#50 MILLION TO CRACK DOWN ON NEIGHBOURHOOD NUISANCES

24 Apr 2001 12:00 AM

A new #50 million street warden programme to crack down on neighbourhood nuisances such as litter, graffiti and dog mess, was announced today by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Building on Neighbourhood Warden schemes - already proving to make our towns and cities safer and better places to live - a pilot programme of street wardens will increase the range and number of places covered by the existing schemes.

More than 250,000 households are set to benefit from the new wardens. Local authorities will need to develop proposals for the schemes in their areas depending on their particular needs. They will need to deal with the kind of irritating problems which make our streets unsafe and unattractive.

In his speech quality of life issues at a Conference in Croydon today the Prime Minister also announced other measures to improve the quality of life for people across the country:

* #30 million to fund home zone projects in England, making residential streets into places for people, not just for traffic (see DETR press notice number 232);

* a new scheme of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) to help councils and local businesses work together to improve their local area (see DETR press notice number 234);

* new powers for local authorities to earmark money raised from specific fines - such as for illegal parking, litter and dog mess - and use it to pay for projects designed to improve local quality of life; and

* A new community Payback scheme introduced by the Youth Justice Board - young offenders will be involved in removing graffiti, clearing up litter, repairing vandalism and improving communal areas.

The Prime Minister said:

''Often the best way to improve an area is to raise the profile and presence of local public officials. Trusted members of the community with a role to look out for people and for their environment.

''That is why we have been developing local neighbourhood warden projects. These have proved very popular in making streets, villages and towns cleaner, safer and more attractive. Following the introduction of the Super Caretakers scheme in Hartlepool recorded crime fell by 35% over three years.

''Building on the success of these pilots, I can announce today that we are to triple the scale of our wardens programme. The programme, for which #50m will be made available, will cover a further 250,000 households in total.

''Let me reiterate that their role is to complement and not to substitute for the police. There is no question of them getting police powers but they will work in close co-operation with the police and the local Crime and Disorder Partnerships to prevent litter, vandalism, graffiti and other nuisances.

''Above all they will be local. A problem in one neighbourhood may not be an issue in the next. It is no good officials in Whitehall, or even the Town Hall, telling people what is needed in their street.''

Welcoming the announcement Local Government and Regions Minister Hilary Armstrong said:

''By tackling small but significant local issues we can make a massive difference to people''s quality of life. These new measures will together make our towns and cities better places to live in, delivering on the Urban White Paper''s commitment to a long-term strategy of improving the quality of life in all our town and cities.''

Home Office Minister Charles Clarke said:

''Wardens, providing a semi-official presence can make a positive contribution to improving the quality of life in communities. This is shown by the high demand for neighbourhood warden schemes. Initial feedback shows that wardens can go a long way to improve perceptions of an area and reduce fear of crime.

''Street wardens, run by local authorities, will be based on the experience with neighbourhood wardens and will give more emphasis to the environmental quality of the local area, helping to keep them free of nuisance such as litter and graffiti. Proposals for street wardens will be fully discussed with the police and I will expect street wardens to work very closely with them and with local authority services.''

Notes for Editors

1. The #13.5 million neighbourhood warden schemes was announced on 13 March 2000 (Home Office press notice 55/00). Fifty schemes amounting to #7.5 million were announced on 14 September 2000 (Home Office press notice 282.00). On 12 February 2001, 36 additional schemes worth #4.8 million were announced (DETR press notice 068).

2. For more information on Home Zones see DETR press notice number 232 and for press enquiries telephone: 0207 944 4654.

3. For more information on Business Improvement Districts see DETR press notice number 234, and for press enquiries telephone: 0207 944 4620.

4. Copies of the Prime Minister''s speech are available from the Press Office at Number 10 Downing Street.

5. For more information on the new community payback scheme, contact the Youth Justice Board Press Office on 020 7271 3075/3076/3014.

Press Enquiries: 020 7944 3042; out of hours: 020 7944 5925 / 5945; E-mail: press@detr.gov.uk Public Enquiries: 020 7944 3000 DETR website - http://www.detr.gov.uk