Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods seeking to update the guiding principles by which the Community Wellbeing and Private Sector Housing Teams engage with the community and use available legislation to be enforced by the City Council to protect public health, safety, amenity and the environment within the City Council’s jurisdiction.

RESOLVED that the Policy Update be accepted and amends previous regulatory policies of Community Wellbeing and Private Sector Housing.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods that sought to update the guiding principles by which the Community Wellbeing and Private Sector Housing Teams engage with the community and use available legislation to be enforced by the City Council to protect public health, safety, amenity and the environment within the City Council’s jurisdiction.

The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods outlined the rationale of merging policies and understanding the current position in order to move forward.  She made it clear that enforcement was to be considered a last resort after engagement and prevention, an approach that been followed for some time and produced genuine solutions to benefit the whole community.  The Cabinet Member for Environment concurred that providing support for people with chaotic lives often meant that enforcement was not required, although sometimes it was necessary.  The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy reminded Members of the good work Police Community Support Officers did to prevent negative behaviour before it got to the stage where enforcement was needed.  The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods agreed that the Council’s partners did great work across the city preventing people from entering the criminal justice system and gave the reduction of begging in the city centre over recent years as an example of how understanding individuals’ needs leads to successful outcomes.

RESOLVED that the Policy Update be accepted and amends previous regulatory policies of Community Wellbeing and Private Sector Housing.