Chance to vote on funding to tackle anti-social behaviour in New Bury today

Groups or individuals in the New Bury area of Farnworth have been applying to put a project forward to win £15,000 worth of funding.

Today, the five final projects will go in front of the Dragons’ Den style event before residents vote on which ones should get the money.

Polling booths will be brought in for the ballot and anyone from the age of ten upwards can have their say.

It will be held at St James’ High School in Lucas Road, Farnworth from 1pm until 3pm today and each group will have the chance to pitch its idea before people take to the polls.

People will rank all of the projects from one to five and the one that has the lowest score when they are added up will get the funding they have asked for.

If there is any money left it will go to second place, then third place and so on.

The applications were vetted by a committee and the ones that met the criteria have got to this stage.

Ideas include cooking classes for youngsters and funding for family day trips.

£10,000 comes from money seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) and £5,000 from the council’s Community Safety Budget.

POCA money has been taken off criminals and is put back into the communities they have offended in. New Bury has been identified as the area of Bolton worst hit by anti-social-behaviour.

Sergeant Alex Metcalfe, of GMP’s Bolton borough, said: “People have the chance to come down and we have got the polling booths from Bolton Council. One of the projects has asked for £15,000 while another has asked for £150.

"Some of the proposals do link into each other and can work together.”

Every borough in Greater Manchester are given £10,000 in POCA money and the Bolton borough looked at where the biggest issues for anti-social behaviour are.

Sergeant Metcalfe said he hopes the funding can reduce anti-social behaviour and give residents the chance to help police and make changes to the area they live in.