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Form
To approve the Minutes of the extraordinary
Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 15 August 2019, copy
attached.
Minutes:
Councillor L Piper proposed, Councillor
Rusiecki seconded and Members agreed
the minutes as a correct record of the extraordinary meeting that
was held on 15 August 2019.
To approve the Minutes of the
Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 27 August 2019, copy
attached.
Minutes:
Councillor L Piper proposed, Councillor
Rusiecki seconded and Members agreed
the minutes as a correct record of the meeting that was held on 27
August 2019.
200.
Crime Stats for Thanet
Minutes:
Chief Inspector Ed Ruffle introduced the
subject for discussion and made the following comments:
The report provided information on
crime statistics for the district as from 2016 onwards;
Kent Police crime data capture was
outstanding, with a level of over 96% crime data integrity;
Crime had come down this year from a
summer peak in 2018;
Thanet was witnessing increasing
tourism and growth in summer which was creating demand on
resources;
Victim based crime was defined as
those affecting identifiable victims, such as violence against the
person. Crimes against the state such as possession of drugs,
weapons and public order offences are not included in this
category;
Violence against the person was the
highest form of crime in the district, followed by theft, arson and
criminal damage, sexual offences and robbery;
The figures had declined in volume
in comparison to previous years, especially violence against the
person theft, sexual offences and criminal damage;
Vehicle crime in the district was
increasing in volume and proportion, particularly theft from
vehicles;
Moped crime and theft using mopeds
was contributing the largest proportion to this form of crime. This
included theft of mopeds;
The Police were working on an
operation to respond to this problem;
ASB had started to increase since
the beginning of this year, particularly in Margate and
Ramsgate;
This was expected to increase in
summer;
Broadstairs had witnessed an increase in ASB;
‘Thirsty Thursday’ had
increased ASB in Ramsgate;
Northwood Ward had witnessed
increased ASB maybe due to its proximity to Westwood Cross;
Generally where there was free
Wi-Fi, there was an increase in youth crime (ASB);
Police had been in discussions with
some businesses about this issue regarding free Wi-Fi and managing
ASB;
Hate crime on the rise. It’s
important for the public to report this crime. Most of that crime
was related to race and ethnicity;
Stop and search was now used more
often. The Police had grown in confidence to this approach. When
used properly it worked, particularly for knife crimes;
There had been an increase in
domestic offences where knives were involved.
Responding to the presentation, Members made
comments and asked questions as follows:
What types of ASB crimes were being
committed in Broadstairs?
Broadstairs suffered ASB incidents committed by
individuals from outside Broadstairs;
Ramsgate Town Council had suggested
that strategies for combating ASB, including setting up bollards.
However residents were advised that they had to continue to report
ASB incidents. The question was what was that information used
for?
Why were Thanet villages crime stats
not in the report?
Requested that the slides
presentation be circulated to Members;
What was the relationship between
the Police and licensed premises that sell alcohol to manage
reported incidents, including from such promotions like
‘Thirsty Thursday?’
Six to seven years ago TDC tried to
engage businesses to encourage them to stop selling cheap alcohol.
However this was not successful as businesses were unwilling to
comply;
Councillor Yates, Cabinet Member for Financial
Services & Estates introduced the item for discussion and made
the following points:
The proposed overall increase to
fees and charges was 2.5%. This would contribute about
£208k towards the 2020/21 council budget;
The council was still experiencing
financial pressure;
Officers had been tasked to study
and identify best practices being used elsewhere by other councils
in order to enable council to creatively adopt any such practices
to meet set objectives, particularly those relating to how the
budget gap could be closed;
Any identified new initiatives would
be discussed through cross party engagement before adoption;
The Panel was being asked to review
the proposals in the report. Any recommendations from the Panel
would be discussed with the group leaders in order to ensure that
these ideas are adopted collaboratively and were subject to
appropriate scrutiny.
Responding to the presentation Panel Members
and Councillor Bailey speaking under Council Procedure 20.1 made
comments and asked questions as follows the following:
It is good to know that the car
parking charges for Joss Bay Marina have been reduced. However this
left three of the most expensive car parks still in Broadstairs;
Were the residents only daily
voucher scheme of £2.60 are the same as the seasonal parking
vouchers for these expensive car parks, which are Chandos Street, Harbour Street and Albion
Street?
Was that the same scheme that has
been used for the last couple of years?
It was also good to see permits for
hoteliers increased from 20 this year to 40 in the new financial
year. However why was there a difference in the charges? Hoteliers
in Ramsgate would have to pay £3.50 and those in Broadstairs would have to pay £6.00. Why was
it the case?
Applauded the initiative for
reduction of car parking charges in Lawn Road in Broadstairs, particularly the free parking for the
first 30 minutes. It would be even better if such an offer was
given to parking in the high streets;
There hadn’t been an increases
for charges relating to corporate marketing for the last seven or
eight years. This could be an area of comparatively easy income.
Why was that the case?
The charges for the enforcement for
unauthorised waste collection had not been changed since January
2017, when it was set at £400. Increasing that charge would
have sent a strong message about the consequences of fly-tipping.
Why was that the case?
What areas did the Fees and Charges
Cabinet Advisory Group concentrate on and what recommendations did
they come up with? What did the Portfolio Holder incorporate into
the fees and charges proposals that came from the CAG?
Regarding the best practice ideas,
which local councils were officers asked to go to and what specific
areas where they asked to study? Would the new best practice ideas
be presented to the Panel before adoption?
Why was the proposed Wellington
Crescent residents car parking scheme not in the schedule of fees
and charges?
The Chairman invited Ms Suzanne
Brimm, speaking under public speaking
procedure rules to address the Panel.
Speaking under 20.1 Councillor
Bailey requested that the Panel conducts a review into
Council’s governance arrangements with a view to considering
the adoption of a committee system.
MrWillis advised that since this was a council
function, it would be more appropriate to table that initiative at
a full council meeting and if supported by Members, a council
working party on governance arrangements could be set up to review
the issue.
The Chairman invited Members to comment on the work
programme. Councillor Lynda Piper
proposed, Councillor Paul Moore seconded and Members agreed to
invite Councillor Whitehead, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for
Housing & Safer Neighbourhoods to make a presentation (in
January 2020) on the future management of council housing stock.
The presentation would concentrate on providing an update on the
preferred option to bring council housing stock into council
management.
There being no further comments from the Panel, Members
noted the report.