October 2014 will see the Local Host team branch out into the suburbs for the first time.

Local Hosts are Wellington City Council ‘street ambassadors’, and they are starting their third year of operation in November.  Their Team Leader, Gary Haddon, tells us that in the first instance Newtown, Kilbirnie and Miramar will see the team in green walking around the streets during day light hours on a Monday to Friday. A dedicated number of hours will be given to each suburb and the main focus will be on community. This will mean visiting community centres, Community Policing teams, drop-in centres, retailers, cafés and restaurants, libraries and so on.  The team will continue observing and reporting on issues such as graffiti, city infrastructure, city safety and continue their relationship with the vulnerable community and service providers.

While they are starting with Newtown, Kilbirnie and Miramar, they will respond to need and visits to suburbs will change accordingly.

You can find out more about Local Hosts on the WCC website.