Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Shirley Webb and Mark Hughes (Parent Governor Representative).

None.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by e-mail indicating the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 19 October 2022).  Enquiries can be made through the telephone number/e-mail address below.

None.

In attendance for the discussion:

Karen May, Cabinet Member with Responsibility (CMR) for Health and Wellbeing

Liz Altay, Interim Director of Public Health

Tim Rice, Head of Service for Safer Communities

Paul Kinsella, Advanced Public Health Practitioner

Simon Wilkes, Head of Regulatory Services

John Campion, West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC)

Assistant Chief Constable (ACC), Rachel Jones, West Mercia Police

Supt Melanie Paley, West Mercia Police

The CMR introduced the Report and in doing so highlighted that the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board had been designated by the County Council (the Council) as its statutory Crime and Disorder Committee.

Tim Rice, the Head of Service for Safer Communities updated the Board on the developments in relation to Community Safety in Worcestershire including:

·         Drugs and Alcohol Abuse

·         Prevent

·         Protect

·         Reducing Reoffending

·         Child Exploitation

·         Trading Standards

·         Domestic Abuse

The PCC was invited to comment and in doing so thanked the Board for inviting him to the meeting and for Worcestershire County Council being a proactive partner to work with. Worcestershire had been the first Council in West Mercia to introduce the Drive Programme (which was a response to domestic abuse that aims to reduce domestic abuse by deterring perpetrator behaviour). The PCC commented that although the crime and disorder legislation was outdated, the spirit of it ie to work together was right and that there was a very good working relationship with Worcestershire.  The PCC advised the Board that Members ought to seek assurance around data with which he could assist. The PCC also suggested that the Community Safety Partnerships were not working as intended and needed a better structure.

The Chairman thanked the PCC for his introductory remarks.

During the opportunity for questions, which was led by the Lead Member for Crime and Disorder (Cllr Udall), the following main points were made:

General:

·         The delays in the Crown Prosecution Service related to Crown Courts. Worcestershire, however, was performing better than other areas.  The delays were mainly due to judicial capacity which meant that Police were supporting victims for longer and outcomes for victims were decreasing.  Additional resources were being provided to Police Officers to help with this.

·         Acknowledging that providing data to the Board was a challenge, it was requested that future reports included key performance indicators and/or other measures of outcomes.

·         Hyperlinks should be included in future reports where appropriate.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse:

·         A Member questioned whether the Police carried out enforcement in respect of domestic use of Cannabis, in response the ACC advised that the main focus for the Police was on supply and that drug use was mainly dealt with via the treatment route.

·         The benefits of the ‘Neighbourhood Matters’ tool was highlighted and it was suggesting that more promotion of it was needed.

·         A Member highlighted that during some recent local job recruitment, 9 out of 12 applicants had failed a drugs test, this reaffirming the need to support people.  The Interim Director of Public Health referred to the draft Alcohol and Drugs Strategy due  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1281.

In attendance for this discussion:

John Campion, West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner

ACC Rachel Jones, West Mercia Police

Superintendent Mel Paley, West Mercia Police

Yvonne Pepper, Road Safety Manager, West Mercia Police

Anna Southall, Engagement & Campaigns Manager, Road Safety Team, West Mercia Police

The Road Safety Manager, West Mercia Police introduced the Report explaining the progress made since the last update in October 2021 (as detailed in the Report).

During the opportunity for questions, the following main points were made:

·       It was confirmed that in unparished areas, a local community group could discuss with the Safer Neighbourhood Team or Road Safety Team, the possibility of a Community Speed Watch Scheme. An example of this was in Redditch.

·       Community Speed Watch Schemes were not used in areas with a 20mph limit but this would be kept under review and any new guidance would be considered as necessary.

·       Community Speed Watch Schemes were only appropriate when the speed limit of a road was 30 or 40 mph, fundamentally the safety of the volunteers was paramount.

·       The PCC advised the Board about Community Speed Watch Schemes which had number recognition speed cameras and were being trialled in Shropshire.

·       The Road Safety Manager explained the process for setting up a Scheme.

·       It was noted that acoustic speed cameras were being trialled by the Metropolitan Police.

·       Anecdotally, Community Speed Watch Schemes were thought to be successful in tackling community concern sites.

·       A Member suggested that it was better if the volunteers taking part in the Schemes were in a different area to where they lived.

The Scrutiny Panel Chairmen/Lead Members provided an update on recent Scrutiny meetings and activities.

Corporate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Cllr Emma Stokes, Chairman)

Panel Membership – It was noted that Councillor Richard Udall had replaced Councillor Mel Allcott.

With reference to performance information, the feasibility of using Power-BI to review performance was being looked into.

Environment Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Cllr Alastair Adams, Chairman)

At its meeting on 7 October, the Panel looked at Community Transport, the new requirements of the Environment Act and performance and in-year budget monitoring.

Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Cllr Brandon Clayton, Chairman)

At its meeting on the 17 October, the Committee received reports on Improving Patient Flow and Winter Planning, Stroke Services, Maternity Services and the Worcestershire Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Work Programme

It was noted that the Scrutiny Report from the Developer Funded Highways Infrastructure Scrutiny Task Group would be rescheduled from the November meeting to the December meeting.