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Building strong, safe and attractive communities: Guidance for submissions
1 INTRODUCTION
1 Purpose of this guidance
This guidance explains how local authorities, on behalf of their community planning partners, can apply for funding for a specific range of initiatives to tackle anti-social behaviour.
These initiatives are:
- Community Wardens
- dedicated anti-social behaviour teams at the community level
- intensive supervision of anti-social households
- the use of mediation to resolve disputes
- supporting victims, witnesses and complainants
- and using techniques such as "acceptable behaviour contracts" to effect changes to the behaviour of perpetrators of anti-social behaviour.
In March 2003, the Scottish Executive launched a consultation document setting out its proposals for using 30m committed under the Spending Review 2002 to tackle anti-social behaviour, the poor quality of the environment and to help local people build strong, safe communities. 20m has been allocated to extend community warden schemes more widely across Scotland and 10m for other community based initiatives to address anti-social behaviour. The Scottish Executive is grateful to everyone who took the time and trouble to contribute to the consultation process. The comments received from a wide range of stakeholders have been analysed by the Executive. A summary report on the consultation is available and will be posted on the Executive's website [ www.scotland.gov.uk ].
This consultation process included meetings with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, Scottish Police Federation, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland and the Anti-Social Behaviour Officers' Forum.
Having considered the responses received, this document sets out the Executive's position on the kind of schemes it will fund and describes the arrangements for how local authorities, on behalf of their community planning partners, can submit proposals for funding under this programme.
2. Timetable for submissions
As we proposed in the consultation paper, there will be a two-stage process for submissions leading to the commencement of schemes from April 2004.
Local authorities, on behalf of their community planning partners, will be invited to submit outline proposals to the Scottish Executive by 31 August 2003 (Annex 1 sets out the key elements to be included in outline submissions).
Comments on these outline proposals will be offered back to local authorities from the Executive by
30 September 2003.
Full proposals should then be submitted to the Executive by 30 November 2003 (see Annex 2).
Scottish Ministers will make final decisions on these submissions early in 2004 to enable schemes to begin operation from April 2004.
Submissions should cover both proposals for Community Wardens and for other initiatives to tackle anti-social behaviour and should be sent to:
Submissions: Wardens and ASB,
Neighbourhood Services Team,
Scottish Executive,
Victoria Quay,
Edinburgh EH6 6QQ
E mail: wardensandasb@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Tel.: 0131 244 0360
3. Background and context
Anti-social behaviour is a real and pressing problem in Scotland. While overall crime is falling, offences associated with anti-social behaviour have been increasing over the past decade. During the first Parliament we put in place a wide range of measures aimed at tackling it and we are beginning to see real progress. Warden schemes and other community-based initiatives are an important part of taking a stand against anti-social behaviour.
In "A Partnership for a Better Scotland", Scottish Ministers renewed and strengthened their commitment to tackle anti-social behaviour and will introduce an Anti-Social Behaviour Bill this Autumn [ www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/government/pfbs-00.asp ].
On 26 June the Executive published a consultation paper setting out its proposals for tackling anti-social behaviour - "Putting our Communities First: Consultation Paper on Anti-Social Behaviour" [ www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/social/pocf-00.asp ]. The paper sets out a coherent, cross-cutting strategy for tackling the problem, which allows for a flexible and graduated approach: prevention first, voluntary measures next, and tough and effective sanctions only for those who persistently fail to respond.
The Executive's anti-social behaviour strategy includes proposals that build on those related to wardens and other initiatives for tackling anti-social behaviour that are the subject of this guidance.
- Strengthening the duty on local agencies to involve communities in preparing anti-social behaviour strategies and encouraging local authorities to set up proactive anti-social behaviour units;
- Improving protection for witnesses of anti-social behaviour;
- Encouraging wider use of Acceptable Behaviour Contracts for children and their parents;
- Consider extending to community wardens the ability to issue Fixed Penalty Notices and using them as professional witnesses;
- Piloting " good neighbour" declarations (referred to as "neighbourhood compacts" in this guidance).
Local authorities will be expected to consider the wider anti-social behaviour strategy and the consultation we are about to embark on, when preparing their proposals for warden schemes and other community-based initiatives to tackle anti-social behaviour.
4. Confirmation of funding allocations
The indicative allocations for each local authority area in 2004/05 as set out in the consultation paper have been confirmed by Ministers and are repeated in Annex 3. Local authorities will receive this allocation when Ministers have approved detailed submissions within the framework set out by this guidance. Similar allocations for 2005/06 will be made available subject to the satisfactory performance of schemes.
These allocations have been decided based on criteria such as deprivation and population levels. The first eight local authorities listed in Annex 3 were given an additional weighting for intensive support.
While we do not intend to insist on matched funding for these schemes, local authorities may wish to augment their allocation under this programme with other resources, either from the Scottish Executive or from other sources. In their submissions, local authorities should set out how the funding made available under this initiative links to other relevant sources of Executive funding, such as Quality of Life, Homelessness, Youth Justice and Community Safety Partnership awards (see Annex 4).
We will consider the expansion of projects that are already in place providing that genuinely additional services are made available.
5. Sources of information and support
Specific queries on this guidance in relation to Community Wardens should be directed to David Fotheringham of the Scottish Executive's Neighbourhood Services Team on 0131 244 1570 or email david.fotheringham@scotland.gsi.gov.uk .
Any general queries on the proposals for community-based initiatives to tackle anti-social behaviour should be addressed to Archie Stoddart on 0131 244 5594 or email archie.stoddart@scotland.gsi.gov.uk .
Local authorities who would like advice on good practice in relation to anti-social behaviour initiatives can contact Diane Janes, Sociable Neighbourhood National Co-ordinator on 0131 244 1683 (email: SNC@scotland.gsi.gov.uk ). The Executive has published her audit of anti-social behaviour practice in all Scottish local authorities and a directory of practice in tackling anti-social behaviour. Both publications may assist local authorities in completing their proposals. These will be available, together with examples of Community Warden schemes, on the Scottish Executive's website. Hard copies of the documents can be obtained by contacting the Co-ordinator.
6. Selection of neighbourhoods
The selection of the particular neighbourhoods in which these schemes will operate is a decision for local authorities in consultation with local communities and their community planning partners. The Executive will, however, expect local authorities to prioritise deprived neighbourhoods.
Crime, anti-social behaviour and problems of litter and vandalism do not only affect local authority housing estates. Local authorities and their partners should therefore consider the possibility of providing schemes in areas of RSL rented houses and owner-occupied and mixed tenure areas, as well in areas of predominantly council houses. Even schemes focused on local authority estates will almost certainly include a range of tenures due to the impact of Right to Buy. Local authorities and their partners should therefore consider measures to support the victims of anti-social behaviour, and to take action against perpetrators, in all tenures.
It is recognised that where local authorities currently offer services across tenures, it is usual for them to charge other landlords/individuals for such services. This is because such services are often funded under the local authority's Housing Revenue Account and it would be iniquitous for local authority tenants, through their rents, to subsidise provision of these services to tenants of other landlords or owner-occupiers. However, in relation to the services to be provided under initiatives funded by the Scottish Executive, we would expect that these are provided tenure wide and without charge, for the duration of the funding.
Community Warden schemes are most effective when the wardens have a good knowledge of the local neighbourhood and regular, personal contact with members of the community. The potential impact of Community Warden schemes will be significantly reduced if wardens are spread thinly across too wide an area. Local authorities and their partners should therefore target the neighbourhoods covered by wardens carefully to ensure their impact is not diluted.
Local authorities considering the use of more mobile wardens to target crime and anti-social behaviour "hot spots" should demonstrate clearly in their outline submissions how they will ensure that positive community relationships will be maintained, how such schemes will be managed and their impact monitored and that the police and local communities are actively supportive of such an approach.
It is recognised that models of warden schemes may differ in rural areas with widely dispersed populations compared to densely populated urban areas. Warden schemes in rural areas should, however, be framed in such a way that the essential local knowledge and contact with the community is maintained.
7. Partnership working
Local authorities have a key strategic role in areas such as community safety and the quality of the local environment and are leading the community planning process. This is why the Executive expects local authorities to co-ordinate the development of submissions for this programme on behalf of their community planning partners and why resources under the programme will be made available through them.
Partnership working will, however, be key to the successful implementation of this programme. This guidance covers the role of neighbourhood compacts and anti-social behaviour frameworks, both of which require the active involvement of a range of agencies and the community in setting the parameters for schemes. Local authorities are asked to include a named officer as the contact point for their submissions. The Scottish Executive will include the contact details of this person on our website so that local communities and relevant agencies also have a contact point for enquiries about the development of schemes.
Local authorities and their community planning partners should also carefully consider which are the most effective delivery agents for the scheme they propose in order to achieve best value. The Executive considers that schemes with a primarily crime prevention focus require a degree of accountability and legitimacy which means they should be run by public agencies such as the local authority or the police. Schemes with a more environmental focus could, however, be run by a range of agencies, including RSLs and community and voluntary organisations.
The Executive will expect local authorities to address in their submissions both how they have involved other agencies and the community in developing their proposals and why they have chosen a particular agency for delivering schemes.
The Scottish Executive expect the managing agents of all Community Warden schemes to consult with the police on the development of projects (see Section 14 and Annex 4).
8. Structure of this guidance
Part 2 of this guidance sets out our requirements for strategic and community involvement issues to support the specific initiatives. This covers the preparation of Neighbourhood Compacts, Anti-Social Behaviour Frameworks and monitoring and evaluation. Part 3 of the guidance explains the kind of Community Warden schemes the Executive will fund, while Part 4 deals with our requirements in relation to other community-based measures to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Examples of existing schemes are given by way of illustration, but these are not intended to be prescriptive.
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