Agenda and minutes

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting of 14 January 2019.

The minutes of the meeting of 14 January 2019 were confirmed and signed, subject to the following comments;

1.    Councillor Boden said in reference to minute OSC33/18 point 2 (page 5 of the agenda pack) he had made an additional comment stating that on average, there had been a £400,000 difference historically between the estimated surplus and the final outturn figure.

Members to receive an update on the previous meeting’s Action Plan.

Members were provided with an update on the status of actions raised at previous meetings of the Committee.

1.    The Contact Centre data will be circulated to members in the near future.

2.    Councillor Boden suggested that consideration needs to be given on how complaints in relation to Anglia Revenues Partnership (ARP) are recorded as currently the Council only record the number of complaints that come in directly. Sam Anthony agreed to provide members with data relating to the complaints received by ARP directly as oppose to those received via the Council’s 3Cs process.

The purpose of this report is to set out how the Fenland Community Safety Partnership (referred to as partnership) identifies priorities for Fenland. The report also details an up to date performance picture for 2018/19, and includes the performance report relating to CCTV services for 2018.

Councillor Boden agreed to consider this agenda item first to allow PC David Arnold (Cambridgeshire Constabulary) to leave the meeting and return to his duties.

Members considered the Fenland Community Safety Partnership (FCSP) report.

PC David Arnold explained that Inspector Ian Lombardo was due to attend today’s meeting on behalf of Cambridgeshire Constabulary however had been called away on urgent police business and sent his apologies.

Members asked questions, made comments and received responses as follows;

1.    Councillor Boden stated that Councillor Mrs Laws had submitted a question in relation to this item. She asked why data on Whittlesey Food Bank had not been included in the statistics reported (page 98 of the Agenda Pack). Dan Horn agreed to investigate why this data was not included and report back to members.

2.    Councillor Boden asked for further information on the amber status in relation to scam awareness (page 91 of the Agenda Pack). Councillor Oliver explained that an amber status means the action requires intervention to ensure the target is met. He stated that the work in relation to Cybercrime is relatively new, having only been subject to a strategic assessment at the FCSP meeting in October 2018. The action remained amber as the number of people who had completed the training course had not been confirmed. He confirmed that at the FCSP meeting in January 2019, the Police, Fire Services and the Council all confirmed they had completed the training therefore this action will change to green going forward.

3.    Councillor Oliver added that they are now widening the scope of this training and teams within the organisations can complete the training online. He agreed to provide members with the link to the online training course. Councillor Tierney confirmed that he had completed the course and found it very useful.

4.    Aarron Locks stated that the online course takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and he is hopeful that the knowledge gained from this will be passed on throughout the community.

5.    Councillor Boden asked if the Council informs local businesses of the risks of Cybercrime. PC David Arnold explained that the Police have specially-trained officers and a dedicated Cybercrime department that deals with this crime. He confirmed that Cybercrime affects businesses as well as individuals in the community.

6.    Councillor Boden suggested that the Council focuses on making businesses aware of the risks of Cybercrime. Aarron Locks explained that the strategic assessment carried out on Cybercrime focused on individuals in the community and those that are deemed most vulnerable. The Council engaged with the Police during this process and he agreed to feedback this suggestion to the Police and FCSP.

7.    Councillor Owen asked which specific age groups are more likely to fall victim to Cybercrime. Aarron Locks explained that the assessment identifies parts of the community most at risk and higher-risk age groups. The most vulnerable members of the community are the older generation however the younger generation are also considered high risk as they are more  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC40/18

This report sets out the Council's progress in delivering the corporate objectives from April 2018 to December 2018.  This is to ensure that members have the most up to date information possible.

Members considered the Progress in Delivering the Environment Corporate Objectives 2018-19 report.

Members asked questions, made comments and received responses as follows;

1.    Councillor Boden suggested that the report is not in a suitable format as the emphasis appears to be on the Council’s successes rather than areas of improvement or failures. He asked consideration to be given to this recommendation for next year’s report. Richard Cassidy and Member Services agreed to consider this.

2.    Councillor Mrs Mayor asked what influences the areas of focus in the report, as this seems unclear. Councillor Oliver confirmed that these are influenced by the Business Plan priorities along with what opportunities and challenges there are ahead. Richard Cassidy highlighted that the grounds maintenance contract was identified as a key area of focus, as there were issues with this during the previous year.

3.    Councillor Mrs Mayor asked if the remit of Kingdom enforcement officers could be an area of focus. Richard Cassidy confirmed that Kingdom had been awarded the enforcement contract following a successful tender and members had had the opportunity to view the specification of this tender. He confirmed that their focus will be hot spot areas as identified by the Council and through consultation with the community.

4.    Councillor Tierney asked if Kingdom have reduced their patrols as they have not been as visible recently. Councillor Murphy confirmed that as Kingdom’s patrols become more effective, there is less need for them to patrol certain areas. 

5.    Councillor Boden stated that Councillor Count had submitted a question in relation to 11-12 High Street, Wisbech. He asked if the agreed back-to-back sale has fallen through and does this expose the Council to financial risk. Gary Garford confirmed that a confidential report was agreed by Cabinet in relation to the purchase of the property but did not include a back-to-back purchase and sale. The first step was the Council purchased the property (which has recently been completed) and the second was to attempt to get a developer interested in the project. Once a developer agrees, a build lease contract will be signed and the freehold will transfer to the developer on completion of the works. It must follow this process as the property is subject to an HLF grant which must be protected and the Council’s interests must be protected.

6.    Councillor Tierney stated in regards to the Wisbech High Street Project, a large amount of funding was used to employ a Project Manager. The perception of the project is that there have been many issues and problems. Gary Garford confirmed the cost of the Project Manager post was paid for by the HLF funding but highlighted that a lot of work has gone into securing grants for over 12 buildings with 20 activities ongoing. Councillor Tierney thanked Gary Garford for the clarification. Gary Garford explained that the projects are very complex and owners have not taken the grants on offer as the Council had hoped. He said the Council are working  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC41/18

To consider the Draft Work Programme for Overview & Scrutiny Panel 2018/19.

Members agreed the Future Work Programme.

The Draft Work Programme for 2019/20 was tabled at the meeting. Izzi Hurst informed members that the dates for the next Municipal Year will be circulated shortly.