Agenda item

Cllr White noted that, as explained at the beginning of the meeting, a supplementary agenda pack had been circulated which included an updated version of the report on the Community Safety Scrutiny Review. Cllr Buxton, Chair of the Climate, Community Safety and Environment Scrutiny Panel, reported that the Panel had held a one-off Scrutiny Review meeting on 11^th March 2025. Two members of the Youth Panel had been invited to attend the meeting which had also been attended by the Borough Commander, the Cabinet Member for Communities and Council officers. Discussions topics had included ward panel meetings, antisocial behaviour, stop and search and youth issues in the Borough. Recommendations from the report included:

• Closer working and better and more frequent communication between the Youth Panel representatives and Community Safety Panels.
• To review and strengthen the Ward Panel Meeting Structure as a main tool of communication between residents, local organisations and the Police.
• For the Community Safety Team to assist in communications and support residents finding venues.
• For Ward performance figures to be reported on a quarterly basis to the Ward Panel meetings.
• For antisocial behaviour reporting to be more prominent and user friendly.

Cllr Gunes requested further details on the recommendation for quarterly reporting to the Ward Panel meetings. Cllr Buxton explained that the Panel considered that it was not explained to Ward Panels how frequently Police officers were taken out of wards for various reasons.

Asked by Cllr Worrell for clarification about paragraph 3.9 in the supplementary report about the short-term nature of projects, Cllr Buxton explained that this was in response to issue about funding for Council projects being set for three years or less and the need for projects to have longer-term visions than this.

Asked by Cllr Connor about the links between the Police and schools, Cllr Buxton referred to the links with the Community Safety Partnership, co-chaired by the Borough Commander, as set out in paragraph 3.1 of the revised report. He added that this was on an infrequent basis, but that more frequent meetings could be pushed for.

Cllr White informed the Committee that some of the recommendations concerned specific actions for the Police and the Borough Commander who had been sent the report to consider. Although the recommendations were agreed at a meeting of the Climate, Community Safety and Environment Scrutiny Panel on 11^th March 2025, it was possible that minor technical amendments would be required following feedback from the Borough Commander. Cllr White therefore proposed that the report on the Scrutiny Review to be agreed subject to these minor amendments and that authority to approve the minor amendments be delegated to the Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager in consultation with the Chair of the Climate, Community Safety and Environment Scrutiny Panel.

RESOLVED – That the report of the Scrutiny Review on Community Safety be approved subject to minor technical amendments following feedback from the Borough Commander.

RESOLVED – That the authority to agree these minor technical amendments be delegated to the Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager in consultation with the Chair of the Climate, Community Safety and Environment Scrutiny Panel.