Residents and visitors to Scarborough have been urged to play their part as a scheme to boost civic pride and revitalise run-down areas of the town gathers pace.

We have teamed up with local communities and partner organisations for a significant programme of improvement work in the popular seaside resort.

And with almost 30 community clean-up and litter-picking events planned this summer and equipment available for anyone keen to organise their own, there are lots of ways for you to get involved in looking after the environment.

A campaign highlighting these improvements and encouraging people to help keep Scarborough tidy will run throughout the summer, with a number of litter-picking events planned which have been organised by our partners, including Keep Scarborough Tidy and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

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The initiative follows confirmation from the government that the Scarborough area will receive almost £20 million as part of a national programme of investment in towns.

Previously known as the Long-Term Plan for Towns, it has been rebranded as the Plan for Neighbourhoods with an expanded remit to improve health and wellbeing along with work, productivity and skills.

We carried out a consultation process called ‘Let’s Talk Scarborough’ to identify people’s priorities. More than 60 per cent of respondents thought there was a need for a town centre that looked better, felt safer, and was more welcoming, with tidier shopfronts and well-maintained public spaces.

As a result, we allocated money to ensure progress is made in the interim period before proposals under the Plan for Neighbourhoods take shape.

In addition to work routinely carried out in the resort, we have allocated over £200,000 to revitalise parts of the town through a range of improvements, including:

• investment in state-of-the-art cleaning equipment to tackle problem areas more effectively
• support for community-led activities and initiatives
• brightening spaces with vibrant flower and shrub planting
• provision of a town centre caretaker
• commissioning a large-scale mural to celebrate Scarborough’s identity and create a new town centre landmark
• improving shopfronts and bringing empty units back into use
• installing new litter bins and benches and refreshing existing street furniture

Work is also underway on developing a new town centre design guide to help ensure building improvements and the wider public realm reflect the town’s character.

The aim is to support high-quality changes that fit in with the town’s look and feel, especially in areas with historic significance.

North Yorkshire’s visitor economy is worth more than £4 billion a year, with Scarborough responsible for about £561 million, much of which is generated by the 3.8 million visitors to the town.

Our chief executive, Richard Flinton, said: “Scarborough holds a significant place in the history of North Yorkshire and continues to be a focal point both culturally and economically today.

“We do however understand that improvements to certain areas of the town are necessary and, after listening to the views of people who took part in the recent consultation process, we are acting accordingly.

“Over the coming weeks and months people will see a series of developments taking place across the resort that demonstrate our commitment to the area.

“However, as a council, we can only do so much and that’s why we need the support of everyone in the town to ensure these improvements are not just for the short-term, but last long into the future.”

Our staff, partner organisations, businesses and more than 70 volunteers joined forces for two days of community action in March to help give the town centre a major spring clean.

Alongside members of community organisations, people joined in a litter-pick across several town centre locations, while others gathered at West Square, Alma Square and Albemarle Crescent.

Together, they tidied up 500 square metres of green space by weeding, pruning and planting flowers, gave 745 metres of railings a fresh coat of paint and collected 20 bags of litter with the help of Keep Scarborough Tidy and North Yorkshire Police Cadets.

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In addition to routine cleaning, our staff have also been removing graffiti and chewing gum and have jet washed 1,450 metres of pedestrianised areas and pavements throughout the town centre.

An additional 15 bins have also been installed in problem areas, as well as two new benches with maintenance carried out to 18 others.

The long-term initiative includes more than 30 projects. From eye-catching murals to grants for shop front improvements, the programme will deliver real, visible change.

Included will be new lighting and signage throughout key streets and squares, measures to manage seagull activity and the introduction of new children’s play equipment to transform underused spaces.

In addition, we are also trialling a new hi-tech street cleaning machine which it is hoped will be in use by July.

The voluntary chair of Keep Scarborough Tidy, Mick Couzens, said: “Keep Scarborough Tidy was set up in 2021 to help ensure the town remained a wonderful place to live and visit and we are delighted to be able to play our part in this campaign.

“By working together, we can make a really positive difference and give the town the attention it really deserves.

“We will all benefit from these improvements and hopefully we can educate people along the way, so our job becomes a little easier.”

North Yorkshire Police’s operations commander for neighbourhood policing, Chief Inspector Lucy McNeill, said the force was fully behind the scheme.

She said: “We care deeply for the communities we are proud to serve and were delighted to play our part in the Big Spring Clean alongside our partner agencies and volunteers.

“Partnership working is essential, particularly in times now where agencies don’t have the money to do everything themselves. We must come together to really help improve things.

“The feel of a town has a massive impact on how safe people feel within it. The more we can do to improve the town centre and the surrounding areas it just gives people that much more pride on where they're living and visiting.

“We fully support the wider initiative and the local policing teams will continue to work hard to keep people safe and secure.”

For more information, including how to join or organise a local community clean up event, visit our Investing in Scarborough page.