Jas Parmar Encourages Town and Parish Councils to Bid for Youth Funds

Liberal Democrat prospective Police and Crime Commissioner Candidate for Bedfordshire Jas Parmar is encouraging town and parish councils to bid for new funding for projects to benefit local young people.

The Government has provided a small pot of £29,000 to be distributed by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to town and parish councils as part of the funding for the establishment of a Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU) for Bedfordshire.

The funding can be used for projects to improve locations for young people with the intention of deterring them from unsafe spaces, for example, or to invest in areas where young people can socialise safely.

Commenting, Jas Parmar said: "Using their knowledge of their local areas, this is an opportunity for town and parish councils to help young people to stay safe in their communities. This is obviously a small pot of funding, but in some locations it could be enough to help make a real difference.'

"I encourage all town and parish councils to consider how this funding could be used in their community for the benefit of young people, in particular to provide safer spaces for them to use and enjoy."

Bids to the fund must be for no more than £5,000, and allocations can be for part funding of a project. The deadline for bids is 10th June.

More information about the VERU Town and Parish Council Fund, along with the application form, can be found at https://www.bedfordshire.pcc.police.uk/general.php?id=306