§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policies(a) initiated and (b) managed by his Department since 2001 have had an impact on Pendle; and if he will make a statement. [124093]
§ Ms BlearsMost of the policies initiated by the Home Office since 2001 have had an impact on Pendle as on other parts of the country. Our policies in the areas of crime reduction, community cohesion and policing are providing direct benefits to the people of Pendle, as follows.
Burnley Borough Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and Rossendale Borough Council) which make up the successful East Lancashire Community Cohesion Pathfinder. This will receive a total of £285,000 to spend in the period February 2003 to October 2004.
The Home Office Community Cohesion Unit has worked closely with the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit of the ODPM, and through Government offices has funded community cohesion-focused activities for children and young people during the summer of 2001 and 2002 (in 2003 this has become incorporated into a single funded inter-Departmental programme). In 2001 around £7 million was provided for summer activities.
Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP)
On 29 October 2002, the Street Crime Action Group (SCAG) commissioned the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and 275W Sport (DCMS) to report on the evaluation of summer activities in 2002 and on progress on simplifying funding.
In December, SCAG approved the key design features and objectives of the new programme based on a simplified single pot for funding. The confirmed total funding pot for 2003–04 is £24.7 million. The formula for the new programme, which for the first time is being developed in each Local Education Authority (LEA) area in the North West, is a national one. It is based on three indicators of need: levels of truancy, offending rates (specifically rates of robbery), and the numbers of young people aged 8–19 in each area.
It is not possible to provide a figure for Pendle, but each Government office has the flexibility to adjust the allocations by up to 15 per cent. of the regional total. The allocation to Lancashire has been increased by over £115,000 and GO-NW staff are looking to the LEA to take forward enhanced activities in east Lancashire in Burnley, Pendle and Hyndburn.
The Neighbourhood Renewal Unit of the ODPM and Government offices have also funded the community facilitation programme, under which regional coordinators have been appointed to undertake conflict resolution work where tensions are identified, and to strengthen existing capacity for conflict resolution. This programme has raised the profile of community cohesion at the regional and local level and facilitated the building of relationships and Partnerships between agencies to address community cohesion and conflict. It has successfully supported the development of new approaches to addressing community conflicts.
3. Police Initiatives
Pendle, Rossendale and Burnley are boroughs within the Pennine division of the Lancashire constabulary. Lancashire as a whole has benefited from a £0.06 million rural policing grant. Each borough has its own Chief Inspector answering to the Chief Superintendent of Pennine Division. The force has informed us that the borough Pendle has benefited from the following Government initiatives.
Government initiatives funding £000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 Total Crime Fighting Fund (CFF) 86 169 197 240 692 Community Support Officers 30 50 80 Street Crime 170 70 1 This is an equal portion of the 210,000 allocated to the Pennine Division