Latest news with #SaferCommunities
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
North Warwickshire plans to reinstate car cruising ban after surge
A ban on car cruising could be reinstated following a rise in incidents after the previous court order Warwickshire Borough Council's Safer Communities Sub-Committee heard that removal of signs relating to the expired order had led to the to disperse groups of two or more vehicles – cars or motorcycles – gathering, racing, performing stunts or creating a nuisance had been in place from August 2018 until June 2021, according to the authority's breaching the injunction could face "serious consequences", including up to two years in prison, an unlimited fine or seizure of their assets, it said. Car cruising describes groups of vehicles driving in convoy, stunt performances and static meet-ups between car enthusiasts, and other events permitted by authority added the powers, which have to be signed off by the High Court, are usually time-limited."We took down the signage around the car cruising injunction because it was out of date," said council officer Julie Taylor."Immediately we had problems on this patch as a result of people being aware that the signage had come down."The new injunction could be in place within the next month, she said, adding that the problem was "primarily" caused to people coming from outside the area."We already have a statement sorted, the evidence from the police and information from businesses so we can move on it quite quickly," she said. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Teesside fraud-busting scheme extended by a year
A scheme which has helped fraud victims recover a total of about £300,000 of 'lost' money has been extended by 12 Financial Fraud Advocates (FFA) pilot, run in the north-east of England by Safer Communities, has been operating since the beginning of 2025, and was initially due to finish at the end of the those it has helped is a Teesside woman who had £26,000 taken from her bank accounts by a family son described the service as "invaluable". Ian - not his real name - told BBC Radio Tees the family felt "betrayed" when they discovered a relative had withdrawn £26,000 over the course of a year, after having stayed with fraud came to light when Ian's sister went to pay in a cheque at the bank on behalf of their mother, who has a terminal illness."We discovered a lot of money had gone from my mum's bank account," Ian said, adding: "Even larger amounts had been transferred out of her ISA into her bank account and then on to another account."It had started with relatively small amounts, but then accelerated. Sometimes a couple of thousand pounds was going within a week."My sister and I couldn't sleep at night. Her hair started dropping out with the stress of it. I told my dad and he started sobbing in my arms." 'Tip of the iceberg' Without power of attorney, Ian said he had been unable to deal with the issue on his mum's the FFA team, based at Stockton, was able to step in and help - providing an advocate to talk to the family member responsible for the fraud was later sentenced to a suspended jail FFA is funded by money recovered from criminals using the Proceeds of Crime Act. While some fraud victims do come forward, the FFA's Dave Mead described them as "the tip of an iceberg"."This is a fairly new scheme. We've been running five months, and it's a bolt-on to the support we already provided, such as emotional help and referring people to debt counsellors."Bad people's money is now helping good people. "We're at about £300,000 recovered - that's back into the pockets of people on Teesside who have been victims of romance fraud, courier fraud or rogue traders."It's great to see the smile on people's faces when money is returned."Mr Mead said people who suspect they have been a victim of fraud should immediately contact their bank, followed by FFA will then contact victims having had the details passed on by officers. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hampton adjusts budget to cover vetoed gun violence prevention funds
Money for the expansion of a gun violence prevention program into Hampton and Newport News was vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin last week from the state's budget. But Hampton officials said this week they plan to scale back spending elsewhere in the city's 2026 budget proposal to cover the loss in state funding. The General Assembly's budget plan allocated money for gun violence prevention through the Safer Communities program, including $2.5 million each for Hampton and Newport News. The funds were set to support Hampton's violence intervention tools, including its Violence Interrupter Program, Hopeful Hampton Divergent Program and housing stabilization program from Riverside Hand-In-Hand. Shots Fired: How violence intervention groups are part of the solution Hampton's proposed $678 million budget is all about taxes, stability and 'growing smarter' Youngkin signs budget bill with $900 million in cuts 'We proceeded with the budget under the assumption that the grants would be available,' said Hampton City Manager Mary Bunting of her work on the city's 2026 budget proposal. 'Unfortunately, while he didn't line-item veto everything the General Assembly had given him with the budget, he did choose to line-item veto the state for grants.' Youngkin nixed the Safer Communities funding on Friday, citing a 400% funding increase for the program from fiscal years 2023 through '26, with 'no measures being provided demonstrating the effectiveness of these programs.' 'Additional funding for these programs should be considered in the next biennial budget, and not in FY26, when the effectiveness of these programs can be better evaluated,' Youngkin wrote in his veto message. The Safer Communities grant program was established during the 2023 legislative session and has previously extended funding toward Richmond, Roanoke, Portsmouth and Norfolk. The Safer Communities veto was one of 37, and altogether the cuts will work out to a roughly $900 million surplus the next legislature should have available. Bunting said if the city wanted to continue those programs, the money would have to come from somewhere else. 'Those things we had assumed we would be funding out of our grant fund, we could either not do, which I truly would not recommend. We have had a lot of success in bringing down our fatal and non-fatal shootings,' Bunting said. 'Or we have to find a way to replace those.' The city is going with the latter. A new plan to cover the $2.5 million in Safer Communities funding through Hampton's general fund includes several reductions to balance the city's budget. Newport News did not respond by deadline with information on what they plan to do about the cuts. Housing stabilization for Riverside Hand-In-Hand is proposed to see its funding halved to $100,000 for fiscal year 2026. That number keeps the program at a 'renewable level,' according to Hampton Interim Budget Manager Angelique Shenk. The original budget plan also provided roughly $115,000 for a new main branch library manager, which the new plan eliminates while the library director fills those duties. Cemetery maintenance grants would also see a 50% reduction to $86,000, as well as the nixed funding for 10 summer intern positions. Shenk said the city already has advocacy groups helping maintain historic cemeteries, and the funding was meant to help assist those groups. It remains to be seen how a funding cut would affect maintenance for the city's 18 cemeteries. Additionally, the plan would shave $30,000 off Hampton's annual Holiday Wonder Walk near Coliseum Central, where there were plans to expand the event. It will also eliminate the city's $40,000 in special event advertising and would rely on existing internal resources for its marketing department, and cut nearly $37,000 in general contingency funding. 'It pains me to have to take any of these out,' Bunting said. 'I wish we were not in the position of having to look at this. But if I look at all of the additions to the budget in sum total, the violence reduction efforts are the most critical because they save lives.' The council will formalize the budget amendments when they vote to adopt the budget Wednesday. Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037,
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
North London cemetery's dog rules see major change with breaches punishable by fines up to £1k
A council plan to ban dogs off leads in a North London cemetery where the creator of Paddington Bear is buried will be implemented despite a previous backlash from local residents. The measures were set to go ahead last year but were postponed after a petition signed by nearly 500 residents halted the plan. As part of a borough-wide Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), Brent Council will implement the ban from Monday (March 10) in a bid to tackle a number of complaints about dog behaviour in Old Paddington Cemetery in Kilburn - which included them defecating 'on the graves of loved ones'. The decision has been made following a public consultation held between October 18 and December 10 last year. The changes aim to 'preserve a peaceful and respectful environment' for users while ensuring responsible dog owners can continue to access the cemetery, according to Brent Council. It also brings the dogs on leads requirement in line with all other cemeteries in the borough. READ MORE: London petrol station could be demolished so towers up to 29 storeys can be built for 900 students READ MORE: The pretty town 45 minutes from London with great pubs and 'more single people' than the city Prior to the consultation, the council received 74 complaints regarding dog behaviour at the cemetery, including dogs 'defecating and urinating on graves', dogs 'running uncontrolled' near funeral services and 'unwanted dog interactions', the council has said. No complaints were reported in the council's three other cemeteries where dogs are required to be on leads, it added. Coredlia Uys, a member of Dogs of Paddington Old Cemetery - a group of more than 100 dog owners - had claimed that 'freedom to run and exercise' is crucial to a canine's physical health and a ban would be 'using a sledgehammer to crack a nut'. Her petition on the council website, which resulted in the postponement, called for a 'fair, open, transparent and balanced' consultation. The subsequent public consultation received responses from 860 residents, which has resulted in the existing PSPO being varied so that dogs are now required to be kept on leads at all times and in all parts of the Old Paddington Cemetery. PSPOs are legal measures that impose conditions on public places where there has been a nuisance which has had a detrimental effect on the community. PSPO conditions apply to everyone equally. They are designed to enhance public safety and improve the quality of life for all residents. Breaching a PSPO is a criminal offence with fines typically starting at £100 but potentially rising to £1,000. The existing PSPO requirements will also remain in effect, meaning a maximum of four dogs may be walked by one person at a time and dog waste must be picked up immediately and disposed of in the bins provided or taken away. Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, Jobs and Skills, Cllr Harbi Farah, said: "While many responsible dog owners value the cemetery as a place for walking their dogs, the number of serious concerns raised made it clear that action was needed. We understand that dogs are an important part of people's lives, which is why we will continue to allow dog walking here, rather than banning them altogether." He added: "However, dogs must be kept on leads, in line with the well-established policy in our other cemeteries where we have received no complaints. This new PSPO requirement aims to strike a fair, balanced and proportionate approach, ensuring the cemetery remains a peaceful and respectful place while still allowing responsible dog walking." The council has outlined 'a commitment to working with all cemetery users' and will establish a Paddington Old Cemetery Liaison Group to address issues moving forward. The consultation also highlighted a number of other areas that the council claims it will explore, including potentially creating a 'designated enclosed off-lead area' within the cemetery. Don't miss out on the biggest stories from across the city: Sign up to MyLondon's The 12 HERE for the 12 biggest stories each day.
