How to Help

Lobby the Council

 You could try to find out who in your local council is responsible for streets and roads and talk or write to them directly. However, one of the problems is that responsibility is often split between different departments with no-one taking over-all charge.

So it might be better to lobby your local councillor and get him or her to put pressure on the council officers to improve. To find out who they are, look at your local authority's website which you can find by going to http://www.direct.gov.uk or http://www.upmystreet.com.

In early 2005, English Heritage will be sending Streets for All manuals to the highways staff in all local authorities.  These will contain advice specific to your region, demonstrating the rich variety of street design traditions in your area and the benefits of removing clutter. Ask how they intend to implement this guidance, which has Department for Transport support, in your area?

Copies of the regional Streets for All manuals will be made available on the website as they are published.

Street Audits

 Download a street audit form here and count the clutter near you. You could audit the street or road where you live, or your local high street for example. Send the completed form to your local councillor.

The more street audits councillors receive, the more they will be aware of the scale of the problem and of public concern. If you belong to a local group of any kind you might want to photocopy the form and get everyone to do it. If each member of the group audits a different street you will be able to see which is the best and worst street in your area.

Members of the Women's Institute, our official Save Our Streets campaign partners, will be doing street audits, and we aim to encourage Scouts and other youth and education groups to take part. But anyone can do a street audit.

Press

 Help raise public awareness and make this an issue your council cannot ignore by getting coverage in local newspapers and on local radio and television. Help us extend the reach of our national press campaign by taking photos of bad street clutter near you and sending them to your local press. You could send them a copy of our press release and suggest they contact the English Heritage Press Office for more information on 020 7973 3250.

Local press will also be interested in the results of any street audits, particularly if you have come up with a "best" and "worst".

Celebrity Endorsement

Bill Bryson is our national campaign champion as he is passionate about the state of England's streets. Do you have a local celebrity who might also be willing to be quoted by the press in support of better streets?

Spread the Word

English Heritage has produced a Save Our Streets CD-Rom which is in the form of an illustrated talk by Philip Davies, Director of the Save Our Streets campaign. If you would like a copy to show to a local group, please contact English Heritage Customer Services on 0870 3331181.

Other Organisations

Fortunately English Heritage is not alone in wanting to improve England's streets. These organisations, some of which have local branches, are doing their own work to highlight the problem and would be glad of your support.

Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE),
020 7981 2800
email: info@cpre.org.uk
www.cpre.org.uk
CPRE campaigns to protect the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of the countryside. It's Clutter Challenge campaign aims to reduce the creeping urbanisation of the countryside from excessive signage, road markings and other street clutter.

Civic Trust
0207 539 7900
email: info@civictrust.org.uk
www.civictrust.org.uk

Living Streets
0207 820 1010
email: info@livingstreets.org.uk
www.livingstreets.org.uk

Transport 2000
0207 613 0743 ext - 124
email: juliat@transport2000.org.uk
www.transport2000.org.uk

For more information
If you would like more information on English Heritage's Save Our Streets campaign email us at saveourstreets@english-heritage.org.uk. Or call English Heritage Customer Services on 0870 3331181.