Sweeping changes could be made to the way the borough's streets are cleaned with regular scheduled cleaning being scrapped to save money.

Bolton Council has put forward plans which it says will make street cleaning 'more flexible and efficient' with reduced costs helping the local authority to reach the required budget savings off £37.2M.

Bin rounds will not be affected under the plans.

Currently, some of the council’s street cleaning teams are allocated to district centres and work to a set schedule.

Under the proposed new set-up, this will change so that staff can respond to where the need is greatest - anywhere in the borough.

This is because every department is required to contribute to total budget savings of £37.2m for the period 2021-2023.

The changes will reduce the cost of street cleaning by £270,000 per year off the Waste and Neighbourhood Services team

Now the council wants residents and businesses to share their views on proposed changes.

Enforcement against littering in town centres and communities would also continue unchanged, while street cleaning for the town’s big events, such as the Food and Drink Festival, would go ahead as normal.

The number of litter bins in town centres and on main roads would also stay the same.

And if the proposals go ahead, it may take slightly longer to clean town centres, although this would still be done in the mornings.

The consultation runs until 02 December.

Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Environmental Services, councillor Nadim Muslim, said: “We all want to live, work and shop on streets that are clean and safe, which is why street cleaning is one of the most important services that the council provides across the whole of Bolton.

“We are looking to introduce flexible new ways of working that will keep our streets clean, meaning we can target areas with the most need but still focus on the usual areas.

“Our administration has invested £1.5m into creating a cleaner and greener Bolton and while this new flexible model will allow us to make savings, it won’t be at the detriment of our goal of creating a clean and healthy place to live.

“I encourage people across Bolton to take part in our consultation, knowing that their views will be considered alongside other information to help the council decide whether to go ahead with the proposal or not.”

To take part in the public consultation and find more information, visit the consultation page of the Bolton Council website.