Lack of progress on town guards project criticised

TEES Valley Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen has described Cleveland Police as "broken" in a row over town centre guards.

- By DANIEL HODGSON

Labour police and crime commissioner Matt Storey has hit back, while Cleveland's Chief Constable Victoria Fuller has defended the force and pointed to figures showing crime levels coming down in the town centre.

The onslaught from Lord Houchen comes as plans for 'town guards' for Middlesbrough town centre failed to properly get off the ground.

The project, announced by the mayor in early September, aims to give vetted individuals powers to tackle crime and disorder in the town centre and would be backed by £1.3m from the combined authority.

After an announcement in September - with confirmation from Middlesbrough Development Corporation (MDC) following - it had been hoped to see recruitment begin within months and the first patrols starting before the end of the year.

But progress has ground to a halt, leading to criticism from Middlesbrough Labour Mayor Chris Cooke, who said MDC had cancelled meetings.