Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1/2 - Port Talbot Civic Centre. View directions

Contact: Jason Davies 

Items
No. Item

1.

To receive any declarations of interest from Members

2.

To receive the Minutes of the Community Safety and Public Protection Scrutiny Sub Committee held on 19th April pdf icon PDF 110 KB

Minutes:

The Committee noted the Minutes.

3.

To receive the Scrutiny Forward Work Programme 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 81 KB

Minutes:

The Committee noted the Forward Work Programme.

4.

To receive the Regeneration and Sustainable Development Cabinet Board Forward Work Programme 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 271 KB

Minutes:

The Committee noted the Regeneration and Sustainable Development Cabinet Board Forward Work Programme.

5.

To resolve to act as the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee in line with Section 19 of the Police and Justice Act 2006

Minutes:

Members resolved to act as the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee.

6.

To scrutinise information and monitoring issues being reported by:

6a

To receive a presentation on Substance Misuse

Minutes:

The Committee received a presentation in relation to Substance Misuse.

 

Officers explained that there was a proven link between cheap alcohol and excessive drinking. Officers stated that the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Bill was approved by the National Assembly for Wales in June, and following Royal Assent would become law. Officers informed the Committee that alcohol consumption was costing the National Health Service in Wakes £150m per annum. Officers explained to Members that there was a formula for working out the Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) based on the strength and volume of a product. Officers informed Members that once the Bill had received Royal Assent that Local Authorities would receive powers to issue fixed notices to retailers who were not complying with the law.  Officers explained that Trading Standards would need to be adequately resourced in order to provide effective enforcement when breaches occurred.

 

Officers informed the Committee that a consultation was currently taking place regarding the formula for the proposed unit pricing. Officers explained that there were issues arising from the introduction of the legislation such as the effect of MUP on dependent drinkers and whether they would detox in a safe environment, and whether some citizens would turn to crime in order to fund their habit. Officers commented that it was important to align services to respond to any issues that would arise as a result of the change to legislation. Officers stated that families with parents who were on low incomes that had a dependency on alcohol could be at risk as the parents may prioritise funding for their habits over the needs of their families’. Officers informed Members that there were also concerns around the production of alcohol at home and it was not fully understood how these issues would be addressed.

 

Officers concluded that the new legislation overall would make a positive impact. Officers explained that the new legislation would come into effect in the summer of 2019. Officers stated that communication would be really important to raise awareness and to address any misconceptions that the public may have. Officers informed Members that the Area Planning Board (APB) were preparing for the implementation of the legislation and were trying to understand the implications. Officers added that the APB had made links with Public Health Wales and Trading Standards.

 

Members queried whether the Welsh Government (WG) and APB were keeping an eye on developments in Scotland as they had already implemented the MUP. Officers stated that WG were in close contact with Scotland regarding implementation and any issues arising.

 

Members questioned what would prevent alcohol being brought into the country from England, as they had not made a commitment to introduce MUP. Officers stated that England were beginning to look at MUP, but were behind Scotland and Wales; however in the meantime there was no provision in legislation to prevent people bringing alcohol into Wales.

 

Members commented that Trading Standards required additional resources to effectively enforce compliance with the new legislation and that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6a

7.

To scrutinise information and monitoring issues being reported by:

8.

Annual Report on the Healthy Relationships for Stronger Communities Strategy - Implementing the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015 pdf icon PDF 279 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received information in relation to the Annual Report on the Healthy Relationships for Stronger Communities Strategy - Implementing the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015 as contained within the circulated report.

Members informed Officers that they had placed helpline numbers on notice boards in their respective wards.

Members welcomed the progress made and the good work carried out to date by Officers, and stated that it was clearer where victims could go for support. Members commented that the Perpetrator Programme had made the least progress, but Members acknowledged that it was a difficult area to tackle and that individuals were hard to engage.

Members queried when the guidance from WG would be ready and how long would it take to implement. Officers stated that there had been no clear indication to date, but once the information was available it would be circulated to Members.

Following scrutiny, it was agreed that the report be noted.

 

 

9.

To scrutinise information and monitoring issues being reported by:

10.

CCTV Position Statement pdf icon PDF 96 KB

Minutes:

The Committee received a position statement on CCTV as contained within the circulated report.

 

Members raised a query in relation to Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) sites and questioned whether a levy could be placed on businesses to offset the cost to the Authority for providing CCTV coverage. Officers informed the Committee that CCTV coverage had not been offered to businesses to date and that companies such as TATA Steel already had CCTV arrangements in place. Officers stated that the Authority may be in a position to offer this service to external organisations in future, but it had not been standard practice previously to seek out business opportunities for the Council in relation to CCTV provision.   

 

Members queried whether the mobile CCTV vehicle deployed by the Parking Department linked into the Control Room, and if so, whether there were any income generation opportunities with regard to providing footage to outside bodies and the Police. Officers stated that the vehicle in question was the responsibility of the Parking Department, and there had been no dialogue between the two sections in this regard. Officers informed the Committee that the camera enabled vehicle was independent from the CCTV Control Room, as the CCTV Department were only concerned with public safety cameras and not responsible for traffic enforcement issues.

 

Members queried whether it was possible to charge a fee for the footage shared with the Police. Officers explained that charging a fee for the footage shared with the Police had been explored but not progressed to date. Officers informed Members that requests from the police to review CCTV footage had declined in recent times.

 

Members questioned whether there were any plans to put any new CCTV cameras in place and queried what the criteria was. Officers stated that grant money was received initially in order to install CCTV cameras across the borough, but ongoing associated costs (e.g. maintenance and replacements were not provided on that same basis for this non-statutory service). Officers informed Members that an independent consultant was commissioned as part of the CCTV review resulting in the number of cameras being reduced from 100 to 50 to meet required necessity tests. Officers stated that the remaining cameras were mainly located in both town centre areas and on the Aberavon Seafront. Officers added that if any further cameras were requested that they would need to satisfy specific criteria before being approved along with identification of related funding to provide. Officers stated that there were 12 guiding principles to consider when installing CCTV cameras as outlined by the Surveillance Camera Commission.

 

Members queried what the process was for requesting a CCTV camera and what criteria would need to be satisfied. Officers stated that a necessity test would need to be undertaken first of all. Officers explained that data would need to be provided to develop a robust business case that demonstrated the need for a public space camera at a particular site Officers stated that further information would be circulated to the Committee  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Any urgent items (whether public or exempt) at the discretion of the Chairman pursuant to Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972