WIDE-ranging efforts to make life safer in communities of all sizes have won more cash backing.

North Yorkshire County councillors have agreed to inject £70,000 into the campaign led by the county's seven Community Safety Partnerships.

The partnerships were set up as a result of the Crime and Disorder Act and include local authorities, the police, probation service, health authority, the voluntary sector and local residents and businesses. Their primary aim is to reduce crime and disorder; the county council is a statutory partner.

For the current financial year each partnership will receive £5,000 with a top-up determined by the population size of each district. The move means each partnership will have more money to tackle community safety issues and the fear of crime within each area.

Coun Shelagh Marshall is the county's executive member with responsibility for community safety and the county's official older people's champion, with the task of monitoring the progress towards meeting national standards such as age discrimination when planning older people's services.

She said: "For people who live on their own and in their own home the fear of crime is very real. As a county council we are very supportive of all the measures which are being taken to make people aware of problem areas.

"In particular we have given our support in terms of the trading standards initiative to try and stop salesmen who just turn up on someone's doorstep - cold calling. That is a very real safety threat."

Other issues being tackled include: reducing the fear of crime by providing public reassurance, working with the police to help to reduce the number of burglaries and thefts and helping to reduce vehicle-related crime.