Verbal presentation

The Head of Environmental and Operational Services;  Head of Community Development; and Head of Housing and Communications gave brief presentations to the meeting regarding their areas of responsibility and which of these areas came within the remit of the Advisory Committee. The Head of Housing and Communications gave a presentation on behalf of the Head of Finance.  They also explained which matters they considered would be key upcoming issues and future challenges faced.

Within the remit of Animal Welfare, in response to questions the Head of Environmental and Operational Services advised that if people refused to pay kennel fees or did not claim the dogs the Council would bear the costs for kennelling for 7 days only and the Animal Warden or kennels would try and rehome the dog.  The Council had joint enforcement warranting with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).  Members should note there was a Licensing Committee that carried out the statutory functions for the Council.  CCTV statistics were affected by the move on behalf of the Police of issuing of cautions and fixed penalty notices rather than arrests for certain offences.  Members were keen that they should have access to these.  The Council did not receive any funding from the Police and did not receive any money from the fixed penalty notices issued.

Action 2:  The Head of Environmental and Operational Services to endeavour to obtain statistics on the number of cautions and fixed penalty notices issued by the Police.

(Cllr Ms Lowe left the room, Cllr Mrs Clark in the Chair from 7.36 p.m. to 7.40 p.m.)

The Head of Community Development set out the legislation under which the Community Safety Partnership operated and described the work of the Partnership and the Community Safety Unit.  Officers produced an annual strategic assessment analysed local issues and an action plan was put in place each year to address crime and anti-social behaviour.  Issues for the current year included reducing burglary and vehicle crime, reducing repeat incidents of domestic abuse, tackling alcohol abuse, working with young people, increasing the number of businesses involved in the Safer Shopping initiative and working with communities to tackle speeding.  The Anti-Social Behaviour Officer dealt with approximately 150 cases of anti-social behaviour per year. 

In response to a question from a Member the Head of Community Development advised that an EVA was an Environmental Visual Audit.  An area that was in disrepair and associated with criminal or anti-social activity would be looked at and an assessment made of what could be done to improve the area. 

Action 3: Head of Community Development to place a copy of the current Strategic Assessment on the Members’ Portal, and quarterly quality monitoring reports.

A Member asked what could be done by Parish and Town Councils to promote 20 mph zones. The Head of Community Development advised that the Partnership had lobbied for 20 mph zones outside schools but that Kent Highways had a county-wide approach to lower speed limits and were not implementing them.  Concern was raised about the increasing intakes in local primaries and the potential for more safety issues around schools.  The Head of Community Development described two schemes to help improve road safety.  These included Speed watch where volunteers were trained to monitor and record the speed of traffic, leading to enforcement where needed, and Operation Zig Zag, a Partnership scheme to deal with parking around schools.

Resolved:  That a Working Group be set up to consider Road Safety, in particular around schools, and consist of Cllrs. Eyre, Mrs. George, Raikes and Towell.

In response to a question as to whether there had been many complaints since the new allocation policy had been introduced, the Head of Housing and Communications advised that there had been very few.  She did not have the figures as West Kent Hosing would have these.  She accredited the low rate of complaints to an open and honest approach.