The new squads will today (7 July, 2008) begin their work – tackling fly tipping, litter and other environmental damage.

An army of 45 additional Clean Glasgow operatives will swing into action across the city as the city council moves its award-winning campaign onto the next level.

Working closely with enforcement staff and responding to intelligence from the neighbourhoods in which they will be based, the 15 Clean Glasgow Rapid Response Teams will be charged with delivering flexible and responsive front-line services to communities.

Three teams will be based in each of Glasgow’s five Community Health & Care Partnership areas.

Councillor Steven Purcell, the Leader of Glasgow City Council, met with the new teams shortly before they took to the streets.

He said: “Clean Glasgow is built on a partnership with our communities and a shared responsibility for our environment – at home and around the city.

“I have been delighted with the response so far and the commitment that all of us – individuals, businesses and council services – have made to Glasgow as a clean, safe city.

“These crews take the Council’s own efforts onto a new level; giving every community and every street in Glasgow access to additional help in achieving a cleaner city.

“Our Rapid Response Teams will allow us to respond more promptly to community concerns and will link closely with a very strong network of friends and volunteers that have been mobilised and empowered by the Clean Glasgow campaign.”

Each Rapid Response Team has a crew of three, including a driver, and will respond to calls and complaints made to Clean Glasgow, the council’s Access Centre and local teams.

They will also receive information from Neighbourhood Improvement Volunteers – community representatives recruited as champions for Clean Glasgow.

Tasks carried out by the Rapid Response Teams will include dealing with litter in open spaces; removing tipped, and safely uplifting hypodermic needles.

In all cases, they will work closely with Glasgow City Council environmental health enforcement officers, in order to identify the source of litter and other environmental damage.
 

Crews will also carry out a variety of other work to enhance and maintain the environment within their communities, such as cleaning streets and street furniture, clearing lanes and overgrown vegetation.

The City Council has formed partnerships with all local communities throughout Glasgow via the Clean Glasgow Neighbourhood Charter since the campaign launched last year.

This has resulted in thousands of volunteers taking part in local clean ups with the help of the Clean Glasgow team, which has also supplied materials and advice. Many more are in the pipeline.

Patrols of highly-visible uniformed enforcement officers have also taken to the city’s streets with the remit of charging offenders with on-the-spot £50 fixed penalty notices. Almost 11,000 have been issued to offenders since the launch in February, 2007.

A Schools Charter was introduced in May that year, enlisting 80,000 school pupils into the fight. In addition, a Charter recruiting the support of the city’s uniformed youth organisations – including the Scouts, Guides and both the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades – was launched in June alongside a Charter for voluntary agencies backed by Glasgow’s Council for the Voluntary Sector (GCVS) and its 850 member organisations.

The Clean Glasgow Business Charter, supported by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, was launched in November of last year. So far, more than 700 city businesses have signed up.

Campaign bosses believe stamping out such anti-social behaviour will protect Glasgow’s growing reputation as one of Europe’s most stylish and vibrant cities, and a renowned centre of excellence for both business and pleasure.

Clean Glasgow’s two-pronged approach combines a ‘heart and minds’ programme aimed at instilling pride in the city’s environment, alongside a get-tough zero tolerance clampdown on litter crime.

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