Councillor Justin Tomlinson will form part of a Task Group to look into the problems of graffiti. The Task Group will comprise of; 2 Conservative Councillors, 2 Labour Councillors and 1 Lib Dem Councillor. (Reflecting the political balance of the Council)
Graffiti is a major concern in Swindon, and it was agreed at the recent TENs meeting that a Task Group would be needed to look at the problem in depth.
The Task Group will be looking at:
1> Voluntary code of conduct for shops to not sell to spray paint and marker pens to under 16's.
2> Conducting research into whether there are higher levels of crime in areas of graffiti.
3> Whether people who commit graffiti, should be made to clear it up.
4> Look at whether the Council can provide graffiti removal materials at cost price.
5> Reviews the situation with graffiti walls.
6> Examine planning policy so that new developments are less vunerable to graffiti.
Councillor Justin Tomlinson said, "I am delighted to be part of the 'Graffiti Task Group'. Graffiti can ruin a local area, and lead to an unacceptable increase in local crime. Residents deserve to be free of graffiti, and it is crucial, we as a Council do all we can to tackle this anti-social behaviour."
"I personally would like to see a real emphasis on the punishing those who vandalise local areas, and I see no better punishment than making the vandals scrub the walls clean themselves."
"We will also be looking into further use of graffiti walls. I am extremely uncomfortable with grafitti walls. I personally think they are potential training grounds for graffiti 'artists', which ultimately makes the situation worse. Also in Abbey Meads, we have a real shortage of leisure facilities for the youth, so I would sooner see the money spent on facilities which could be more widely used by local residents and families.'