Agenda and minutes

Venue: New Council Chamber, Town Hall, Foster Avenue, Beeston NG9 1AB

Contact: Email: committees@broxtowe.gov.uk 

Items
No. Item

15.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members are requested to declare the existence and nature of any disclosable pecuniary interest and/or other interest in any item on the agenda.

Minutes:

Councillor J W McGrath declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 8 due to his being a licensee in the Borough.  Minute number 21 refers.  

16.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 62 KB

The Committee is asked to confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Community Safety Committee meeting held on 20 September 2018. 

Minutes:

The minutes of the meetings on 7 June 2018 and 20 September 2018 were confirmed and signed.

 

 

17.

DOG CONTROL POLICY pdf icon PDF 65 KB

To advise of, and seek approval for, the Dog Control Policy.  

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee was asked to consider the approval of the Dog Control Policy, which brought together polies on dog fouling, dog collars and stray dogs.  Consideration was also given to the charging of a flat fee for the collection and return of dogs that had strayed.

 

There was concern that a flat fee would penalise dog owners who were in the main responsible and that it would not change the behaviour of repeat offenders who regularly allowed their dogs to stray. Debate progressed on to the number of complaints received about dog fouling and it was noted that there were approximately 200 per annum.  It was noted that the Dog Wardens were able to issue fixed penalty notices to the owners of dogs that were observed to foul the pavement if the owner then refused to clear up the mess.  The difficulty in prosecuting owners for allowing dog fouling were discussed. 

 

The Committee noted that the Dog Wardens had received an RSPCA award for their stray dog collection service. 

The meeting discussed the Equalities Impact Assessment with particular reference to their being no adverse impact identified.   There was concern that there could be an adverse impact on people on benefits and those with disabilities.  It was noted that Dog Wardens could exercise discretion regarding the issue of fees.  There was also concern that there would be an administrative cost that would not be covered by the suggested £35 recovery fee. 

 

                     RESOLVED that:

1.  the Dog Control Policy included in appendix 1 be approved.

2. a recommendation be made to the Finance and Resources Committee that a fee of £35 be imposed where dogs are collected as strays and returned to owners without the involvement of the kennels.

 

18.

FOOD SERVICE PLAN pdf icon PDF 47 KB

To advise members of, and seek approval for, a revised Food Service Plan.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

      The Committee considered the Food Service Plan, which contained data from the last financial year, the plan contains information on proposals for undertaking duties regarding official controls on food law in 2018-19.

 

      The debate centred on how complaints were escalated, what constituted a formal warning and how the record of inspection was used to help businesses to improve their food safety score.  It was noted that nearly 50% of food businesses were made aware of some improvements that could be made, even if it was simply a recommendation regarding good practice. 

 

      The Committee noted that there was a balance to be established between giving premises a chance to improve and publishing inspection reports to protect and inform the public.   It was noted that all of the food hygiene scores were published 21 days after inspection on the Food Standards Agency website to give establishments an opportunity to appeal and make improvements. 

 

                               RESOLVED that the Food Service Plan 2018-19 be approved.

19.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN POLICY pdf icon PDF 74 KB

To seek approval for a revised Safeguarding Children Policy. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee considered the Safeguarding Children Policy.  It was noted that the Council was not a lead authority for safeguarding children, but that a policy was required because it was a partner organisation.

 

There was concern that the role of Councillors in making safeguarding referrals was referred to less than that of officers.  It was agreed that the role of Councillors would be emphasised throughout the policy by making some minor changes.   


Debate then focused on the strain that allegations of historic child abuse had put on certain members to whom allegations had been made.  The distress caused to those receiving allegations was noted.

 

                     RESOLVED that the revised Safeguarding Children Policy be approved.

20.

SAFEGUARDING ADULTS POLICY pdf icon PDF 73 KB

To seek approval for a revised Safeguarding Adults Policy.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee considered the Safeguarding Children Policy.  It was noted that the referrals to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) at Nottinghamshire County Council should be filtered to ensure that reports were appropriate. 

 

There was a discussion about modern slavery and its connections to serious organised crime such as drug trafficking.  The progress the police had made on identifying and tackling cases of modern slavery was discussed.  The debate progressed on to the difficulties the Council faced in balancing the needs of service users who were vulnerable, the risk their behaviour posed to themselves and the harm caused to others by said behaviour.  It was noted that officers took a rigorous approach to these serious issues using the policies seen and approved by members.

 

Some minor changes to language were suggested, but overall the policy was agreed to be a comprehensive guide to the issues around safeguarding adults. 

 

                               RESOLVED that the revised Safeguarding Adults Policy be approved.

21.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT - REVIEW OF BUSINESS PLAN PROGRESS - COMMUNITY SAFETY AND HEALTH pdf icon PDF 120 KB

To report progress against outcome targets identified in the Community Safety Business Plan, linked to Corporate Plan priorities and objectives, and to provide an update as to the latest key performance indicators therein.

 

Minutes:

The Committee considered the progress made against outcome targets identified in the Community Safety Business Plan, linked to Corporate Plan priorities and objectives, and an update on Key Performance Indicators. 

 

There was a brief discussion regarding progress made on tackling anti-social behaviour and the back log of food inspections.

 

22.

WORK PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 55 KB

To consider items for inclusion in the Work Programme for future meetings.

Minutes:

After debate, items on Modern Slavery, the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan and the Hate Crime Policy refresh were added to the Work Programme.

         

                     RESOLVED that the Work Programme, as amended, be approved.