Throughout my summer recess, I have enjoyed visiting the rural areas of the Workington constituency as part of my 2021 Summer Surgery Tour. Over the course of four weeks I visited Gilcrux, Port Carlisle, Broughton Moor and many other villages across the constituency. I am very grateful that constituents took the time to meet with me and discuss the matters that were important to them.
As I travelled around the Workington constituency, issues including dog fouling, litter and poorly maintained hedgerows were often raised. I noticed an abundance of weeds on pavements, roadside verges and around our public buildings and our roads, especially the rural roads, are visibly poorly maintained.
Along with most of my constituents, I want the Workington constituency to become a beacon for innovation, tourism, and industry. In order to become this, we must ensure that our environment and communities are properly looked after, that our landscape is welcoming, and the ‘small’ issues do not continue to be overlooked. Little improvements make a big difference to the appearance of an area and to the impression that visitors and residents have of their surroundings.
There are many fantastic volunteers and groups that work hard to keep our community clean. The Workington Nature Partnership are often creating wildlife havens and green spaces and I was pleased to see some well-maintained villages, with mowed greens, flowers in full bloom and clean signs.
I want to encourage constituents to get involved and take pride in their town or villages. This is why I am working with local authorities and Tivoli Services to keep the Workington constituency a welcoming and presentable place to live, work and visit.
Through the use of the Grot Spot ‘Report It’ page, I am calling on constituents to report any unkempt locations, areas prone to dog fouling or litter concerns, which will be registered and logged on the interactive map. Uploading a photo of the grot spot will give officers a better idea of the tools and the time needed to improve the area.
Once a grot spot has been reported, I will notify the council responsible or Tivoli Services. The grot spot will then be added to the interactive map as a red pin and will turn green once the area has been tidied.
Grot spot suggestions, based on common complaints from constituents, can be found on the ‘What’s a Grot Spot?’ page.
I look forward to working with constituents, local councils, and Tivoli to keep the constituency clean.
