Concerns over plan to cut neighbourhood wardens

Proposals to cut the number of neighbourhood wardens in a bid to save money have been met with community concerns.

Durham County Council said a reduction in wardens for the next financial year could help the authority reach its target of saving £3.4m across its neighbourhoods and environment departments.

Wardens have powers to issue fixed penalty notices for littering, dog fouling, fly-tipping and graffiti. Durham's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and parish councillors warned that community safety could be at risk if wardens were cut.

The Reform UK-led council said it continued to face challenges due to factors out of its control, such as inflation and increased demand for services.

The proposals involve cutting three of the 52 wardens, the council said.

PCC Joy Allen, Labour, said wardens played a "vital role" in addressing low-level issues and supporting early intervention, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Members of the City of Durham Parish Council said reducing the number of wardens would "undermine public confidence", particularly in busy central areas with a high student population.

In a their response to the budget consultation, they said: "Reducing warden capacity will inevitably diminish the council's ability to respond effectively to community concerns, particularly in urban centres such as Durham city, where the demand for enforcement and community support is consistently high."

The plan is part of proposals for the council's budget, which also include a 3.1% council tax rise.

Deputy council leader Darren Grimes said: "We continue to face significant financial challenges, driven by increasing demand for statutory services, inflationary pressures, and changes in national funding policy - all factors outside of our control.

"While this necessitates some difficult decisions to balance the budget, we know from extensive consultations that our wardens team is an incredibly valuable service to our residents and we are doing all that we can to protect it.

"In taking control of Durham County Council, we inherited a savings proposal to cut the neighbourhood wardens service over the next two years. We have reduced the proposed level of savings in this area and will ensure our services focus on key priority areas whilst strengthening partnership working with other agencies to ensure communities remain supported."

16 January 2026: This story has been updated to include the number of wardens involved in the proposals.

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