Cash injection aims to raise quality of life

New and existing projects are to be invited to bid for the cash which has been ringfenced from existing budgets within the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' housing programme and the Home Office's crime reduction programme.

A neighbourhood wardens unit is to be set up within DETR to administer the fund, offer support to schemes and draw up a training programme for wardens. Bidding guidelines are due shortly.

The plans were revealed in the final report of policy action team six - the social exclusion unit report into neighbourhood wardens.

The report, which follows a draft version released last August, calls for neighbourhood warden projects to be included as options for funding under the next round of the Single Regeneration Budget.

But a second report from the Home Office warns that more research is needed into the impact of warden schemes on levels of crime and disorder, and quality of life in deprived areas.

It says: "The diversity and lack of thorough evaluations of existing schemes makes it difficult to draw out firm conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of current initiatives."

However, both reports highlight a range of successful schemes across the country and back the view that neighbourhood wardens "can make a difference to the quality of residents' life".

Detailed research into eight warden schemes is due from the London School of Economics by the end of this year.

PAT six member David Fotheringham, Chartered Institute of Housing policy manager, said: "There is strong anecdotal evidence that neighbourhood warden schemes do have a beneficial effect but it is sensible to build on that with further research."