Nearly £300,000 is to be spent on making Hereford’s streets safer for women at night

Nearly £300,000 is to be spent on making Hereford’s streets safer for women at night.

The spending focuses on routes taken home by women after a night out, particularly in the areas of Aylestone, Whitecross Road and Bishops Meadow to Canary Bridge, which crime statistics and public consultation showed were of most concern.

The £284,000 spending package includes nearly £188,000 on more CCTV, £67,000 on improved lighting, and £27,000 to reduce and redesign vegetation, particularly along Great Western Way cycle and footpath.

“Increased street lighting and CCTV have been shown to reduce crime by an average of 21 per cent,” according to a council document explaining the decision.

“It’s believed that the these measures, combined with a robust education programme and high profile campaigning, will help to reduce VAWG violence against women and girls] offences in the city by 50 per cent over a 12-month period.”

The bulk of the money, just under £250,000, is in the form of a grant from the Home Office via the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner.

The rest comes from Section 106 infrastructure money provided by developers through the planning system, and from the Government-funded Stronger Hereford programme.

A further £20,000 has been set aside to run the CCTV service.

The work will be carried out under the council’s Balfour Beatty Living Places public realm contract.