Street Warden News

The four-strong team of street wardens who have transformed Great Yarmouth town centre into a cleaner, safer and friendlier place have been given the green light to carry on their good work.

Funding has been secured to keep the street wardens in action for a third year – and now strenuous efforts are being made to ensure that they remain a permanent fixture in years to come.

"The street wardens have been a huge success, and I’m delighted they’ll now be able to continue their valuable work," said town centre manager Jonathan Newman. "Great Yarmouth has an extremely committed team of wardens who really do go beyond the call of duty to carry out their job, and to fulfil the Town Centre Partnership’s ambition of creating a safer and cleaner environment."

The street wardens started their work two years ago with 50 per cent funding from the Office of Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), which subsequently agreed to continue its backing for a third year.

And the wardens were finally given the go-ahead to continue their crusade against shoplifters, fly-tippers, bill posters, anti-social behaviour and dirty dogs when the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) confirmed that it would also continue backing the scheme for a further six months.

In addition, the Town Centre Partnership is currently campaigning to increase its membership of around 120 businesses, who also contribute to the street warden scheme via their subscriptions.

"We still have a shortfall, but the TCP is now committed to the scheme for another 12 months, and we are confident that the value of the street wardens to both users of the town centre, and to businesses, is so great that we will find the rest of the funding," said Mr Newman, who believes even businesses outside the town centre could benefit from supporting the wardens.

"If people are visiting somewhere for the first time they tend to judge an entire town or borough by the appearance of its town centre. If it’s dirty or grubby that’s the impression they will form of the place as a whole, so I think it’s important that even businesses outside the town centre appreciate the work that’s being done to create a town centre we can all be proud of."

In the longer term it is hoped forthcoming legislation will mean the street wardens can be funded through the creation of a business improvement district (BID) in Yarmouth.

If such a scheme was approved by a majority of town centre traders all businesses would become legally obliged to contribute cash towards the BID, which would fund the wardens and other town improvement schemes.

"The current TCP can in some ways be viewed as a kind of voluntary BID," explains Mr Newman.  "Members contribute on the basis that the TCP delivers certain services and benefits to the town centre as a whole.

"The BID introduces a compulsory element whereby if more than 50 per cent are in favour the others will also be forced to pay. It makes the freeloaders contribute towards services that are making the area safer, cleaner, friendlier, brighter and more attractive."