Council leader helps Bideford new year clean-up

TORRIDGE District Council leader James Morrish chose Bideford s early-morning New Year clean-up to launch an initiative which will see him experiencing a range of front-line roles with council workers over the next few months. He joined the Torridge stree

TORRIDGE District Council leader James Morrish chose Bideford's early-morning New Year clean-up to launch an initiative which will see him experiencing a range of front-line roles with council workers over the next few months.

He joined the Torridge street cleansing team at 6.30am to help with the morning-after clean-up following Bideford's world-famous New Year's Eve celebrations, which again drew thousands of revellers into the town.

Councillor Morrish and the Grimebusters team set to work early so that by the time most people were up the following morning, the town's streets had been swept clean and litter-free.

He said: "I really believe we have a fantastic team here at Torridge who keep our streets looking as clean as possible. These guys are our unsung heroes. Many people will have already seen the Torridge Grimebuster initiative, which was introduced to improve the quality, standard and response to street cleaning issues across the district. Due to the huge support that the initial pilot received from local residents, businesses and both town and parish councils, this is now a permanent feature within the Torridge Cleansing team."

Cllr Morrish added: "I don't ask anyone to do anything I would not do myself. There is a danger that you can become a bit far removed, sitting in the council chambers. So I am planning to follow this up next month with a day on the telephones alongside the benefits and housing department workers and will then be looking at the licensing and environmental teams to help me understand what these staff members have to deal with.