Braintree District Council has announced a further increase in its investment into Pride in Place work for 12 months from October 2026.
Braintree District Council has announced a further increase in its investment into Pride in Place work for 12 months from October 2026, increasing the resource dedicated to place improvement activity across the district.
As part of the budget for 2026/27, the Council invested £100,000 into the Pride in Place work, led by the Operations team, creating a dedicated resource to undertake a range of minor maintenance and place improvement activities, to complement the existing Street Scene functions.
At Full Council last night (30 September), it was announced the Council would be investing a further £100,000 to increase the resource available to undertake Pride in Place work and extend its Pride in Neighbourhood Days across the autumn and winter period.
The Council plans for the programme of works to include:
• Cutting back overgrown vegetation
• Removing weeds from highway kerb lines
• Cleaning street signs
• Supporting winter maintenance activities, including localised gritting where appropriate
• Minor footpath repairs and minor repairs to street furniture
• Painting street furniture and other approved public realm assets
• Clearing accident debris
• Supporting community groups with local tidiness, planting, litter-picking and cleaning activities
Pride in Neighbourhood days have also been extended by six months, until March 2027. These events are led by Braintree District Council and involve a number of different partners, going out to different areas of the district, working with community groups and residents to identify issues that can be tackled quickly, provide advice and guidance and support the most vulnerable in our communities.
The events undertake a range of activities in each area and provide advice on topics such as waste recycling and collection services, littering and environmental concerns, housing advice and domestic abuse support services.
Since their launch in April 2026, these monthly outreach events have received excellent feedback from the community, and strong engagement from partners, such as the NHS and Essex Police.
Councillor Peter Schwier, Cabinet Member for Operations and Pride in Place, said: “We are incredibly fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the world, and our communities tell us regularly how much that they value their surrounding environment. By increasing our investment in Pride in Place work, we will be able to do more minor maintenance and place improvement activities that sit outside of our core functions but are so important to our communities.”
The next Pride in Neighbourhood event will take place on 26 October in Braintree and the surrounding area.