BEWSEY and Whitecross could be in line for a major improvement programme.

Town Hall bosses are preparing a bid for a neighbourhood management scheme in the ward following an invite from the Government.

A total of 83 wards, from among the country's most deprived areas, have been invited to apply to take part in the project and the 15 strongest applications will go on to the next stage of development.

Each initiative should look at the nature and scale of problems, ensure that solutions are finely-tuned to the needs of the neighbourhood, secure the community's support and commitment and then maintain the momentum.

The borough council's bid for Bewsey and Whitecross includes community-based partnerships which would give residents a leading role and would include input from the police, youth services, social services and environmental services, among others.

And if borough council bosses show that the scheme can deliver real change to the area, it could go through to a third stage, which would mean long-term funding over seven years.