New 'Chewing Gum Task Force' to tackle Harrogate's stickiest and most annoying problem

Busy streets in Harrogate may finally be rid of nasty chewing gum for good after new funding for specialist equipment was announced by North Yorkshire Council.

For the third year running, North Yorkshire Council has received the maximum amount of £27,500 from the Government’s national Chewing Gum Task Force.

The funding was set up to clean gum off pavements and prevent it from being littered in the first place.

Hotspot areas in Skipton, \as well as Harrogate, will be identified in a bid to support the council’s aim of providing a clean, environmentally sustainable, and attractive place to live, work and visit.

Specialist equipment is to be used in Harrogate town to remove chewing gum from the streets. (Picture contributed)

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for managing our environment, Coun Richard Foster, said: “It is testament to the hard work of our waste and street scene teams that they have secured the maximum amount of funding for the third year running.

“The money has already been put to great use in other towns across the county, with new equipment being used to rid the streets of chewing gum.

“Although most people dispose of their gum responsibly, it continues to spoil the appearance of high footfall areas.

“This additional funding will be used to expand our efforts and invest in more specialist equipment which can remove even the most stubborn gum.

“We are committed to keeping our town centres clean and welcoming.”

The Chewing Gum Task Force grant scheme was established by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and is run by environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy.

It is open to councils across the UK which aim to clean up gum and invest in behaviour change to prevent gum from being dropped in the first place.

North Yorkshire Council is one of 50 local authorities to have successfully applied for the funding.

In the past four years, the Task Force has awarded grants worth £6.46 million, which has funded the cleaning of more than 4.15 million square metres of pavements, and reduced gum littering of up to 86 per cent in funded areas.