Agenda, decisions and minutes

That the minutes of the meetings on 7 March and 12 July 2018 be agreed as an accurate record of proceedings.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meetings on 7 March and 12 July 2018 be agreed as an accurate record of proceedings.

None declared.

None declared.

There are no response to referrals due at this meeting.

There were no referrals due at this Committee.

There were no responses to referrals due at this Committee.

That the report be noted.

That Superintendent Andy Carter and Martin Corbett MIFireE be thanked for attending the meeting and for their presentations.

4.1       Martin Corbett, Borough Commander, Lewisham, London Fire Brigade, presented to the committee. During his presentation and in the discussion and challenge that followed, the following key points were highlighted:

·         2017/18 had been a challenging year for the London Fire Brigade in particular the Grenfell Fire Tragedy and the focus afterwards of ensuring the safety of high rise buildings.

·         Pan-London there remained approximately 100 ACM cladding buildings with 3 in Lewisham all of which were managed by Lewisham Homes. Lewisham Homes was working very proactively on fire safety.

·         The total number of fires in 2017/18 in Lewisham was down compared to previous years, however arson related incidents remained at the same levels as previous years and a continual concern. Work was being done with the Police on links with antisocial behaviour.

·         There were concerns around automatic fire alarms and persons stuck in lifts which had increased since previous years. Many were related to Lewisham Hospital and it had been challenging to reduce numbers.

·         Over 2000 home fire risk assessments had been carried out which was very positive as they were very important for reducing the risks of fires.

·         The cadets scheme was very positive and a new facility for the cadets was being prepared in New Cross.

·         Safeguarding vulnerable people was an important part of the service. Risks identified included an increase in cases of hoarding. The service would be working closely with partners to support vulnerable people.

·         Other factors over the last year included: recent dry weather and faulty electrical goods. The campaign “Total Recalls: making white goods safer” aimed to make it easier for people to protect themselves.

·         Post Grenfell a number of lessons had been learnt including: a review of breathing apparatus equipment; a review of the aerial fleet to introduce higher reach appliances; and tactical plans amended including increases in numbers of fleet attending any reports of fire in high-rise buildings.

·         A database of social housing high-rise buildings will be extended to include privately owned buildings.

·         A review of Approved Document B (building regulations guidance covering fire safety) was being undertaken following recommendations by Dame Judith Hackitt.

·         The welfare of fire fighters continued to be a focus.

·         The new statutory body of the London Fire Commissioner, Dany Cotton, was in place. This body reported directly to the London Deputy Mayor for Fire.

·         In June 2018 there was a fire at Roma Court in Lewisham. It was supressed internally by sprinklers. The fire separation worked successfully. 60 people self-evacuated.

·         There had been a tragic fire in Deptford in August where a 7-year old boy died. There was an on-going investigation into the causes.

4.2       Superintendent Andy Carter presented his report to the Committee. During his presentation and in the discussion and challenge that followed, the following key points were highlighted:

·         A copy of Appendix B was handed round to members of the Committee and will be included with the agenda documentation.

·         The South East Borough Command Unit was on track to go live on the 28 November  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

That the report be noted.

That an additional report on demographics be added to the Committee’s work programme for 2018/19.

5.1       Barrie Neal, Head of Corporate Policy and Governance, presented this report to the Committee. During his presentation and in the discussion that followed, the following key points were raised:

·         The Office for National Statistics had recently released new demographic data and it would be helpful for the committee to receive information on this.

·         London weighting was incorporated into pay scales and Lewisham Council was one of the first to adopt the London Living Wage.

·         The London living wage was currently £10.20 per hour. Lewisham also provided for the provision of the London Living Wage through its procurement contracts.

·         The Council is to establish a senior staff working group on Brexit to consider the potential impacts on a range of services.

·         Schools Place Planning takes into account a range of demographic details including GLA data and a new Place Planning Strategy was in place. It was currently modelled that the need at Primary level had flattened off in Lewisham and fallen in some parts of London and the Secondary School need for places was slowing.

·         The Council had entered a joint housing venture partnership with Grainger Plc with the aim of increasing the security of tenure for residents. 35% of the properties developed would be let at London living Rent.

·         Following a successful £1 million bid, the Strategic Housing Team were developing data analytics to provide information for early intervention and to predict future demand and service pressures.

·         Concerns were raised regarding the pay of apprentices and whether they were being paid less because they were under 25. The Committee would be informed as to the numbers of apprentices who were over 25 years of age.

·         A member of the Committee queried how population trends were reflected in predicting changing inflows of children to primary and secondary from other areas and outflows to other areas. A response would be provided to update the committee.

5.2       RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

That an additional report on demographics be added to the Committee’s work programme for 2018/19.

That the report be noted.

6.1       Geeta Subramaniam-Mooney, Head of Public Protection and Safety, presented the report to the Committee. Gary Connors, Strategic Crime, Enforcement & Regulation Service Manager was also in attendance.

During the discussion that followed, the following key points were raised.

·         A document outlining the public health approach to serious youth violence was handed round to the Committee, a copy of which will be included with the agenda documentation.

·         Within the Council’s Public Protection and Safety division there were the following teams: Youth Offending Service; Crime Enforcement and Regulation (CER); Food Standards and Safety; and Environmental Protection. The service was also responsible for commissioning supported accommodation for vulnerable groups and commissioning public health interventions.

·         The Youth Offending Service and CER were the service areas that were most relevant to the Safer Stronger Communities Select Committee’s remit.

·         The Crime Enforcement Team included: antisocial behaviour; closure notices; statutory licensing function; trading standards; CCTV suite and digital recognition; Prevent and counter-extremism; Hate Crime; Violence against women and girls (VAWG); and serious violence.

·         Each local authority in England and Wales had a statutory responsibility to formulate and implement a strategy to reduce crime and disorder in their area. There was also an obligation to work in partnership with a number of statutory bodies through Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships. In Lewisham this is undertaken through the Safer Lewisham Partnership and the plan produced in the Safe Lewisham Plan.

·         There were currently 19 third-party crime reporting sites throughout the borough. A list of these would be provided to members of the Committee.

·         The Council worked closely with MOPAC on a number of issues and Council officers sat on a number of London-wide networks.

·         Members of the Public Protection and Safety Team had been on a visit to Glasgow to gain a greater understanding of their model and focus on serious youth violence. There was a strong focus on getting it right for every single child regardless of background, perceived disadvantage/advantage etc.

·         The Lewisham approach to the night time economy was based on embedding the area’s culture, arts and heritage and not on a 24h/7 culture.

·         Councillor Morrison left the room from 8.45pm to 8.50pm during which time Councillor Rathbone chaired the Committee.

·         There would be three dedicated Police Licensing Officers within the Council Licensing Team from October 2018.

·         Parenting orders were no longer used as they could often be seen as a blaming tool. A more supportive approach offering advice and highlighting services available was seen as more positive.

·         In terms of exclusion panels it would be positive if schools were able to adopt a trauma-informed approach to help support children to stay in mainstream education where possible.

·         The Council’s Noise Team structure was reviewed 3 years ago. There had never been an out of hours service but there were pre-organised out of hours visits. Out of hours provision was not feasible as there was a need for a Police presence and it wasn’t a productive use of resources. There were currently proactive teams who monitored complaints and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

That the scope be agreed.

That future evidence sessions include additional information as referenced during the discussion above.

7.1       Katie Wood, Scrutiny Manager presented the report to the Committee. Following questions from members of the Committee, the following key points were highlighted:

·         Additional information on the type of Prevent training undertaken by partners such as NHS and schools was requested to be included as part of the review. This could include hearing the views of professionals in those settings as to how they feel about their obligations.

·         Information on referrals to Prevent in Lewisham would be useful to look at where possible. This could include overall numbers and breakdown via ethnicity etc. Legal advice would be sought as to what information could be shared publicly.

·         More information could be provided as part of the review into how the risk tiers of local authorities were calculated.

·         Understanding more about the methods used to create intelligence-led stop and search would be useful.

·         In depth stop and search data to understand whether certain types of stop and search had different outcomes would be useful.

7.2       RESOLVED:

That the scope be agreed.

That future evidence sessions include additional information as referenced during the discussion above.

That an additional item on Demographics of Lewisham be added to the work programme.

That members of Children and Young People Select Committee be invited to attend meeting of 4 February 2019 for the item on Youth Violence and Knife Crime.

8.1       Katie Wood, Scrutiny Manager, introduced the report to the Committee.

8.2       RESOLVED:

That an additional item on Demographics of Lewisham be added to the work programme.

That members of Children and Young People Select Committee be invited to attend meeting of 4 February 2019 for the item on Youth Violence and Knife Crime.

There were no referrals to Mayor and Cabinet.

There were no referrals to Mayor and Cabinet.