Clean team "cleaning up"

Had a great meeting with Michael at the Clean Team depot, he showed me round and explained all their plans to recyle the rubbish they pick up from flytipping sites.

We also went through his project book for sites he wants to maintain, clean, improve, tidy up, garden; he is so enthusiastic and I think it rubs off on his staff. I asked Sue of the wardens today if she would ask Michael if he could send the lads to clean up the field round the sports centre entrance on Jubilee Drive, ready for the Chinese Fun Day on Sunday, it was a mess when I was up there at the weekend. He had sorted it by tea-time. I did ask the Kenny Regen people if I could nominate them for one of the community awards but they dont let you nominate staff, what a shame.

Plans for Minto Close are coming along, he has had the bollards removed, got right on top of cleaning the alley and the dirty open back yards of the empty shops on Kensington which back on to the Close. He had taken action on the fly-tipping on Fairfield Street already and I had only told him about it the day before.

I think I might have persuaded Michael to take on the plans for a community garden on Edge Grove too, Dave, the officer who put the Lister Crescent garden together has agreed to offer his help too.

L7 is in good hands with the clean team, now we need to get something similar for the neglected and ignored L6. On the Molyneux there is literally one man with one hand-cart trying to hold back the tide of litter and dog muck. It just aint enough. Enterprise are being paid vast sums of money by Liverpool council tax payers to keep their streets clean, and when I say vast sums, I really mean vast sums, but they must be doing it somewhere else.

I took Ronnie and Larry, the new neighbourhood environment officers on a walkabout today round L6, they were shocked. Everyone always is, the place is so filthy. We get Enterprise to come and collect the crap and take it away, then the nice clean pavement or entry or bit of waste ground just attracts more fly-tippers.

What we really need is enforcement. Big fines, photos of tippers on the front page of the Echo, it would work a treat and restore so much confidence.

What a pity the Liberal Democrats are too bloody liberal to introduce anything like that.

The council officers are fond of telling us councillors that we should report things "by the book" and not try to work round the system by phoning people we know and getting favours done. But I think it needs a personal relationship to be able to say to someone, I have reported rubbish here five times in six months, come and put a fence round this, or whatever. Otherwise I am not really making a difference at all.

Yes, we need another Michael and another clean team for L6, dedicated in every sense.