Agenda and draft minutes

Sneha Soma  (Community Representative, Woodhouse Park Residents' Association)

None.

Minutes of the meeting held on 20 January 2021, for confirmation

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 January 2021 were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Iffat Iqbal, Neighbourhood Development Operations Manager at Nottingham City Council, presented a report on the current priorities and issues for the three wards and the Area Partnership hub. The following points were discussed:

(a)  following changes to the Neighbourhood Development Officer (NDO) structure, Michelle Graley will be the NDO for Aspley and Bilborough and April Holmes will be the NDO for Leen Valley, effective from 1 April. Engagement is underway with the local NHS Primary Care Network and the Integrated Care Partnership regarding the further development of local health communications, which were started by the NDOs.

The Committee noted the report, and requested that health communications are added to the ward councillor action plans for discussion with the new Neighbourhood Development Officers for the area, once they are in post.

Update by Nottinghamshire Police and Community Protection

Inspector Gordon Fenwick, of Nottinghamshire Police, and Maria Summers, Senior Community Protection Officer, provided an update on the current crime statistics and policing priorities for the area. The following points were discussed:

(a)  in Leen Valley, the overall crime figure has decreased by 8%, in comparison to the same period last year. Victim-based crime is down by 11%, sexual offences are down by 44%, all burglaries are down by 50%, vehicle offences are down by 30%, and hate incidents are down by 11%. Violence with injury rose by 3% and theft offences rose by 1%;

(b)  anti-social behaviour has risen as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, so patrols have been put in place to address this and enforce lockdown regulations. Unfortunately, domestic incidents have risen by 32%, which represents an increase of 44 offences. The police attend all calls relating to domestic incidents and put appropriate interventions in place. Close work is carried out with repeat victims, where more advanced interventions are used. A rise in shoplifting has become an issue for all three wards, and it has grown by 81% in Leen Valley, representing 27 more shop thefts than in the same period last year;

(c)  in Bilborough, the overall crime figure has decreased by 8%. Victim-based crime is down by 12%, violence with injury is down by 27%, all burglaries are down by 10%, theft offences are down by 2%, and vehicle offences are down by 31%. Domestic incidents are down by 4%, but this still represents 434 incidents. There have been 27 more reports of hate incidents. However, the Police are aware of the individuals involved and a court case is pending. Anti-social behaviour has increased as a result of Coronavirus and there is a policing focus on Birchover Park to address this. A firearm and ammunition was found in Strelley, and four arrests were made;

(d)  there have been 91 shoplifting offences in Bilborough, representing an increase of 106%. The Co-op supermarket is a frequent target, but other shops have also been affected. A group of known offenders were brought in by the Police, but offences still continue. Research will be carried out into what goods are being stolen as part of this increase in shoplifting, to see if there is any connection to an increase in food poverty, and officers will work with the Co-op to ensure that information is available relating to local food banks;

(e)  in Aspley, the overall crime figure has decreased by 15%. Victim-based crime is down by 17%, violence with injury is down by 30%, sexual offences are down by 15%, all burglaries are down by 27%, theft offences are down by 4%, vehicle offences are down by 40%, domestic incidents are down by 22%, and hate incidents are down by 21%. As part of the focus on addressing anti-social behaviour, nine young people have been visited and are being monitored. The CCTV system in Broxtowe Country Park is old and not functioning well, creating issues for the effective tackling of off-road biking. Shoplifting has increased by 17%, with the affected shops being targeted repeatedly. There is a live investigation into a stabbing incident, where it seems likely that the parties involved were known to each other;

(f)  Operation Reacher is progressing proactively across the area, with 47 arrests relating to drugs and weapons offences. Most drugs offences relate to cannabis, with some cases of amphetamines. Organised crime can be involved in cannabis production, and there is the potential for trafficked workers to be involved. Work is being carried out with other organisations to prevent young people from being exploited across county lines, and a dedicated taskforce is in place at force level. Locally, early interventions are being carried out with school safeguarding teams to identify any young people affected. Partners across the country need to be aware of this live issue and work together to put effective interventions in place to protect vulnerable young people;

(g)  currently, five Community Protection Officers (CPOs) are operating in the area, of an establishment of nine. The other CPOs should be returning in April, May and September, to return to a full compliment. There is a strong focus on combating fly-tipping and noise, and off-road bikes continue to be a problem. There have been a number of complaints relating to bonfires, so CPOs are providing advice to citizens on fire safety, and on what is and is not safe to burn. Coordinated support it being provided by Dog Wardens on a citywide level, to address dog fouling. CPOs are also working hard with citizens to ensure that Coronavirus restrictions are complied with;

(h)  the Committee considered that it is important that, as a deterrent, citizens know how may fines are issued by CPOs, and that this information is communicated effectively through the various channels.

The Committee thanked Inspector Gordon Fenwick and Maria Summers for their policing and community protection update for the area.

Update by Nottingham City Homes

Kristian Murden, Area Housing Manager at Nottingham City Homes (NCH), presented a report on NCH activity in the area. The following points were discussed:

(a)  engagement is underway, including with ward councillors, to finalise the schemes to be carried out under environmental funding, including the renewal of pavements, footpaths, and garage roofs and gutters. As part of the works, some garages have been relocated on a temporary basis.

The Committee noted the report, and requested that the finalised schemes are confirmed with the ward councillors as soon as possible.

Update by Nottingham City Homes

Kristian Murden, Area Housing Manager at Nottingham City Homes (NCH), provided an update on the development of a new Alleyway Management Joint Protocol. The following points were discussed:

(a)  NCH and the Council are working on a new joint protocol for alleyway management. This is a difficult issue, as one alleyway may serve up to four different properties. If half or more of the properties on an alleyway are privately owned, issues of access or dumping in the alley should be reported to Community Protection. If half or more of the properties are social housing, tenants should engage with their NCH patch manager, and an escalation process is in place. However, alleyways do not form part of a NCH resident’s tenancy agreement, which only covers the boundaries – meaning that NCH can only carry out enforcement action in cases such as where the alley is being blocked due to an overgrown garden or boundary hedge;

(b)  a draft document has received feedback from partner agencies and has been through the legal review process, and it is anticipated that a robust new protocol will be in place by the end of April;

(c)  the Committee suggested that skip teams, funded through the environmental budget, are deployed to clear all current problems in alleyways, so that the new protocol can then be used to ensure that residents maintain the alleyways in this clean state.

The Committee noted the update.

Update by Groundwork Greater Nottingham

Kat Navrouzoglou, of Groundwork Greater Nottingham, presented a report on the current activity under the Area-Based Grants. The following points were discussed:

(a)  for 2020/21, Groundwork worked with 13 organisations. All partners were able to deliver their programmes successfully in lockdown, and it is likely that more face-to-face provision will resume from Easter. Support has been provided during the lockdown for the delivery of vital services, including hot food and medicine. Digital exclusion, mental health impacts, loneliness and access to warm food have been significant challenges during the pandemic, but partners have been able to engage with these issues well and build resilience. For example, the befriending service that was set up is popular, and is receiving increasing volunteer support for delivery;

(b)  a ‘Green Doctor’ service, funded by Cadent Gas, has also been established to help residents struggling with energy bills and facing fuel poverty by providing help on increasing fuel efficiency in homes and switching to a better energy provider, if required. Advice is also available on potential grants and other related services. Currently, consultations are carried out by phone, but it is hoped that in-person visits can begin soon, to better identify how heat loss in a home can be reduced;

(c)  the Committee noted that the Council should participate in spreading the messaging relating to the Green Doctor service, and that the right local organisations are engaged with for its delivery. Posters will be provided to ward councillors for display in community spaces;

(d)  as the formal Area Committees will now cease to meet, lead organisations will continue to feed back through the existing quarterly reporting system, and will provided updates to the Area-Based Partnership. Going forward, ward councillors will need to establish regular meetings with the lead organisation for their area.

The Committee thanked Kat Navrouzoglou for attending the meeting to give an update on the Area-Based Grant programmes.

Updates by Community Representatives

The Committee noted that there were no new updates from the Community Representatives.

Update by the Employment and Skills Area Partnership

Councillor Graham Chapman presented a report on the most recent meetings of the Employment and Skills Area Partnership (ESAP). The following points were discussed:

(a)  for 2021/22, there will be a focus on three objectives: to increase the number of young people accessing employment support; to support people with health conditions and disabilities to upskill and move towards employment, education and training; and to support people aged 50+ into employment outcomes;

(b)  there is a high degree of unemployment in the 50+ age group, but less support is being offered to these people at the national level, so strong local assistance is required. Many of these citizens do not live in the City’s highest areas of social deprivation. Targeted communications (including through social media) from both the Council and the Department for Work and Pensions are needed on the opportunities available, in order to reach them effectively. Local organisations are working well together to provide services without significant overlaps;

(c)  the end of the furlough scheme in September may result in a further loss of jobs, so the potential impacts are being assessed. In addition, a number of employers have been moving from apprenticeships to kick-start schemes, which do not provide the same level of training – so the effects of this trend will also be monitored closely.

The Committee noted the report.

Update on Health Communications in support of the local Primary Care Network

Dr Jonathan Harte, Clinial Director of the BACHS Primary Care Network (PCN), provided an update on the current local heath communications. The following points were discussed:

(a)  there is now a good opportunity to develop local health messaging, with partnership working between the Council, the PCN, the Clinical Commissioning Group and the Integrated Care Partnership;

(b)  it is very important to communicate information on Coronavirus vaccinations through as many channels as possible, including across social media, and the current uptake is good. Generally, however, the uptake in urban areas is lower relative to elsewhere, and vaccine take-up in BAME communities is lower than in other groups. The lowest uptake of vaccinations is in the communities of highest social deprivation, which may be due to potential digital exclusion, or a desire for local provision;

(c)  as vaccine stocks increase again towards the end of April, it will be possible to hold more vaccination clinics at GP practices – though people who have been offered a vaccine now should go to one of the centres if at all possible, rather than wait for more local provision. However, communications will be targeted to areas of low uptake to seek to address health inequality, and it is hoped that vaccine provision from local surgeries in these areas will increase uptake by building confidence, limiting travel and offering an alternative to centralised online booking. Pop-up centres for community asymptomatic testing are also being set up;

(d)  citizens who do not accept an offered vaccination do receive a follow-up call from their GP. There are people who are refusing the Coronavirus vaccine, and vaccinations in general, and this can often be clinically vulnerable people under 60 years of age. However, a number of people who are entitled to but do not normally take advantage of flu jabs are coming forward for Coronavirus vaccinations, and more flu vaccinations than normal have been carried out this year. Further engagement is being carried out in schools to combat the myths surrounding the MMR vaccine for children, and uptake has increased slightly.

The Committee thanked Dr Jonathan Harte for attending the meeting to give an update on the current local health communications.

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Iffat Iqbal, Neighbourhood Development Operations Manager at Nottingham City Council, presented a report on the current schemes taking place under the Area Capital Fund.

Resolved to approve the prioritised Area Capital schemes for Aspley Ward as set out in the Appendix to the report, including four Local Transport Plan schemes at a total cost of £81,157 and five Public Realm schemes at a total cost of £37,600.

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Iffat Iqbal, Neighbourhood Development Operations Manager at Nottingham City Council, presented a report on the use of delegated authority by the Director of Community Protection for projects funded by ward councillor budgets.

The Committee noted the report.