£3m invested by BCP Council for Cleaner, Greener, Safer plan

The money from BCP Council has been pledged after criticism from residents and local bodies over the state of the town and concerns about graffiti and litter.

The authority says the £3.1m investment, which is part of its Cleaner, Greener, Safer initiative, will address “key issues” raised by residents across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Cleaning Lansdowne as part of the Cleaner, Greener, Safer initiative. Picture: BCP Council

Key elements for investment across the three town centres include:

• £453,000 into street cleansing, including a new litter bin strategy and deploying additional street cleansing teams. This will cover bin replacements, sign cleaning, weed control and furniture painting.
• £600,000 into Highways to fund pothole repairs, safety fencing and bollards.
• £100,000 to further support CCTV in urban areas, with an additional £60,000 for increased CCTV monitoring.
• £15,000 for signage
• £500,000 in additional Community Safety Accreditation Scheme resources to tackle anti-social behaviour until April 2023.
• £100,000 for a Safer Improvement Fund that will look at improvements to make the public realm safer.

This comes more than two months after the cleanliness of local town centres was described as a “huge priority” by a senior cabinet member following a question by a member of Bournemouth Civic Society at a council meeting.

Graffiti across areas of Bournemouth. Picture: John Soane

John Soane, the civic society’s built environment consultant, raised issues with how the council was dealing with graffiti, overflowing bins and other issues.

Referring to Mr Soane, portfolio holder for council priorities and delivery Cllr Nicola Greene said: “He highlights an area of huge priority for this administration, based as it is on the daily concerns of our residents, businesses and visitors.”

• Read more: Town cleanliness a 'key priority', insists senior councillor

Following the council decision to invest £3.1m, Cllr Greene has said: “I am delighted to see a renewed investment in Cleaner, Greener, Safer for this year. This will focus on addressing some key issues that we know matter most to our residents. We’ve already taken some significant steps and have identified priority areas for this year.

“Our councillors and most of our officers are also residents, who take immense pride in their work. To help achieve our goals, we’ll also be looking to plan some community action days across our area in the Spring and encourage people to report issues in their local area online.”