Venue: Committee Rooms A and B - Town Hall. View directions
Contact: Democratic Services Email: democratic.services@crawley.gov.uk
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Disclosures of Interest and Whipping Declarations In accordance with the Council's Code of Conduct, councillors are reminded that it is a requirement to declare interests where appropriate.
Councillors must also declare if they are subject to their party group whip in relation to any items under consideration.
Minutes: The following disclosures were made:
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To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission held on 25 November 2024.
Minutes: The minutes of the meeting of the Commission held on 25 November 2024 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair. It was noted that the Commission had unanimously agreed the recommendations for the Waste and Recycling Scrutiny Panel Final Report at the meeting.
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Public Question Time To answer any questions or hear brief statements from the public which are relevant to the items on this agenda. The period will end after 15 minutes or later at the Chair’s discretion.
Minutes: No questions from the public were asked.
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Safer Crawley Partnership Annual Review and Forthcoming Priorities To receive the annual performance update on the Safer Crawley Partnership along with the future priorities Minutes: The Commission received an update from Acting Chief Inspector Steve Turner, Inspector Adam McCaig, Alex O’Keeffe (WSCC), together with the Head of Community Services, Public Protection & Enforcement Manager, and Councillor Y Khan on the annual performance of the Safer Crawley Partnership along with the future priorities. (Presentation attached as Appendix A to the minutes).
During the item Commission members raised a number of queries. The issues raised and key responses included: · There was overall support for the work undertaken within schools and the individual events/workshops being delivered. · Confirmation sought and provided on response rates by various categories. It was confirmed there were different ways of reporting (online, 101 and 999) depending on the nature and severity of the incident. · Information was provided with regards to the CCTV systems currently operating within the town. This included the mobile units in operation, together with those operated and monitored by the Council. · An update was provided on the Junior Citizen event, with a focus to keeping children safe particularly whilst taking part in online gaming. · Clarification was sought and obtained on use of the statistical data collected, particularly in relation to ASB and as it was noted that changes in patterns and hotspots along with comparable data was analysed to establish any major causes and issues. Relating to this, it was confirmed that partnership meetings occurred fortnightly to share intelligence as a means of disrupting shoplifting and communicating hotspot locations. · Confirmation was provided regarding the contact information for Safeguarding (CBC and WSCC) and then also how to raise concerns of an immediate nature (Police). It was queried if the website could be amended to provide further information. · There was overall support for operational partnership groups and the co-ordinated partnership activity, particularly as a result of the Langley Green Group being disbanded in December 2024 following the successful safeguarding of 5 children. · Acknowledgement of the strong collaborative partnership working with multiple and wide ranging community groups and the engagement that had continued, particularly following Operation Skylark.
RESOLVED That the update be noted, with the views and actions expressed being acknowledged by officers. The Commission’s gratitude was relayed to all those for their attendance at the Commission.
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Cabinet Member Discussion with the Cabinet Member for Public Protection Councillor Yasmin Khan has been invited to attend the Commission for a general discussion on the Public Protection Portfolio and their duties. A copy of the Cabinet Member’s responsibilities, as set out in the Council’s Constitution is attached.
Minutes: The Commission noted the update given by Councillor Y Khan and questioned her on a variety of issues relating to the portfolio. The following topics were discussed:
· Following the revised Community Protection Team it was noted that the change had been successful and as agreed, the OSC would receive an update on the newly formed service in 2025-2026. · The Junior Citizen event had proven to be successful for young people to gain experience and advice, particularly on ASB and increasing awareness on how to keep themselves safe on the streets and online. · It was acknowledged that the “myCrawley” service provided an ideal option to report fly tipping as well as other issues and concerns. · Clarification was sought and obtained as to parking enforcement throughout the town, particularly on shopping parades and whether data was obtained on specific hotspot areas. It was confirmed that officers patrolled parades where there were disabled bays as well as resident permit zones. They would also patrol based on hotspot areas, however this was always reliant on information obtained from the public. · A change in recruitment to Parking Enforcement Officers had resulted in a full staff complement to the service to manage resident permit schemes ensuring residents had safe and appropriate parking, whilst covering more areas where poor parking or road safety issues were a risk to public safety, particularly schools and places of worship. · Further information was provided regarding the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme. The Commission was informed that licensed premises were encouraged to participate and work was underway to strengthen this approach further. Linked to this, the “have fun, stay safe” campaign provided educational materials and anti-spiking devices to pubs and clubs across the town. Work continued with the private hire operators to ensure that drivers and staff were trained in safeguarding to ensure safe transit home for those using the nighttime economy. · There was recognition of the strong and positive partnership working throughout the town.
RESOLVED That the Overview and Scrutiny Commission thanked Councillor Y Khan for attending and for the informative discussion that had ensued.
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To consider report CH/211 of the Head of Crawley Homes. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Commission considered report CH/211of the Head of Crawley Homes. The report requested approval for the following draft Crawley Homes policies to be adopted to comply with regulatory requirements: •Compensation •Short-term alternative accommodation •Stock Condition •CCTV
During the discussion with the Cabinet Member for Housing, Head of Crawley Homes, the Policy and Engagement Manager and Planned Maintenance Manager, the Commission raised the following comments: · The Housing Ombudsman expected registered housing providers to consider compensation as part of complaint handling and the proposed Compensation policy offered appropriate remedies and compensation in a fair and justified approach. Confirmation was sought on the policy and whether benchmarking had been undertaken. It was acknowledged that benchmarking work was at its introductory stage, but comparable information had been taken from previous Housing Ombudsman judgements, along with another authority to provide valuable insight. Additional information was provided on discretionary payments such as the failure to meet repair response times and the actions taken to remedy. · It was recognised that the CCTV policy was for the purposes of protecting the environment, property, assisting in investigating ASB and preventing crime. Covert CCTV would need to covered under RIPA. · It was confirmed that tenants and leaseholders were responsible for ensuring they obtained the correct permissions before installing private CCTV or any form of equipment within or in the grounds of their home and this included smart / ring doorbells. Any installation of CCTV would need to be appropriate. · It was acknowledged that stock condition surveys were underway and it was confirmed that data came from a variety of sources (system, contractor and visits) to ensure the condition and efficiency of the council’s maintenance investment programmes. · Further discussions took place regarding the Equality Impact Assessment around the categories linked to the Compensation policy and Stock Condition policy. · The Tenants and Leaseholders Action Panel (TLAP) had been consulted and endorsed the proposed policies.
RESOLVED That the Commission noted the report and requested that the views expressed during the debate, were fed back to the Cabinet through the Commission’s Comment sheet.
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Crawley Town Centre Update To consider report PES/476 of the Head of Economy and Planning. Additional documents: Minutes: Commission Members considered report PES/476 and associated appendix of the Head of Economy and Planning. The report sought to provide the Commission with an update on the current town centre, its future along with the ongoing regeneration.
Following the discussion with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development and Head of Economy and Planning, the following comments were made: · Acknowledgement that the Crawley economy remained successful, attracting 1.2 million visitors every month. In terms of unit vacancy rate this was 8.6%, which was below the national average (13.8%). · It was noted that there had been recent investments in the town, and whilst these may not have been as high profile as some of the more traditional brands, they were significant as this meant Crawley could offer something different as part of its town centre offer. · Information was provided on the closure of the Marks and Spencer store which closed in November 2024. The reason for the closure was based on a wider, strategic decision taken by the company on commercial viability grounds to move towards larger, more sub-regional stores with larger floor space. The building was very old and costly to run. Marks & Spencer had expressed their desire to expand their presence in Crawley in the future, should a suitable site become available. · It was acknowledged that Council officers understood that the former Marks and Spencer store may be expected to be sold in February 2025 and it may be conceivable that the new owners may wish to bring forward proposals for residential and/or commercial space redevelopment on the site. Any proposals that would be due to be submitted would be formally considered by the Local Planning Authority in accordance with the recently adopted Local Plan for Crawley 2030-2040. · The Council remained committed to securing a vibrant neighbourhood and sustainable future for the town centre via significant qualitative investment through continued partnership working and investment. The first intervention would be Station Gateway (subject to approval), which included transforming The Martlets, Friary Way, Haslett Avenue West and at the junction between Station Way and Friary Way. The second was a new regeneration plan for the east of the town centre, focusing on the former Marks and Spencer building, the former Town Hall, County Buildings, the Queensway Store (Decathlon) and the northern parcel of land at Crawley College. · Further information was provided regarding the ex-Morrisons site, which due to the complex nature of the site made seeking alternative options challenging. · It was recognised that the Town Centre BID had resulted a positive impact on the town centre and since its launch had delivered new services, events and initiatives, whilst also improving the sense of community safety and security on the town centre. · It was acknowledged that the town centre had seen an increase in residential population in recent years to approximately 1,500 in recent years. Moving forward, significant new residential development was planned and it was recognised that the town centre was diversifying to become a neighbourhood in its own right. ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee (HASC) To receive a brief update on the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee (HASC). Minutes: An update was provided from the most recent HASC meetings. Key items of discussion included: 27 November 2024 Sussex Winter Plan 2024-2025 This plan focused on supporting the population to stay well and maintaining patient safety and experience with the assumption that there would be no extra winter funding and thus, all decisions had been taken through the lens of quality and safety.
Performance and Resources Report - Quarter 2 2024/25 The report set out the finance and performance position at the end of September 2024. In terms of Adult Social care, in receiving this report, the committee noted that of the 7 performance measures, 14% were reporting as ‘green’, 43% as ‘amber’ and 43% as ‘red’. The number of red rated Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) had not changed since the last quarter. In terms of Public Health, of the 6 performance measures, 17% were reporting as ‘green’, 50% as ‘amber’ and 33% as ‘red’. The number of red rated KPIs had not changed since the last quarter. It was noted that the current health and wellbeing strategy was coming to the end of its term, and currently, work was ongoing with the Health and Wellbeing Board and partners to develop the new strategy for a new five-year term from 2025-2030, and that one of the draft priority areas would be food and nutrition
Update on Council Plan, Medium-Term Financial Strategy, and Preparations for 2025/26 Draft Budget Concerns were raised about the increase in national insurance contributions and the impact this would incur on the health and adult social care budget, particularly for providers, and in the Council more generally. It was highlighted by a member that the proposed increase might well negate the projected aim of £3.3 million in savings as laid out in the report. These concerns were acknowledged and it was agreed that the impact on providers from the proposed national insurance increase would likely overshadow any savings made. The committee noted that the department and Cabinet member had been providing them with information on this and they were aware of the transformation journey that was seeking to embed many aspects of the Council plan in order to safeguard the most vulnerable and that they were aware of the ongoing work to champion changes that will deliver savings while protecting the most vulnerable. The committee further acknowledged the work of the department in identifying these savings and the thorough nature of the work being conducted and championed by the team.
8 January 2025 Work programme 2024 - 2025 The following were highlighted for specific identification as possible items: · End of September (Quarter 2) Performance & Resources Report · Access to Primary Care
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Forthcoming Decision List - and Provisional List of Reports for the Commission's following Meetings To consider any requests for future items. Those highlighted items have been referred to the Commission.
Minutes: The Commission confirmed the following reports: 1. 2024-2025 Budget Monitoring – Quarter 3 2. 2025-2026 Budget and Council Tax 3. Capital Strategy 2025-2026 4. Treasury Management Strategy 2025-2026 |
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Appendix A: Safer Crawley Partnership Presentation |