Agenda item

The Chair introduced the Safer and Stronger Communities end of year report, including initial proposals for the 2021/22 work plan.

Mark informed the Board that as this was the last meeting in the cycle of the year and that Board meetings would resume in September officers were looking to set priorities for the Boards work programme for 2021/22.

Mark stated that the new Board cycle of workstream would include the following:

·       Prevent, counter-extremism and cohesion

·       Community Safety

·       Blue light services and civil resilience

·       Licensing and regulation

·       Building Safety

·       Crematoria, coroners and registrars

Following the brief discussion, Members made the following comments:

·       Members praised the work undertaken during the course of the year.

·       Members commented they wished to explore issues regarding speeding and community safety, as there was a lack of enforcement powers for local authorities. Mark responded that this was an issue the police led on rather than councils, but recognised it is an issue that many councils were facing.

·       Members raised that another area of interest would be how to tackle the grip criminal drug gangs have in communities, with around 80% of young people youth teams work with having some links to gangs. The Chair replied that this linked to county lines which the Board and the LGA have worked on and there already was a good co-ordinated approach nationally on county lines work. Mark added that this issue fits within existing strands of work by the Board and with Children and Young People Board.

·       Members asked to focus on the overall resilience of councils community safety work.

·       The importance of linking up with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners was noted. Members highlighted work to support PCPs in their scrutiny of PCCs, and opposition to mandatory transfers of fire governance to PCCs.

·       Ongoing work around water safety and the outcome of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency review was also highlighted.

The Chair concluded the item and brought the meeting to a close.

Decision:

            Members of the Safer and Stronger Communities Board noted the report.

Date of the next meeting: Tuesday, 21 September 2021, 11.00 am, TBC