Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Chair indicated that there would be a change in the order of business to bring forward agenda items 8 and 6.  The remainder of the agenda would then follow in the usual order. 

Councillors B. Dunn, A.I. Dunbar, M.A. Reece and W.P. Shotton declared a personal interest in agenda item 6 on the presentation by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the last meeting.

That subject to the above the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. 

The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 3 October 2013, were submitted.

Accuracy

Councillor Mike Reece said he had submitted his apologies to the meeting and asked that the minutes be amended to record this.

RESOLVED:

That subject to the above the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. 

That the report be noted

The Member Engagement Manager introduced Iwan Jones, Chief Inspector North Wales Police, Sian Jones, Team Leader, Community Safety, Jackie Goundrey, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Coordinator, and Gerwyn Davies, Anti Social Behaviour Coordinator, and invited them to give a brief outline of their role and responsibilities.

The Chairman then invited Sian Jones to give a presentation on the Flintshire Community Safety Partnership to provide an outline of the service provided by the Flintshire Neighbourhood Wardens.  She gave background information and advised that the Neighbourhood Warden Service was established with the primary purpose of promoting community safety and achieving wider engagement between the Council, its partners and local communities.  The main points of the presentation were:

·        Aims of the Service

·        What it does

·        Performance and Productivity

·        Helping achieve strategic aims

The Team Leader, Community Safety, also provided additional information relating to crime and disorder figures for Flintshire.

The Chef Executive gave an overview on the aims of the Service which made a vital contribution to the prevention of crime and reducing the fear of crime and referred to the need to maintain investment in order to sustain community well-being.  The Chairman invited Members to raise questions.

During discussion Members expressed queries and concerns around cyclists on pavements which put pedestrians at risk, anti-social behaviour in play areas, dog fouling, waste left outside business premises prior to collection, incidents of low level nuisance in local communities, and issuing of parking tickets.  Iwan Jones of North Wales Police and Officers responded to the matters raised and referred to operational procedures, future plans, and the use of predictive analysis to address the issues and provide further reassurance in problematic or vulnerable areas.       

Councillor Robin Guest commented on future plans to confer powers to Neighbourhood Wardens to issue fixed penalty notice tickets for littering and dog fouling.  He suggested that this be given more profile in the local press to act as a deterrent to offenders.  The Chief Executive referred to the Authority’s zero tolerance approach to the problem and the need for public support.   

   The Chairman thanked the Chief Executive, Chief Inspector Iwan Jones, and Officers for their detailed and informative responses to Members’ questions.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted

That the presentation be received.

The Chairman welcomed and introduced Mr Simon Smith, Chief Fire Officer, Dawn Docx, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, and Councillor Meirick Lloyd Davies, Chair of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority.  He invited them to give a presentation on the North Wales Fire & Rescue Authority and Service consultation document on proposed improvement objectives for 2014-15 and beyond. 

The Chief Fire Officer gave an overview of the following proposed improvement objectives:

• To help keep people and communities safe by preventing deaths and injuries from accidental fires in living accommodation.

• To ensure that North Wales got the best possible level of service within

      financial constraints, use a variety of management solutions to

      optimise fire and rescue cover in the area.

• To implement a 3 year financial plan for 2014/15 to 2016/17 that funds the current level of service, but that aims to limit the cost of doing so to the equivalent of an extra £1 per year per head of population.

The Chairman thanked Mr. Smith for his presentation and invited Members to raise questions.

Councillor Paul Shotton sought further information on the collaborative approach taken between the North Wales Fire & Rescue Authority and the Council in relation to Home Safe checks.  He congratulated the Chief Fire Officer on the success of the Phoenix project and referred to the problem of arson and the need for early intervention to educate young children on the subject of safety.  The Chief Fire Officer responded to the matters raised and commented on the close collaborative work undertaken between the North Wales Fire & Rescue Authority and other public sector organisations, the shared use of protocols and range of other interventions.   He advised that the Authority was committed to increasing collaboration wherever possible.

The Chief Executive commented that he had two roles at the meeting as he was also the Clerk to the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority.  He referred to the collaborative work undertaken between the Council and the North Wales Fire & Rescue Authority regarding people at risk.   He went on to comment on the unprecedented challenges and demands on services and referred to the similarities between the North Wales Fire & Rescue Authority and the Council with regard to budget pressures and the need for a balanced risk assessment and a responsible approach to tackling these “big issues”.

During discussion Members raised questions and concerns around strike action, and home safety checks.  The Chief Fire Officer responded to the comments made and referred to the contingency plans in place to address current and future strike action and the rolling programme to provide home safety measures. 

In response to a question from Councillor Ray Hughes concerning school visits the Deputy Chief Fire Officer advised that the North Wales Fire & Rescue Authority employed educationalists to provide a rolling programme of fire safety awareness raising events in all primary and secondary schools.

Councillor Robin Guest congratulated the Chief Fire Officer on the reduction in the number of fires in the area and the steady decline in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

(a)       That the report be noted; and

(b)       That a Members workshop be arranged to assist Members to scrutinise and comment effectively on the newly introduced improvement plan performance monitoring approach.

The Policy and Performance Manager introduced the 2013/14 Mid Year Improvement Pan Monitoring Report relevant to the Committee for the period April – September 2013.    She provided background information and advised that the Improvement Plan Monitoring Report outlined the progress being made towards delivery of the impacts set out in the Improvement Plan.  Members were asked to consider and comment on the Improvement Plan sub-priority report on Community Safety which was appended to the report.

                        Councillor Paul Shotton congratulated the Policy and Performance  Manager on the achievement of targets.  During discussion Councillor Dave Mackie suggested that a Members workshop be arranged to assist Members to scrutinise and comment effectively on the newly introduced improvement plan performance monitoring approach.  The Policy and Performance  Manager confirmed that this had been agreed to and would take place following the first round of Scrutiny committees receiving the Improvement Plan monitoring reports.

            RESOLVED:

 (a)      That the report be noted; and

(b)       That a Members workshop be arranged to assist Members to scrutinise and comment effectively on the newly introduced improvement plan performance monitoring approach.

That the Committee endorsed the performance of the Strategic Partnerships and supported the key priorities and their work programmes.

The Policy and Performance Manager introduced the report to provide a mid year overview of the progress of the Strategic Partnerships and the priorities for each of the Strategic Partnerships and the key milestones for the year ahead.  She provided background information and drew Members’ attention to the information contained in the report concerning transition to a Single Integrated Plan (SIP) for Flintshire.

                        The Policy and Performance Manager referred to the guidance published by the Welsh Government in June 2012 to replace the four existing statutory plans with a SIP.  She commented on the development of the SIP and the four primary priorities and other workstreams which other partners were taking specific leads on.  Members were informed that the first complete draft of the SIP was to be presented to the Flintshire Local Service Board in January and would then be submitted to the Cabinet and the Community Profile and Partnerships Overview & Scrutiny Committee prior to final publication.   

            RESOLVED:

That the Committee endorsed the performance of the Strategic Partnerships and supported the key priorities and their work programmes.

(a)       That the Forward Work Programme be agreed subject to the above;

(b)       That representatives of the North Wales Fire & Rescue Authority be invited to attend a future meeting of the Committee to report on the Phoenix project; and

(c)        That a visit to Dangerpoint, Talacre, be arranged for the Committee.    

The Member Engagement Manager introduced the Forward Work Programme of the Committee and referred to the site visit to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution at Flint Station which had been arranged for 28 November 2013.  He advised that the next meeting of the Committee was scheduled for Monday, 20 January 2014, and that representatives of the Red Cross would be invited to make a presentation to the Committee.

The Chairman suggested that representatives of the North Wales Fire & Rescue Authority be invited to attend a future meeting of the Committee to report on the Phoenix project.  It was also agreed that a visit to Dangerpoint, Talacre, be arranged for the Committee.    

RESOLVED:

 (a)      That the Forward Work Programme be agreed subject to the above;

(b)       That representatives of the North Wales Fire & Rescue Authority be invited to attend a future meeting of the Committee to report on the Phoenix project; and

(c)        That a visit to Dangerpoint, Talacre, be arranged for the Committee.    

There were no members of the public or press in attendance.