Durham County Council has teamed up with the university in a new arrangement which will see one of the city’s neighbourhood warden posts jointly funded by both partners.
The warden service has operated in the city for more than ten years, funded and managed by the council.
The wardens work across County Durham to improve quality of life for residents by reducing anti-social behaviour and fear of crime.
Alan Patrickson, the council’s head of direct services, said: “We are delighted to be working in ever closer partnership with Durham University in providing a safe and clean environment for residents, students and businesses in Durham City.
“These issues continue to be a high priority for the council and this joint funding means we can use our resources to maximum effect for the benefit of the city as a whole.”
Professor Graham Towl, pro-vice-chancellor at the university, said: “Durham City’s neighbourhood wardens deliver an important and valued service and we are delighted to be able to support this.
“We have worked closely with the neighbourhood wardens for a number of years, including through the highly successful Green Move Out scheme, and this funding announcement reflects our continued commitment to their work and to enhancing our city, for local residents and students alike.”
The university’s Residents Forum is supporting the new arrangement.
Forum member Mike Costello said: “The last two years have seen an improvement in community relations in Durham City.
“Many initiatives with Durham Constabulary, Durham County Council, Durham University and the Students Union have improved the quality of life in the city and the neighbourhood warden service is a tangible example of this improvement.”
Wardens carry out regular patrols of their area, dealing with any issues they encounter.
This includes tackling environmental crime such as litter, dog fouling, fly-tipping, graffiti and illegal business waste – for all of which they can issue fixed penalty notices.
Wardens also deal with stray dogs.
The role also involves promoting community involvement and social inclusion, working with community organisations and partners such as Durham Constabulary.
In Durham City, the wardens also work with students and landlords on Green Move Out, ensuring additional waste from student accommodation at the end of term is properly disposed of and that as much as possible is reused or recycled.
This year, around 70 tonnes of additional waste was collected as part of the scheme and around 200 bags of items were collected for reuse or recycling.