Meeting documents

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 12 March, 2019, copy attached as an appendix.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of 12 March, 2019, be approved as a correct record.

Councillor Winn

Cabinet Member for Communities

To consider the attached report.

Contact Officer:  Chris Oliver (01296) 585005

(a)          Decision(s)

That the Environment and Living Scrutiny Committee be thanked for its input to the subject, and that the content of the report be noted and endorsed.

(b)          Reason(s) for Decision(s)

To keep cabinet appraised with community safety activity.

(c)          Alternative Options Considered

None.

(d)          Relevant Scrutiny Committee

Environment and Living.  That Committee considered a similar report at its meeting on 27 March, 2019 and supported the Plan.

(e)          Conflicts of Interest / Dispensation(s)

            None.

Cabinet received a report, submitted also to the Environment and Living Scrutiny Committee on 27 March, giving details of recorded crime levels during the past year and providing information about activities completed to date from the Aylesbury Vale Community Safety Partnership (AVCSP) Action Plan.  The report included an update on the use of anti-social behaviour (ASB) legislation to deter offending that impacted upon communities.  The Scrutiny Committee report could be viewed on the Council’s web site.

The Scrutiny Committee had been supportive of the Plan and the proposed content, and had commented generally as follows:-

·         A coordinated approach to tackling aggressive begging in Aylesbury Town Centre had been considered a useful allocation of resources, as it could identify those that genuinely needed help and could be assisted through the Rough Sleeper Initiative.

·         It had been appreciated that modern day slavery would be covered in the Policy Statement (referred to in the following Minute).

·         It had been noted that the current terror threat was severe nationally and had been so consistently for the last three to four years, with some fluctuation up to critical, and that there was a protocol in place for Council owned premises.  The Committee had been advised that further risk assessments were on-going.

Members were satisfied with the approach being adopted by the Community Safety Partnership and the Council’s Community Safety Team, whom Members commended for their work in this field.

RESOLVED –

That the Environment and Living Scrutiny Committee be thanked for its input to this subject, and that the content of the report referred to above (and attached to the Cabinet agenda) be noted and endorsed.

Councillor Winn

Cabinet Member for Communities

To consider the attached report.

Contact Officer:  Chris Oliver (01296) 585005

(a)          Decision(s)

(1)  That the Environment and Living Scrutiny Committee be thanked for its input to these subjects.

(2)  That the Safeguarding Policy attached to the Cabinet report be noted and endorsed.

(3)  That the Modern Day Slavery Policy Statement be approved for publication on the Council’s web site.

(b)          Reason(s) for Decision(s)

The consideration given to these subjects affirms the importance attached by the Council to these issues.

(c)          Alternative Options Considered

None.

(d)          Relevant Scrutiny Committee

Environment and Living.  That Committee considered these matters at its meeting on 27 March, 2019 and was supportive of both documents.

(e)          Conflicts of Interest / Dispensation(s)

            None.

Following an internal audit of the Council’s policies and procedures in 2016, officers had been working to improve awareness, emphasising the need to remind Members and staff of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding.  A new e-learning training module had been rolled out to all staff and a training session had been arranged for Members and delivered at a full Council meeting in 2018.  To complement this work, it had been decided to introduce a new Safeguarding Policy and a copy was attached to the Cabinet report.  A copy of the Policy could be viewed on the Council’s website as part of the report on this subject submitted to the Environment and Living Scrutiny Committee on 27 March, 2019.

Officers had also drafted a new Modern Day Slavery Statement which had also been attached to the Cabinet report and could be viewed on the Council’s website.  As alluded to above, the Environment and Living Scrutiny Committee had been consulted on both aspects and had indicated their support for each of the documents.

Cabinet confirmed the Council’s commitment to safeguarding and the prevention of Modern Day Slavery, extending this to include its own business or supply chains and accordingly it was,

RESOLVED –

(1)  That the Environment and Living Scrutiny Committee be thanked for its input to these subjects.

(2)  That the Safeguarding policy attached to the Cabinet agenda be noted and endorsed.

(3)  That the Modern Day Slavery Policy Statement (also attached to the Cabinet agenda) be approved for publication on the Council’s web site.