Forget the golden globes, Islington residents have awarded golden barrows to their top sweepers and rubbish crews. Rain or shine, over 2,500 miles of roads and pavements are swept each week by Islington's 200 strong team of cleaners. In addition, refuse crews collect and dispose of over 1100 tonnes of rubbish and the recycling crews collect 130 tonnes of materials for recycling on a weekly basis. Islington Council is constantly looking to raise the standard of street cleaning, which is why it is keen to reward those really making an effort. And the winners are: Sweeper of the Year 2004 1st Roy Jenner 2nd Michael Hanlon 3rd Osbourne Stewart Crew of the Year 2004 1st Russell Young, Stuart Cairns, Ted Jones, Terry Pereira 2nd Michael Jones, Danial Meehan, Matthew Keith, Paul McQueen 3rd Martin Gorman, Peter Stavrou, Terry Renton, Jason Bridgeman “Congratulations to our winners – this is the third year we have run this award and its great to see those doing a good job get rewarded. Residents rightly complain if these services are not up to standard, but we can take this service for granted. This is a great opportunity to thank the people who are doing an unpleasant job well. " said Cllr Bridget Fox, executive member for sustainability. Sweeper of the year Roy Jenner commented; “I have got to know the residents and businesses along my patch and want to do a good job for them. I try to keep my route as clean as I would want the road where I live to look like”. An independent MORI poll said year showed that 59% of residents are happy the council provided waste collection, street cleaning and recycling – one of the highest satisfaction rate in London. Max Wood, Managing Director of ICSL Accord said; “Satisfaction levels of the ICSL service is among the highest in London. Our guys are out there 24/7 doing a marvellous job and all crews, street sweepers and their managers deserve a big thank you”. The winning crew said; “We are all mates and take a real pride in the job we do. It’s not just emptying the bins but making sure we clean up any spillage. It was good to hear the judges say that they had seen a real improvement in the refuse collection. “ But the council also wants to encourage people who aren’t satisfied with the service they are getting to contact us, so we can ensure any problems are sorted out in future. The awards are part of Islington's "getting greener" campaign, designed to make the borough a safer, healthier and more attractive place to live. Islington council invested an extra £1milliom pounds this year to keep our borough's streets clean. This extra funding is helping to clean up grot spots and saw an investment in new mechanically enhanced street sweeping machines. Comments, compliments or complaints can be given to Contact Islington on 020 7527 2000 ENDS
Page Last Updated: 29 July 2008