THE cost of providing a street warden scheme for Test Valley for three years will be almost £642,000 which will be half met by special government funding.

Meeting in Romsey on Wednesday evening Test Valley Borough Counci's executive agreed to underwrite the remaining £320,980 cost of the scheme.

To help offset some of this expense the council has written to organisations such Testway Housing and Tesco to discover if they would like to be associated with the scheme through sponsorship.

After the initial three years, funding from the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions will end.

"If it is decided to continue with this scheme, the council would need to be prepared to meet the full costs," the borough council's community safety manager Janet Ashfield says in her report to the executive.

If no funding is obtained from any other source the cost of implementing the street warden scheme would add £3 to the council tax of a band 'D' property during the first three years and £6 a year in subsequent years. Costs could rise faster than this, however, if it was decided to extend the scheme by employing extra wardens.

But it could be less if the council is successful is securing sufficient sponsorship or EU funding.

The programme comes under social well-being portfolio holder Cllr Marion Kerley who says fear of crime, especially on the estates, was one factor mentioned by young and old when a crime audit was carried out in this area.

"I realise that this is a cost in money, but this is against the cost of human misery, where people will not answer the door after dark for fear of the consequences, where children get up to mischief and are sometimes out of parental control," said Cllr Kerley.

"This is where the street warden scheme would be of immense value to our community and the well being of the people that we represent."