Agenda item

The Committee will receive presentations from the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety and the Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing on work being undertaken in relation to Community Safety and the Brighter Futures Initiatives specifically related to the prevention of Anti-social behaviour.

Resolved 

(1)    That the Community Safety update and Brighter Future Initiatives presentations be noted.

The Head of Regulatory Services provided the Committee with an update on Community Safety work in response to previous discussions that had taken place regarding performance indicator BP4.1.02 support community safety and anti-social behaviour prevention activities.

The presentation provided an overview of the Regulatory Services and Community Safety statutory functions which included environmental protection enforcement, food hygiene inspections, premises licensing for the sale of alcohol and anti-social behaviour work carried out by the Community safety team.

The Committee was advised that the Regulatory Services team took an approach that balanced the needs of protecting the environment and local residents whilst also supporting business and the local economy. This was achieved by using a combination of monitoring and evaluating standards and compliance and where necessary taking enforcement action to address any issues that were identified.

The presentation also outlined the service activity that the Community safety team undertook in the District which included running the Community Safety partnership, dealing with anti-social behaviour witnessed on patrol and issuing fixed penalty notices within the prescribed powers. The team also worked in partnership with other agencies that had led to initiatives such as the Safer Streets project funded by Oxfordshire County Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner and Violence Against Women and Girls project funded by the Home Office.

The Wellbeing Manager provided the Committee with an update on the Brighter Futures Partnership. The Committee was advised that the Partnership has been active for over 12 years and worked with over 50 local community organisations across a range of disciplines including health, education, business and faith groups. The scheme focussed on the three most deprived wards in Banbury, Grimsbury, Ruscote and Neithrop.

The Committee was advised that the Partnership concentrated on six themes: Stronger communities and volunteering; Health, wellbeing and physical activity; Safer communities; Housing; Economy, education and skills; and Start well (early years development). These were underpinned by a structure of Stakeholder Steering Groups, Partnership events and Local networks.

The Committee was shown data that demonstrated the reasons for targeting the three wards in Banbury. In the Ruscote and Neithrop wards, eight out of 32 indicators were ranked worse that the England average and this included factors such overall income deprivation, emergency hospital admissions. In Grimsbury 16 out of 32 indicators were ranked worse that the England average.

The Wellbeing Manager concluded the presentation with some examples of some of the success stories of the initiative which included the Safer Street Projects and Breakfast initiative located at The Hill.

In response to a question requesting more information on data by ethnic group, it was agreed that the Wellbeing Manager would provide the information after the meeting.

In response to a question regarding the possibility of extending the project to Kidlington and Bicester, the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Housing advised that the Healthy Place Shaping team had implemented the K5 Better Together initiative in Kidlington and Healthy Bicester in Bicester to provide help to residents in those areas. The Committee was also advised that a Local Area Coordinator had been identified for the Bicester East ward and that the work done as part of the Brighter Futures Initiative would now be introduced to the Bicester West ward.

The Chairman thanked the presenters and their respective teams for the good work that had been carried out by them to address the challenges faced in the Banbury wards.

Resolved 

(1)    That the Community Safety update and Brighter Future Initiatives presentations be noted.