A COUNCIL is considering whether to bid for a slice of government cash to re-introduce a pioneering scheme aimed at slashing town centre crime.

Hyndburn Council chiefs are waiting for the results of a report currently being prepared by officers on whether to apply for the cash to bring back community wardens into Accrington.

The wardens scheme was axed two years ago because of lack of funds, but now, more than £13million has been made available by the Government to fund the initiatives across the country.

Council leader Peter Britcliffe, told a cabinet meeting: "As far as this council is concerned, town centre wardens are very much on the agenda. It is something we as a group are committed to bring back to Accrington.

"We need to look at this scheme very closely, along with the police, to see if it is practical. "I am told that the scheme is currently undersubscribed and that there is money left.

"We need to look at a very detailed report from our officers working with the police to see if we can practically put wardens back into the town centre."

The new grants being made available by the Government will pay the wages of the officers. Coun Britcliffe said the council and police needed to form a strategy for keeping the wardens on once government cash ran out.

He said that one solution could be for shopkeepers to meet some of the costs through cash saved on cheaper insurance if the town centre was made safer.

The project, in Accrington town centre, was hailed as a potent weapon in the fight against crime after it was introduced in 1994. It used money from Hyndburn Council's Single Regeneration Budget windfall from the Government and won national acclaim before councillors were forced to scrap it.

While having no official powers, the role of the community warden is to provide a presence on the streets to deter criminals and help the community feel safer, said a Home Office spokesman.