Shrewsbury town centre businesses have praised Shrewsbury Town Council for the visible improvement in the cleanliness and appearance of Shrewsbury town centre since it took over street cleaning in April.  

Shrewsbury BID represents more than 500 businesses across the town centre. It says members have consistently reported cleaner streets, better-maintained bins and quicker responses when problems arise. 

The Town Council took on the service as part of Shropshire Council’s street scene devolution pilot. From 1 April 2026, Shrewsbury was one of four towns to begin operating new models for delivering these services, and it is the largest and most comprehensive of the pilots. 

Businesses have particularly noticed the team’s willingness to go further than the service strictly requires, out of pride in the town – for example, by giving shuts and passages outside their remit a ‘going over’ for the sake of the pedestrians who use them.  

The Town Council prepared extensively for the handover, recruiting a nine-strong street cleaning team, with two members transferring from Shropshire Council’s contractor. The Town Council also leased two sweepers: a 15-tonne sweeper covers road surfaces, and a 3.5-tonne sweeper reaches footpaths, shuts, passages and other harder-to-access areas. Between them, they cover more than 600 miles of streets. In June, residents voted to name the sweepers Sweep Caroline and Optimus Grime, and local firm Sign and Poster produced and installed the vehicles’ new livery. 

As part of its preparations to take on the contract, the Town Council partnered with Shrewsbury Men’s Shed to repair damaged bins and benches in the town centre and to develop a replacement programme for those beyond repair. In 2025, Shed members refurbished benches now installed in The Square, funded by the Town Council, Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury BID, and began a rolling programme of restoring litter bins, which the Town Council expects to save thousands of pounds compared with buying new. 

Paul Carvell, co-owner of Mystique – formerly Carvell on the Square – commented: “As high-end shop owners , customers and visitors alike to Mystique and Carvell on the Square have commented to us on the visible improvements to street cleanliness and general maintenance in recent months, and the feel-good impression it creates. It makes you proud to be part of the town and the business community.” 
 
Local resident Fiona contacted Shrewsbury BID to share her positive feedback on the cleanliness of the town since the takeover. “It’s lovely to see people out and about working to keep the town clean and sparkling, and to see real trouble being taken to maintain things. While there’s always going to be more work to do, there’s been a vast improvement in the way the town looks – it’s made me feel proud of where I live again.” 

Shropshire Council continues to face significant financial pressures. Against that backdrop, businesses say it has been heartening to see partners across the town stepping up to support and enhance Shrewsbury where they can. 

Members of the public can report street cleaning issues to Shrewsbury Town Council via their website (https://www.shrewsburytowncouncil.gov.uk/contact-us/report-an-issue/) or by emailing [email protected].