Local people will soon see more community wardens patrolling the streets across Calderdale, tackling anti-social behaviour, littering and dog fouling.
This comes after Calderdale Council’s Cabinet moved forward plans to boost the number of community wardens to provide a more visible presence in towns and villages and help local people feel safer.
The Council funds the community warden service. It also used to provide funding for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in Calderdale, but this now comes from the Police and Crime Commissioner, who has also increased the number of PCSOs in the borough.
This means that the Council’s funding can now be redirected, and met within its existing budget, to improve the community warden service.
Cllr Susan Press, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities, said:
“We know how much Council wardens and PCSOs are valued by local people. They provide a vital visible presence in our communities, so the more feet on the ground, the more we can help to reassure people and reduce crime and the fear of crime across Calderdale.
“Local residents and businesses have told us that they want more people out and about tackling local issues like anti-social behaviour, littering and dog fouling, and we’re taking their concerns seriously.
“More community wardens mean we can boost our enforcement activity, have an increased presence on our streets during evenings and at weekends, and help to make Calderdale even safer, cleaner and greener.”
In the meantime, the Council continues to help keep Calderdale safe, clean and green through its day-to-day work in local communities, and its ‘week of action’ is well underway this week in Halifax town centre, with work being stepped up to give it a good clean and carry out activities including tackling problem parking, doing food inspections and giving advice on recycling and reducing air pollution.