There will be less money for Neighbourhood Wardens because of cutbacks in the proposed budget for Durham County Council.
In Teesdale, the local neighbourhood warden is often seen as a valuable support to the police, dealing with a wide of low-level issues affecting the community.
As such, there are concerns about any reduction in this service – albeit tempered by hopes that the cuts will have greater impact elsewhere in the county.
Barnard Castle mayor Paul Ing acknowledged the help that wardens had offered the town council.
“We are very grateful to the out-of-town wardens who supported the project to combat dog fouling in Barnard Castle,” he said.
“The town council does not support any reduction in the Neighbourhood Warden Service.
“But we understand this decision could have a bigger impact in more urban areas.”At present, 52 wardens serve the county, dealing with issues like fly tipping, graffiti, litter and dog fouling.
As part of a planned £3.374m saving in the budget for the neighbourhoods and environment department, there could be a reduction to 49 wardens across Durham.
That forms part of a round of cuts across the county, despite a £170m cash injection from Westminster.
That money, announced in December, prompted another political review with Reform accusing the Labour government of “telling massive fibs” about the nature of the funding.
In a recent consultation on DCC’s budget proposals, residents across the county highlighted the importance of wardens and their work to maintain clean, safe communities.
Councillor Robert Potts, who represents Evenwood and chairs the Police and Crime Panel, defended the proposed cuts.
“In balancing the council budget we had to make difficult decisions,” said the Reform UK representative. “We inherited a budget saving from the Liberal Democrat Joint Administration to cut the wardens by £360,000 over the next two years.
“In reviewing their budget proposals and balancing the budget this year we have managed to reverse part of that saving and invest it back into the warden service.”
He added that even after the cuts, staffing levels would remain higher than in 2019.
“Protecting our law-abiding residents from nuisance neighbours remains a key priority for Reform in Durham.”
