Mary Reid

Some offenders are given Community Orders instead of fines or imprisonment. This means they can continue to work, but much of their spare time is taken up working for the local community, under the PayBack scheme. They have to do a minimum of 6 hours a week, supervised by the Probation Service.

In South of the Borough we have booked the team for two days each week, and it has proved invaluable. They have cleared rubbish and overgrown vegetation from a number of lanes and access roads. Many of these lanes are jointly owned by the residents, and in some cases don't seem to be owned by anyone, so they don't come under the Council's schedule. A few years ago, the teams painted the railings at King Edwards' Recreation ground.

They are available to do work for voluntary organisations and I know that some of the local churches have used them. I've never heard a word of complaint about their behaviour or quality of work.

The Neighbourhood has granted the local team £500 from its Neighbourhood Improvement budget to meet the costs of materials, which is what the PayBack scheme does request.

The Neighbourhood Manager, Barry Allen, would be pleased to hear of any suggestions for work they can do in the future.  Use the Contact Me link on the right to get in touch and I'll forward your email to Barry.