£1.85 million plan to clean up our streets and restore pride in Newcastle-under-Lyme

A major new programme called Operation TLC aims to restore pride in neighbourhoods across the Borough, with cleaner streets, better maintained public spaces and practical improvements that residents can see for themselves.

The proposals, being considered by Cabinet on 20 October, will deliver on a key promise in the Council’s new 2026–2030 Council Plan, Building a Better Borough: putting local people first, getting the basics right and restoring pride in the places people call home.

Building on the existing Civic Pride programme, Operation TLC would bring together dedicated Council investment, monthly community clean-ups, local businesses, volunteers and residents to improve neighbourhoods across Newcastle-under-Lyme.

From repairing damaged street signs and repainting railings to cleaning benches, tackling graffiti, maintaining public spaces and improving gateways into the Borough, the focus will be on visible improvements that make a genuine difference to everyday life.

Council Leader Jonathan Gullis said:

We promised to get back to basics and put local people first. Residents are rightly fed up with broken street signs, weeds, graffiti, litter and public spaces that look tired and neglected. These might seem like little things, but they matter enormously to people’s pride in where they live.

 

People work hard, pay their Council Tax and deserve a Council that works just as hard for them. Operation TLC is about putting £1.85 million of planned investment behind that promise and delivering improvements residents can actually see.

 

We have already backed major investment in our parks and green spaces, including Lyme Valley Park and Chesterton Park. Now we want to take that ambition into every street, estate, town and village across our Borough.

 

Pride in our Borough isn’t just a slogan. It starts at the end of your street, and we are determined to bring it back.”

Operation TLC is built around a simple principle: the Council must do its job, but everyone has a responsibility to look after the places we share. A monthly Big Borough Clean Up would be organised and led by Borough Councillors, giving residents regular opportunities to come together and improve their communities.

Councillors will also be encouraged to dedicate half of their £2,500 Community Fund towards ward improvements, from new bins and refurbished planters to cleaner bus stops and repaired street signs. Businesses will be encouraged to keep their premises and surrounding areas tidy, dispose of waste responsibly and support community clean-ups.

Cllr. Andrew Fisher, Cabinet member for Residents’ Services and Neighbourhoods, said:

Strong communities aren’t built by the Council alone. They are built by good neighbours, local businesses, volunteers and residents who care about where they live.

 

We already have fantastic people giving up their time to make their neighbourhoods better. Our job is to back them, remove barriers and help more people get involved.

 

The Council will invest and deliver the services people expect, but we all have a responsibility to respect our neighbours and look after our communities. That sense of shared responsibility is how we build stronger neighbourhoods and restore the community pride that makes our Borough special.”

Operation TLC will also support tougher action against those who spoil neighbourhoods through littering, fly-tipping and neglect.

Around 100 fly-tipping incidents are reported across the Borough every month, costing approximately £65,000 a year to clear up. The Council will continue to use its enforcement powers against offenders and explore working with the Ministry of Justice’s Community Payback scheme to help with litter removal, painting and maintenance.

Cllr. Ben Simpson, Cabinet member for Waste, Recycling and Green Spaces, added:

People shouldn’t have to put up with graffiti, fly-tipping, filthy street furniture or public spaces that have deteriorated.

 

We are putting the focus back on the everyday services residents expect, making better use of our Streetscene teams and Neighbourhood Rangers, and investing in getting things fixed. We will also press Staffordshire County Council to tackle weeds and neglected highways under its responsibility.

 

And our message to those who dump rubbish, litter and damage our communities is clear: we will hold you accountable. Residents who take pride in their neighbourhoods deserve our backing, not to have their hard work undone by a selfish minority.”

Cabinet will be asked to approve a £1.85 million funding package, comprising £1.6 million of capital investment and £250,000 to support staffing and smaller works. This includes £350,000 of capital funding in 2026/27, incorporating existing allocations, followed by £250,000 annually until 2031/32. A further £50,000 a year for five years would support the running of Operation TLC.

Residents will be encouraged to report problems through the Council's online Report It service, helping identify where action is needed.

Cllr. Gullis added:

Our Council Plan is about building a better Borough, where local people come first, neighbourhoods are clean and safe, and taxpayers’ money is spent on things that actually matter.

 

We are not interested in grand promises that residents never see delivered. We want action on the ground and improvements people can see for themselves.

 

Operation TLC is another step towards delivering that ambition.”