TEESIDE: Bid to tackle anti-social behaviour

Bid to tackle anti-social behaviour

Sep 10 2007 by Sandy McKenzie, Evening Gazette

A NEW enforcement team is being created in a Teesside borough to tackle issues such as litter and anti social behaviour.

The team is being created by Redcar and Cleveland Council.

The authority has also announced it is to plough £160,000 into improving public toilets in Redcar and Saltburn.

And it has pledged to build on the best ever GCSE and test results in the borough’s schools.

Part of the cash for the new schemes is coming from the Labour-led council’s decision to halt the programme to improve unadopted roads in the borough.

The authority’s Cabinet member for Community Protection, Councillor Dave McLuckie, told a meeting of the council that a new Community Enforcement Team is to be created.

It will merge the former Community Safety Warden and Parking Enforcement teams and there are plans to almost double the number of staff over the next four years.

Cllr McLuckie said: “This really is good news for everyone who wants to see the council play a key role in all those issues which affect people’s day-to-day lives - from anti-social behaviour and traffic violations to fly-tipping, dog fouling and graffiti.

“By January next year the aim is to increase the staffing to the equivalent of 55 full-time posts, with a commitment to inject a further £250,000 in each of the next financial years, taking the establishment to 88 full-time posts.”

Cabinet member for environment, Councillor Sylvia Szintai said major improvements would be carried out to public toilets at Moore Street in Redcar and Saltburn Station.

She said the totally inadequate public toilets in Redcar and Saltburn were a scandal. The two towns were the borough’s two key seaside resorts.

Cabinet member for education, Councillor Ian Jeffrey, praised the sustained progress in the performance of local students.

He said there had been recent announcements of the borough’s best-ever GCSE results and praise from Government Ministers for results in tests at both primary and secondary level.

Council leader Councillor George Dunning said: “These announcements show that, despite significant financial challenges, we will stay true to our commitments and put resources into areas which matter.”

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