THE Night Marshals scheme in Selby has been axed due to funding cuts.

The marshals who are trained to keep revellers safe during nights out in the town will no longer exist after funding for the scheme, which supports door staff, police officers and PCSOs, dried up.

Their presence has gradually reduced in recent months since it was set up in 2008 to keep drunken pub goers safe as they enjoyed a night out in the town.

In March of last year Night Marshals were told they would only be needed on a bank holiday, however, Government funding given to Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, has been cut, leaving no money to pay for the project.

Cllr Gavin Harding, deputy mayor of Selby and town councillor, believes axing the service has put revellers in danger.

He said: "People going out in Selby are at risk and the Night Marshals did a good job.

"It's not looking very good at the moment.

"There's been cutbacks to CCTV, police cells have gone and now there's the night marshals.

"It's ridiculous what has gone on in the last four years.

"We had all these services in 2010 and now we have lost them all."

It is believed Street Angels - a team of volunteers who cast a watchful eye on the town's drinkers - are being considered to replace the marshals.

Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire PCC, said: "Once the specific Government grant supporting this scheme was pulled, continued funding from our own budget would mean taking away money from local policing, and I don’t think councillors would really be recommending that.

"Other similar schemes in the county are volunteer led and therefore much cheaper to run, but it doesn’t seem as though these councillors have considered innovative solutions like that.

"It is good news therefore that North Yorkshire Police’s Local Inspector Ian McNiff is currently working with partners to establish interest from volunteer groups to become Street Angels in the Selby District."


Also in the news: