New cash for street cleaning making a difference

And now keeping Rotherham’s streets clean has been made easier by investment in both new equipment and additional staff to use it.

Rotherham Council has put up an extra £300,000 for the work, and that means the busiest areas, including the town centre, Swinton, Wath, Dinnington and Maltby are getting cleaned more often.

The crews who do the work also have better equipment.

Eight new cleaners have been recruited to work specifically in the town centre already and more are on the way for other districts.

The town centre team have a powerful new litter vacuum, nicknamed Billy Goat, to make several daily rounds of a wide area.

Weekend staff will ensure the area remains looking spick ’n span on Saturdays and Sundays, too.

The improved service is intended to dovetail with other town centre improvements, like the opening of Forge Island, to make visits to the town centre a more enjoyable experience.

Other equipment for use beyond the town centre includes a new road-sweeper and ride on lawn mowers.

More specialist maintenance equipment - including a tractor, handheld grounds tools, as well as additional litter pickers - will be introduced later in the year to keep roadsides and countryside verges clean.

Public feedback to the council has resulted in mini-sweepers now being operated weekly on the high streets and nearby roads of Swinton, Wath, Dinnington and Maltby.

Cllr Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said: “Keeping Rotherham clean and

welcoming is a priority for us because we know how much it matters to our residents.

“Our teams are out there every day, working hard to make sure our streets stay looking their best.

“We have and will continue to invest to make the borough a clean and welcoming

environment. In the past two years, we’ve invested £2.7 million into street cleaning.

“This investment isn’t just about having a cleaner town – it’s about creating a place we can all be proud of.”

Forge Island is home to Rotherham’s new cinema and will also feature food outlets, and is considered a vital component in regenerating the area.