Agenda item

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, presented by the relevant Neighbourhood Development Officer (NDO) for each individual ward, detailing performance against strategic themes in the Nottingham Plan 2020 and against local priorities. The main points, and Committee comments, were as follows:

(1)  Bridge – Abdul Ghaffar (NDO)

(a)  crime is up slightly (3%) compared to the December 2012 figure but year-to-date (April-December 2013) saw a reduction of 17% against 2012 levels;

(b)  anti-social behaviour reports are down 30% on the previous year to date, and the December 2013 rates are down by 6% from December 2012;  

(c)  the Cleanliness Index score of 90 is slightly down on the previous year, and but up against the neighbourhood target of 86;

  (d)  reports of graffiti and fly tipping for December 2013 were 44 (a decrease of 6) and   52 (an increase of 20) on December 2012;

(e)  unemployment is at 4.9%, down almost 19% over the last year, putting the ward 10^th in the City;

  (f)  there were 4 deliberate fires in the ward in the year to date;

  (g)  key recent successes included the December 2013 Your Choice Your Voice event including the popular Dragon’s Den initiative to support local projects, allocation of individual bins on the Terraces, increased community protection activity, delivering a programme of Christmas events, enforcement action against problem Homes in Multiple Occupancy, successful prosecutions following a drugs operation in the Bridgway Centre, and a swift response to fallen trees following stormy weather;

(h)  main issues identified by citizens remained tram works and associated diversion of buses in the Meadows and graffiti, primarily hate/homophobic grafitti;

(2)  Clifton North – Parbinder Singh (NDO)

(a)  year-to-date (April-December 2013) crime is up 6% against the same period in 2012, though the December 2013 figure was down slightly on the December 2012 figure;

(b)  anti-social behaviour for December 2013 is up 53% (10 more calls) on the December 2012 figure, and the year-to-date figure is up 6%;

(c)  the Cleanliness Index score of 93 is well above the neighbourhood target of 86, though is down slightly on the previous year’s performance;

(d)  reports of graffiti and fly tipping for December 2013 were 5 (a decrease of 3) and 10 (an increase of 3) on 2012 figures respectively;

(e)  unemployment is at 3.8%, down 0.5% on the previous month;

(f)  there were no recent deliberate fires in the ward, and the year to date figure remains at 2;

(g)  key successes included the re-opening of Wilford Lane just before Christmas 2013, the big Christmas Light Switch-on in conjunction with Clifton South, and the Good Companions Christmas Party and Silverdale Over 50s Get-Together;

(h)  the key issue for citizens minimising the disruption of tram works and ensuring sustainability of local businesses.

(3)  Clifton South – Prairie Bryant (NDO)

(a)  crime is down 18% on the previous year, with a 23% decrease in the year-to-date (April-December 2013) figures when compared to the same period in 2012;

(b)  anti-social behaviour levels in December 2013 are down to 28 from 41 in December 2012, and year-to-date rates are down marginally on 2012 levels;

(c)  the Cleanliness Index score of 92 is down on the previous year, but up against recent performance;

(d)  reports of graffiti (11 incidents) in December 2013 is up from 3 in December 2012, while levels of fly tipping for December 2013 decreased slightly (down 1 to 7) on December 2012 levels;

(e)  unemployment is at 5.2%, down 0-9% on the previous month, putting the ward 11^th in the City;

(f)  there was 1 deliberate fire in the ward in December 2013, but year-to-date fire fires were up by 8 on 2012 levels;

(g)  key successes included improved performance in crime and cleanliness and the yearly decrease in unemployment, as well as the successful seasonal events co-hosted with Clifton North ward at (2)(g) above;

  (h)  key issues raised by citizens are the ongoing impact of the Tram and A453 works, particularly access to public transport and ensuring sustainability of local businesses.

(4)  Nottingham City Homes(NCH)  (Wade Adams, Tenancy and Estate Manager)

(a)  repairs rates in all 3 wards were all above target, but tenancy satisfaction rates with the repairs service were currently below target;

  (b)  rent collection rates were currently below target;

(c)  more debt advice was available to NCH tenants, with additional support officers recruited to provide help to tenants;

  (d)  average void re-let times were above the target of 25 calendar days in Clifton North and Bridge wards, but below target in Clifton South, primarily because of the property type in the ward;

  (e)  decommissioning of 50 properties in Bridge ward was ongoing.

(5)  Inspector Waldram, Nottinghamshire Police

(a)  overall crime has come down by over 20% across all beats except Rivergreen where localised issues were being addressed. Although overall crime has fallen significantly, there has been an increase in specific crimes, including thefts from work vans and burglary of dwellings;

(b)  Police capacity has been stretched by several recent resource-intensive crimes, including a murder in the Meadows, for which 2 people have been charged, historic child sex offences investigations and a missing person case involving a vulnerable individual.

(6)  Discussion and outcomes:

(a)  Crime: In response to several comments about individual crimes, Inspector Waldram made the point that the Police needed information on suspected crimes reporting as soon as possible. He also acknowledged an increase in localised incidents in and around the Meadows, and would investigate further anecdotal links to bail hostels in the area. Further action was also planned in Rivergreen and around the Bridgeway Centre;

(b)  Disruption from Tram and A453 works: councillors and community representatives from both Clifton wards were frustrated that the re-opening of Southchurch Drive had been delayed, and restated the intention to discuss how best to kickstart and rejuvenate the local economy at a future meeting. It was also confirmed that the current ‘finish’ to the pavements on Southchurch Drive was temporary and will be completed to a high standard;

(c)  Cleanliness: councillors commended the consistently good performance of street cleansing teams in all 3 wards;

(d)  Housing: a councillor commended the joined-up approach to dealing with problem homes of multiple occupation (HMOs) in the Meadows. Decommissioning in the Meadows continued, and the Committee asked that decommissioned sites be demolished and cleared as soon as possible;

(e)  Parks: a councillor and community representative asked for an update on current and planned improvements to parks and open spaces in Area 8, in particular improvements to Tintagel Park and the cricket pavilion on the Embankment.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  note the report and the Committee’s comments;

(2)  to request an update on the Greener HousiNG11 solid wall insulation initiative and the Clifton ‘new build’ programme at its May 2014 meeting.