Community Payback is a new scheme by the National Probation Service. The people of County Durham are being given the chance to have their say over how offenders pay back the community.

Every year across the country local communities benefit from over 5 million hours of compulsory unpaid work. In the north east alone over 200,000 hours were completed by offenders from County Durham, Northumbria and Teesside Probation areas. However, this work often goes un-noticed, so residents are now being asked to play a part in deciding on the kind of work that is they would like to see carried out.

You can use our Suggestion Form to find out more about how to suggest a Community Payback project.

Projects undertaken by offenders that have been of benefit to local communities in County Durham include graffiti removal, litter clearance, repairing and redecorating community centres and environmental work such as maintaining churchyards.

All projects combine hard work and the chance to learn vocational and important life skills. They help to reduce the risk of re-offending to make the communities we live in safer places to be.

Bearpark Community Centre, Durham The Community Centre in Bearpark has been given a new lease of life with the help of offenders who have redecorated two staircases, a large main hall, corridors and toilets. 43 offenders completed approximately 800 hours of compulsory unpaid work which is the equivalent of over £4,000 worth of labour.

Hurworth Grange, Darlington 633 offenders contributed a total of 3,565 hours at the Centre, doing a variety of work such as tree clearance, chipping, leaf raking, grass cutting and painting and decorating. Four individual offenders also completed 252 hours of unpaid work which involved general cleaning, maintenance of the grounds and building and assisting with weekend functions.

St Lawrence's Church, Middleton-St-George 63 offenders completed 359 hours of work at the church doing work such as grass cutting, tree clearance and leaf raking. The work is equivalent of £1,741 worth of labour.