Agenda and minutes

Councillor Cate Woodward - leave

None.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 4 July 2018

Councillor Jim Armstrong’s apologies were not recorded in the minutes of the last meeting. With this alteration then minutes were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Report of the Head of Legal and Governance

Toby Neal, Portfolio Holder for Community Protection, gave a presentation outlining progress within his portfolio against the Council Plan priorities and the main priorities and challenges for 2018/19, highlighting the following:

(a)  18 out of the 26 measures in the Council Plan that come under Councillor Neal’s portfolio are rated green;

(b)  there has been an increase in crime but this is influenced by wider factors such as new reporting methods, and the baselines for measurement will need to be adjusted;

(c)  a reduction in Domestic Violence is a key deliverable in the Council Plan. All services have been protected to support this including support services at GP surgeries and midwives;

(d)  there has been an increase in the reporting of hate crime in the City. This could be seen to show a more positive environment where citizens feel supported to  report crime;

(e)  the removal of the City Police Division undermined years of collaborative work between the Police and the Council, but the new Chief Constable is more open to a geographical approach to policing in the City enabling a more positive relationship going forward;

(f)  the Council is working with the Police and Crime Commissioner to maintain a network of police stations and access points across the city, but this is challenging due to lack of resources;

(g)  Councillor Neal’s portfolio also covers city centre management, and he has been bringing groups together to aid city centre regeneration and an improved street scene;

(h)  homelessness is an increasing problem in the City, and requires an effective method to support those at risk of eviction and finding fit temporary accommodation. The aim is for the use of bed and breakfasts to finish by Christmas, and the Council is moving to a ‘no first night out’ policy;

The following points were raised during the discussion which followed:

(i)  particular types of crime, such as knife crime, are given a higher profile by the media. Funding for youth services has reduced, so the Council works with a number of grassroots organisations around these specific issues and tries to keep a visible Community Protection presence;

(j)  not all anti-social behaviour is a police matter, as some behaviour which was previously recorded as anti-social behaviour is now recorded as public nuisance and is not always dealt with as a criminal offence;

(k)  the Selective Licensing scheme places the same burden of responsibility on private rented sector landlords as social landlords to make all reasonable efforts to reduce anti-social behaviour;

(l)  some police have moved from Byron House to Radford Road Police Station, which has made it more difficult for them to work jointly with Community Protection Officers;

(m)parking enforcement officers will always respond to reports from citizens and Councillors, but around half of them are based in the city centre and can’t cover the entire city at one time. If Nottingham City introduced charges for residents’ parking schemes then more officers could be employed but the Council does not wish for residents to incur additional costs;

(n)  three pilot schemes are taking place around schools to create a better environment with less obstruction from parking, and more powers to enforce this for the Council;

(o)  ongoing engagement activity takes place with new and emerging communities such as the Roma community, as well as activity with established communities;

(p)  Community Protection is currently under resourced. CPOs’ job is very demanding and requires a high commitment but does not pay very well so they often move on to more senior roles in the police or other areas of the Council. Their rates of pay and career opportunities are currently under review.

RESOLVED to thank Councillor Neal for the information provided.

Report of the Head of Legal and Governance

Jason Gooding, Head of Parking, Fleet and Transport, delivered a presentation to the Committee highlighting the following:

(a)  Nottingham City has an ambition to become an exemplar for Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs), leading by example and embracing new technology. This would see at least 22% of the Council’s fleet as ULEV vehicles, with reduced emissions, and further commercial opportunities for the Council;

(b)  Parking, Fleet and Transport Services manage on and off street parking in the city, the Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) and Workplace Parking Charge, as well as the Council’s fleet of vehicles;

(c)  the Council has a large fleet of vehicles which mostly runs on diesel. Lighter vehicles are being systematically replaced with ULEVs, with over 38 so far replaced;

(d)  for medium and heavy vehicles there is nothing market ready at the moment in terms of ULEVs, but the Council has secured £1.5m of government funding in order to pilot conversion of a number of its heavy fleet vehicles from diesel to ULEV, such as electric sweepers and electric cage tippers;

(e)  the Vehicle to Grid initiative is the first of its kind in Europe and allows electric vehicles to be charged as usual, but also to feed electricity stored within their batteries back to the grid when they are not needed;

(f)  the Council is planning the development of a fully equipped ULEV service maintenance and repair centre at Eastcroft Depot. This will save the Council money in the upkeep of its ULEV vehicles, whilst also presenting a commercial opportunity as  there are currently no such independent facilities for public sector and commercial fleets;

(g)  new telematics systems across the Council’s fleet to measure and monitor drivers’ behaviour and emission impact will provide a clear picture for improvement and maximise fleet utilisation.

The following points were raised during the discussion which followed:

(h)  although there are no market ready heavy fleet ULEVs available at the moment, battery technology is improving all the time. This is why it makes sense to buy the vehicles using a phased approach. Trialling these vehicles will also provide insight and deliver a business case for future investment;

(i)  in the private sector there has been a huge increase in the number of delivery vans. At the moment these can be driven on a normal driving license if they are under a certain weight which ULEVs on the market exceed;

(j)  batteries currently take 7-8 hours to charge on a slow charge, but can be charged more quickly in 30 minutes on a rapid charge which is more expensive;

(k)  reducing the WPL for ULEVs has been considered but dismissed as the WPL is intended to reduce congestion rather than emissions. The WPL provides support to 50-60 businesses for cycle provision, charge points and ULEV pool cars;

(l)  the price of ULEVs should reduce in the future as the market expands and a second hand vehicle market develops. Diesel vehicles are likely to reduce in value;

(m)hybrid vehicles are useful for longer journeys and reducing CO2 emissions, but not so good for short journeys and local air pollution as ULEVs. They are also very expensive.

RESOLVED to thanks Jason for the information provided.

Report of the Head of Legal and Governance

RESOLVED to note the Committee’s work programme for the remainder of the municipal year.