Neighbourhood Watch Association "at risk" from July 1st

Thursday, 10 June 2004 12:00 AM

The general secretary of the National Neighbourhood Watch Association has said that the organisation may be forced to close on July 1st this year.

The future of the organisation has been placed in jeopardy following a dispute with the Government over the use of the Neighbourhood Watch logo.

John Howell, the secretary general of the National Neighbourhood Watch Association (NNWA) told politics.co.uk that whilst there is no dispute that the Government owns the copyright of the logo, he said that they own the trademark.

The trademark is the actual visual logo, whereas copyright covers the concept behind the logo.

The NNWA has lined up a sponsorship deal with a major high street bank which would secure its financial future, but it claims a few days before the contracts were due to be signed they received a solicitor's letter from the Treasury contesting the NNWA's right to use the logo freely.

Without the logo the commercial funding is put at risk and along with it, as there is no Government funding, the survival of the organisation.

After Government help ceased in March, the organisation has been running solely on its reserves.

It provides an coordination point for the individual Neighbourhood Watch groups whom also elect its general secretary.

Today the Conservative Party threw its weight behind the NNWA's campaign to retain use of the logo.

John Howell emphasised to politics.co.uk that as a non-political organisation it had been reluctant to involve politicians, but with its future at risk it had been forced to issue a briefing paper to MPs.

Its campaign has cross party support Mr Howell claimed.

The Government's actions are "outrageous" and an "attack on the independence of the movement" Mr Howell said.

He branded the Government's actions as "bizarre" saying that the NNWA has received commercial funding since 1995 and this support is essential to maintain independence from the Government.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said today: "The Home Office appears intent on bringing about the demise of the Association and assuming control of the neighbourhood watch movement.

"Any moves by the Home Office to take over the role of the National Neighbourhood Watch Association will be resisted by the Conservative Party, which respects the independence of the Neighbourhood Watch movement and its 150,000 coordinators.

" It is vital that the Association is allowed to carry on using to logo to attract sponsorship and ensure that the UK's largest voluntary movement continues. With 165,000 schemes in operations covering 6 million homes, quite frankly, we expect more from the Home Office than this.

"It puts this Government's commitment to banishing anti-social behaviour and crime from our communities into question if they won't even back such a vital scheme such as this one."

Mr Davis is calling on the Home Secretary to reverse his decision and back the organisation.

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