Funding streams must be secured to ensure councils can handle the Government's new, locally-focused approach to tackling crime, local government leaders have warned.

The new crime strategy, unveiled by the Home Office last week, promised councils flexibility and freedom to tackle problems local people were most concerned about.

Another key element of the strategy is a guarantee that councils and partners, including the police, will have fewer central targets to meet and less red tape.

But, despite welcoming the Government's recognition of a need to be more responsive to local priorities, the LGA warned joined-up funding must be at the disposal of local authorities to avoid disruption seen elsewhere.

‘Cuts to the Homes Office's safer communities funding have already disrupted the work of local crime and disorder-reduction partnerships,' said Cllr Hazel Harding, chair of the LGA's safer communities board.

‘If we are going to fight crime successfully at the local level, the Government must balance local needs and resist the temptation to divert money and manpower away from us to meet priorities at the national level.'

Home secretary, Jacqui Smith, said a ‘new era of simple, accessible, local crime information' was at the heart of the new strategy, revealing that, from July next year, everyone would have access to a straightforward, street-by-street story of crime in their area.

The Youth Justice Board announced its support for the aims and objectives of the strategy, particularly the focus on prevention and restorative work.
But Graham Robb, interim chair of the YJB, said it was important to remember when focusing on young people, that they were often victims who needed help to turn their lives around ‘in order to make a positive contribution to our communities'.