We are acting to tackle anti-social behaviour by create a new 24/7 service in Wokingham Borough.

WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL TAKES NEXT STEP TO CREATE NEW 24/7 SERVICE TO TACKLE ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

Wokingham Borough Council is set to take the next step towards creating a new in-house service to tackle anti-social behaviour in the borough.

At its meeting on Thursday 30 September, the council’s decision making executive is set to approve a proposal that would see it commission West Berkshire Council to continue to provide trading standards, air quality and farm welfare for Wokingham borough when the authority leaves the shared Public Protection Partnership (PPP) in April 2022.

From April 2022, most services previously provided by the PPP will be provided by a new Wokingham Borough Council team that will focus on residents’ priorities and improve responsiveness to address local issues. The new enforcement and safety service will include anti-social behaviour, animal wardens, health and safety, food hygiene, and licensing.

If approved, other functions that have a less local focus including trading standards, air quality monitoring and farm welfare would continue to be provided by West Berkshire Council.

Cllr Bill Soane, executive member for neighbourhood and communities said: “This is an important next step on our journey to create a local 24/7 service to tackle anti-social behaviour. We want an in-house enforcement and safety service that can react quickly to local issues, and yet be able to tap into regional and national expertise in areas like air quality monitoring, food standards and trading standards.

“The joint Public Protection Partnership has delivered a good service in many areas over the years but when it comes to anti-social behaviour we want to do more. We know this is a key concern for our residents, so we have chosen to create our own service that will better deliver on the 24/7 needs of our community.

“This proposal will allow us the best of both worlds – a new 7-day a week responsive service set to tackle anti-social behaviour and a continuation of regional capability for air quality monitoring and trading standards.”