The Home Office has announced that Corby has been chosen from over 100 applicants as one of just ten Neighbourhood Agreement Pathfinders across England and Wales.

As a Neighbourhood Agreement Pathfinder Corby Borough Council in partnership with Northants Police will be involved in developing voluntary agreements between residents, local service providers and elected representatives that aim to improve conditions in defined areas, such as promoting healthy living or cleaner and greener issues – otherwise known as a community contract.

These agreements will provide a channel for communities and local partnerships to negotiate and agree local standards of service and priorities for action across the community safety and justice agendas, including anti-social behaviour.

The ten Pathfinders selected represent sites of different sizes with a mix of urban and rural, high and low levels of public confidence, anti-social behaviour, partnership working and community engagement. This will enable an opportunity to compare the results and outcomes of a consistent approach across differing neighbourhoods.

Corby has previously suffered from significant levels of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and poor perceptions. However since the introduction of Corby Borough Council’s neighbourhood arrangements, we have seen sustained and significant improvements in tackling ASB, Crime and environmental blight, which is one of the reasons the Borough has been chosen as a Pathfinder.

Recent results in the Borough’s Place Survey highlight a good level of confidence in the Police and Council to understand and tackle the problems facing our communities.  Selection as a Pathfinder area would help both Corby Agencies and the Home Office explore how to stretch that confidence even further.

By becoming a Pathfinder Corby Borough Council in partnership with Northants Police will receive £5,000 that will help promote community engagement and assist in building community capacity where necessary.

Leader of Corby Borough Council, Cllr Pat Fawcett, said:

‘We are delighted to be chosen out of hundreds of applications as a Pathfinder. Our Neighbourhood Management Teams are doing an amazing job in improving our neighbourhoods and this is showing through residents’ confidence in both the Council and Police.

‘We have a great working partnership with Northants Police and the local residents which is one of the reasons why our neighbourhood teams are so successful. We now can’t wait to build on this partnership working as a Neighbourhood Agreement Pathfinder.’

Inspector Gary Williams from Corby Police, said:

‘This is an exciting project which will further develop the excellent partnership working my teams and me have with Corby Borough Council departments. This will be a real opportunity for residents and local councillors to influence activities and the development of contracts that should improve their neighbourhoods.

‘The fact the Borough been selected is a clear recognition of the improvements in Corby, which has seen residents being put at the forefront of consultation and becoming more actively involved in shaping the towns future.’

Phil Hope MP said:

‘I am delighted that Corby has been chosen by the Home Office to be one of the first Pathfinder areas in the country. I am sure that the sterling work that Corby Community Safety Partnership has already done to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour helped in the application.

‘These new agreements are about giving local communities the chance to work in partnership with the Police and the Council to have a say in how issues in their area are tackled. This will be an important way of helping to put ordinary people at the heart of local policing.’

 

---

For more information please contact: Kimberley Fitzjohn, Corby Borough Council
Telephone: 01536 464022 Mobile: 07901 512702 Fax: 01536 464640
Email kim.fitzjohn@corby.gov.uk

---