New Forest Borough Council Community, Partnerships and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Panel Meeting

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 January 2022 be confirmed and signed.

There were no declarations of interest.

There was no public participation.

The Panel received an update from the portfolio holders in connection with the performance dashboards. The following issues were raised:

Cllr Blunden

The Safer New Forest Partnership recently met and approved the Partnership Plan for 2022/23 with a focus on three key priorities:

·         Drug & Alcohol Related Harm

·         Domestic Abuse

·         Reducing risk to vulnerable people and property

The Portfolio holder would be monitoring progress on these priorities throughout the year and the Panel would receive an update in September from the Safer New Forest team on the actions that were being undertaken.       

It was reported that CCTV equipment was being updated with digital high definition cameras, to significantly enhance footage obtained for evidence. Policing partners had welcomed this. This year, a further 10 cameras would be changed across the network with a full camera exchange by 2025.  This commitment by NFDC was supported by towns and parishes and provided much needed reassurance to communities across the New Forest.    It was confirmed that the upgrades were being prioritised on the basis of age and condition. 

The Portfolio Holder wished to thank all staff involved in managing the Council’s response to Storm Eunice on 18 February, which, with winds of over 80mph, created high coastal waves, high winds and heavy rain inland. The emergency planning service actioned the response plans in place to ensure the Council was prepared for the situation.  Officers from across the whole Council worked hard on the frontline to keep residents safe.

A query was raised on timescales for resumption of food safety intervention checks.  A response would be provided to the Chairman in due course.

Cllr Russell

New fees and charges for Cemeteries had just been published.

Storm Eustace – The Portfolio holder expressed thanks to grounds staff who worked hard cutting up trees and removing debris from the storm.

The programme for use of the £1m Arts Council grant funding was progressing.

A query was raised concerning tree planting. In answer, it was explained that some trees had been lost through Ash Die Back, though the Portfolio Holder was pleased to report that new trees were being planted in the District for the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

In response to a question on cemetery provision, the Panel noted that investigations were ongoing to find a suitable site for future provision.

In answer to a question on timescales for the back office ICT operations system, it was noted that  procurement process the system will start in the Summer, with a view to implementation late 2022 / spring 2023.  In this connection, a member referred to his constituents’ concerns about any information office closures as a result of the customer service review. He also raised concerns about the greater emphasis on technology, and sought reassurances that all sections of the community would continue to be catered for. In answer, the portfolio holder, whilst not wishing to pre-empt the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group, reiterated that it was not his intention to reduce access to services.

In response to a question, the Portfolio Holder stated that he was unaware of any reductions in the number of refuse bins in Totton. It was noted that both the District Council and the Town Council managed their own litter bins in Totton and it was suggested that this could be rationalised.  It was also noted that the Task and Finish Group were considering the more efficient use of bins, including new technology. The Group’s recommendations were awaited with interest.

The Panel received an update on the operation of the Council’s Leisure Centres. The slides from the presentation are attached to the minutes as Appendix 1.

The presentation included:

·         Capital Investment Programme

·         Membership Performance

·         Swim school and Active Lifestyle figures

·         Environmental issues (energy consumption)

·         Staff

·         Customers

A number of matters were raised, to which responses were given:

It was anticipated that the Totton cafeteria would open in August/September. 

In response to a question, it was explained that the pricing structure for the Applemore soft play facility was still being formulated, but reassurances were given that the pricing would be affordable and offer value for money, with casual prices and a monthly membership price, in line with the market.

It was explained that the general membership was at approximately 85% of pre covid levels, in line with other Freedom sites and across the industry.

In response to a query about reusable cups, it was explained that there was a 25p discount for  people who brought their own coffee cups, and a new arrangement was  being negotiated where all cups would be recycled, as well as improvements to water bottle recycling.  

A query was raised on the impact of the new Softplay provision on the current badminton facilities. It was explained that there were currently 6 badminton courts at Applemore, and 4 courts was the normal number at standard leisure centres.   Dialogue with the badminton groups had led to further sessions being arranged on the remaining 4 courts.

The portfolio holder gave an update on the activities of the Hampshire Police and Crime Panel.

PCC Public Scrutiny sessions with Chief Constable, formally known as COMPASS had been renamed to COPS (Commissioners Oversight of Policing Services).  Meetings were now held over Facebook live, which gave a cost saving of £12-15K per annum.

£5.4M in grants had been issued by the OPCC during the current financial year.  The Commissioner’s team had successfully secured two to three times the level of grant funds allocated in the base budget through applications to central government grant rounds. 

There was a significant national focus upon violence against women and girls (VAWG) and Donna Jones was working with the national VAWG lead Maggie Blythe (former Assistant Chief Constable in Hampshire Constabulary). 

As at end of September 2021, Hampshire Constabulary had recruited 621 additional officers bringing the officer FTE to 3029.  A further 192 officers were due to start between October and March 2022. 

A further 103 new PCSOs had been recruited during the financial year, bringing Hampshire total to 248 FTE.

Resulting from the constabulary’s need to move to a ‘high harm’ model in recent years, public dissatisfaction existed around the response to medium- low level crimes.  Whilst the police were taking action in respect of these reports, they were not impacting on confidence in policing.  The commissioner was looking to develop a new crime reporting app which would enable feedback to be given.  With an additional 600 officers, the commissioner would be challenging the constabulary to deliver enhanced preventative approaches in communities, and  to tackle more lower harm concerns.

The Commissioner’s Office had secured £460,000 of funding from Ministry of Justice to be spent on trauma informed approaches. A conference was held  on 1 March in Southampton regarding the life journey of trauma.  A NFDC representative attended this event where workshops were held regarding ‘What next’ .  The Commissioner would be collating all ideas and a report would be circulated.

The Police and Crime Plan 2021-2024 was published in December 2021 and was a living document, which would evolve and grow over the period to 2024.  This could be found on the OPCC site  The plan was very accessible with clear content. 

The portfolio holder had attended the Hampshire Police and Crime Panel on 28 January 2022, where the proposed precept for 2022/23 was considered. The Panel supported the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) proposed precept increase of £10 per annum for Band D properties.

The panel recommended and expected that key improvements identified in the police and crime plan and through the budget be reported to the panel and the public, particularly in terms of the responsiveness to incidents, improvements in crime reporting and reductions in the levels of crime.

Further, the panel noted the recommendations from the Chief Constable to the PCC on her operational requirements for 2022/23 onwards, and her support for a precept increase. Supporting the delivery of the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan ‘More Police, Safer Streets’ there would be significant investment, particularly delivering an increase in police officer numbers. Some of these numbers would be partly funded from a rationalisation of police properties as well as the precept.

The panel looks forward to receiving updates from the PCC and team over the forthcoming year demonstrating progress against the budget and the tangible deliverable outcomes to be expected as a result of the precept increase.

Members hoped a proportionate number of the 600 new officers would be allocated to the New Forest and that further work could be done on anti social behaviour, including a greater emphasis on ‘visible policing’, and reopening some police stations.

The portfiolio holder would provide a definition of lower and higher harm crime to the Panel in due course.

The increase in officer numbers  would take account of the  attrition rate of retiring and leaving officers.

The portfolio holder would provide an update to the panel on the closure of custody suites in the New Forest.  

RESOLVED:

That the Community Grants Task and Finish Group be reconvened in November and an invitation be sent to all members to fill a Group of 8 members.

The Panel noted its future work programme.

The June Panel meeting would receive an update on the progress of the Public Conveniences Task and Finish Group.