Peterborough City Council pledges to address litter problem, parking and housing in city centre.

Residents from Russell Street and nearby roads met with MP Paul Bristow to highlight their concerns about littering, car parking and housing in the area.

It prompted the MP for Peterborough to write a letter calling upon the council to take action and address the litter problem, lack of car parking for residents and look into claims of undeclared homes of multiple occupancy.

A council spokesperson said: “I can confirm that we currently litter pick Russell Street three times per week including emptying the bins.

“In the past the car park was not included this has now been added and will be cleansed each week on a Wednesday.

“We have in the past tried to attend with the grounds team to clear the vegetation, but the 26 cars parked in the car park made it inaccessible. We will arrange to attend this again and will put notices up at the car park to advise two weeks in advance of when we will be attending.

“In regards to car parking in the area- will the council consider using the Bright Street car park for residents’ permit parking?

“The number of permits stated also includes visitor permits. We will investigate the issues raised around parking permits and see if some of the suggestions are feasible.

“From a housing perspective we are aware of five HMOs that are licensed in Russell Street and 63 properties that are privately rented as single-family homes.

“In the past year we have received only one complaint, that related to four adjacent properties potentially being HMOs. This complaint was received in September 21 and investigated. None of the properties were found to be HMOs.

“If there are concerns about any properties that may be unlicensed in the street please ask people to email [email protected] to pass on the details and we will investigate without delay.”

MP for Peterborough, Paul Bristow was ‘very pleased’ at the council’s response.

He said:“I am very pleased the council has listened to me and to local residents. “They do need to focus on these quality of life issues in places like Russell Street. Litter, overgrown vegetation and car parking.

“I know there are other parts of the city that need the same attention. I will not give up in highlighting these places. We cannot ignore these issues that can have a profound impact on local people, day-to-day.

“Peterborough has a really exciting future. A new university, city centre regeneration, and new police pounding the streets. But we have to take every neighbourhood with us to make this a reality. This is all part of my plan to make sure no part of my city is left behind.”