Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Jane Beckley and Councillor Nicholas Bennett  J P attended as her substitute.

Apologies were also received from Mr Nigel Davies and Mr Clive Davison

There were no declarations of interest.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions to this Committee must be received in writing four working days before the date of the meeting.  Therefore please ensure questions are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on Wednesday 30^th October 2013

There were no questions from Councillors or Members of the Public.

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting of Public Protection and Safety PDS Committee held on 10^th September 2013.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 10^th SEPTEMBER 2013 be agreed.

Report: RES13189

Members noted the position on Matters Arising from previous meetings.

Item 206-Bethlem Royal Hospital Update:

The Chairman addressed the issue of whether or not SLaM should be offered representation on the Committee. The Chairman noted that satisfactory lines of communication already existed with SLaM, and that bi monthly meetings took place in the Civic Centre currently with SlaM and relevant Council Officials.  

It was therefore RESOLVED that there was no need forSlaM to be offered representation on the PPS/PDS Committee. 

It was noted by the Committee that the issue of the report on the February 2012 incident at the hospital was ongoing. The Portfolio Holder stated that a meeting was going to be set up with SLaM at their offices to discuss the report further. This was intended to be a special meeting for Members and MP’s to resolve the matter finally. Councillor Auld stated that it was unfortunate that the report had still not yet been made available.

Item 16-Bromley Youth Council Mid –Term Report:

This report was brought to the meeting by Mr Andrew Spears (representing Bromley Youth Council) and was tabled for the attention of the Committee.

Item 19-Member Visits: 

The successful visit to London Ambulance Central Control at Waterloo was noted

Item 35-Work Programme and CPS:

It was noted by the Chairman that following a previous suggestion from Councillor Fookes, a visit by the Crown Prosecution Service to the PPS/PDS Committee was being arranged. It was hoped that this could be set up for the January Committee Meeting. 

On 19th September 2013, the Chairman attended the Safer Bromley Partnership Meeting, and on the 24th September 2013, attended the Bromley Community Engagement Forum AGM. On the 28th September 2013, Bromley's first Crime Summit was hosted with Stephen Greenhaulgh as guest speaker. It was a great success and well attended. Highlights of the day included the Workshop run by Bromley Youth Council and Claire Elcombe's presentation on Domestic Violence. It finished with a question and answer session with the Chairman playing the “David Dimbleby” role.

The Chairman updated the Committee on the recent visit to Ambulance Control, which was very successful and informative.

The Chairman noted that Boris Johnson was coming to visit Bromley Council on 5^th December 2013, and that he would be meeting with the Portfolio Holder (Councillor Tim Stevens, JP). The visit would take place between 10.00am to 12.00 noon, and a two hour agenda would need to be formulated.

Mr Johnson was interested in assessing the success of “Operation Payback”, and to this end would be visiting Waldo Road to view the project in action. It would also be a chance to raise any outstanding issues in relation to MOPAC funding. Councillor Bennett observed that this may be a good opportunity to also raise the problems that the Council had been experiencing with partnering with TFL in connection with CCTV usage.

The Chairman tabled the Bromley Youth Council Mid Year report, and the Youth on Remand report to be entered as 14a on the Agenda. 

The Borough Commander advised that the Police Service in Bromley was performing well against targets. It was noted that there had been an increase in personal theft offences and in burglaries recently.

The main locations that these offences were taking place were in Bromley and Penge High Streets. In Bromley, the two hotspots were Marks and Spencers and Primark. The main victims of personal theft were either the very young or the elderly. Offending was expected to increase as Christmas approached. 

There had been an overall reduction in crime of 7.4% against a target of 5.2%.

The Borough Commander informed the Committee that much theft related crime had been committed by teams of Eastern European origin. The Borough Commander also stated that tthirteen people were arrested across Bromley under “Operation Big Wing”, cracking down on thieves who target the public.

Police were reminding residents to be wary of rogue traders, after a 75 year-old man was conned out of £16,500.

Bromley Police took to the streets on Halloween armed with head-cams to record any anti-social behaviour.

Bromley Police were one of the top performers (in connection with reducing anti social behavior), in the Metropolitan Police Force, and had a positive arrest policy. Bromley Police also had close and effective links with local services and the Crown Prosecution Service.

The Borough Commander informed the Committee that there was going to be a re-launch of “Operation Bumble Bee” which is an anti theft and burglary campaign. There was also going to be a push to deal with cross border offending, and in targeting outstanding offenders.

The Borough Commander noted that the Police were now using “Predictive Mapping” software in their fight against crime. The Commander also informed the Committee that the Police had worked closely with Bromley Council’s Community Safety Team, especially around the Groves Estate and Saltwood Close areas. The Borough Commander thanked the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for their recent attendance at Police events. 

Councillor Fookes asked what strategy was being devised to disrupt repeat offenders, and at what stage a warrant was required. The Borough Commander responded by stating that a case needed to be established, and encouraged members of the public to use the Crime Stoppers number. 

Councillor Auld asked about the New Policing Model, and if the Police in Bromley were still understaffed. The Borough Commander confirmed that the Police in Bromley were still understaffed by twenty officers.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions to this Committee must be received in writing four working days before the date of the meeting.  Therefore please ensure that questions to the Portfolio Holder are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on Wednesday 30^th October 2013.

Two written questions were received from Mr Colin Willetts. The questions and responses are appended to these minutes.

A verbal update was given by the Portfolio Holder on the September 2013 Crime Summit as outlined below:

The Portfolio Holder stated that the Crime Summit was a great success, was well attended and that feedback was excellent. The Portfolio Holder expressed his thanks to Clare Elcombe, Peter Warne, Amanda Mumford and to all of the Youth Council speakers. The Youth Council speakers spoke about youth crime and Clare Elcombe presented on domestic abuse. The presentation was so good that the Police had requested that the Youth Council speakers present to them directly.

Planning was underway for the 2014 Crime Summit. It was noted by the Portfolio Holder that on this occasion, attendees were only able to attend two out of four sessions, and that this was not satisfactory. It was intended that in 2014, attendees would be able to attend all four sessions instead. It had been decided to expand invitations to the Crime Summit to Resident’s Associations and “Friends” Groups so that there would be a good mix of attendees. It was estimated that about one hundred people attended, and the Portfolio Holder gave his thanks for the high number of Police in attendance.

The Chairman indicated that she was disappointed that the event was not covered in the local press. It was noted that the Communications Team had approached the local press to this end, but had not received much positive feedback.

Report ES13113

The report provided an update of the latest budget monitoring position for 2013/14 for the Public Protection and Safety Portfolio based on expenditure and activity levels up to 30^th September 2013. This showed a projected under spend of £10K.

The report showed the level of expenditure and progress with the implementation of the selected project within the Member Priority Initiatives, and provided details of the latest expenditure within the Community Safety Budget. The Committee noted and commented on the allocation of Community Safety expenditure. 

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

(1)  endorse the latest 2013/14 budget projection for the Public Protection and Safety Portfolio; and

(2)  note the progress of the implementation of the Targeted Neighbourhood Activity Project.

RESOLVED that:

(1) The Committee note the allocation of Community Safety expenditure  as set out in Appendix 3 of the report.

Report 13118

The report was written to set out the background and current funding situation for the Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme, and to present the reasons for the request that the project be exempted from the usual tendering process.

It was noted by the Chairman that the request for tendering outside of the normal process seemed appropriate. Councillor Fookes asked the report author if Bromley should not be more ambitious in terms of conviction rates.

The report author responded that Bromley had in fact been out performing its targets, and that conviction rates for the last quarter averaged 69%. The report author noted that conviction rates could not continue to rise exponentially, and that it was perhaps better to have targets that were being exceeded, rather than unrealistic targets that could not be hit.

Councillor Bennett asked how many people had been charged with domestic abuse offences in the last year—the report author responded that she did not have the figures to hand, but could provide them; although the Independent Domestic Abuse Advocates had been supporting in the region of two hundred individuals in high-risk charged cases.

Councillor Bennett further asked how many of those charged had been convicted, and how would the Programme work with Probation Services. The report author responded that she would provide conviction numbers in due course, and that the perpetrator programme worked along similar lines to the Probation-provided course (the Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme, Accelerated IDAPA), with the only difference being that to access IDAPA requires a conviction and for attendance to be specified in sentencing. By contrast the community perpetrator programme is voluntary and as such tends to have more positive outcomes due to differences in motivation and the fact that it tends to be accessed earlier, before risk escalates to the point of Police and court intervention. 

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

(1)  grant permission to exempt the project from the usual tendering process.

(2)  grant approval to award the contract for the Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme to TRYangle for 2013/14—2016/17 (backdated) subject to performance and continued MOPAC funding.  

Report ES13117

The report was written to set out the background and current funding situation for the Domestic Abuse Advocacy Project, and to present reasons to the Committee why the project be exempt from the usual tendering process.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

(1)  grant permission for the project to be exempt from the usual tendering process; and

(2)  grant approval to award the contract for the Domestic Abuse Advocacy Project to Victim support for 2014/15—2016/17 subject to performance and continued MOPAC funding.

Report ES13120

This report was written to advise members of the activity taken by the Public Protection division, during the periods from 1^st April 2013 to 30th September 2013 relating to the Annual Portfolio Plan and Enforcement Activity under Delegated Powers.

Councillor Bennett asked if the Portfolio Holder was kept informed of decisions. Officials advised that this was always the case, and there were generally good lines of communication with the Portfolio Holder. The decision to authorise was taken by a District Judge under RIPA legislation. (The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (c.23) (RIP or RIPA) is an Act of Parliament , regulating the powers of public bodies to carry out surveillance and investigation, and covering the interception of communications). Officials advised that they would look at revisiting the judicial process and protocols, and revise if required, but at the same time officials were concerned that excessive administration could overload officers.

Councillor Bennett referred the Committee to the section of the report dealing with the recovery of costs, and was pleased to note that the Council were endeavouring to recover court costs. It was confirmed that Public Protection would always try and recover costs where appropriate.

The matter of a joint contract with Bexley Council for Mortuary Services was raised by the Chairman, and it was confirmed that plans for this were going ahead. It was estimated that £4,500.00 would be saved with regard to a “human tissue” licence, and that overall there would be estimated savings of around £8,500.00.

The matter of retendering the contract for stray and abandoned dogs was also raised by the Chairman. It was confirmed that the joint venture with Southwark was going to be renewed. The venture was going to be renewed on the basis that in the long term it would save Bromley money. The only caveat to this proposal was that £80,000 was required as an investment by Bromley Council. The intention was to seek the approval of the Portfolio Holder for this, before referring the matter to the Executive. 

It was estimated that the revised process would result in a saving of £40,000.00 per annum in the long term. 

It was requested by the Chairman that this matter be raised in the Matters Arising report at the meeting in January.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

(1)  note and comment on the recommendations of the report; and

(2)  agree to receive further reports, every six months, on the activity relating to the Portfolio Plan and enforcement under delegated powers.

Report ES13119

This report was written to provide an update on the progress of the MOPAC grant funded activity.

It was noted by the Committee that there had been difficulties in negotiating with MOPAC for the release of funding, but that this had now been achieved, and the Committee was pleased with the level of funding that had been obtained.

Councillor Fookes asked if women were attending domestic violence courses. It was noted that it was not normally suitable for women to attend, and that there was therefore insufficient demand.

The Portfolio Holder noted that victims of domestic abuse were normally assaulted about thirty five times before they came to court, and that also there were a high number of withdrawals. It was difficult to persevere and get convictions. Part of the aim of the projects established by Bromley was to empower victims, and Bromley was indeed one of the better performing boroughs in this regard.

Councillor Auld asked for clarification of what age groups victims primarily came from, and it was established that most of the victims were either in their late twenties or early thirties. Many cases were referred by Children’s Services.

The Committee requested that further reports be produced to update Members on how the domestic abuse projects progressed. It was requested that an updated report come before the Committee in March 2014 with an update. 

Report ES13116

This report was produced to provide an end of programme report for the Summer Diversionary Activities Programme 2013.

The programme was a success in five key areas:

·  increasing individual participation

·  encouraging community participation

·  providing a diversion from anti social and criminal activity

·  providing an opportunity for Council partners to reach more people

·  increased participation in other services provided by Bromley Youth Support Programme

In terms of increasing individual participation, it was established that this target had been exceeded by 146%, and that the most popular day had been at Poverest Park in the Cray Valley East ward where 778 young people attended. It was also noted that the use of social media, especially Facebook, had been key in driving up attendance and feedback rates.

It was noted that anti social and criminal behaviour statistics dropped during the period in August when the Summer Diversionary Activities Programme was running; of particular note was that the fire brigade reported a 90% drop in deliberate fire starting.

Looking ahead to the future, the following objectives were highlighted:

• to increase partnership involvement, especially with Public Health
• this would increase external funding, and possibly drop Bromley’s contribution by £20,000.
• the Health Service Van was coming every day in 2014
• more activities were going to be targeted at teenagers
• partnership was intended with Affinity Sutton and Mytime

The Chairman suggested that there may be a possibility of seeking involvement from Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace football clubs.

Mr Abdulla Zaman (Bromley Youth Council) indicated that he would like to see something set up for students such as a Careers Fair or work experience activities.

Councillor Fookes asked if it was known how may people attended the activities from out of the borough, and expressed his concern to the Portfolio Holder that (in view of the success of the programme), he would not wish to see any cut in funding from the Council. It was stated that it was not known how many people attended from outside of the borough as the data was not yet available, and the Portfolio Holder noted Councillor Fookes’ comments.

The Committee noted that officers were not aware that any other boroughs in the area had initiated a similar programme, and that the project had been an overwhelming success.

RESOLVED that  the contents of the report be noted.

Report ES13121

This report was written to provide Members with an update on the progress of the Mottingham Project.

The budget/spend for this project was discussed. It was noted that a total of £150,000 had been allocated by the Portfolio Holder to this project, and that there was an unspent balance of £92,000.

The reason for the current under spend was that officers had been able to get funding released from partners, which had saved the Council money. It was stated that the project monies allocated were to make things happen, and not just to be spent.

Councillor Fookes asked if Ward Member views had been taken into consideration, and it was confirmed that Ward Members were regularly updated.

RESOLVED that  the contents of the report be noted.

Report RES13190

This report was written so that Members could review the Committee’s Work Programme and to consider the Contracts Summary.

It was noted that contact had been made with the Crown Prosecution Service by Democratic Services, and that it was hoped to facilitate a visit by the CPS to the Committee in January 2014.

The Chairman asked Mr Alf Kennedy if Bromley Neighbourhood Watch would like to report to the Committee and make a presentation; and this was agreed and would be arranged.

The Chairman requested that an updated report be made in connection with Operation Payback, and this was agreed by the Committee. It is hoped that this report would come before the Committee in March 2014.

RESOLVED that:

(1)  the Committee’s Work Programme be agreed inclusive of the additional reports outlined above; and

(2)  The Public Protection and Safety Portfolio Contracts be noted.

The Chairman updated Members with regard to a visit on 11th October 2013, when Councillors visited the London Ambulance Service Control Room at Waterloo. The highlight was spending time with different call operatives listening to them handing 999 calls from members of the public. Officers had since written, thanking them for accommodating the visit and passing on excellent feedback.

Councillor Fookes noted that the previous visit to the local ambulance service had been a success, and that moving on from this, it would be good to ask the local ambulance service to attend one of the Committee meetings to make a presentation; this was agreed. The Portfolio Holder indicated that this may also be an opportunity to speak with the service about the problem of what seemed to be a lack of ambulances serving the borough. 

The possibility of Members visiting a Youth Offending Team was also raised, and members expressed interest in this, and so this was another visit that was likely to be arranged for 2014.

Report CS13030

This report was scrutinised by the Care Services Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee on 29^th October 2013.

The purpose of the report was to:

• Outline changes to the youth remand framework, introduced by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and the Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

• Describe the indicative costs arising from changes to the youth remand framework.

• Seek approval for the release of the Ministry of Justice youth remand grant allocation from the Council’s central contingency, into the Children’s Care Service Budget, and to create sufficient budgetary provision within the Children’s Social Care Budget to meet the anticipated volume of remand placements arising from changes to the youth remand framework.

The report was tabled to appear before the Committee in order that the Committee could consider and comment on the report before it goes to the Executive on 20^th November 2013.

RESOLVED that:

(1)  the contents of the report be noted by the Committee.

(2)  the Portfolio Holder approve the contents of the report.

QUESTIONS TO THE PORTFOLIO HOLDER FROM MR COLIN WILLETTS

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

1.  Having submitted two closure petitions as school Governors we attended a public meeting 17 May where Waste4Fuel stated they would remove 400 tonnes of waste per week, since this has not been the case, 26 weeks down the line can you tell me the Council's present position on this issue?

Reply

The Environment Agency are dealing with this matter and they successfully applied for a Full Court Order hearing to direct Waste4Fuel Ltd to remove all the combustible waste from the site. This was applied for as the interim undertaking deadlines from the High Court had not been complied with by Waste4Fuel Ltd. No date has been set for the hearing, but it is expected that this will be before the end of November 2013.  

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2.  Despite being given extended operating hours Waste4Fuel has failed to reduce on site waste flouting High Court judgements, would the Portfolio Holder now throw his weight supporting the residents views by pressing/contacting the Environment Minister to take urgent action to revoke licence and close the Cornwall Drive site for good?

Reply

I support the strong enforcement action being taken by the Environment Agency which has been facilitated by myself, Ward Members and local MPs, and I hope that it leads to a satisfactory outcome.

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