Present at the meeting
- Councillor Mrs M J Whiteside (Chairman)
- Councillor J Ellis
- Councillor J N Grundy
- Councillor R M Bleakley
- Councillor J Moodie
- Councillor B Bowen
- Councillor S Dawber
- Councillor Mrs J Prescott
- Councillor Mrs E Smethurst
- Councillor J Eccles-Churton
- Councillor Mrs A Turnock
Cabinet Portfolio Holder
- Councillor K Anderson – Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods
Officers in attendance
- Gillian Bishop – Interim Executive Director Environmental Services
- Gary Finch – Principal Officer – Overview and Scrutiny
- Alison Henderson – Solicitor
- Paul Whitemoss – Service Manager
- Sally Wolstencroft – Head of Safer Greener Cleaner Neighbourhood Services
- Janet Lumley – Democratic Services Officer
Officers presenting reports
- Neil Fearnley – Service Director - Neighbourhoods
- Steve Gow – Human Resources Business Partner
36 Apologies for absence: Councillors Mrs A Bland, H L Cadman, B J Fagan, R Brierley.
37 Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 18 January 2010 were approved as a correct record subject to the alteration of the phrase “save costs, resources and personal hardship” to “save personal hardship, resources and costs” in minute 30.
38 Adverse Publicity Regarding Greater Manchester Police:
The Chairman had agreed to the following item being considered as urgent business the special circumstance being to inform Members.
The recent adverse publicity in the national press regarding the Greater Manchester Police was discussed by Members.
Resolved: Officers are requested to gather the relevant information, concerning the performance of Greater Manchester Police and circulate to Committee members. A decision as to whether this issue should be considered at a future meeting of this Committee will be taken in the new Municipal Year.
39 Dangerous Dogs: The Chairperson had agreed to the following item being
It was reported that on a recent visit to a local Community Centre, Councillor Grundy was made aware that a family were trapped in a children’s play area by a Staffordshire bull terrier. The owner of the dog was not in attendance and the dog was not muzzled. Following calls to both the Police and the Dog Warden Service, it proved impossible to get anyone to attend as both authorities claimed that it was the others responsibility. Ultimately, Councillor Grundy managed to corner the dog and get the family to safety before going to the house of the owner and requesting him to remove the dog.
The issue highlighted the fact that there appeared to be a “grey area” as to whose responsibility it was to remove the dog and this resulted in the elected member putting himself in considerable danger in order to help the family.
Members were informed that under the Dangerous Dogs Act, in the case of a dog acting in a way that caused a person to be injured or fear injury, it was the responsibility of the Police to remove the animal. In the case of a dog acting in a boisterous manner, it was the responsibility of the Dog Warden Service if the incident occured during working hours, and a private contractor outside of working hours . It was explained that some , and if so, whether the animal was allowed to be kept at the property under the terms of his tenancy agreement.
Resolved: The Committee requests:-
(a) the Service Director, Neighbourhoods, Neil Fearnley, to prepare a joint Council/Police report detailing how the current policy was applied throughout Wigan and how this compares with procedures in neighbouring authorities;
(b) the Service Director, Neighbourhoods, to publicise details of the procedures in Wigan to give residents a clear idea of where responsibility lies; and
(c) the Head of Safer Greener Cleaner Neighbourhood Services, Sally Wolstencroft, to contact the local dog warden and request a visit to the owner’s property.
40 Whipping Declarations: Government guidance expected Members of the Select Committee not to act in accordance with party whipping and that, if they did, they were to declare it.
There were no declarations made.
41 Environmental Services Performance Plan – Quarter 3 Update. The Service Director – Neighbourhoods, Neil Fearnley, introduced a report updating Members
on progress against departmental priorities for the period of October to December 2009. The report was very positive and showed that progress against nearly all indicators had been made. The information supplied related to the crime and environmental cleanliness agenda. Comparisons with information gathered from the PLACE survey would be available later in the year.
Members raised a number of questions including the following salient points:-
- Why weren’t all food establishments compliant with the law?
- What were the reasons for the reduction in re-offending rates of adults under probation supervision?
- What were the reasons for deliberate acts of arson on refuse bins?
The Service Director, Neighbourhoods, explained that incentives could be introduced, including positive publicity, which would encourage organisations to raise their hygiene standards. The Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods, Councillor Anderson, also explained that there is currently a star rating for all catering establishments which would eventually be published on the intranet and the business will be able to display its star rating.
There was a problem with deliberate acts of arson on wheelie bins and it was thought that this had arisen because a lot of residences had no secure storage for the increasing amount of bins now allocated to each house. This meant that a lot of bins were left at the front of properties where they were more accessible. The Service Director, Neighbourhoods, explained that in an attempt to remedy this, a Wheelie Bin Initiative pilot project had been introduced which allowed residents to choose different sizes of bins to suit their requirements and catered for residents sharing bins. Officers had worked in conjunction with the Fire Service to visit schools to explain the consequences of bin fires and leaflets explaining draft codes of practice and service standards would be delivered to households.
It was felt that the alleygating programme had helped to alleviate some vehicle crime across the borough as vehicles could now be parked more safely and police could spend their time targeting more prolific offenders.
Resolved: the Committee requests:-
(1) the Head of Regulatory and Community Services, Alan Blundell, be invited
to the next meeting of this Committee to give more detail on those areas of
the report which relate directly to his Department:
(2) a more in depth report from the Probation Service to the next meeting
regarding the re-offending rate for those under probation supervision
(3) Councillor Bleakley be provided with specific information regarding the 66
litter and dog fouling notices issued in 2009/10.
(Councillor Mrs E Smethurst declared a personal and non prejudicial interest in this item as she is a member of the Wigan and Leigh Culture Trust).
42 Environmental Enforcement Performance: The Committee considered a report of the Interim Director of Environmental Services, Gillian Bishop, which provided an update on environmental enforcement activity in Wigan. It was reported that there was now more emphasis on achieving compliance as against counting success in terms of how many enforcement notices were issued. 100 officers and operatives had been trained to spot crimes and to work with the public to obtain policing by consent. There was some concern as to where the boundaries lay between responsibilities attributed to the Council and those that lay with the Environment Agency.
Resolved: The Committee:-
(1) notes the report;
(2) requests the Service Director, Neighbourhoods, to report back to the next
meeting of this Committee with an update on progress towards the next steps to achieving actual and perceived cleanliness of the borough; and
(3) requests that the Interim Executive Director, Environmental Services invites
officers from the Environment Agency to attend a future meeting of this Committee to explain their involvement and to further partnership working.
(Councillor Mrs E. Smethurst declared a personal and non prejudicial interest in this item as she is a member of the Wigan and Leigh Culture Trust).
43 Equality Framework – Recruitment and Selection Procedures: The Business Partner, Human Resources, Steve Gow, introduced a report of the Executive Director, Business Support Services, which gave an overview of developments relating to the Recruitment and Selection Policy. It was reported that recruitment and selection procedures had been scheduled to undergo a formal review by the Human Resources Policy Development Team, to be completed in September 2010. Currently both managers and Human Resources practitioners felt that some elements of the policy were fragmented and required simplifying to align to the council’s future objectives and to ensure a consistent approach. A Policy Review timetable listing the high priority areas had been prepared.
Resolved: the Committee
(1) notes the report; and
(2) requests that the Policy Review timetable be forwarded to the Councillor Services Group for consideration.
44 Anti Social Behaviour Policy in Relation to Ball Games: The Service Director – Neighbourhoods introduced a report, seeking Members opinions in relation to the procedure for dealing with ball games on the highway and in open spaces. It was explained that “No Ball Games,” signs had been used in the past on land owned by the Council and Wigan and Leigh Homes, but that the signs were unenforceable.
The placing of signs increased the public’s expectations that officers could and would stop persons playing ball games in that area but this was not the case. This can lead to officers credibility being lost as many people now know that the signs cannot be enforced.
Members were requested to consider the introduction of a tiered approach to the problem whereby upon receipt of a complaint:-
- a ball games information leaflet would be forwarded by the Police or Neighbourhood Teams to the complainant and/or residents in the area seeking a degree of tolerance and providing advice on what could be done to help;
- Information would be passed to the Mediation Team and the Sport Development Unit who would arrange joint visits to the “hot spot” area to engage with complainants and those to whom the complaints refer and to explain what other facilities were available in the area to encourage them to stop playing ball games in the street; and
- If the interventions were unsuccessful the Anti Social Behaviour procedure would be initiated.
Members were unhappy with the procedure as it was felt that even though the current signs were unenforceable, they did still serve as a deterrent in many cases and their removal may exacerbate the situation. It was also felt that expenditure involved in the production of leaflets was unnecessary and that Members should have been included in the consultation as it was often them to whom residents complained.
Resolved: the Committee agrees that the use of No Ball Games signs be continued.
45 Minutes of the Alcohol and Substance Misuse Scrutiny Select Committee: The Committee considered the minutes of the Alcohol and Substance Misuse Scrutiny Select Committee held on 13 January 2010.
Resolved: The Committee notes the minutes of the Alcohol and Substance Misuse Scrutiny Select Committee.
Alcohol and Substance Misuse Scrutiny Select Committee
5:30 p.m. 13 January 2010
Present at meeting:
- Councillor Mrs J Prescott (Chairman) Councillor J Eccles-Churton
- Councillor Mrs B Bourne Councillor P A Tushingham
- Councillor N A Bradbury
Officers in attendance
- Matthew Elliot - Commissioning Officer (Substance Misuse)
- Sue Elliott – Head of Service – Strategy & Commissioning
- Siobhan Heaton – Lead Commissioner (Substance Misuse)
- David Skinley – Administrative Assistant
- Michael Williamson – Committee Services Officer
Officers presenting reports
- Sandra Green – Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator
45.1 Apologies for absence: Councillors R M Bleakley, R Brierley, Dr C M Cottam, and E N Houlton.
45.2 Minutes: The minutes of the meeting of the Alcohol and Substance Misuse Scrutiny Select Committee held on 9 December 2009 were approved as a correct record.
45.3 Role of the Anti- Social Behaviour Team in tackling Alcohol and Substance Misuse: The Select Committee received a presentation from the Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator – Environmental Services, Sandra Green on the role of the Anti-Social Behaviour Team in tackling Alcohol and Substance Misuse.
The Select Committee was advised that the Anti-Social Behaviour Team worked under the Cleaner, Safer, Greener agenda. The Enforcement Officer - Environmental Services, Tom Langely worked alongside five teams which covered the entire Borough. In addressing problems associated with anti social behaviour, the Anti Social Behaviour Team, in conjunction with the Police, had developed a contact cards which captured data relating to anti social behaviour by young people. From the data captured the Select Committee was informed of the following key findings:-
- the total number of incidents recorded between 2007 and 2009 had fallen by approximately 49%
- the number of alcohol seized incidents recorded between 2007 and 2009 had increased from 36% to 41%
- the number of alcohol contact cards issued between 2007 and 2009 had fallen from 32% to 24%
The Select Committee was also advised of the number of incidents recorded per Twin Township between 2007/09. There was a clear disparity between the numbers of incidents between twin townships
In addressing problems associated with Anti Social Behaviour, the Select Committee was made aware of a number of tools the Anti Social Behaviour Team and partner agencies could use. These included:-
- Warning Letters
- Alcohol Outreach Referral
- Acceptable Behaviour Contracts
- Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs)
- Drinking Banning Orders (DBOs)
- Designated Public Place Orders (DPPOs)
In relation to the Alcohol Outreach referral, the Select Committee was advised of the work undertaken by the Assertive Outreach worker. A number of positive outcomes hade been achieved through the work of the Officer in this post. The Select Committee was informed that this post was currently a temporary post due to its funding.
The Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator informed the Select Committee of a pilot scheme called ‘package for the night ahead’ which had been launched in Leigh. The scheme involved a multi-agency approach, and got information out to hotspot areas. The pilot was found to have significantly reduced incidents of harm or anti-social behaviour which were alcohol related.
The Select Committee was also advised of two new additional powers which had, or where to be, introduced which would help tackle areas of anti social behaviour. The first additional power was the ability for the Police to issue a Direction to Leave order to an individual should they be caught undertaking any form of anti social behaviour. The Direction to Leave instructed the individual to leave a certain area where he/she would be unable to return for up to a period of 48 hours. The second additional power would only commence from 29 January 2010 and dealt with young people who were persistently possessing alcohol in a public place.
Members asked a number of questions which included the following salient points:-
- Could some of the statistical data presented be broken down further and fed back to the Select Committee, specifically the data which merged statistics from two townships?
- Could more detail be provided regarding the temporary post of Assertive Outreach Worker, such as, when the post expired and precisely how the post was funded?
- Why were there some significant differences in the number of incidents of young people (per Twin Township) involved in anti-social behaviour where alcohol was a feature?
- Despite the trend towards fewer incidents of young people being involved in anti-social behaviour where alcohol was a feature, there were still certain areas of the Borough that had persistent relating to alcohol misuse.
- Could more work be done to educate young people about the dangers of drinking alcohol?
- Were Officers and the Police providing the same consistent message across different Wards?
- How could the Police combat young people giving false details on Contact Cards?
- Were Contact Cards issued which noted substance misuse by young people?
- Could Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) capture an image of a young person selected to fill out a Contact Card as a further check on their identity?
The Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator offered to provide a further breakdown of the statistics presented and the Lead Commissioner (Substance Misuse), Siobhan Heaton, agreed to provide details in relation to the post of Assertive Outreach Worker to the Committee Services Officer.
The Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator stated that the following factors had a bearing the differences between the number of incidents recorded per twin township:-
- The statistics were reliant on Police completing Contact Cards, this may not always have happened, or, there may not have always been sufficient opportunity for it to happen;
- Some PCSOs completed Stopping Cards instead of Contact Cards. Data from Stopping Cards was not reflected in the statistics;
- Whether or not incidents or hotspots were reported to the Police in advance by residents. This may have accounted for incidents to happen and not be recorded.
- The number of incidents may have been affected by the individual young people in the areas concerned.
- The number of incidents may also have been partly determined by the location itself and whether young people chose, or were allowed, to congregate there.
- Evidence suggested that hard hitting approaches to education, e.g. health warnings and graphic images, although successful in adults, were not as successful in youngsters who tended to be highly reluctant to listen to such messages for a range of reasons.
The Head of Service – Strategy & Commissioning, Sue Elliott, suggested that the Select Committee invited a representative from Education Services to attend a future meeting to speak on the issue raised about educating young people in the dangers of alcohol and substance misuse.
The Anti Social Behaviour Co-ordinator stated that it was highly likely that messages that were being delivered differed between wards. A need had previously been identified to supply consistent messages within the Anti-Social Behaviour Team. The Select Committee was advised that one tactic deployed when issuing Contact Cards was to ask a long series of questions to help confirm an individual’s identity.
The Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator informed the Committee that she knew of no reason why the Police would be prohibited from capturing an image to help confirm an individual’s identity, but emphasised that this was not necessarily legal and that it was matter for the Police to explore.
Resolved: The Select Committee:-
(1) thanks the officers for the presentation;
(2) agrees that the Lead Commissioner (Substance Misuse) contact the Committee Services Officer with details regarding the temporary post of Assertive Outreach Worker;
(3) requests that some of the information within the presentation which merged statistics from two townships be broken down further and fed back to the Select Committee by the Anti Social Behaviour Co-ordinator via the Committee Services Officer; and
(4) requests that the Head of Service – Strategy & Commissioning, liaise with the Committee Services Officer to ascertain whether the Select Committee could invite a representative from Education Services to attend a future meeting to speak on the issue raised about educating young people on the dangers of alcohol and substance misuse.
45.4 Brief feedback from the Operation Stay Safe excursion: The Chairman gave brief feedback to the Select Committee regarding the Operation Stay Safe exercise in Hindley which Members of the Select Committee attended in December 2009.
Further feedback in relation to Operation Stay Safe would be brought to the Select Committee on Wednesday 24 February.
Resolved: The Select Committee notes the feedback.
Chairman
The meeting concluded at 6:25 p.m.
46 Feedback from the Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor K Anderson, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods, reported that interviews had been arranged for the post of Director of Environmental Services and would take place on 14 April 2010 with a cross-party panel.
47 Vote of thanks: Resolved: The best thanks of this Committee are extended to the Chairman and the officers for the excellent services rendered by them during the past Municipal Year.
