Agenda and minutes

Apologies had been received from Councillors JR Fox and P Kreling.  Councillor Saltmarsh was in attendance as substitute for Councillor JR Fox.

Councillor Goldspink had resigned as a member of the committee and had been replaced by Councillor Kreling.

At this point Members must declare whether they have an interest, whether personal or prejudicial, in any of the items on the agenda. Members must also declare if they are subject to their party group whip in relation to any items under consideration.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the Strong and Supportive Communities Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 23 July 2009 were approved as an accurate record.

The Committee were advised that responses had been received to their recommendations from the meeting held on 23 July 2009.  It was confirmed that invited Cabinet members would be attending the meeting on 19 November 2009 to give an update on the progress of their respective portfolios.

ACTION AGREED

The committee noted the responses to the recommendations made at the meeting held on 23 July 2009.

The decision notice for each decision will bear the date on which it is published and will specify that the decision may then be implemented on the expiry of 3 working days after the publication of the decision (not including the date of publication), unless a request for call-in of the decision is received from any two Members of a Scrutiny Committee or Scrutiny Commissions..  If a request for call-in of a decision is received, implementation of the decision remains suspended for consideration by the relevant Scrutiny Committee or Commission.

There were no requests for Call-in to consider.

The Head of Neighbourhood Management reported on the delivery of the four outcome areas for the Creating Strong and Supportive Communities priority of the Local Area Agreement. 

·         Making Peterborough Safer  which included 9 National Indicators

                           i.      NI 16 Serious acquisitive crime rate

                         ii.      NI 17 Perceptions of anti-social behaviour

                        iii.      NI 20 Assault with Injury Crime Rate

                       iv.      NI 30 Re-offending rate of prolific and priority Offenders

                        v.      NI 32 Repeat incidents of domestic violence

                       vi.      NI 33 Arson Incidents

                     vii.      NI 40 Drug users in effective treatment

                    viii.      NI 47 People killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents

                       ix.      NI 111 First time entrants to the youth justice system aged 10-17

·         Building Community Cohesion which included 3 National Indicators

                           i.      NI 1 % of people who believe people from different backgrounds get on well together

                         ii.      NI 13 Migrants English Language Skills & Knowledge

                        iii.      NI 35 Building resilience to violent extremism

·         Empowering Local Communities which included 2 National Indicators

                           i.      NI 4 % of people who feel they can influence decisions in their locality

                         ii.      NI 6 Participation in regular volunteering

·         Building Pride In Peterborough which included 2 National Indicators

                           i.      NI 2 % of people that feel they belong to their neighbourhood

                         ii.      SSC04a % of people who agree Peterborough is a good place to live, work and play

All of the outcomes were reported as having an amber status at the end of the quarter one reporting period.  Making Peterborough Safer and Empowering Local Communities were on target to go green in March 2010.  National Indicators reported as red were NI 16, NI 47 NI 111 and NI 2.

Actions and major initiatives taken to address the high risk areas had been identified:

Making Peterborough Safer

• Operation Alert which concentrated on the 60 top offending burglars
• Integrated Offender Management
• Comprehensive action plans such as ‘weeks of action’, street leaders, ‘Treat Your Streets’, Street Pastors

Building Community Cohesion

• Implementing the new approach to ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
• Migration Impact Funding
• Preventing violent extremism action plan

Empowering Local Communities

• Neighbourhood Management
• Neighbourhood Councils
• Empowering Local Communities Action Plan
• Support for the third sector
• Royal Society for the Art/Arts Council project

Building Pride in Peterborough

• New Destination Centre
• Royal Society for the Art/Arts Council project
• Cathedral Square re design
• Re-siting of the Gormley statues

• The Arch – Culture, Communities and Sport project

Observations and questions were raised and discussed including:

• Operation Alert had made an impact on reducing NI 16 - serious acquisitive crime.  It was anticipated that this NI would move from red to amber.
• Retailers selling high value goods could be encouraged to sell smart water.  There was a data base where people could register their high value goods so that they could be recovered more easily if they were stolen.
• Members asked how much crime was attributed to business crime. Officers advised that there was not much business crime. 
• NI 47 - People killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Committee were advised that a Cultural and Leisure Trust was a not for profit distributing organisation and would be a Charitable Trust.  Any surplus monies would be reinvested into service areas.  Work was still to be done on deciding what service areas would be included in the Trust.  Examples of Trust’s already in place were Cross Keys Homes and the Nene Park Trust.  There would be a board of Trustees which would be made up of nominated people that would include Councillors, and other people drawn in by public advert who were committed to the development of Culture in the City.

The advantages of setting up a Trust included:

·         Delivery of Improved Services (performance)

·         Improved Management

·         Improved Financial Performance

There were 120 Trusts currently delivering cultural services.  Luton Cultural Services Trust and Wigan Leisure and Cultural Trust were good examples and had excellent websites.

A number of task and finish groups had been formed to look at  each element of setting up a Trust in particular financial implications and staff and pension implications.  Surveys were being competed on the condition of the buildings which would be transferred to the management of the trust.

Observations and questions were raised and discussed including:

• Different services would be included in the Trust.  If one service was to be more profitable than another how would this work?  The officer advised Members that it would be up to the Trust to deliver the services in an economical way.
• How would the Trust be accountable?  The officer advised that the Trust would make a promise to deliver services.  The Council would give the Trust money to provide these services and this would be audited.  It would be a beyond arms length organisation and Members should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of this.
• If moving over to a Trust was such a positive option then why had it taken so long to make a decision? Members were advised that the idea had started in 2004 and had been explored several times with positive responses, however moving to a Trust was a major decision therefore time needed to be taken before making a decision.
• There may be savings by transferring to a Trust but would there be any major administrative costs and legal costs.  The officer advised that there would be a one off administrative cost but this would be recouped within the first year of operation.  It was important that the business planning and financial analysis were done correctly and the Council and Trust would form a partnership.
• How many staff would transfer over to the Trust?  Members were advised that this would depend on which services were transferred over to the Trust.
• The officer advised the Committee that the Business Plan still had to be produced.

Due to time constraints the Chairman requested that no more questions be asked on this item and that the discussion be concluded. Councillor Sandford wished to record in the minutes that he still had further questions to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Scrutiny Officer briefed the Committee on The Police and Justice Act 2006 requirements for local authorities to designate a ‘crime and disorder committee’ to deal with crime and disorder scrutiny.  In Peterborough this role had been delegated to this Committee.

The basic function of the crime and disorder committee was to consider the decisions and actions undertaken by the partners of the Safer Peterborough Partnership and to make recommendations or reports to those partners.

The intended outcomes from the new scrutiny arrangements for crime and disorder were to:

• Support and strengthen existing governance arrangements
• Oversee and review delivery of joint responses
• Enhance partnership working
• Provide transparency

Regulations and guidance had now been issued by the Home Office on how crime and disorder scrutiny should work and one of the main points was around co-option of additional members.  The regulations stated that:

·           The crime and disorder committee may co-opt additional members to serve on the          committee.

·           Any co-opted members may be entitled to vote on crime and disorder matters if the committee determines

The guidance suggested that the Council should presume that the Police Authority should play an active part in the committee when crime and disorder matters were discussed.  The Police Authority undertook a role similar to that of the crime and disorder committee, in relation to the Police, and it was important that the Committee and the Police Authority worked together to ensure that their activities were complementary.  The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority also had a similar role in relation to the Fire and Rescue Service.

The Committee were asked to support the proposed way forward:

1)                  To issue invitations to the Cambridgeshire Police Authority and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Fire Authority to appoint two representatives to become co-opted members of the Strong and Supportive Communities Scrutiny Committee, when it is acting as the Crime and Disorder Committee. 

2)                  That the co-opted members should have the same entitlement to vote as any other member of the Committee, but only on crime and disorder matters. 

This action was proposed to meet the intended outcomes of scrutiny by strengthening existing governance arrangements and enhancing partnership working. Detailed protocols on how the new arrangements would work, including requirements for attendance at meetings and the provision of information, would be brought to the next meeting of the Committee.

ACTION AGREED

That the Committee agree to the proposed way forward:

                                I.      To issue invitations to the Cambridgeshire Police Authority and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Fire Authority to appoint two representatives to become co-opted members of the Strong and Supportive Communities Scrutiny Committee, when it is acting as the Crime and Disorder Committee. 

                              II.      The co-opted members should have the same entitlement to vote as any other member of the Committee, but only on crime and disorder matters. 

                            III.      That detailed protocols on the new arrangements would be brought to the next meeting of the Committee in November 2009.

A presentation on Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence was given to the Committee by the Safer Peterborough Partnership Manager. The Committee were advised that one of the priorities contained within the Local Area Agreement under the Making Peterborough Safer outcome and also within the Safer Peterborough Partnership Plan was NI 32 –     Repeat incidents of domestic violence.

            Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence had issues that overlapped.  Domestic abuse was not just about physical violence but also psychological, emotional, sexual and financial.  There were two types of sexual violence: rape and sexual assault (both none consensual intercourse and touching).  Members were advised of the scale of the challenge that officers faced in reducing the incidents of domestic violence.

·         1 in 4 women were physically assaulted by their partner or ex-partner at some time in their lives – Council of Europe, 2002

·         Approximately 90% of domestic abuse was perpetrated by men against women – British Crime Survey, 1996

·         A woman would be assaulted on average 35 times before reporting it to the Police – Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1997

·         On average, women contacted up to 10 different agencies before obtaining the help they needed – Leeds Metropolitan University, 1994

·         23% of women and 3% of men experienced sexual assault as an adult - Cross Government Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse, 2007

·         Only 15% of serious sexual offences against people aged 16 and over were reported to the police; and of the rape offences that were reported, fewer than 6% resulted in an offender being convicted of the offence - Rape Crisis, 2009

·         51% of serious sexual assaults were committed by current or former partners of the victim; Only 11% were committed by strangers – British Crime Survey, 2005/06

Members were advised that 906 incidents had been reported to the police during 2008-2009.     109 cases had engaged with an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) during quarter 4 of 2008-2009.  IDVA’s worked with the highest risk sexual and domestic violence cases.  217 cases of sexual violence had been reported last year.  Peterborough held a special court on Tuesday mornings for sexual violence cases and had the highest rate of offenders being brought to justice. 208 cases had been heard by the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) during 2008-2009.  MARAC met monthly and brought the highest risk cases before them to put interventions in place to help prevent the continuous cycle of domestic abuse.

A sexual assault referral centre would be opened in Rivergate later this year.  The centre would allow victims to go along when an incident had occurred to provide forensic evidence. This would then be stored for use at a later date if the victim wanted to report their case and take it further.

Observations and questions were raised and discussed including:

• Members noted that white British victims featured in 75% of cases which was in line with the number of White British offenders.  Whilst other victims fell into the second highest category appearing as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Head of the Youth Offending Service reported to the Committee that Youth Crime Prevention was mainly measured by the national indicator NI 111 – First Time Entrants to the Youth Justice System aged 10 – 17.  The target was to reduce the number year on year and there had been a downward trend over the last five years.   Youths aged 10 – 17 tended to commit crime in the category of criminal damage, shoplifting and fighting which was considered to be petty crime.  There had been a good relationship built between the Youth Offending Service and youths in Peterborough.

Members were advised that there were many interventions in place to reduce youth crime. The Safer Schools intervention project had had a positive effect and police in schools had produced calm with young people routinely telling the police what was going on.  The Gladstone Youth Inclusion Programme targeted the youths most at risk and had been seen by the Home Office as an exemplar project.

Special help was being given to children transferring from Primary School to Secondary School with primary school teacher assessments identifying those children likely to be at risk of becoming youth offenders.

The Early Intervention and Prevention Manager, who was on secondment from the police, spoke about her role in developing the Restorative Justice Approach (RJ) in Peterborough.  The RJ approach was about what had happened and not who was to blame.   It could be described as bringing people together to sort out problems in a way which was likely to lead to satisfaction for all parties at the outcome.  The main principles behind this approach were:

·         What has happened?

·         Who has been affected?

·         How can we involve everyone who has been affected in finding a way forward?

·         How can everyone do things differently in the future?

The victim was part of the process and in RJ everyone had their say.  The RJ pilot at Jack Hunt School had been very successful and RJ was now being used in the Youth Offending System.  Statistics had shown that using the RJ Approach produced good outcomes with 27 out of 30 offenders not reoffending.

Observations and questions were raised and discussed including:

• Members felt that the RJ approach was common sense policing and would restore the link between the offence and punishment.
• Members asked what could be done to stop first time one off offenders committing a crime like shoplifting, being arrested and then having a criminal record.   The officer advised that ways of dealing with this were currently being looked at by taking out some minor offences and dealing with them in a better way.  An example of this was how shoplifters had been dealt with when shoplifting in Queensgate.  The offenders and their families had attended a meeting with the Managers from Queensgate who explained to them the negative affect they had on the shop owners by shoplifting.
• Members advised that the figures relating to value for money were not clear, specifically in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To consider the latest version of the Forward Plan

The Committee received the latest version of the Council’s Forward Plan, containing key decisions that the Leader of the Council anticipated the Cabinet or individual Cabinet Members would make during the course of the following four months.  Members were invited to comment on the Plan and, where appropriate, identify any relevant areas for inclusion in the Committee’s work programme.

            ACTION AGREED

The Committee noted the Forward Plan and agreed that the Community Safety & Substance Misuse Manager provide a report on Section 75 Pooled funding arrangements for substance misuse services to the committee in November.

To agree the current work programme and discuss future items

Members considered the Committee’s Work Programme for 2009/2010 and discussed possible items for inclusion.

ACTION AGREED

The work programme was agreed.  Members also agreed that to avoid future lengthy meetings presentations and the introduction of reports should be kept to a minimum.

19 November 2009

Wednesday 25 November 2009