Agenda and minutes

Any apologies for absence will be noted at this point.

Apologies were received from Cllr Todhunter, Cllr Hickson and Cllr Sharp.

To approve the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 12 September 2023.

To receive an update on progress against recommendations made to the Cabinet and the Council.

With regards to the minutes of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 12 September 2023, the end time was noted incorrectly as 2:12.

During the following meeting on 16 January 2024, when the minutes were considered, it was noted that the correct end time was 4:12.

RESOLVED:

To approve the minutes of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 12 September 2023 (as amended).

The Chairman will announce any urgent items that due to special circumstances are to be dealt with under the agenda item below relating to late items.

There were no urgent items for consideration.

Members and officers are reminded to make any declarations of disclosable pecuniary, personal and/or prejudicial interests they may have in respect of matters on the agenda for this meeting.

Cllr Vivian declared his interest as a member of the City Council and as the City Council’s Designated Observer to the BID board.

Cllr Quail declared her interest as a member of the City Council.

The procedurefor submittingpublic questions in writingbyno later thannoon 2 workingdays before the meetingis availablehereorfromthe Democratic Services Officer (whose contactdetailsappear on thefrontpage of thisagenda).

There were no public questions.

Q&A Topics:

1.           Police Resourcing

2.           Unauthorised Encampments

3.           Road Safety and Anti-social driving

4.           Rural Crime

5.           General enquiries

The Chair welcomed the guest speakers, PCC Katy Bourne and Chief Inspector Keating-Jones and invited Members to ask their submitted questions.

Police Resourcing

Cllr Vivian: The Chichester BID has deployed Ambassadors to patrol Chichester City centre, however these Ambassadors will lack any enforcement capability. But it's come to our attention that Sussex Police have been asking the BID to roll out the scheme as early as they possibly can, presumably to plug the gaps in PCSO capacity. How is it that Sussex Police are increasingly leaning on third-sector organisations to keep the public safe?

PCC Bourne thanked the Committee for being invited and welcomed the opportunity to answer queries. Members could also direct additional questions through the Police & Crime Panel.

With regards to the Chichester BID, PCC Bourne stated that third sector organisations have always played a significant role in the West Sussex Police. Many of the organisations have a high volume of volunteers, including within her own office. PCC Bourne runs the Independent Custody Visitors Scheme, a team dedicated to supervising detainee welfare. This scheme has been recognised as platinum status nationally and comprises mostly of volunteers.

Other examples include the Sussex 4x4 Rescue Team, the Search & Rescue Team and the Beachy Head Chaplaincy. PCC Bourne stated that it is therefore not unusual for third sector organisations and volunteers to help keep the public safe. The Chichester BID ambassadors play an important role in achieving this.

Chief Inspector Keating-Jones added that the BID scheme is being introduced at a reasonable pace and does not recognise that this is being used to plug gaps in PCSO capacity. It’s important that the police work collaboratively with other organisations, but that they are not reliant upon other organisations, as the police are ultimately the leading agency in keeping the public safe. This approach leads to better work in the community.

Cllr Vivian: Could the Police & Crime Commissioner give an update on the current recruitment strategy for PCSOs in and around Chichester, and whether there are any issues surrounding recruitment?

PCC Bourne advised that she has recently reviewed the recruitment strategy for PCSOs with the Chief Constable of Sussex Police, as this has been a challenge all police forces are experiencing.

The establishment of PCSOs currently has a target of 292 PCSOs across the entire county. Whilst some police forces are no longer using PCSOs, PCC Bourne advised that she will always retain them as staff whilst she is Police & Crime Commissioner. The Chief Constable agrees that PCSOs play an important role in local policing.

PCC Bourne added that a new cohort has been planned and that recruitment is currently underway. There are open positions, with the cohort currently being 40 positions under target. It’s not uncommon for PCSOs to transfer departments and become police officers, given their experience and training. This can however impact how many PCSOs are available.

PCC Bourne stated that the Chief Constable is focused on filling these positions to reach the target of 292 by the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

The Committee is requested to note the feedback provided from the Member appointed to the Task & Finish Group.

Cllr Brookes-Harmer introduced the item and provided Members with feedback from the Budget Task & Finish Group.

RESOLVED:

The Committee is requested to note the feedback provided from the Member appointed to the Task & Finish Group.

The Committee is requested to note this report from the Corporate Plan Task and Finish Group and confirm that it is satisfied the Council is achieving satisfactory levels of performance against the targets and activities in the 2023/24 Corporate Plan mid-year progress report.

Mr Buckley introduced the item and briefed Members on the Task & Finish Group’s objectives and function.

The final report reviews all key projects and performance indicators that support the delivery of the Corporate Plan 2022-2025. The report highlights any projects that are in a state of exception (off target). The Task and Finish Group approved of the reasons provided for these exceptions on 14 November 2023.

Cllr Newberry asked whether the number of exceptions recorded is comparable to previous years.

Mr Buckley confirmed that this is a normal number of exceptions. The report serves as a point in time to review the upcoming six-month period. At that time, there were a small selection of projects or PIs that were off from their original targets. The Group reviewed these cases during the meeting and confirmed that they were comfortable with the reasons provided.

RESOLVED:

The Committee is requested to note this report from the Corporate Plan Task and Finish Group and confirm that it is satisfied the Council is achieving satisfactory levels of performance against the targets and activities in the 2023/24 Corporate Plan mid-year progress report.

The Committee is requested to note the update relating to Chichester Business Improvement District (BID).

The Chair welcomed Mrs Helen Marshall from BID.

Mrs Murphy introduced the item and informed the Committee of BID’s (Business Improvement District) objectives, functions and provided a general outline of the organisation.

Mrs Murphy advised that the BID is a separate organisation to Chichester District Council and that the District Council pays BID levies. The most recent count showed that are 21 hereditaments within the city, with the District Council paying BID levies on 20 of these properties.

Chichester District Councils total contribution is approximately £14,000 per annum. The BID does not receive any additional funding from the Council, however, the Council does charge BID for collecting the BID levy from levy payers across the city. This charge is subsequently deducted from the BID levy that is collected on BID’s behalf.

Mrs Murphy stated that within the city, there are 632 hereditaments that pay a BID levy. This payment is made to the Council and then transferred to Chichester BID. These businesses are required to pay this levy, as per national legislation. Mrs Murphy noted that some organisations are exempt such as charities, however charity shops are not exempt. The levy charge is 1.25% of the 2017 rateable value.

The Chichester BID works closely alongside the District Council across several key areas, Mrs Murphy and a Council Member regularly attend BID Board meetings to maintain links and remain informed. The BID has also been invited to several Overview & Scrutiny Committees to provide updates on their projects and to discuss any upcoming themes.

Mrs Murphy advised that Chichester BID and the District Council are working on several projects, such as the Vision Project and work with various partners across the city.

Mrs Murphy introduced Mrs Marshall, the Chair of Chichester BID.

Mrs Marshall briefed Members on BID’s highlights from 2023 and provided further information on the services offered by BID.

During 2023, the organisation focused on supporting independent businesses in the city. With over 600 hereditaments in the area, approximately 250 of these are independent businesses. Mrs Marshall emphasised the importance of these businesses in the changing economy.

To support these organisations and promote co-operation amongst the independent businesses, the BID has developed a new brand “Proudly independent, Proudly Chichester”. A section of the BID’s website has been dedicated to these businesses and their promotion, the site also contains a full directory of all the member businesses listed in Chichester.

Mrs Marshall advised that the BID hosts social campaigns throughout the year that also highlight these independent businesses and provide information to local entrepreneurs. “Proudly independent, Proudly Chichester” has also benefitted from local press coverage, being published in the Chichester Observer upon launch, in addition to having their Indie Gift Guide published during Christmas.

The BID also works with other local organisations to promote member businesses, such as V2 Radio who provide extensive giveaways. Mrs Marshall added that the gift cards provided by BID during the giveaways are accepted by member businesses.

To provide further support to these independent businesses, the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

Consideration of any late items as follows:

a)    Items added to the agenda papers and made available for public inspection.

b)    Items which the Chairman has agreed should be taken as matters of urgency by reason of special circumstances reported at the meeting.

There were no late items.

The Committee is asked to consider in respect of the following item(s) whether the public, including the press, should be excluded from the meeting on the grounds of exemption under Parts I to 7 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as indicated against the item and because, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption of that information outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. The reports dealt with under this part of the agenda are attached for members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and senior officers only (salmon paper).

Or

There are no restricted items for consideration.

There were no restricted items for consideration.