Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund launches with £180,000
15th November 2021
£180,000 in grants are available as Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, has today launched the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund.
Financed by money recovered from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act within the county, the fund offers grants of up to £6000 to voluntary, community groups, charities and partners to provide support for innovative community safety projects.
These projects should address at least one of the cross-cutting themes within the draft Police and Crime Plan 2021-24. Those themes are:
- Keeping women and girls safe.
- Diversity, equality, and inclusion.
- Early intervention and prevention.
Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “I am so pleased to be able to make this funding available to local groups.
“A share of £180,000 can now be applied for by grass root projects based in the heart of our communities.
“These groups carry out some of the most innovative and direct work targeting complex issues. This could be providing diversionary activities for those at risk of offending, local road safety initiatives or improving safety for women and girls, the possibilities are endless.
“My time as an MP and the Mayor of West Yorkshire has meant that I’ve met many of these groups, but they don’t always get the recognition they deserve. Hopefully this funding opportunity goes some way to acknowledging their crucial contributions as well as allowing further work to take place.
“I’d also like to say a big thank you to West Yorkshire Police, and specifically the Economic Crime Unit. Without their help in recovering ill gotten gains from criminals, the fund would not exist.”
The Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund is financed through money and assets recovered from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) by West Yorkshire Police and prosecutors.
T/ACC Damien Miller of West Yorkshire Police, said: “We welcome the launch of the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund which will allow local groups and projects to play an ever greater role in the partnership response to tackling key issues at a grass roots level in our communities.
“The focus on projects intended to enhance women’s safety, diversity and inclusion and crime prevention, is also very welcome and very much in sync with the force’s priorities.
“It is right and proper that cash generated by criminal enterprise in communities is invested back into making those neighbourhoods safer and in preventing future offending.”
The closing date for applications to the fund is on Friday 17th December. Grants will be distributed to successful applicants at an awards evening in March 2022.
To find out more about the fund, and to apply, visit https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/policing-and-crime/mayor-s-safer-communities-fund