Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 30January 2017.

The Chair asked the Committee if they had any comments regarding the minutes of the meeting of the 30^th of January 2017. Councillor Hawthorne referenced Page 9 of the minutes, which said that details of the organisations and partners that were consulted about the impact on the Public Realm on people with disability were to be circulated after the meeting of the 30^th of January. Councillor Hawthorne stated that he had not yet received the information and asked that the Democratic Services Officer follow this up. The Democratic Services Officer assured Councillor Hawthorne that he would do so.

The minutes of the 30^th January 2017 were approved as a correct record of the proceedings.

To approve as a correct record the exempt minutes of the meeting held on 30 January 2017

The Chair agreed to revise the order of the Agenda to consider Exempt Minutes directly after Minutes of the previous meeting, as none of the members had comments on the exempt minutes and no members of the press or public were present.

The exempt minutes of the 30th January 2017 were approved as a correct record of the proceedings.

There were no questions from the public.

To receive any petitions and deputations provided that no such petition or deputation is in relation to:

·         Matters relating to individual Council Officers, or

·         Matters relating to current or pending legal proceedings

There were no petitions or deputations from the public.

To receive the latest version of the Committee’s work programme and the Council’s Forward Plan.

The Chair reminded the Members of the Special meeting of the Committee on Monday the 6^th of March, in which an update on the deployment of police resources and crime reduction strategy will be delivered by representatives of the Community Safety Partnership and Superintendent Cooper, Head of Local Policing.

Councillor Haigh requested that an item be added to the Committee Work Programme to scrutinise the implementation of the Together Gloucester restructure. The Committee discussed at what stage of the implementation of the restructure it would be appropriate to do this. It was proposed that a brief update be requested by the Committee during the summer and that full scrutiny of the implementation be completed before the end of 2017. The Chair said that he and The Lead Members would look to add this to the work programme.

The Chair made the Committee aware of the intention to take Agenda Item 9 – Monitoring of Task and Finish Group recommendations on Improvements to Private Sector Rented Housing prior to Agenda Item 8 – Review of Safe and Attractive Streets policy after 6 months implementation, due to exempt information within the appendices of Agenda Item 8.

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources which details budget variances, year-end forecasts, and progress made against agreed savings targets for the 3nd quarter ended 31st December 2016.

The Chair welcomed Councillor D. Norman, Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources, and Jon Topping, Head of Finance to share the report on the Quarter 3 Financial Monitoring.

Councillor D. Norman provided a brief overview of the details of the report, emphasising the forecast year end position of the Council’s General Fund Balance to be £109,000, an improvement of £23,000 since Quarter 2. Councillor D. Norman stated the overall improvement in the figures over the year was impressive, but the Council should remain prudent and that vacancy management upon the implementation of the Together Gloucester restructure would be key in maintaining positive financial developments.

Councillor Wilson asked for further details of paragraph 9.2, regarding the increased costs of development management due to work required on a planning appeal. Jon Topping explained this was the Winnycroft appeal and had cost £62,000, which he explained was a large amount but such high cost appeals were unusual.

Councillor Wilson asked for clarification of what would happen if the end of year figures were less than forecast. He asked if this deficit would carry forward and if the 17-18 budget would be amended accordingly.  Jon Topping stated there would be no amendment and that should such an event occur, it would result in the general fund being used to balance the 16-17 budget.

Councillor Wilson queried if the general fund was held at 10% of net revenue required and if 10% was a standard level amongst councils. Jon Topping informed him that the 10% was the general principle of the general fund and that this was at similar level to other councils.

Councillor Hampson drew attention to the £187,000 overspend within Culture and Leisure, as stated in Paragraph 8.1. and asked for clarification on the reason for this. Jon Topping explained this was due to the museums not delivering on saving targets but that they had improved and they had recently delivered a successful robots exhibition. Councillor Hampson emphasised that even if there had been improvements, then a shortfall of such a large amount was not sustainable. Councillor D. Norman agreed with Councillor Hampson that this performance needed to be improved further and stated that the Cabinet would continue to look at areas in which this portfolio could act in a more commercial manner.

Councillor Hampson asked if there were any plans to bring in outside consultants to advise the museums in how to increase revenue. Councillor Norman said this was not being considered, as the expected costs of outside consultation was not deemed cost efficient with regards to potential improvements. Jon Topping said that the robot exhibition, which had been free, had had 55,000 people attend. He said that if a small charge had been levied for this, the majority of the saving target could have been met and there needed to be a maximisation of potential revenue streams and secondary spending.

Councillor Haigh reiterated the need to maximise secondary spend and raised the matter of the decrease in Guildhall cinema ticket prices.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 89.

To receive the report setting out progress made against implementation of the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Task and Finish Group on Improvements to Private Sector Rented Housing.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Organ, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, Julie Wight, Private Sector Housing Service Manager and Anne Brinkhoff, Corporate Director to share the report outlining the progress of the implementation of the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Task and Finish Group on improvements to private sector rented housing.

Councillor Organ provided an update regarding the implementation of the recommendations made by the Task and Finish group. He explained that the implementation of unannounced inspections had resulted in 6 successful prosecutions and the discovery of many addresses which were in a poor state of repair. He explained that many of these had been adapted for residential use without the correct licence and on occasions when this was discovered, a report was made to Council Tax to update their records so that correct taxes could be collected. He said that the programme was having a positive impact with the City.

Councillor Haigh commended the programme and praised the success it had had. However, she noted it was only funded until the end of April 2017 and queried what the future of the programme was to be. Councillor Organ answered that he was unable to give an answer at that time, as the upcoming Council restructure meant all methods of service delivery were being looked at and potentially changed. He said that it was his hope that the programme would continue, even if in an altered form.

Councillor Haigh asked if, given the financial constraints on the council, selective licensing should be considered in the future. Councillor Organ said that the commercial side would need to be considered, not only with regards to financial implications but also in light of the secondary benefits gained by officers through a greater understanding of the situation at street level.

Councillor Haigh stated she was appalled that so much of this substandard housing was funded by the public purse, via housing benefit payments and urged the Cabinet Member to continue the scheme after April. Councillor Organ said that work would continue to be undertaken on this issue, even if it was done so in a different manner.

Councillor Hyman stated that many tenants with short term leases were worried about reporting substandard accommodation, in case of reprisals from their landlords. He asked if there was an anonymous manner by which concerns could be reported. Councillor Organ said that it was not solely landlords who caused an issue with ensuring accommodation was suitable, some tenants did not allow access for repairs and modernisation to occur. He said that anyone with concerns could report them using the Council’s system and that a diplomatic approach would be used when dealing with such matters.

Councillor Wilson asked about the statutory obligations that the Council held on this issue and if Council would always investigate when asked to. Councillor Organ said the Council would not turn anyone away but may not always be able to assist them. On such occasions, he explained that the Council would direct  ...  view the full minutes text for item 90.

To receive the report on the impact and effect of the Safe and Attractive Streets Policy after 6 Months Implementation,

PLEASE NOTE:  Appendix 3 contains exempt information as defined in paragraph 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act (as amended).  If Members wish to discuss material contained within this Appendix it will be necessary to notify the Chair to enable a resolution to be passed to exclude the press and public.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Watkins, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhood, Emily Jones, Senior Community Safety Officer and Anne Brinkhoff, Corporate Director to present the review of the Safe and Attractive Street Policy after 6 months of implementation.

Councillor Watkins provided a brief overview of the policy and stated that it had been broadly successful in its aims. She explained that of the 42 individuals who had been engaged with since July 2016, 24 were no longer discussed in Multi-Agency Meetings (MAMs) for a variety of reasons and only 8 of the remaining 18 are regularly seen in the City Centre. She said that 8 of the 18 were housed as of January 2017. Councillor Watkins emphasised how this was a challenging area, as individual’s progress was rarely linear and necessitated an approach which built relationships not barriers via overly zealous enforcement. Councillor Watkins highlighted the £900,000 Social Impact Bond (SIB), from central government, which was expected to make an impact in addressing this issue. She also stated that the implementation of a PSPO was still in consideration for the City Centre. She explained the development of a media campaign, which would emphasise the collective responsibility held by the public and businesses to adopt a city wide consistent approach to street issues.

Councillor Hampson asked for further details about the relationship between the local media and the promotion of the Safe and Attractive Streets Policy. Councillor Watkins stated that they Council did speak to The Citizen about the Council’s work but that due to the nature of the press, it was not possible to dictate how stories and incidents were reported.

Councillor Ryall stated her full support for the policy but raised a concern that the policy was having the effect of only moving street issues out of the City Centre into other parts of the City rather than addressing the issues. She explained that a number of university students had expressed to her their disquiet in going out in Gloucester due to safety concerns and stated that there had been an increase in incidences of begging and rough sleeping on London Road.  Emily Jones sympathised with this concern and said that she shared it. Emily Jones said begging was only an issue in the City Centre as it relied upon heavy footfall to be effective and the furthest afield she was aware of this occurring was Barton Street. Councillor Watkins asked that Members officially report any incidences of begging or rough sleeping they witness as anecdotal evidence, whilst appreciated, could not be acted upon. Emily Jones said that they would look into the situation around London Road.

Councillor Dee praised the generosity of the residents of Gloucester towards beggars and rough sleepers but stated that giving to people on the street was not a wise idea, as it encouraged the behaviour and did not ameliorate the underlying problems. Councillor Watkins agreed with this and promoted alternate methods of giving. She said that changing the perception of residents as to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 91.

To resolve:-

“That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the following item of business on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public are present during consideration of this item there will be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended”.

Agenda Item No.               Description of Exempt Information

11                                            Paragraph 4: Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority

The Chair and Members agreed that it was not necessary to exclude the press and public as the Members had already approved the exempt minutes, without comment.

6 March 2017 6.30pm

6^th March 2017 6.30pm