Decision details

Community Safety

Decision Maker: External Scrutiny Committee

Decision status: Recommendations approved

Is Key decision?: No

Decisions:

The Chair welcomed to the meeting Clare Platt, Head of Service Health, Equity, Welfare and Partnerships; Debbie Thompson, Health, Equity, welfare and Partnerships Manager; Angela Harrison and Robert Ruston from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC); and Mark Aspin, Community Services Safety Officer from Blackburn with Darwen Council representing Pennine Lancashire Community Safety Partnership.

 

The report presented provided an overview of Community Safety Partnership (CSP) arrangements in Lancashire. It set out the legislative requirements for partnership working in relation to community safety and the governance arrangements in place across Lancashire, together with the current Lancashire Community Safety Agreement.

 

Members of the Committee were invited to comment and raise questions and a summary of the discussion is set out below:

 

·  On the membership of the CSPs it was noted that each partnership could enlist additional members that were not Responsible Authorities.

·  The Committee was informed the Office of the PCC was not a responsible authority but did have a responsible representative on all the CSPs to serve and assist the partnerships appropriately. It was not for the PCC to determine which partnership merged with which. The role of the PCC was to receive and determine applications from CSPs that wanted to merge. In the case of the Pennine Lancashire Partnership, it was confirmed that a steering group had been set up to consider the economies of scale of operating on a bigger footprint prior to the merger. The Partnership now met four times per year and had a number of task groups which sat underneath it delivering on key priorities. It was noted that the task groups met on a more frequent basis.

·  It was acknowledged that Chorley and South Ribble worked jointly and had joint meetings but were not formally classed as a single CSP. It was noted that Chorley and South Ribble's joint working arrangements originated from when they shared a community safety manager's post approximately seven years ago, but made the decision to not go down the formal combination route.

·  Regarding the update of Multi-Agency Data Exchange (MADE) to MADE-interactive, Members were informed that the new interactive version would be launched in autumn 2017. It was noted that the Lancashire Insight's webpage contained information around crime and disorder issues in each of the CSP areas.

·  In terms of the PCC providing a grant to each unitary and district council each year for local community safety projects and interventions, it was pointed out to the Committee that this grant was within the budget for the current financial year and there was no intention to remove this funding stream. It was subject to whatever central government provided in terms of funding.

·  On the vacancy for Chair of the Pan-Lancashire Domestic Abuse Strategic Board, members were informed that Lancashire Constabulary had now appointed to this post.

·  The 'Living in Lancashire' resident's panel had been used to survey local communities about their concerns regarding crime, anti-social behaviour and community safety.  Members enquired about the survey's reach and what the return rate for responses was. As a precise response could not be given at the meeting, it was suggested that a briefing note be provided to the Committee.

·  It was noted that a team of analysts carried out partnership intelligence assessments to an agreed annual work-plan. The Committee was informed that all partners could influence the annual work-plan going forward. Members felt that it would be useful to see a copy of the agreed annual work plan.

 

Resolved: That;

 

  i.  The Committee note the report;

  ii.  A copy of the agreed annual work plan used by the analysts for carrying out partnership intelligence assessments be circulated to the Committee; and

  iii.  Information on the Living in Lancashire survey's reach and return rate be provided to the Committee.

 

Report author: Gary Halsall

Date of decision: 25/07/2017

Decided at meeting: 25/07/2017 - External Scrutiny Committee

Accompanying Documents: