a significant re-investment back into the key service of street cleaning. More teams are going to be out in neighbourhoods making a visible difference across highways, parks and open spaces, as we make our borough cleaner and tidier while creating jobs for local people.  

“We will be tackling the weeds and the litter and for those who continue to blight our borough by illegally fly tipping, we will have more resources to track them down and issue a fixed fine or prosecute.  

“We’re doing our part to deliver for Dudley and we hope residents will recognise the improvements in their neighbourhoods and play their part too by helping to keep our borough a place we can all be proud of.”