Harrogate is set to receive specialist equipment to tackle persistent chewing-gum litter after North Yorkshire Council secured the maximum grant from the national Chewing Gum Task Force for the third year running.
Targeting hotspots and recurring problem areas
The council has been awarded £27,500 by the scheme, which was established by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and is delivered by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. The funding will be used to identify and treat gum-litter hotspots in Harrogate alongside other towns such as Skipton, and to expand the authority’s existing street-cleaning work.
Councillors said the grant will allow investment in machinery capable of removing ingrained deposits and support behaviour-change measures designed to reduce gum being dropped in the first place. North Yorkshire’s executive member for managing the environment, Councillor Richard Foster, described the award as recognition of the local teams’ work.
“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,” Coun Foster said. “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.”
National context and the task force’s record
The Chewing Gum Task Force grant scheme supports councils across the UK that aim to reduce gum litter through direct cleaning and prevention programmes. According to figures from the scheme, over the past four years grants totalling £6.46 million have funded the cleaning of more than 4.15 million square metres of pavement, with reductions in gum littering of up to 86% reported in areas receiving support.
North Yorkshire Council is one of 50 local authorities to have successfully applied for the current round. The money will be channelled towards equipment and targeted operations rather than general revenues, with an emphasis on high-footfall locations where gum spoilage is most visible and costly to address.
What residents and businesses can expect
Harrogate town centre and other busy streets will see intensified cleaning cycles and the deployment of specialist machinery capable of dealing with stubborn deposits. The council has previously used similar grant funding to purchase and operate gum-removal kit that combines mechanical and chemical cleaning processes suitable for pavements and pedestrian precincts.
- Grant amount: £27,500 (maximum available)
- Delivered by: Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of DEFRA
- Local focus: Harrogate and other identified hotspots such as Skipton
For businesses and town-centre retailers, cleaner pavements may help enhance the visitor experience and deliver small but visible benefits to street-level trade. Council officers say the programme also seeks to change public behaviour, since removal work is expensive and repeat cleaning puts pressure on local street-cleaning budgets.
Long-term aims and limitations
While the grant will fund targeted activity this year, the council and the task force stress that lasting improvements depend on ongoing maintenance and public cooperation. The 86% reduction figure cited by the task force applies to some funded locations nationally but does not guarantee the same result in every town; outcomes vary according to local footfall, existing street surfaces and how quickly new deposits recur.
North Yorkshire Council’s announcement makes clear the intention to use this latest award to extend the scope of previous clean-ups. Residents who wish to report persistent gum littering or suggest priority locations are usually invited to contact the council’s street-scene teams so efforts can be directed where they are needed most.
