MORE than £36,000 will be spent on cleaning up high streets across York this month.

The Government announced plans to hand out £9.75 million to councils to tidy up town centres.

And £27,300 will go to York BID to clear up the city centre, while Friends of Acomb Green will get £4,500 for a community clean up day and Acomb Alive will receive £1,200 to improve street furniture such as benches.

The Government has asked for a report on the results of the funding and the rest of the money will be spent on preparing this.

Neil Ferris, director of economy at City of York Council, said: “This is a very welcome pot of money designated by the government for councils to support volunteers to enhance high streets and shopping areas right across the city.

“After consulting with local partners, we are allocating the money to the BID, Friends of Acomb Green and Acomb Alive who we expect will deliver the improvements before the end of May.”

The Government says the one-off funding will help provide training for residents on how to remove graffiti, tackle fly-tipping and organise tidying events as well as paying for equipment.

Under the scheme, Selby District Council has been given £15,406 of funding, East Riding of Yorkshire Council £59,262 and Ryedale District Council £9,521.

The funding was announced in anticipation of events The Great British Spring Clean and the National High Street Perfect Day, which aim to encourage people to be proud of where they live. The Government says this is a “challenging time for many retailers” and it is focused on helping high streets adapt and thrive in the future.