Agenda and minutes

Apologies had been received from Councillors S Day, John Fox and Goldspink.  Councillor Harrington was in attendance as substitute for Councillor JR Fox.

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 25 November 2009 were approved as an accurate record.

Restorative Practices in Peterborough

Cllr Collins requested that it be noted that he felt the word “support” used within the first bullet point of the observations and questions in the minutes had not reflected the very strong and unconditional support that the Committee had given to the development of the Restorative Approaches in Peterborough.  The Committee supported this view.

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 Road Safety Officer accompanied by a member of the Fire Service, a Victim of a Road Traffic Accident, a Casualty Reduction Officer and the Safer Peterborough Partnership Manager gave a presentation to the Committee on road safety. 

The impact of road traffic collisions were:

•          Casualties – injuries to parties, potentially life changing, loss of function and ability

•          Cost to emergency services, hospital treatment

•          Grief and suffering of family and friends

•          Traffic Congestion – particularly if fatalities had occurred

•          Increased fear in society particularly for child safety

Casualty reduction measures that were carried out included:

•          Engineering solutions e.g. traffic calming

•          Enforcement

•          Publicity

•          Training

•          Education

The partners who were involved in helping to reduce traffic collisions were:

•          Police

•          Fire and Rescue Service

•          Schools/Businesses/Retailers/Pubs and Clubs

•          NHS

•          Highways Agency

•          Neighbouring Authorities/Department for Transport

•          Voluntary/Community Groups

•          And many more…..

Nick Bennet who had been a victim of a road traffic accident spoke to the Committee about his experience which had happened when he was 19 years old.  The cause of Nick’s accident was that he took a risk and over took two lorries whilst rushing to work because he was late one morning and had crashed into a three tonne lorry.  Nick had spent 14 months in hospital and was now disabled and in a wheel chair.  Nick explained that he now visited schools and colleges to warn youngsters of what could happen through careless driving.  An officer from the Fire Service, who supported Nick’s educational campaign in schools,  explained the importance of the message that he was delivering to young people and that the Fire Service was firmly behind education in schools.

Observations and Questions:

·         The Committee were very impressed with the work that Nick was doing and thanked him for attending the meeting. Members were interested in how Nick was helping to get the message across to young people about the dangers of careless driving and the possible long term effects on people’s lives if they were involved in a traffic collision.   Members felt that education of all drivers would ensure long term changes rather than enforcement. There was also a need for more police cars to be visible to catch people who were breaking the law whilst driving; however it was appreciated that the police could not be everywhere.  Councillor Todd promised that the Committee would support the education of road safety in schools.

·         The Casualty Reduction Officer explained that a lot of work had already been done with Peterborough City Council and Neighbourhood Panels to identify the main issues around road safety to enable them to target specific areas.

·         A member of a rural ward explained that he was often asked what could be done about road safety on rural roads.   There should be signs informing people that a road was dangerous and that accidents happened at certain speeds.  There had been requests for speed limits to be put on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The Head of Cultural Services gave a presentation to the Committee outlining the proposal for the Culture and Leisure Trust.  The presentation provided the following information:

·         Why have a Cultural and Leisure Trust?

o        It would attract more customers

o        Give a higher quality of service

o        Produce Pride in Peterborough

o        Would be more efficient:  Money, Agility

·         Two rounds of consultations had already taken place with staff, trade unions and stakeholders.  A Frequently Asked Question page had been produced on Insite.

·         A Shadow Board had been appointed which consisted of six members who had been recruited through a public advert and were known as Trustees. 

·         The purpose of the Cultural Trust was “to deliver inspiring culture and leisure services which enrich the lives of residents and visitors to Peterborough”.

·         The aims of the Trust would be:

o        Delivery of innovative, financially sustainable and excellent cultural and leisure services

o        Becoming the cultural and leisure partner of choice for organisations locally, regionally and beyond

o        Increasing the number and range of people that took part in cultural and leisure opportunities-enriching people’s lives and enhancing the local cultural offer

o        Contributing to the wider social agenda of: improving people's health, developing individuals and pride in the community.

·         Services that would be included in the Trust were libraries, sports, arts and heritage but not bereavement services.

·         There would be 4 National Indicators and 23 Key Local Indicators that would measure the performance of the Trust.

·         The competitive procurement process in accordance with EU requirements had commenced and there had been three tenders.

·         There were some pension issues still to be resolved.

·         Development going forward would include:

o        Supporting people to begin a career in the cultural and leisure section through creative apprenticeships; volunteer opportunities; work placements;Future Jobs Fund

o        A new and bigger range of holiday activities aimed particularly at children and young people such as Museum school holiday experiences including trails, walks and workshops

o        Delivering a creative ‘edge’ to the Peterborough Festival through a new programme of ‘fringe performances’

o        Bringing the Peterborough Art Gallery to life by delivering a programme of at least 6 Artist in Residence events

o        Books on prescription

o        Improved gym provision at the Regional Pool

A paper was due to go to Cabinet in February to make a decision on whether to go forward with the proposal of a Cultural and Leisure Trust.

Observations and Questions:

·         Members commented that the Cultural and Leisure Trust business plan was incomplete and therefore felt unable to scrutinise or comment fully on the proposal.  The Committee requested that the completed business plan be brought back to a meeting prior to it being presented to Cabinet. 

·         Members asked if Gladstone Park would be included in the Trust.  The Head of Cultural Services advised that it would not be included as it was already a strong community service.

·         If the Cultural and Leisure Trust was a registered Charity would it be able to attract funding.  The Head  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

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 there were no items to bring to the Committee.

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

ACTION AGREED

To confirm the work programme 2009/10.

Tuesday 16 February 2010

18 March 2010