A new ‘Community Payback’ scheme was launched in High Wycombe this month by High Wycombe Business Improvement District (HWBIDCo), taking action to clean up problem areas of town such as Birdcage Walk and Castle Street Memorial Gardens, giving these areas a much-needed facelift.

HWBIDCo has been working with Buckinghamshire Council, the Police and other stakeholders through it’s ‘Town Centre Partnership’ group to identify key areas of the town where there are repeat issues that often occur on both public and private land and therefore require detailed collaboration to resolve.

The project, provides a sense of ‘circular justice’, deters repeat offending and has an obvious and visible positive impact for residents and visitors to High Wycombe, enlivening previously tired and mis-treated areas to once again be welcoming community environments.

Community Payback is a sentencing measure applied by courts for offences that do not warrant imprisonment, typically as part of a broader community order. This involves 40 to 300 hours of unpaid work, depending on the offence severity. During Community Payback, offenders are escorted to and from work sites, operate in small groups, and are overseen by qualified supervisors. Typical projects, such as those happening here in High Wycombe, include removing graffiti, clearing wasteland, enhancing public spaces and picking up litter.

HWBIDCo Chief Executive, Melanie Williams comments, “This scheme directly tackles some of the frustrating ‘grot spots’ that often get ignored due to disparate ownership and we are delighted to be able to make visible improvements. We are grateful for the collaboration with a hard-working group of officers and businesses who form the Town Centre Partnership – which seeks results on the ground but also to build up a solution-focused relationship infrastructure for the town centre that facilitates pride in place and supports town centre regeneration.”