We cannot save our wardens

Our neighbourhood warden scheme is one of those set to be closed because of the end of ODPM funding– we are a partner in the Hyde scheme in Islington (19 March, page 11).

This is causing anxiety to residents and seems to fly in the face of government rhetoric about its commitment to tackling antisocial behaviour.

In addition to providing a reassuring presence – especially to older tenants –our scheme has resulted in a significant increase in reporting of low-level crime and nuisance, allowing us and the police to respond to problems before they escalate. The cut in funding has destroyed, at a stroke, relationships of trust that have developed between wardens and residents in the three years of the scheme’s operation.

The ODPM blithely advises us to “find resources locally” but it is wholly unrealistic to expect smaller associations such as ours to find the levels of funding needed to run a warden scheme – and our local authority has no slack in its budget.

This is surely a case where the government needs to put its money where its mouth is.