The Scottish Government

This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

Listen

Antisocial behaviour funding allocations

28/02/2005

Local communities across Scotland today learned how much the y are to receive to fight antisocial behaviour in their areas as Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry confirmed that £30.83 million in 2006/07 rising to £33.16 million in 2007/08 is being made available to support local strategies.

It is for local agencies working with local people to identify priorities in their area where the funding should be spent, but it is likely that most of the new funding will be used to continue and strengthen services that were set up with the first allocations of antisocial behaviour funding in 2004/05 and 2005/06.

These services included:

• Community wardens
• Services for victims and witnesses of antisocial behaviour
• Mediation services
• Specialised antisocial behaviour teams
• Local helplines to report antisocial behaviour

Mr Henry said:

"In passing the Antisocial Behaviour Bill last June, Parliament sent out a clear message that enough was enough. We stood up for the law-abiding majority who care about their communities, by giving them the tools to stand up to the law-breaking minority who couldn't care less.

"New measures are being introduced to councils and police forces across Scotland. And the new measures are already making a difference - like the use of a closure order in Fife last month that saw a pensioner freed from years of misery from a nuisance neighbour.

"And only today, Grampian Police confirmed that they intend to make use of the dispersal powers to break up groups of people whose behaviour has been a persistent source of annoyance to ordinary members of the public around the Beach Boulevard in Aberdeen.

"The funding allocations announced today aim to build on the achievements so far. Achievements such as the introduction of community wardens in many parts of Scotland, the establishment of mediation services to deal with neighbourhood disputes at an early stage, and local helplines for members of the public to report antisocial behaviour.

"Funding alone will not solve the problems of antisocial behaviour - it needs to be targeted at areas of local concern and it relies on the commitment of all partners.

"That is why we encourage local people to play an active part in preparing local antisocial behaviour strategies. And that is why, through the Act, local councils and the the police are required to keep communities informed of progress towards the delivery of those strategies.

"Change is taking place. Improvements are being made. By working closely with councils, police and other local partners, we can help deliver a safer, stronger Scotland."

The £67.5 million available to tackle antisocial behaviour in 2006/07 and 2007/08 was announced as part of the Scottish budget announcement last September.

From that pot, £64 million will go towards helping councils and their partners deliver their ASB strategies, that are a requirement of the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004.

£3.5 million is being retained centrally to continue to support the delivery of the national antisocial behaviour strategy such as training and support for ASB practitioners, monitoring and evaluation of the ASB strategy etc.

Allocations were made according to a formula which took account of crime and deprivation rates. Each local authority will receive an increase of at least 10 per cent from their allocation for 2005/06 and a further increase of 7.5 per cent in 2007/08. The national funding figure for 2004/05 was £23.62 million, and for 2005/06 it was £26.22 million.

Allocations for future years will only be disbursed upon Ministerial approval of outcome agreements and satisfactory progress towards outcomes. The formula for distribution took account of crime and deprivation rates.

The allocations are as follows:

The Noise Provisions of the Antisocial Behaviour Act also came into force today. Local authorities will be able to take powers to set up noise control services and impose £100 on-the-spot fines on noisy neighbours.