COUNTY COUNCIL STOPS FUNDING FOR PARISH WARDENS (21/10/03)

Somerset County Council has admitted that it will no longer be supporting the very successful Parish and Neighbourhood Warden schemes when the current funding arrangements come to an end.

Cllr Alan Gloak, Portfolio Holder for Community Regeneration and Economic Development made this clear at a meeting for representatives of Parish Councils in County Hall last week and the news was met with much disappointment.

Cllr Christopher Wolverson, Conservative Leader on the County Council said, 'To reduce crime we must have more police officers on the beat.Government will not fund this.Therefore, it is vital to have Parish and Neighbourhood Wardens.In other areas of the country, councils are looking to employ more wardens, rather than get rid of them.

'Somerset County Council recently announced that Community Safety is being tackled head-on.It is signed up to Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategies across the County.The Council has a legal duty to do all it can to reduce crime and disorder in Somerset.And yet funding for effective Parish and Neighbourhood Wardens is being cut.Once again we see the ruling Liberal Democrats saying one thing and doing another.'

The news was also met with great disappointment in the Deane Council. Cllr Joanna Lewin-Harris said:I cannot understand County Council thinking.The Parish and Neighbourhood Warden schemes have been so successful.In the areas where they operate, crime figures are down and residents have told us how much they value the wardens and that they want the schemes to continue.The wardens have built up excellent relations within their local communities and have been involved in innovative work with young people.The police have also made it clear that they value the work the wardens do very much.

In a recent public consultation, residents told us that one of Taunton Deane’s top priorities should be to tackle anti-social behaviour and the Neighbourhood and Parish Wardens have a major role to play in this.The Deane Council is committed to working with the Police to find a way to ensure the services of the Neighbourhood and Parish wardens are not lost to the communities that value them so much.I find it hard to believe that the County Council have chosen to opt out.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The 1998 Crime and Disorder Act requires the preparation of a Crime and

Disorder Reduction Strategy for each District Council area in Somerset.