Leaked document raises prospect of unclean streets in London
November 10th 2010

Documents leaked to London’s Evening Standard newspaper have indicated that Westminster Council is considering a number of drastic cutbacks to their service provision, including reducing its workforce by up to two-thirds. The report alleges other measures have been mooted by the central London borough, including halving the number of litter bins and subcontracting the maintenance of park space out to volunteers.

The allegations come off the back of the recent announcement that the council also plans to freeze its council tax rate for the second year in succession, despite the fact that the borough has some of the lowest rates in the country. The report has already provoked criticism from sections of the media that the boroughs commitment to low council tax could jeopardize the safety of its residents through decreased levels of cleanliness.

Mark Woodhead, Chairman of the British Cleaning Council, said: “There is a minimum level of provision that all citizens have the right to expect, and we believe that this should include keeping the streets safe and clean. The measures outlined in this report- halving the number of litter bins and reducing street cleansing- could result in an unacceptable level of hygiene in one of the most visited areas in the UK. We therefore urge the council to look very closely at how they approach their budget allocation in the coming year, and take the safety and needs of the people they serve into account.”

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