TOWN centre businesses have backed another £100,000 cash injection to help keep the shopping area safe.
The money from the Business Improvement District (BID) will pay for the continued employment of five police officers to patrol the town centre.
The £100,000 funding is being matched by the Metropolitan Police, boosting the town centre officer numbers to ten.
The latest six-month deal, which will be reviewed in October, comes after further discussions on the importance of town centre safety between the BID board and the Met.
The BID has a total budget of around £1 million a year to improve the town centre environment, with the aim of making the shopping centre more attractive to visitors.
It is funded by a one per cent levy on town centre businesses with a rateable value of more than £40,000.
Police station closures confirmed – page 7.