BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCIL
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY (COMMUNITY SERVICES) COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY (COMMUNITY SERVICES) COMMITTEE HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, COUNCIL OFFICES, CORKS LANE, HADLEIGH ON TUESDAY, 27 MARCH 2007
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PRESENT: Mr C J Hunt – Chairman
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Mr D G Grutchfield
Mr R E Kemp
Mr J A B Long |
Mr J R A Sayers
Mr J W Roberts
Mr D L Wood |
Mr K Grimsey and Mr B D Hurren were unable to be present.
Mr N A Ridley attended the meeting for the presentation on the Crime and Disorder Partnership referred to in Minute 53 below, and spoke on the item at the invitation of the Chairman.
Mr D Wood, Manager of the West Suffolk Local Strategic Partnership (WSLSP) attended the meeting in order to present a report on that Partnership, referred to in Minute 54 below.
Mrs S P Clarke attended the meeting in order to present a report on the Babergh East Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) referred to in Minute 54 below.
Mr D L Wood subsequently declared a personal interest in respect of the item referred to in Minute No. 53 below, by virtue of the fact that he is a member of the Suffolk Police Authority.
Mr J A B Long subsequently declared a personal interest in respect of the item referred to in Minute No. 54 below, by virtue of the fact that he is a licensee, holding a personal licence in West Suffolk.
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RESOLVED
That the Minutes of the meeting held on 6 February 2007 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.
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None received.
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None received.
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Mr Matthew Bland, Community Safety and Partnership Manager at Suffolk Constabulary, made a presentation (subsequently numbered Paper F213) to the meeting, giving an overview of the work of the Babergh Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP). Mr Bland and Chief Inspector Christopher Stokes, of the Suffolk Constabulary, answered a number of questions from Members.
In the ensuing discussion the following were the among the points noted:
§ One of the CDRP targets set by the Home Office and the Local Area Agreement was to reduce crime by 13.5% by March 2008. This meant a reduction of approximately 3,000 crimes.
§ It was noted that much of the criminal activity in Sudbury related to the night time economy and it was suggested that more efficient use could be made of CCTV cameras in the town. It was noted that figures for convictions resulting from the use of CCTVs in 2006/07 were not currently available.
§ It was intended that in 2007/08 more funds would be available to support initiatives put forward by Police and Community Support Officers.
§ It was noted that the local business community was not currently represented on the CDRP. However, efforts were currently being made to draw in the business community on a project by project basis.
§ The CDRP was seeking to work in close liaison with the WSLSP. A meeting had been arranged with the Manager of the WSLSP to explore opportunities for greater co-operation.
§ From March 2008 the CDRP would work to a three-year rolling strategic plan, updated with intelligence-led input.
The Head of Community Development presented a report (Paper F209), providing an overview of the work and structure of Babergh’s CDRP. In the ensuing discussion the following were among the points noted:
(a) Members supported a proposal to carry out a review to determine the effectiveness and value of the Council’s existing CCTV operation. It was agreed that officers would carry out the review in two stages. An initial draft of the report would be submitted to Committee, enabling Members to have an input before the final report was submitted.
(b) Babergh CDRP was not co-terminus with the LSP structure in the District and this caused difficulties. The Government White Paper “Strong and Prosperous Communities” indicated that in the future LSPs would become the governing bodies of the CDRPs. It was not clear how this would work when LSPs and CDRPs were not co-terminus.
(c) A Community Safety and Leisure Manager had recently been appointed, and a full-time Community Safety Officer would be in post by May 2007. They would form the nucleus of a new Community Safety Group, which would bring together all Babergh officers associated with tackling anti-social behaviour and crime and disorder.
(d) Five Safety Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) were being set up in Babergh. Their aim would be to provide a better service for local people by providing more accessible and locally focused community safety resources.
RESOLVED
(1) That the report on Babergh’s Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership as set out in Paper F209, together with the presentation set out in Paper F213, be noted.
(2) That the Head of Community Development in conjunction with the Council’s partners be authorised to undertake a review of the operation of Babergh’s CCTV scheme as outlined in paragraph 6.3 of Paper F209, and that a report be submitted to the next appropriate meeting of the Committee.
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Members had before them reports (Paper F210) from representatives on the West Suffolk Local Strategic Partnership (WSLSP), the Babergh East Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) and the Haven Gateway Partnership.
West Suffolk Local Strategic Partnership
Mr D Wood, Manager of the WSLSP, presented a report on that partnership and answered a number of questions from Members. The following were among the points noted:
§ Members expressed concerns that the WSLSP might be funding work which duplicated the efforts of other groups such as the Probation Service, the Skills Board of EERA, Suffolk ACRE and the Drug and Alcohol Team. It was noted, however, that in order to avoid duplication the WSLSP had insisted that all bids for funding should be from partnerships.
§ Members expressed disappointment that only a limited amount of LSP funding had been allocated specifically to Sudbury and the West of Babergh.
§ Concern was also expressed that there appeared to have been little contact between the WSLSP and the CDRP. It was recognised that this was in part due to the fact that the boundaries of the two organisations were not co-terminus.
Babergh East Local Strategic Partnership
Mrs S P Clarke, Babergh’s representative on the Babergh East Local Strategic Partnership, presented a report on the work of that organisation.
It was noted that as part of a capacity building exercise Paula Stott Consultancy and Training Services Limited had interviewed a number of key stakeholders from the Board and their findings had been submitted at a meeting on 23 March 2007. This report suggested that despite effective leadership from the chairman and the hard work and commitment of others, there were serious weaknesses in the organisation. These included the small size and limited scope of the partnership, lack of strategic vision and limited resources.
Members noted that there could be a case for a move to one LSP covering the whole of the Babergh District and expressed strong support for a review of the LSPs by the new Council.
Haven Gateway Partnership
Mr D L Wood, Babergh’s representative on the Haven Gateway Partnership, presented a report on the work of that organisation. In the ensuing discussion the following were among the points noted:
· Babergh had benefited substantially from the Partnership since its launch in 2001, and Babergh’s contribution would rise from £1,000 in 2006/07 to £6,000 in 2007/08.
· The Partnership was supporting Babergh’s view that the former sugar beet factory site at Sproughton should be designated for industrial use. This would be the subject of a public inquiry starting in June 2007.
· It was suggested that the achievements of the WSLSP, Babergh East LSP and the Haven Gateway Partnership should be publicised in Babergh Matters.
RESOLVED
That the contents of the reports contained in Paper F210, together with the presentations at the meeting, be noted.
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The Head of Corporate Services submitted a report (Paper F211) advising that in accordance with the Constitution, the Committee must report annually to Council on its work during the last year and make recommendations for future work programmes and if appropriate, amended working methods. The Democratic Services Manager presented the report and answered a number of questions from Members.
RESOLVED
That the Head of Corporate Services in consultation with the Committee Chairman complete the Committee’s Annual Report for submission to the next meeting of Council, based upon Paper F211 and the views expressed at the meeting.
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Note: The Committee adjourned for refreshments between 10.55 a.m. and 11.15 a.m.
The business of the meeting was concluded at 12.50 p.m.
Chairman
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