Middlesbrough Council Street Champions
People often measure the quality of their local environment by the presence or absence of things like litter, dog fouling, fly tipping and abandoned vehicles. These issues, and others, affect how we feel about where we live and work, and what we think of our communities. Whether it's where you live, work, or take your recreation, a clean, safe, and green environment is seen as something that benefits us all.
This is the basis of the Street Champion project. As a Street Champion you'll work with the council to help take positive action to clean our streets more effectively, and help make Middlesbrough a cleaner and safer community for everyone to enjoy.
Gresham Newport Street Champions meet regularly at Streets Ahead. You can check out their Facebook page here
Find out more about Street Champions below or go to the Middlesbrough Streets Champions web site
Contact: Environment Contact Centre, Phone: 01642 726001
What is a Street Champion?
Street Champion volunteers in Middlesbrough are the environmental equivalent of Neighbourhood Watch. They help to keep their local area clean and tidy, and report to the council any persistent issues such as litter, dog fouling, graffiti, broken street furniture, overflowing bins or abandoned vehicles etc.
The Street Champion scheme is part of Middlesbrough Council's commitment to encouraging a positive community spirit, with neighbours and local residents organising community litter picks, attending meetings and supporting fellow residents in need. As a volunteer Street Champion you'll address issues in your local area on a day to day basis, and you may be involved in litter picks or meetings to plan events and activities.
There's no obligation to be high profile; you can remain anonymous if you wish and simply report issues from home, either via the council website or by contacting the Environment Contact Centre on 01642 726001.
Environmental issues
These are the main issues a Street Champion volunteer may face:
- Litter
- Chewing gum
- Dog fouling
- Domestic/household waste
- Business waste
- Fly-tipping
- Abandoned or nuisance vehicles
- Fly-posting
- Graffiti
- Highways and street lighting
Risks
All activities carry risk and it's the responsibility of both Middlesbrough Council and the Street Champion to understand what the specific risks are and how those risks can be kept to a minimum. The council will support Street Champions with necessary equipment, help and guidance where appropriate.
Organising an event
The council is always ready to help volunteers organise and carry out activities. There is normally sufficient equipment, but it can be extremely busy at certain times, so it would be helpful to contact Environment Services staff (01642 726001), or the Lead Street Champions in your area, as soon as you have a date in mind. Council staff and Lead Street Champions will be able to offer guidance on where to, and where not to, carry out activities.
Equipment
When a resident contacts the council to become a Street Champion, they'll receive a pack containing:
- Litter pickers
- Bags for litter
- High visibility waistcoats
- Gloves for protection (heavy and immovable items should be reported to Area Care for the council to remove)
- Notebook to record any issues for reporting
- Pick a road or area you'd like to monitor. This may not necessarily be the road in which you live, it could be another road which you frequently walk eg on the school run or your way to work etc.
- Note any risks or hazards specific to the area which you wish to monitor, such as busy roads, steep banks, rivers and becks, or the potential to find needles or witness aggressive behaviour. You should feel safe at all times while performing the duties of a Street Champion.
- Inform Middlesbrough Council staff to register your details and the area you wish to monitor.
- Once a week at a time that suits you, monitor your chosen area and report to Middlesbrough Council. If appropriate, carry out a litter pick and arrange for bagged rubbish to be collected by Area Care.