Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Waste Strategy, Public Protection and Leisure introduced the report which provided details on the enforcement of the environmental powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

                        The implications of the new legislation has been considered by the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee in January 2015 and as a result, the Housing Department’s Anti-Social Behaviour Policy had been amended to accommodate those changes.

                        The reforms set out in Parts 1-6 of the Act were intended to ensure that officers had effective powers that were quick, practical and easy to use to provide better protection to victims and communities and act as a deterrent to perpetrators.  19 existing powers were replaced with six more flexible ones.

                        Two of the new powers that had been conferred upon local authorities were the Community Protection Notice and the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO).  Full details of both powers were provided in the report.

                        In order that the powers were exercised it was recommended that the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) and the Chief Officer (Community and Enterprise) be given delegated authority to authorise the appropriate officers to undertake those duties.

                        Also, as the PSPO was solely a local authority power, delegated authority was recommended for the Chief Constable of North Wales Police to discharge the enforcement powers to police officers.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) and the Chief Officer (Community and Enterprise) be given delegated authority to authorise officers to serve Community Protection Notices and Fixed Penalty Notices in the event of a breach, in accordance with the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014;

(b)       That the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) be given delegated authority to designate and approve Public Space Protection Orders on behalf of Flintshire County Council, and authorise officers to enforce identified prohibited activities in areas designated by such orders, in accordance with the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014;

(c)        That power to enforce PSPO’s be delegated to the Chief Constable of North Wales Police to discharge the enforcement powers to police officers; and

(d)       That the new tools and powers available to social landlords, and the amendments made to the Housing Anti-Social Behaviour Policy to enable the Council to make effective use of legislation, be supported.