City of Doncaster Council and Partners Join Forces for Dedicated Week of Action in Hexthorpe

Over the course of seven busy days, various teams and community members came together to engage with residents from across the neighbourhood, to address the key issues that these locals raised, and to see what further support could be offered to them.

Hexthorpe, along with every other area of our city, receives significant attention from partners all year round. However, this dedicated week of action — which took place in August — allowed the relevant agencies to really concentrate on improving conditions throughout the neighbourhood and addressing some of its most pressing concerns.

Among others, colleagues from South Yorkshire Police, the Hexthorpe Community Interest Company, the voluntary and health sectors, and City of Doncaster Council all had boots of the ground, with their respective teams covering everywhere from Abbott Street to Ellerker Avenue and Crimpsall Road. The overall goal here was to collaborate with the neighbourhood’s residents on tackling their top priorities, and to generally inspire them to help look after their own community.

From an environmental perspective, this involved thorough cleaning of the streets by council teams, as well as the removal of identified graffiti in the area, the collection of 70 bags of litter, the removal of almost seven tons of waste, and five reports of fly-tipping being investigated. Also pitching in with this effort to spruce up the neighbourhood was a group of over 20 local adults and children. These amazing residents — who often participate in monthly litter picks around the Hexthorpe area — gathered together for a special Star Wars themed volunteering day during the August week of action, where they managed to fill twelve bags of litter and got to meet up with some iconic characters from a galaxy far, far away. 

Licencing and property inspections were also carried out, alongside joint patrols by both City of Doncaster Council and South Yorkshire Police. When it came to the latter, the emphasis was very much about cracking down on any breaches of the local Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), executing warrants, and performing arrests linked to ongoing investigations in the neighbourhood.

As for engaging with the community itself, there was a great deal of activity taking place throughout the whole week. A number of home visits were undertaken — offering individualised support for residents and families — while opportunities for wider engagement with Team Hexthorpe officers were available at various meetings, pop-ups and drop-in sessions. Across each of these forums, members of the public had the chance to speak candidly with the relevant organisations, raise any concerns and highlight where there are opportunities to make a real difference in Hexthorpe.   

Reflecting on all that was achieved during this eventful week of action, Councillor Glyn Jones, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Environment, Housing and Safer Communities at City of Doncaster Council, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who took part in this collective effort, from our teams at the council right through to the police and all the fantastic volunteers that got involved over the week. We did some truly amazing work here.

“While I believe we were able to make the neighbourhood cleaner, safer and more welcoming as a result of our joint activity, we do also need local residents to help us keep it that way by taking pride in their environment. With that in mind, we kindly ask that, wherever you are in Doncaster, you always make sure to put your litter in the bin and tidy up after yourselves, that you know the rules about how to properly dispose of any waste, and that you make us aware of any safety issues that might arise. By working together in this way, we can make Hexthorpe the best it can possibly be.”

Doncaster Central NPT Inspector, Lisa Bird, added: “Protecting our communities and keeping people safe is at the heart of what we do as a neighbourhood policing team.

“Every day our officers are carrying out patrols and engaging with members of the public in your local area and this coordinated week of action in Hexthorpe allowed us to emphasise the strength of partnership working and to understand more about some of the issues you are facing.

“Whatever concerns you have, we want to keep hearing from you, especially when we are out in the community. So, if you see our officers, please have a chat with them and get to know your local policing team as we are here to serve and to help.”

Members of the public, whether they are based in Hexthorpe or elsewhere across Doncaster, can help keep their neighbourhood safe by letting the council and police know about any incidents of antisocial behaviour or crime they encounter. Upon them doing so, these issues can then be documented and dealt with by the relevant organisation.

Residents can easily file said reports by heading to https://www.yourlifedoncaster.co.uk/report-it. Alternatively, they can call the police on the non-emergency 101 number or City of Doncaster Council on 01302 736000. Remember, if a crime is in progress, or a life is at risk, always call 999.

For more information on how to properly dispose of waste, including information on what items go in which bin and the corresponding collection days, visit City of Doncaster Council’s website.