Labour scraps Stockwell warden scheme

5.21.02pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 27th Jun 2006

The new Labour Administration in Lambeth have delivered a shock blow to community safety with the news that they are scrapping a vital proposed street warden scheme in Stockwell.

The scheme, due to be brought in this year, was agreed under the Liberal Democrats. EU regeneration money had been secured, together with match funding from Lambeth Council and Hyde Housing Association. The council's contribution of £95,000 was secured by the Lib Dems at last February's budget meeting.

Now, however, Labour are scuppering it - a slap in the face for Stockwell voters who voted in three Labour councillors in the May local elections. What is more, during the election campaign Labour had the cheek to write to every household in the area claiming the "Lib Dems refused to introduce street wardens to make Stockwell's streets safer" - a claim that was completely untrue.

Local Liberal Democrats have now launched a campaign to save the warden scheme with a petition to be presented to the Council.

Former Lib Dem councillor for Stockwell Anthony Bottrall, who represented Stockwell for 12 years, said he was appalled and angered by the decision "A huge amount of work went into developing this popular initiative and securing the money for it."

He added: "We were seeking to develop a full spectrum of community safety schemes for Stockwell, including better youth work, the Safer Neighbourhood team and police. The wardens would have been part of that and now Labour have blown the strategy to bits."

The wardens' role was to complement the police's by addressing 'lower level' nuisance activities (eg drinking round Stockwell station and noisy youths), thereby allowing overstretched police to concentrate on more serious crime. They would also act as intermediaries with local youth workers.

Local Lib Dem campaigner David Hayes added "The hypocrisy of Labour councillors is astounding. Having falsely attacked us over the scheme, they have scrapped the Stockwell wardens as soon as they got into power. Under the Lib Dems the scheme would definitely have gone forward. But Labour have scuppered it. And one of their claims during the local elections was that the Lib Dems are soft on crime!"

A lot of detailed thought went into the design of the Stockwell warden scheme under the previous Lib Dem led administration. The wardens would have worked closely with the police on the one hand, alerting them to any evidence of criminal activity, and with local youth service providers on the other. Lambeth Labour, which is obsessed with ASBO league tables, clearly has no understanding of a strategy that seeks to increase the police's capacity to deal effectively with criminality while at the same time helping to divert at-risk (but not yet criminal) youngsters to more worthwhile and productive activities than just 'hanging about'.

By pulling the plug on the warden scheme, Labour have destroyed the strategy, and have thrown away an opportunity to draw on £250k of EU URBAN II money, together with a significant in-kind contribution from Hyde Housing Association, to run a scheme that would have cost the Council only £95k. And these are the same people who promised wardens for Stockwell during the recent election campaign.