Peterborough City Council is set to spend nearly £2 million on new street cleaners and lawnmowers in a bid to make the city centre more attractive, it has been revealed.

The authority’s cabinet is to be asked to approve a £1.8 million spend on compact sweepers, self-propelled mowers, a selection of vans and tippers and plant trailers and motorised hand tools.

The council say the spend is needed as much of the current fleet is at – or approaching – the end of its life.

Councillors will be told the spend will be ‘funded by borrowing.’

The council is looking at spending nearly £2m on new vehicles and tools

placeholder image — The council is looking at spending nearly £2m on new vehicles and tools

The cabinet will discuss the spend at their meeting on Thursday (October 1).

A report to the cabinet says: “The proposed replacement programme will ensure frontline teams have modern, reliable and fit-for-purpose assets to maintain clean, attractive and well-managed public spaces for residents, visitors and businesses.

“A significant proportion of the Council’s Street Scene fleet and associated operational equipment has reached, or is approaching, the end of its economic and operational life. Replacing these assets now will reduce the risk of breakdowns and service disruption, improve operational reliability, support better fuel and energy efficiency, and help lower whole-life operating costs through reduced maintenance requirements.”

The report says an option to lease, rather than buy, the new vehicles had been considered – but this would be more expensive than buying them outright.

The implications of Local Government Re-organisation – which could see the way local authorities including Peterborough are run – have also been considered, councillors have been told.

The shopping list for the council includes:

19 Long Reach Hedge Trimmers

17 Brushcutter/strimmers

7 Ride On Mowers

5 Compact street sweepers

5 Compact panel vans

4 Short-reach hedge trimmers

4 Wide-area rotary mowers

2 3.5-tonne caged tippers

2 Panel vans

2 Compact vans

1 Tractor-mounted side-arm flail