Scrapping of Aston Project called a 'betrayal' by Cheltenham councillor
Councillor Alisha Lewis is calling for a U-turn on the police decision
The scrapping of a popular police scheme which “saved children from a life of crime” has been blasted as a betrayal amid calls from a leading Cheltenham civic chief for the decision to be reversed.
The Aston Project, a community focused initiative that identifies at-risk young people and links them with resources or activities within their communities, was set up in 2011 and renamed after the late neighbourhood police constable Lynn Aston.
The much-loved police-managed project is being axed as Gloucestershire Constabulary seeks to make budget cuts to plug the £12.3m funding gap they face. There are huge concerns that the move to axe the Aston Project, which provided mentors and benefited many young people in the county, is short-sighted.
And now Cheltenham Borough Council’s finance and assets cabinet member Alisha Lewis (LD, Oakley) has written to Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson expressing her deep concern over the move. She is particularly concerned about the “devastating” impact it will have on communities of Oakley and Whaddon.
And she wants the decision to be reversed. “For years, the Aston Project has played a vital role in supporting young people in my ward. It has never been just a policing initiative; it has been a lifeline. It offered structure, hope, and a path away from crime,” she said in her letter to Mr Nelson.
“It was a source of local pride and remains a meaningful legacy for Lynn Aston, a highly respected officer of your force whose name still carries immense weight in our community. To allow this project to disappear now, at a time when the consequences of limited youth support and declining visible policing are being felt more acutely than ever, is not just short-sighted.
“It is a betrayal — of our young people, our neighbourhoods, and of everything community policing is supposed to stand for. Everything you, as Police and Crime Commissioner, should stand for.
“Oakley and Whaddon will be hit harder than most by this decision. These are proud, resilient, community-minded neighbourhoods. People are doing their best to hold things together.
“Our incredible network of voluntary groups and youth clubs are going above and beyond, but they cannot do it alone. And they should not have to. That is what community policing should mean: turning up, building trust, being present.
“Instead, because of the ongoing crisis in Gloucestershire policing, my residents are left to deal with the consequences of your failure to properly resource your hardworking officers. They see the rise in open drug use in parks and public spaces. They see young people being exploited by criminal gangs.
“They see vandalism, fear, and a growing sense that the things we worked so hard to improve are, instead, getting worse. When residents cannot see a single bobby on the beat, but can see money wasted across the force, they are right to ask what they are paying for. Because they are paying — more than ever.
“Police precepts have risen again, hitting low-income families already struggling with the cost of living. And in return, they see fewer officers, fewer patrols, and now the loss of one of the few projects that actually worked.
“Scrapping the Aston Project may save pennies in the short term, but it will cost us dearly in the long run. It will cost lives. It will cost thousands in emergency callouts, in nights spent in custody, and in repairing the physical and social damage done to our neighbourhoods.
“It will cost the lives and futures of our children. How can anyone put a savings target on that? I urge you to reverse this decision. Protect the Aston Project. Protect the young people it supports.
“And start rebuilding trust with the communities being asked to pay the price for failures in how your force has been led and funded.”
A spokesperson for the Office and Police Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire (OPCC) said ceasing the Aston Project was a decision made by the Constabulary in its efforts to save costs.
The OPCC has written a personal response to Cheltenham Borough Councillor Alisha Lewis on this matter, they said. But ultimately the decision was the Constabulary’s.
Gloucestershire Constabulary say they had to make the “extremely difficult” decision to end the project as they must make £12.3m in savings by the end of the financial year.
“We’ve recently had to take decisive action to improve the core policing services we provide our communities at a cost we can afford,” a spokesperson said.
“Earlier this month we announced we’ll be increasing the number of warranted police officers in our Neighbourhood Policing Teams to help us respond to and investigate the crimes that people are most affected by, such as anti-social behaviour and shoplifting.
“We’ll continue to have a significant number of PCSOs working throughout the county as we recognise the valuable link they provide with residents, businesses and other partners.
"However, regrettably, we’ll no longer be able to resource some activities, such as the Aston Project or the Boost Programme.
“We recognise the value of working with and supporting young people and have youth engagement officers who will ensure we maintain our relationships with schools and other partners that support children and teenagers.
"Senior officers have met with Eamon Aston to explain the situation regarding the Aston Project and to put on record our thanks for his and his late wife Lynn’s dedication to working with young people over the years.
“We need to make £12.3m of savings by the end of the financial year and while decisions such as these are extremely difficult to make, they are absolutely necessary if we’re to deliver the improvements to our services we know we need to make.”