The Government has announced a crackdown on street clutter and support for Civic Voice's Street Pride campaign as the way local communities can take action. This is a major step forward and vindication of the hard work of civic societies across the country.
The key announcements today are:
-
A strongly worded statement by Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles MP, and Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond MP to cut street clutter
-
A letter sent by Eric Pickles and Philip Hammond to every local authority leader in England calling on them to reduce the number of signs and other street clutter and supporting Civic Voice's Street Pride campaign
-
Official support for Civic Voice's Street Pride campaign toolkit in helping communities "bring power and character back to their neighbourhoods".
Salisbury Civic Society's street survey (available here) is cited in the Government press release as a leading example of local action.
-
Read the Government's press release here
-
Read the Government's letter to all local council leaders here
The announcement has attracted significant media coverage. This includes important articles in the Daily Mail here and the Daily Telegraph here which highlight Civic Voice. Tony Burton has been interviewed on 19 BBC local radio stations - Newcastle, Three Counties (twice), Humberside (twice), Lincolnshire, Wiltshire, Suffolk, Shropshire, Devon (twice), Manchester, Cornwall, Devon, Kent, Northampton, Somerset, Lancashire, Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Surrey/Sussex and Leicester. There has also been coverage on BBC Breakfast News, Radio 5 Live, Radio 4 Today, ITV News and GMTV among others. We know that the work of many civic societies has been featured.
There is more information at Civic Voice's Street Pride campaign page here and we will keep this updated so keep an eye on it. There is sure to be more over the next few days as people respond to the announcements. Where you are actively campaigning on street clutter you may wish to approach your local media on the back of this announcement - do keep us in touch with any coverage you receive at info@civicvoice.org.uk
We are expecting more official announcements over the next few months. One date for the diary is the launch of Manual for Streets 2 by the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation on 29 September - this will complement Manual for Streets which is the "bible" for street managers (www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/manforstreets).
Today's initiative is a major breakthrough for Civic Voice just four months after our launch and is testimony to the hard work of civic volunteers across the country. It demonstrates the value of a national voice making the case for local groups. There has never been a better time to be part of Civic Voice and use the Street Pride campaign to make the case to your local council to heed the Government's advice and cut the clutter.
For more information:
@civic_voice
Bookmark with: