| Deputy justice minister Hugh Henry confirmed that nearly £64 million will be made available for “local anti-social behaviour strategies’’ over the next two financial years, with Dundee getting the same cut as Edinburgh and North Lanarkshire and more than Aberdeen.
Dundee will get £2.21 million in 2006/07 and £2.347 million in 2007/08. Fife will get a total of £2.45 million over the two-year period, while both Perth and Kinross and Angus council areas have been allocated just short of £1 million for the same spell.
Local councils and their partners in schemes combating anti-social behaviour will be able to determine exactly where they target the cash, but the Executive expects the initiatives formed from the initial allocations of £67.5 million in the last two financial years to be “continued and strengthened’’.
These included community wardens, services for victims and witnesses, mediation services, specialised anti-social behaviour teams and local helplines.
The depute minister said the new funding was to back up the clear message sent by the Scottish Parliament when it passed the Anti-social Behaviour Bill in June that “enough was enough’’.
“The new measures are already making a difference, like the closure order in Fife last month, that saw a pensioner freed from years of misery from a nuisance neighbour.”
Dundee City Council administration leader Councillor Jill Shimi said, “We will use these funds to continue the hard work that has been ongoing to deal with this problem. Initiatives like community wardens, anti-social behaviour team and hotline and our successful Duncan anti-crime partnership have all had an impact.”
Fife’s community safety co-ordinator Tim Kendrick welcomed the region’s share of the funding and said the money would mean the continuation of the community wardens scheme.
It will also pay for additional investigations officers within the housing investigations team and the establishment of the new team called the Safer Neighbourhoods Team.
An anti-social behaviour helpdesk will also be established at Fife Police Headquarters, where people can report anti-social behaviour.
A spokeswoman for Perth and Kinross said, “We welcome this announcement of funding for 2006/7 and 2007/8.
“The council has made productive use of anti-social behaviour funding from the Scottish Executive to develop initiatives such as community wardens, which have already had a beneficial effect for local residents.” |
