Groups across West Yorkshire that are helping to end the scourge of violence in the region are being urged to step forward and apply for the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund.

Application Deadline November 11

West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracy Brabin, has made £350,000 available to voluntary and community groups, charities, and partners with an innovative project that will make their local area safer.

This is the largest round of the Safer Communities Fund which has supported projects to the tune of £4.3 million since 2014. It will focus on ‘Safer Places and Thriving Communities’ and the Mayor is welcoming applications from projects that address anti-social behaviour, serious violence including knife crime, drug misuse, hate crime, road safety and more.

The Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund is financed by money from criminal activities recovered by police and prosecutors under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Through the fund, this money is used for projects that aim to make their communities a safer and better place.

Recognising the financial challenges many organisations are currently facing, the Mayor has increased the amount of funding a project can apply for, from £6,000 to £8,000. Organisations have until 11th November to get their bids in for funding.

Speaking about the opening, Mayor Brabin said: “I am determined to end the scourge of violence on the streets of West Yorkshire – whether that is hate crimes, county lines gangs exploiting our children or violence against women and girls. This has no place in our society.

“That’s why we are providing vital money to organisations that are helping to build a safe, just, and inclusive region.

“I encourage anyone with a project that aims to make their local area safer to apply.”

West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable John Robins QPM DL, said: “The Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund is an excellent way for local groups, projects and organisations to make use of cash we have seized from criminals, so it is put back into the hands of people who want to make their community a better place.

“I welcome the opening of the latest grant round and would urge anyone with a community-based initiative to consider applying for this funding, so it can be used to address local issues and make our neighbourhoods safer.”

This announcement comes after the Mayor and her Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE, awarded funds to 61 innovative projects from across West Yorkshire.

Some of the latest projects to receive this funding include drugs intervention and prevention workshops for men and boys in Bradford, weekly self-defence and fitness classes for women in Kirklees, and a programme for young offenders, combining rehabilitation with horsemanship, in Leeds.

This latest grant round of the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund is open until 11th November 2022, 12pm (noon). Organisations can apply for grants of up to £8000 for projects that align with the Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan.

For more information about the fund, including how to apply, visit https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/policing-and-crime/mayor-s-safer-communities-fund.