Crime Reduction (Hansard, 22 July 2002)

§ Mr. Denham

Several crime reduction initiatives provide the opportunity for funding for such projects.

Under the crime reduction programme CCTV initiative up to £80–85 million will be spent in 2002–03 on 279 CCTV schemes in residential areas. Funding for a number of these schemes also includes provision for improved street lighting.

Under the communities against drugs initiative the £50 million funding for 2001–02 (crime and disorder reduction partnerships' baseline allocation) comprised 32 per cent. for capital expenditure. Some partnerships' use of the funding includes regeneration works.

Under the safer communities initiative £20 million funding is available in 2002–03. There is no specific capital element but funding can be used to purchase capital items. Partnerships' plans are still being developed.

There is also funding from the capital modernisation fund to assist small retailers in deprived areas to improve the security of their businesses—£3 million in 2001–02, £6 million in 2002–03 and £6 million in 2003–04. While this funding is not specifically directed towards residential neighbourhoods, environmental improvements such as better lighting and landscaping of shopping parades may well impact on crimes affecting residential neighbourhoods as well as those impacting on small retailers, since many small shops and parades of shops are located within, or close to, residential areas.

Approximately a fifth (£380 million) of the £1.9 billion allocated over ten years to the new deal for communities areas and a fifth (£180 million) of the £900 million allocated over three years to the 88 neighbourhood renewal areas will go towards tackling crime. Money allocated to an area is spent according to priorities agreed by the area and its local strategic partnership. Central records of this spending are not kept and so it is not possible to set out how much is spent specifically on initiatives to change the physical arrangement of an area.

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In addition, the cross-cutting review on improving the public space, announced in July 2001 by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has been exploring how Government policies, funding and targets could produce improvements in the safety and attractiveness of the public space—the local environment where people lead their lives. The lead Minister Lord Falconer presented the review's final report to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in April, in order to inform spending review decisions.