Bracknell

An extra £100,000 will be spent by Bracknell Forest Borough Council this year in response to residents who want the borough to be even cleaner and greener.

During the Bracknell annual budget consultation, residents said they would like more money to be spent in making the borough's attractive environment even better.

Therefore the Council is now planning to spend an additional:

• £25,000 to give the borough's 11 neighbourhood centres a deep clean every 11 weeks in addition to their normal cleaning;

• £30,000 so high speed single roads and dual carriageways can be cleaned and maintained every eight weeks by providing essential traffic control.

Underpasses will be spruced up, as part of the plans, and rural hedges will be cut and litter picked more frequently. A chewing gum clearing machine will also be deployed more frequently around the borough; and more resources will be spent on keeping the borough’s verges, hedges and plants neat and tidy throughout the peak growing season.

The Bracknell Council’s Take Pride campaign will continue to support community groups who want to run local litter picks and can lend equipment and arrange for waste to be collected.

Vincent Paliczka, Director of Environment, Culture and Communities, said: "A clean and green environment makes us all feel better and this extra money will make the borough even better.

"We will continue to work with the public to try and create a litter free borough where no-one drops it in the first place, but in the meantime this investment is a welcome boost to our environment in direct response to the wishes of our community and it will see a marked improvement in these areas."

Cllr Mrs Dorothy Hayes, Executive Member for the Environment, said: "Bracknell Forest is a lovely place to live and work, and the additional work by the Council will make it even more attractive.

"I hope this work will encourage everyone to take more pride in our environment, and not drop litter or chewing gum in the first place.”

For more information about Take Pride, visit www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/takepride or call 01344 352000.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council