Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillor Bradnum.

Annual Council agreed the meeting dates of the Community and Wellbeing Policy Development Advisory Group. The group is asked to agree the start time of forthcoming meetings.

The group agreed that the start time of forthcoming meetings of the group be 17:30.

Forward Plan item scheduled for Council on 7 September 2016. Update report including consultation feedback.

The Community Safety Manager introduced the draft Public Spaces Protection Order report scheduled for Council on 7 September 2016. Research had been undertaken over the past year and consideration had been given to the number of complaints received by the Council and the Police. A full public consultation was held in June 2016. Accordingly, the following prohibitions would be recommended to Council:

·         Consumption of Alcohol in a Public Place (to replace the existing Designated Public Place Order)

·         Parkour or ‘Free-Running” within Horsham Town Centre

·         Anti-social use of vehicles

·         Dog Fouling

·         Control of Dogs

Members were supportive of the report but emphasised that enforcement remained a challenge for the Council. The group advised, and the Chairman agreed, that a report on enforcement considerations be scheduled for a forthcoming meeting of the Community and Wellbeing Policy Development Advisory Group.

Updates

-       Road Safety

-       Vulnerable People

-       Shoplifting

The Community Safety Manager introduced the group to the three Community Safety Partnership Priorities for 2016-17. The group heard that the three priorities were focussed as follows:

a)    Road Safety

-       New driver / rider awareness programme

-       Summer and Christmas drink/drug driving campaigns

-       Older driver training assessment

b)    Vulnerable People

-       Cyber-safety

-       Scam awareness

-       Awareness raising about vulnerable people with disabilities

c)    Shoplifting

-       Local action teams in market towns to encourage closer working to address shoplifting

-       Re-invigoration of ‘shop watch’

-       Targeting of repeat offenders

Members thanked the Community Safety Manager for explaining the priorities and concurred with the prioritisation of road safety in particular.

The Community Safety Manager introduced the Community Safety Unit Service Delivery Plan 2016-17 which demonstrated the contribution of the Unit to the relevant objectives in the Council’s Corporate Plan. Members received a copy of the Service Delivery Plan and discussed the following particular objectives:

·         Domestic abuse

·         Anti-social behaviour

·         Public engagement

·         Cyber-crime

·         Environmental crime

·         Child exploitation

Members thanked the Community Safety Manager for the comprehensive update.

Forward Plan Item.

The Head of Community and Culture explained that a review was underway of the overall support provided by the council to voluntary organisations. A number of community groups were receiving indirect support from the council in the form of subsidised premises. A review was ongoing between the community and property teams to understand how to make better use of the council’s assets, the commercial rentable value of each asset, and the impact that the review may have on voluntary organisations. Some voluntary organisations could, for example, be asked to share the use of premises if that was identified as a proposal in the review.

Members noted that the approach was comprehensive and district wide and that advice would be sought from the Advisory group as and when a decision was scheduled.

-       HeartSafe

-       Joint Action Group (JAG) / Local Policing Plan

-       Community Safety Restructure

-       Think Family

-       Horsham, Worthing and Adur proposed CSP Merger.

The Head of Community and Culture informed the group that the next meeting of the Community and Wellbeing Policy Development Advisory Group would advise the Cabinet Member on grants to recurrently funded organisations. There had been a business process change to move away from Service Level Agreements toward the Council providing annual conditional grant funding. Members were asked to note that officers would contact the Advisory group in advance of the meeting in order to make preparations.

Members commended officers on hearing the positive updates from across the portfolio. Officers were asked to clarify the wording on the Heartsafe Action Plan and Members were asked to note that the original agenda wording concerning the CSP was effectively about partners working closer together and not about a merger.