 A
Ministerial visit to Ardrossan has led directly to an announcement this week
of an extra £30 million to combat anti-social behaviour across Scotland.
North Ayrshire Council will receive an extra three-quarters of a million
pounds over two years - and one of the first outcomes will be an extension
of the Community Warden scheme to Ardrossan, to support police activity.
Allan Wilson, MSP for Cunninghame North, told the Herald: "I am absolutely
delighted that, following the visit by my colleague Margaret Curran, the
Communities Minister, she went away and acted on everything that she had
heard about the impact of anti-social behaviour on people's lives. This is
Labour listening to the people".
"In particular, it was clear that while the Community Warden scheme was
popular and had real potential to help deal with the problems, there was not
enough money to apply it in all of the places where there were real needs.
Ardrossan was one example of this".
"I am pleased that North Ayrshire Council has agreed to prioritise Ardrossan
subject to additional funds becoming available. Now that the money is in
place, that condition has been met".
Mr Wilson said that the extra £317,730 in the current year and £410,550 next
year was "serious money" that would allow the council to engage in some
creative initiatives to tackle anti-social behaviour, backing up the
legislation that is currently going through the Scottish Parliament.
Announcing the new money, Ms Curran said: "People across Scotland have a
right to expect that if they report incidents of antisocial behaviour they
will be supported and protected, from the moment they report the incident,
through investigation and beyond".
"If people do not feel confident, agencies will not know when and where
antisocial behaviour is happening and will not be able to take even the
first steps in dealing with it." She called on all Scottish local
authorities to build on "best practice" being applied elsewhere in the
country".
The new money was also welcomed by Brian Wilson MP. He said: "This is the
kind of imaginative decision that a well-funded Scottish Executive can make.
I am particularly pleased that Ardrossan is to benefit directly." |
