Venue: Committee Room 1/2 - Port Talbot Civic Centre. View directions
Contact: Jason Davies
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To receive any declarations of interest from Members |
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Minutes: The
Committee noted the Minutes. |
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To receive the Scrutiny Forward Work Programme 2018/19 PDF 81 KB Minutes: The
Committee noted the Forward Work Programme. |
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Minutes: The
Committee noted the Regeneration and Sustainable Development Cabinet Board Forward
Work Programme. |
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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. |
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To scrutinise information and monitoring issues being reported by: |
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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 |
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To scrutinise information and monitoring issues being reported by: |
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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. |
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To scrutinise information and monitoring issues being reported by: |
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CCTV Position Statement 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. |
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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 |