Troubleshooting taskforce about to hit the streets?

Cabinet members are due to consider a proposal to enhance public realm services at their meeting next week, increasing scheduled street cleaning and ground maintenance work in Stowmarket town centre, and creating REACT – a Respond, Enforce and Clean Team – to provide additional capacity to respond to urgent and reactive street clearing issues across the district.

According to a report published ahead of next Tuesday’s cabinet meeting (October 8), the creation of REACT will allow the public realm street cleansing team to focus on scheduled work across the district’s large rural area – including dog and litter bin emptying, litter picking on the main rural road routes and villages, and mechanical sweeping – without the distraction of having to respond to reactive cleansing incidents.

The new team would also play a role in education and enforcement, giving advice on street cleansing issues, patrolling problem areas, gathering evidence and issuing warnings and notices, working alongside the council’s environmental protection team, where appropriate.

The proposed enhancements for Stowmarket town centre include more frequent cleaning and maintenance schedules, and is in addition to the £50K investment the council has already made in Stowmarket Town Council’s new Town Ranger Service.

This focus on Stowmarket builds on the council’s commitment to create a thriving centre for its key market town – with a further range of initiatives to support the town also included on the agenda for cabinet consideration next week.

Mid Suffolk’s cabinet member for environment, culture and wellbeing, Cllr Tim Weller said:

“We know from what residents have told us that this is what they want to see. We all want Mid Suffolk to thrive. Not just economically, but also culturally, socially and environmentally.

“With our focus on sustainability and community we want this district to be a great place to live, a great place to work, a great place to do business and a great place to visit. If we can achieve this, as councillors, as officers and working with all the other organisations involved, it will be something we can all be proud of.”

The new proposals build on last year’s ‘Pride in Your Place’ campaign, where every town and village in Mid Suffolk were given the opportunity to apply for funding for projects to improve the appearance and cleanliness of their communities.

The additional officers, new electric vehicle and additional day to day running costs are expected to cost just under £90K this year, rising to £270K to include the purchase of a sweeper and scrubbing machine and street hoover in 2025/26.

If approved, the funding will come from Gateway 14 – the council-owned business, innovation, and logistics park in Stowmarket, where the new distribution centre for home and garden retailer The Range is now operational.

The agenda for the meeting on Tuesday 8 October, which includes the report in full, together with a link to watch a livestream and/or recording of the meeting can be found on the Mid Suffolk District Council website.