Milton Keynes Council secures £750k for safer streets project

Pedestrian routes from the Xscape centre through to the Theatre District and down to the central train station will be upgraded

A council has been given nearly £750,000 to help fund a programme to make streets safer for women and girls.

Milton Keynes Council and its partners in the Safer MK Partnership were awarded the money from the government's Safer Streets Fund.

The project will see upgrades to popular pedestrian routes, with additional CCTV and lighting in and around underpasses.

A council spokeswoman said: "Everyone has the right to feel safe".

Applications can be made to the government's Safer Streets Fund for initiatives aimed at tackling neighbourhood crime, anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls (VAWG), to improve the safety of public spaces for everybody.

The council, the police and crime commissioner and Thames Valley Police successfully secured funding for the new city.

It will see upgrades on a route from the Xscape centre through to the Theatre District and down to the central train station. It also covers parts of Campbell Park, Conniburrow, Bradwell, and Loughton.

Provision at the MK Safehub in Xscape will also be enhanced to help more women if they feel unsafe, and a campaign will be run that asks men to call out inexcusable behaviour among their peers to address unwanted sexual and violent behaviour.

Training to spot the signs will be available for staff at local venues, and bus and taxi drivers.

Councillor for public realm, Lauren Townsend, said: "Everyone has the right to feel safe and for too long many women haven't.

"We hope these improved measures will make routes safer and give increased confidence to women who rightly want to feel comfortable on a night out or when they're walking home from work."