Islington Lib Dems tackle gap left by Labour Government crime-fighting cuts

6.14.13pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 6th Oct 2008

Ursula Woolley, Islington's Executive Councillor for Children and Young People

From next month, Islington Council will be investing more in helping parents get their unruly teenagers under control. A new Family Support Service will help parents experiencing difficulty with their older children, by helping parents with advice and support. This investment has been particularly welcomed because budget cuts by the Labour Government recently led to the loss of several family support posts in the Council's antisocial behaviour team.

The Labour government cut the funding of the Islington Strategic Partnership, because Islington is no longer the sixth most deprived local authority area in the country (it is now the eighth). As a direct result, the squeeze on the budget led to the loss of several crime-fighting posts in Islington.

But Islington's new investment in Family Support Services means that the back-office anti-social behaviour support staff forced out by Government cuts will be replaced by Council-funded Family Support workers who will help parents, together with schools and Safer Neighbourhoods Police, get unruly children and teenagers under control.

Councillor Ursula Woolley, Islington's Executive Member for Children and Young People, said:

"All parents know that young people do much better when they are getting the same message about good behaviour from home, school and, if they need it, from local police officers as well. Our new Family Support workers will help struggling parents play the proper part they want to in keeping their children on the rails as they grow older.

"The Labour Government seem to be able to find cash to blow on whatever high-profile scheme they think will get them in the papers that week, but that always comes at the expense of long-term investment in solutions that work. Islington has recently suffered from Government cutbacks.

"For Islington's Liberal Democrat Council, a key way of tackling the causes of crime and antisocial behaviour - along with schools' work on behaviour, and youth work and police work - will be giving more help to parents struggling with teenagers.

Islington Council has also funded:

• Extra police officers for the North Islington Problem Solving Team.

• An extra Police Community Support Officer in each ward.

• Extra dedicated Police Community Support Officers in every one of the borough's schools.

• Uniformed Parks Patrols.

• Play Rangers, to make sure children are safe while playing out in Islington's parks.