IN the run-up to the Labour Party conference, former Health Secretary Alan Milburn told this newspaper that the Government was in danger of losing its sense of purpose.

The war against Iraq had been a huge distraction, the Hutton Inquiry made matters worse, there was a feeling within the party that the Government was drifting, and the conference had to signal the turning point before it was too late.

Yesterday's announcement of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour is part of that renewed focus on domestic issues that really get under the skin of the vast majority of law-abiding people: neighbours from hell, vandalism, graffiti, and scruffy estates.

We welcome the Government initiative to tackle anti-social behaviour through a number of pilot schemes, just as most people will see it as an encouraging step forward.

The concern is whether it will be a short-term gimmick, designed to sound good to the electorate, or whether it will deliver sustainable results which will make a real difference to life in those communities.

The Government has talked for a long time about the importance of stamping out anti-social behaviour and reviving community spirit. But it has so far failed to follow through with a credible way forward.

Yesterday's announcement by Home Secretary David Blunkett represents a foundation which must be built on. If there are tangible improvements for the people of Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Sunderland, then every community in Britain has a right to expect fair consideration, and a longer-term strategy has to be put in place.

If the results are not forthcoming, Mr Blunkett has made it clear that council officials should be sacked for failing to deliver.

"If they don't do their job on behalf of the community, the chief officers of police, housing, environmental health or the courts should simply get rid of them," he said.

Tough talk indeed and we do not disagree. But ministers should not forget that a failure to deliver could also see them dumped as well.