Mayor among councillors training to operate Newtown pavement sweeper

Newtown’s mayor is among four councillors set to train as pavement-sweeper drivers next week.

Cllr Margaret Lewington has volunteered alongside councillors Pete Lewington, Daniel Spilsbury and Darryl Gwilt to operate Powys County Council’s machine as part of the town council's plan to make Newtown cleaner.

Training is booked for Tuesday, 27 October, following months of delays.

The initiative dates back to November 2024, when Newtown Town Council agreed to fund extra street and pavement cleaning.

The pavement sweeper returned from repairs in March, but officers struggled to arrange a training date suitable for the volunteer councillors. The council’s workplan lists the training cost as £650.

Cllr Gwilt was approved as an operator in September, joining the three councillors previously authorised to use the machine.

The volunteer-run pavement cleaning is separate from plans to pay Powys County Council for additional road sweeps.

The town council has requested one extra road sweep per ward each year and set aside £27,400, comprising £13,400 carried forward from an earlier allocation and £14,000 for the current financial year.

The latest report says a quotation has now been received from Powys within that budget.

At September’s meeting, Town Clerk Ed Humphreys was still awaiting confirmation of exact costs despite contacting senior highways staff and the local depot manager, according to draft minutes.

He had also considered using a private contractor, although that would be likely to require permission from the county council’s highways department.

The additional cleaning plans sit alongside the council’s Tidy Newtown initiative, which brings volunteers together for litter picks across the town’s neighbourhoods and public spaces.

No date has yet been given in the papers for the councillors’ first pavement-sweeping session or the additional road sweeps. The latest quotation’s value has also not been disclosed.

Councillors will receive the update at their meeting on Monday, 26 October.