Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from County Councillors Darren Clifford and David Watts.

Members are asked to consider any Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the Agenda.

None were disclosed.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 10 October be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

The Chair welcomed Bob Stott, Director of Universal and Early Support Services; and Mel Ormesher, Community Safety Manager, to the meeting.

A report on the Community Safety Agreement to be considered by Cabinet in December was presented to the Scrutiny Committee.

Lancashire had to continue to deliver effective community safety and reduce crime. There was a strong history of partnership working in Lancashire and commitment to continuing to making Lancashire a safer place to live, work and visit. Key community safety partners included LCC, all District Authorities, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Crown Prosecution Service, HM Courts and Tribunal Service, HM Prison Service, Lancashire Constabulary, Lancashire Fire and Rescue, Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner, and Lancashire Probation Trust. Changes to the Probation Service meant that its duty would be carried out by the National Probation Service and the local Community Rehabilitation Company.

Lancashire Community Safety Strategy Group (LCSSG) brought together representatives of these organisations to set the strategic direction for coordinating partnership activity under a range of statutory duties. The responsible authorities were required to work together to:

·  Reduce crime and re-offending, tackle anti-social behaviour and substance abuse;

·  Ensure information collection and sharing arrangements were in place to inform direction of services and develop a Community Safety Agreement (CSA) for Lancashire;

·  Maintain good partnership working between organisations;

·  Engage and consult communities on community safety issues; and

·  Have due regard for the strategies and priorities of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire where appropriate.

The agreement acknowledged and reinforced the linkage with other local partnerships such as the Children's Safeguarding Boards, Children's Trust arrangements, the Lancashire Criminal Justice Board and the Health and Wellbeing Boards.

The Community Safety Agreement had the following guiding principles:

·  Communities – the Community Safety Team would put benefit for communities at the heart of decision making whilst recognising local differences.

·  Culture – open and honest debate was encouraged, respecting differences of opinions and challenges to views.

·  Outcomes – the Community Safety Team would focus on outcomes to achieve its objectives and get results.

The Community Safety Team reported on its progress and achievements. Much had been achieved through good partnership working since the last Community Safety Agreement. There were many progressions and achievements such as:

·  Domestic Abuse Service Commission 2013 – 2016: There were commissioned services in Blackpool, Blackburn with Darwen and Lancashire providing specialist domestic abuse services for victims, children and young people, and perpetrators.

·  Community Safety Intelligence: This was a collaborative approach to data collection and analytical capacity in Lancashire which supports the production of strategic analytical products and a performance scorecard.

·  Supporting Victims and Reducing Harm: Anti-social Behaviour Risk Assessment Conferences supported victims and managed risk of harm to the most vulnerable in our communities.

·  Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub: This had a crucial role in reducing harm caused by domestic abuse and child sexual exploitation through effective information sharing and ensuring that the right agency provided appropriate support.

·  Re-settlement and Rehabilitation: ' Inside Out' worked with short sentence offenders before release to encourage them  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

A report was presented summarising the work to be undertaken by the Committee in the coming months, including an update on task group work.

Resolved: That the report be noted

An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the Minutes, the Chair of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency. Wherever possible, the Chief Executive should be given advance warning of any Member's intention to raise a matter under this heading.

None.

The next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee will be held on Friday 5 December at 10:30am at the County Hall, Preston.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee would be on Friday 5 December, at 10.30 at the County Hall, Preston.