Newcastle Labour

A Newcastle Labour Council this week backed a range of ‘Community Payback’ schemes being introduced across the City.

The Government’s Community Payback gives young offenders in the city a chance ‘to pay back’ local neighbourhoods by doing unpaid community work which aims to improve the environment.  Projects to date include cleaning up Fawdon Park and this month cleaning up North Kenton Park.

Councillor Stephen Lambert, Labour’s Community Safety spokesman on the Council, said “Community Payback is an effective project which enables young offenders to benefit local areas especially some parks which need clearing up.  This is no gimmick as the Lib Dens suggest, but another way of punishing young criminals”.

In Fawdon and North Kenton Parks, young offenders under probablion supervision have hacked back dense undergrown, picked up litter, painted play equipment and removed graffiti.  Young offenders are expected to wear high visibility jackets to enable communities to see offenders paying back for their crimes.  The Lib Dem Party at their Conference have described this as ‘a gimmick’.

Nationally over 50,000 offenders carry out Community Payback – doing over six million hours of unpaid physical work.