South Ayrshire Council is to receive further funding from the Scottish Government in order to tackle antisocial behaviour.

In total the Scottish Government is making £30.83 million available in 2006/07 and £33.16 million on 2007/08 to support local strategies across Scotland.

In South Ayrshire £835,000 will be received in 2006/07 and £880,000 in 2007/08, which will enable services which have been established to serve local communities and place resources in locally identified priority areas.

The funding can be used to support:

• Community Support Officers
• Specialised antisocial behaviour teams
• A local helpline where people can report antisocial behaviour
• Services for victims and witnesses of antisocial behaviour
• Mediation services

Convener of South Ayrshire Council’s Community Safety Committee, Councillor Douglas Campbell said: “There are some residents in South Ayrshire whose lives are made a misery by the antisocial behaviour of a small number of people.

“The funding secured from the Scottish Government over the next few years will enable the Council to build on the solid foundations already in place for dealing with antisocial behaviour.

“The newly established dedicated Antisocial Behaviour Team in South Ayrshire, will deal with neighbourhood disputes at an early stage, provide advice and guidance, and operate a telephone ‘helpline’.

“The team will work in partnership with Strathclyde Police and other local partners to tackle antisocial behaviour, however they need co-operation from the public to achieve results and improve peoples lives.

“Great emphasis will be placed by the team on helping people within local communities not to become involved in antisocial behaviour, and by early intervention the team hope to prevent ongoing situations escalating.”

The services of the Antisocial Behaviour Team are available free of charge to all residents in South Ayrshire. Staff can be contacted Monday to Thursday between 8.45 am and 4.45 pm and on Friday between 8.45 am and 4 pm on telephone number 01292 294060.

March 2005