To agree the minutes of the meeting of the Advisory Committee held on 1 October 2019, as a correct record.

Resolved: That the Minutes of the meeting of the Advisory Committee held on 1 October 2019 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

Any interest not already registered.

There were none.

There were none.

The Portfolio Holder, People & Places, advised that the new Chief Officer People & Places, Sarah Robson, was due to start at Sevenoaks District Council on 3 February 2020. She advised that the process of procuring an operator for the redevelopment of White Oak Leisure Centre was a lengthy process as it involved European procurement but was shortly coming to an end.  The application for the redevelopment of White Oak Leisure Centre to the CIL Board had been successful. The Community Grants applications were being evaluated and many new organisations had applied. It was advised that there was a successful result in court against the Convent of Mercy.

The Portfolio Holder advised that the Big Sing would take place on 4 May 2020, and the event Run, Walk or Push against Dementia would take place on 10 May 2020 at Knole Park. It was advised that staff were looking into developing a new website to help promote smaller tourist attractions in the District.

There were none.

The Chairman welcomed Chief Inspector Jon Kirby, who took over as District Commander in September 2019. He advised that he had looked at recent crime figures from the last three months and compared them to the previous year. Compared to 2018, there had been a decrease in burglaries, violence and vehicle crimes and an increase in criminal damage and shoplifting. He advised that burglary varied across the District. He advised that responding to reports of violent crimes quickly was a priority in order not to discourage victims to come forward. A common vehicle crime was the theft of catalytic converters. It was highlighted that usually individuals were responsible for multiple thefts of catalytic convertors. In response to buses being targeted in West Kingsdown for criminal damage, improved CCTV in buses and patrols in the area had been introduced. Analytical work was taking place in order to determine the cause of the increase in shoplifting.

Responding to concerns over scams, the Chief Inspector advised that they aimed to help protect older and vulnerable residents from scams by educating them on recognising scams and how to set up their phones to prevent receiving scam phone calls.

The Chief Inspector advised that there was a campaign to increase public awareness about improving security of properties and vehicles. Previously, these had been advertised on buses, but more recently had been shared through social media. 

In response to concerns over anti-social behaviour in New Ash Green, the Chief Inspector assured Members that there was a visible police presence in the area. He advised that he had listened to concerns at a recent residents’ meeting.

The Chairman thanked Chief Inspector Jon Kirby on behalf of the Committee for the presentation and Members showed their appreciation.

Resolved: That the content of the presentation be noted.

The Community Safety Manager presented the quarter 2 monitoring report which outlined the success measures and actions of the Sevenoaks District Community Safety Strategy & Action Plan 2019-20. She advised that of the success measures, 7 were green and 2 were amber. Of the actions, 44 were green, 4 were amber and 1 was red.

In response to queries, the Community Safety Manager advised that youth work to prevent drug misuse is conducted by Kenward Trust who are funded by the Community Safety Partnership via the Police Crime Commissioner funding who did bespoke detached work via the daily tasking held at the Community Safety Unit (CSU).

On a response to the Mental Health Drop in Service in Swanley, she advised that take up was low at the mental health drop-in, but she was working alongside partners to address this.

The Chairman thanked the Community Safety Manager for the presentation and Members showed their appreciation.

Resolved: That the report be noted.

The Chairman welcomed Edward Oatley, the Chairman of Sevenoaks District Sports Council. He gave a presentation which updated Members on the activities, key achievements and future plans of the Sevenoaks District Sports Council.

In response to queries from Members, the Chairman of Sevenoaks District Sports Council advised that grants, usually up to £150, were given to individuals and sports clubs. Sports clubs are also given advice and support in seeking bids elsewhere.

The Chairman thanked the Chairman of Sevenoaks District Sports Council on behalf of Members for his presentation.

Resolved: That the information in the report be noted.

The work plan was noted with the deferral of the DAVVS presentation and Half-Yearly grants monitoring to 16 June 2020, the addition of the Community Safety Plan Annual Report and Tourism update in 16 June 2020, and the addition of Dunton Green End of Project Report on 6 October 2020.