Lache residents and groups call to save successful community safety wardens service, amid fears service could be axed

Dec 17 2009 by Mark Dowling, Chester Chronicle

Lache residents and groups call to save successful community safety wardens service, amid fears service could be axed

RESIDENTS, community groups and organisations fear their valued community wardens could be on the way out.

The Lache Neighbourhood Management scheme began in April 2006 and since the wardens were introduced to the area that October, crime has fallen in the area by 38%, with burglaries down by 43% and vehicle crime halved.

But funding for the £120,000-a-year scheme, which provides three wardens and one supervisor who work a total of 54 hours per week, is scheduled to end in April and Cheshire West and Chester council is holding consultations to discuss the future of the service.

Groups having their say included the Lache Residents Association, which has collected a petition of 300 names calling for what they say is the “best thing ever to happen to our estate” to continue.

Gavin Butler, community safety manager for the council, said nothing was set until the authority’s budget was settled.

He said: “We’re looking to retain central elements, not just the community safety wardens, but a uniformed police presence. The service is valued and the outcomes are valued.

“Until the authority’s budget is settled, the proposals will remain proposals and nothing more.”

One possibility is to redistribute the number of wardens across Cheshire, allocating some to areas which previously have not had any wardens scheme, such as the former Ellesmere Port ward. This could see a reduced service in Lache, but resident Helen Noble was concerned at how effective the wardens could be in the future.

She said: “It seems as though there would be such a watered-down service over a large area. We need to carry on the good work here and I don’t want to see this dissipate.”

John Hickey, Lache warden supervisor, showcased the achievements the wardens service has been able to make since they arrived three years ago.

He said: “The common criminal no longer feels safe in Lache. Residents feel safer, therefore they are more likely to report suspicious activity. We’ve proved the model for a dedicated team.”

John Rankin Mills, neighbourhood manager of Lache Neighbourhood Management, said: “We hope to see this continue post-March in Lache, we have seen big change and welcome constant discussion with the council.”