Efforts to keep women and girls safer on the streets of Swindon will benefit from a £500,000 grant.
Swindon Borough Council says the new money will go towards measures proven to cut crime, including the installation of additional street lighting, CCTV, gates on alleyways to limit access only to residents, the development of training packages for schools and colleges and a community support programme.
The bid for the government money was made in conjunction with Swindon and Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner. It comes in the wake of the the killing of schoolteacher Sabina Nessa last month and the sentencing of a serving Metropolitan Police officer for the murder of Sarah Everard in South London.
Cabinet member for housing and public safety Cathy Martyn discussed efforts under the council’s Safer Streets initiative at the authority’s scrutiny committee meeting on Monday.
She said: “We’ve learned that we have been successful in the second round of bidding – we shall be bidding in the third round.”
Coun Martyn told the committee the focus for spending the new money will be on safety for women and girls.
She said the council ran a public consultation on social media asking residents for their priorities for safer streets and the ways they felt the money could be spent best.
The survey received more than 3,500 responses.
Coun Martyn said after the meeting: “It is crucially important that no residents feel unsafe while out and about in Swindon but, sadly, for many women and girls this is an all-too-common feeling. Recent events, including the horrific murder of Sarah Everard, are likely to have only increased these feelings of concern and anxiousness from women, particularly at night.
“Earlier this year we received an overwhelming response to our survey from female residents, whose responses have been key in shaping our bid for funding and the interventions we intend to introduce, ensuring these have the most impact. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts.
She added: “The solution to addressing violence and harassment against women requires more than just introducing CCTV cameras and lights, it also requires us to tackle the problem at all levels, including education in schools and in workplaces.
"It is my hope that through this funding, we can tackle the problem head-on, to ensure we are doing what we can help keep women and girls safe in our town.”
New Wiltshire PCC Philip Wilkinson said: “We must do all we can to protect women and girls in Wiltshire and this funding will go some way to making that happen. No longer is it good enough to pay lip service, we must act – and quickly.
“In a week where we have seen violence against women and girls dominate everyone’s thoughts, it is vital that we do as much as we can to prevent another family suffering like Sarah or Sabina’s.
“Making Swindon’s streets safer for everyone is a top priority for my office and that of Swindon Borough Council, so I am delighted that the town’s residents can really benefit from nearly £1m of extra funding these successful bids to the Safer Street’s Fund have brought in.
“A recent report highlighted the police alone cannot tackle the growing epidemic of violence against women and girls, so this joined-up approach is exactly how we can start to make our streets safer for everyone.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe in public, regardless of where they are and what time of day it is and I will continue to work with Wiltshire Police, our local authorities and community safety partnerships to ensure that women and girls feel safe – and are safe – in Swindon and across the country.”
Members of the committee welcomed the new money but expressed concern ward councillors across the borough hadn’t been included specifically in the public consultation about where and how best to deploy resources.
Coun Martyn said they would be included and consulted from now on.
The first round of funding saw the borough council receive £432,000 which has been earmarked for areas including the Designer Outlet in Rodbourne, the Railway Village, the town centre and Regent Circus.
Measures include more CCTV and automatic number plate recognition technology.
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