A LANCASTER county councillor has joined the Prime Minister on a Downing Street task force set up to tackle street crime.

Ruth Henig, Chairman of the Lancashire Police Authority, has joined forces with Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss ways of tackling the rising problem of street crime.

Meetings, to be held at Number 10, are currently being chaired by the Prime Minister.

Councillor Henig, the only local authority representative, will ensure that Lancashire has a strong say on the way forward.

Work being done now in Lancashire to fast track young people involved in street crime will provide the focus for discussions.

Councillor Henig said: "The discussions so far have been very positive and it is particularly encouraging that the Prime Minister is personally involved.

We are already taking a lead in Lancashire on many of the issues raised at the meetings.

The work we are doing now in partnership with our schools and Youth Offending Team will be discussed in coming meetings and hopefully provide inspiration for national initiatives."

Cllr Henig added: "It is most important that we find solutions that lead to a reduction in crime in our communities and positive outcomes for the young people who are involved in crime at the moment.

If we are serious about getting young people back on the straight and narrow we must ensure the right kind of help and support is there for them throughout the process."