To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department has provided to tackle antisocial behaviour in Milton Keynes in each of the last three years. (313953)

Since 2004-05, as with all other Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs), Milton Keynes was allocated £25,000 a year as a contribution towards funding an ASB Co-ordinator Post. In 2005-06, in England the antisocial co-ordinators grant was pooled within the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund.

This pooled budget supported the delivery of outcomes and indicators relating to antisocial behaviour in local area agreements (LAAs). As of 2008-09 Home Office funding for local authorities to tackle antisocial behaviour now forms part of the general Area Based Grant (ABG) paid by the Department of Communities and Local Government. This funding has been renewed for the period 2008-11 and it is for local partnerships to agree how the grants received should be allocated against locally determined priorities, including tackling antisocial behaviour.

There is also wider funding which contributes towards the wider cross-Government strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour, including an additional £10 million announced on 20 November 2009 by the Department for Communities and Local Government to 130 local authorities to support the fight against antisocial behaviour. In addition, the Government are committed to diverting young people from crime and antisocial behaviour as demonstrated by our investment in universal services such as Sure Start Children’s Centres, parenting support and positive activities as well as targeted work through the Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP).

Home Office-led activities also act to tackle antisocial behaviour—for example the introduction of community support officers. Funding for neighbourhood policing (NP) (including police community support officers (PCSOs) is provided to police authorities. For England and Wales in total the 2009-10 funding is £332 million. Milton Keynes is within the Thames Valley Police area. Funding for Thames Valley for 2009-10 NP/PCSOs is £8.94 million. It is for police authorities to allocate resources, and for chief constables to deploy personnel (including PCSOs) within each police force area.