A taskforce is using good old-fashioned shoe leather to tackle disrepair and help ensure Worthing town centre remains spick and span.
As part of an ongoing programme to maintain the town's public spaces, and working in partnership with the Town Centre Initiative, officers from Worthing Borough Council are making regular checks on foot around the town to identify small signs of distress that can be quickly repaired.
Where the property affected is not owned by the Council, the officers will contact the business, organisation or individuals involved and work with them to spruce up areas. In recent months, this has included:
- Replacing loose paving and railings
- The removal of graffiti
- Upgrading signage
On their last visit, officers and members from Worthing Borough Council identified a number of actions needed, including:
- Replacing faded bus stop signs
- Railings in need of painting
- Repairing broken seafront planters
- Cleaning graffiti from Gull Island playground
- Repairing benches in Montague Street
- Jet-washing needed for a paint spill on the promenade
- Updating old maps and information signs
The team will now report back to have the Council-maintained areas repaired, and will work with third parties, including shop owners in the town centre and West Sussex County Council, to report the rest.
Worthing Borough Council's Executive Member for Regeneration, Cllr Nicola Waight, said:
“The Council works tirelessly to ensure that our public spaces are clean and attractive for residents and visitors alike. But sometimes you can't beat just walking around and observing things with fresh eyes, especially issues that could easily be missed while we carry out a busy maintenance programme.
“Prioritising small-scale repairs are just as important as the larger programmes of work to enhance our town centre. And by tackling small issues quickly we can prevent them becoming bigger and creating an air of shabbiness.
“By working in partnership with shop owners and property landlords we can all do our bit to make this town a lovely, tidy place to live in.”
The officers will conduct their tours on a regular basis and will report back to the public on the repair work that has been carried out. Local residents and businesses can also report problems via the council's website:
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