Agenda and minutes

Venue: Chappell Room

Contact: Helen Lee  Democratic Services Officer

Items
No. Item

10.

Apologies for Absence and Substitutions.

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Greensmith, Paling, Truscott and Bisset.

11.

To approve, as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on 18 September. pdf icon PDF 96 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED:

 

That the minutes of the above meeting, having been circulated, be approved as a correct record.

 

12.

Declaration of Interests.

Minutes:

None.

13.

Programme of Portfolio Holder Attendance pdf icon PDF 95 KB

Report of the Democratic Services Officer.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee welcomed Councillor David Ellis, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection to discuss a range of issues relating to his area of responsibility.  David Wakelin, Director of Health and Community Wellbeing and David Jayne, Community Safety and Safeguarding Manager also attended the meeting.

Councillor Ellis gave a presentation which updated on the areas reviewed in January 2017.  This included:

·         Hate crime analysis.  Strands recorded by the police now include misogyny. The Safer Nottingham Board Action Plan monitors this

·         Closer working with Notts. County Council Family Service.  Links have improved, the Anti-social behaviour coordinator is based half a day with the Family Service and the Family Service coordinator attends monthly meetings.

·         Co – location with the Police.  Police now working in the Carlton Ambulance Station where there is a customer service point one day a week. The Police are now co located at Jubilee House.  Currently there is no Police presence in the Civic Centre, but as there has been no Police Station in Arnold for some time this is not seen as a priority.  There are ongoing discussions with the Gedling response team which should bring about improvements in response times in Gedling.  Yellow phones inside and outside the Civic Centre to the control room will be provided.

·         A single point of contact for both fly tipping and abandoned vehicles has been introduced.

·         There has been an expansion of food hygiene training with new tests developed locally.

Councillor Ellis explained there is no one single reliable measurement of crime, data is developed from a range of indicators including the National Crime Survey and local police statistics.  There has been a steady decrease in crime levels from 2004 onwards to 2014 when it has gradually started to rise.  Real increases have been seen in digital, acquisitive (burglary, shop theft, vehicle crime) and violent crime.  There have been some changes to the recording of violent crime but this does not account for all the increase. Terrorism and domestic extremism has also increased, levels of anti-social behaviour have remained constant. 

Young people, students, single parent households, unemployed and people living in urban areas are more likely to be a victim of crime.  Different types of crime, honour based, FGM and modern slavery result in hidden victims.

Emerging organised crime groups involved in drugs, cybercrime and child sexual exploitation pose a significant threat across the country.  Knife crime is of particular concern.

Locally in Gedling there has been a 26% increase in crime for quarter 2 a 21% increase this calendar year. 

The Nottingham Police and Crime Plan, Strategic Framework has four main objectives for protecting people from harm, helping and supporting victims, tackling crime and ASB and transforming services.  Gedling Borough is reviewing its own objectives to align with the framework.

The South Nottingham Community Safety Partnership last year reviewed its structure. It has a strategic group and operational delivery group which looks at what need addressing, local operational groups include a whole range of partners and consider individual cases and local complex  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

14.

Council Plan 2017/19: Overview of Quarter 2 pdf icon PDF 161 KB

Director of Organisational Development and Democratic Services.      

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Director of Organisational Development and Democratic Services presented a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, informing the committee about the position against Improvement, Actions and Performance Indicators in the 2017/2018 Gedling Plan.

Five of the 83 Gedling Plan actions are completed, with the remaining either in progress or assigned to an Officer.  As this only refers to the first two quarters of the financial year it is expected over time that the majority of these actions will be completed.

 

There has been particularly strong performances in some areas and of the 9 indicators showing red for the end of quarter 2, 5 are expected to be on target by the end of the year.  Three indicators are of concern.

·         Crime levels – level of overall crime

·         Homelessness – the average time to process homeless applications Officers are aware of this problem and this will not improve in Quarter three.  Two very complex cases have contributed this

·         Housing – net additional homes provided. Houses have been started completion will fall into following quarter data.

 

During discussion the following points were raised:

 

·         Many achievements are due to partnership working.

·         Although the indicator referring to the number of people receiving job seekers allowance falls mainly to the Department of Work and pensions, Economic Development has a role in increasing business activity in the borough and creating jobs.

·         There needs to be more communication with Parish Councils regarding illegal encampments.

·         Service managers provide this information for the key achievements report, most of this information is provided by Community Relations.

 

RESOLVED to:

 

·         Note the progress against actions and performance indicators in the Gedling Plan 2017/2018.

 

 

15.

Scrutiny Work Programme pdf icon PDF 96 KB

Report of the Democratic Services Officer.     

Additional documents:

Minutes:

COMPLETED SCRUTINY REVIEWS

 

Income Generation Working Group

 

The report and recommendations arising from the working group were presented to Cabinet on the 12th October; the response to the recommendations was discussed.  All recommendations were accepted or partially accepted and a six month update on the progress of the recommendations was requested.

 

INFORMATION UPDATES FROM PREVIOUS ITEMS AT COMMITTEE

 

Members discussed and noted the additional information.

 

SCRUTINY REVIEWS 2017/18

 

Gedling Councillor Standard

 

This working group which will be developing a set of guidance which will determine standards of behaviour expected from elected members will be starting shortly.

 

Improving the effectiveness of scrutiny.

 

As part of the evidence gathering process for this review Councillor Lawrence  considered the findings of the Communities and Local Government Report on the Effectiveness of Local Authority Overview and Scrutiny and discussed with the committee how they considered the profile of the committee could be raised and member engagement with the scrutiny process increased.  The final report and recommendations arising from this working group will be available for the March Committee meeting.

 

Promoting transparency of the Council

 

The working group decided that due to lack of interest that this review would not proceed.  The outstanding issue regarding the recording of meetings, which Cabinet has asked the committee to reconsider, would, however, be bought back to the March committee for further discussion.    To assist members of the committee with their discussion all members of the Council are to be asked for their opinion about the resumption of the audio recording of Council and Planning Committee.

SCRUTINY IN COMMITTEE

Programme of Portfolio Holder Attendance

The forward plan for Portfolio Holder attendance was noted and agreed.

RESOLVED:

 

              I.        To note the response to the Income Generation Working Group and ask for a six moth update on the progress of recommendations

 

            II.        To note the information from earlier committees

 

           III.        That the proposed review into the openness and transparency of the Council would not proceed.

 

          IV.        That the resumption of  recording of meeting would be discussed at the March committee; and

 

           V.        That to assist Members with the discussion the Committee the wider membership of the Council would be contacted to gather opinions about resuming the recordings.

16.

Reports and Notices received by the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee as required under the Constitution or Law. pdf icon PDF 40 KB

Report of the Democratic Services Officer.

 

Minutes:

Members considered a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, which included information on items referred to the Chair as required by the Constitution.

17.

Any other item which the Chair considers urgent.

Minutes:

None