Building Stronger Communities Scrutiny Committee - 1 June 2009

Present at the meeting:

• Councillor Mrs M J Whiteside (Chairman)
• Councillor J N Grundy
• Councillor Mrs A M L Bland
• Councillor R Brierley
• Councillor B Bowen
• Councillor H L Cadman
• Councillor S Dawber
• Councillor J Eccles Churton
• Councillor J Moodie
• Councillor Mrs J Prescott
• Councillor Mrs E Smethurst
• Councillor Mrs A Turnock

Officers in attendance

• N Lamper – Democratic Services Manager
• G Finch – Principal Officer – Overview and Scrutiny
• A Henderson – Solicitor
• D Adshead – Committee Services Officer

Officers presenting reports

• M Kimber – Executive Director of Environmental Services
• A Crumbly – Service Director - Neighbourhoods
• N Fearnley – Chief Executive, Wigan and Leigh Housing
• I Harrison – Head of Sustainable Communities

1 Apologies for absence: Councillors R M Bleakley, J Ellis and B J Fagan.

2 Review of Co-opted Membership 2009/10: The Principal Officer - Overview and Scrutiny, Gary Finch, presented a report which reviewed the Co-opted Membership of the Building Stronger Communities Scrutiny Committee.

The Committee was requested to agree on the organisations, if any, that it felt would be appropriate to be Co-opted on to the Committee for the Municipal year 2009/10.

Resolved: The Committee agrees not appoint non-statutory Co-opted Members for this municipal year, but to invite organisations and partners to attend Committee meetings on as witnesses, as appropriate, once a work plan has been established.

3 Anti-Social Behaviour Policy and Procedure: The Committee considered a report, which sought Cabinet approval for the adoption of the Council’s Anti Social Behaviour Policy and which informed Members of the procedure in place to deliver the policy. The report set out the key aims of the policy, notably, transparency and simplicity wherever possible. The overall aim of the Neighbourhood Teams, in this regard, was to stop the anti social behaviour by working with a range of partners who together made up the Building Stronger Communities Partnership.

Members asked a number of questions and made comments which included the following salient points:-

• Why was the onus on the complainant to return diary sheets within 14 days?
• Pre-paid envelopes may assist in the returning of diary sheets.
• Did officers or lead agencies take a pro-active approach in dealing with complaints by making contact with the complainant and recovering diary sheets?
• What were the costs and implications of using professional witnesses?
• Could sample warning letters be made available to the committee?
• Could ongoing six monthly reports be brought to Committee?
• Would it be appropriate for a Select Committee to look at any issues surrounding professional witnesses?
• Would it be appropriate for a Select Committee to look at concerns surrounding drug and alcohol interventions?
• Would it be appropriate for this Committee to be involved with the delivery of the Alcohol Policy?
• Were arrangements in place to deal with dangerous animals?

The Executive Director of Environmental Services, Martin Kimber, advised that pre-paid envelopes would be considered as a means of returning diary sheets to the department and assured the Committee that it was the Officers’ duty to pursue recovery of diary sheets within the allotted period. On the issues surrounding professional witnesses, the Executive Director advised the Committee that professional witnesses were employed through an agency only after careful balanced judgement surrounding the issues to be resolved. They were expensive and therefore used in extreme, complex cases - usually where the safety of non-professional witnesses could not be guaranteed.

Furthermore, he advised the Committee that sample warning letters would be emailed to all Members of this Committee showing the different levels of warning adopted by the department. The Chief Executive of Wigan and Leigh Housing, Ashley Crumbly, added that recently revised clauses in the tenancy agreement dealt with issues of dangerous dogs and other animals.

Resolved: The Committee:-

1. thanks Martin Kimber and Ashley Crumbley for their reports;
2. accepts the report now submitted;
3. endorses the recommendations set out within the report;
4. requests that the policy be reviewed in six months time;
5. requests that a report on performance be submitted in six months time;
6. requests that any data provided to this Committee reflects the current ward boundaries; and
7. requests that the new Alcohol Strategy and its relation to underage drinking (with a draft action plan) be brought before the Committee at the appropriate time.

4 Partners and Communities Together (PACT) Funding: The Executive Director of Environmental Services, Martin Kimber, outlined a report to Members on the development of the PACT delivery policy with specific regard to funding. One of the key principles behind the process was the method of shaping and delivering local services.

A total amount of £82,790 was available for the current year and would be applied to problem solving initiatives at a ward level. This money would be used by Councillors for an agreed community priority.

Members asked a number of questions and made comments, which included the following salient points:-

• the report should highlight that the money would be divided equally between wards; and
• this funding should not be confused with Brighter Borough funding.

Resolved: The Committee:

1. thanks Martin Kimber for the report;
2. welcomes the initiative; and
3. endorses the proposals within the policy subject to the addition of ‘funds be divided equally’ being inserted in the appropriate section of the report.

Chairman

The meeting concluded at 3.30 p.m.

Note:

Councillor K Anderson, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods asked the Committee if it would like him to attend its future meetings. The Committee confirmed that it would like him to.