Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were submitted from Peter Dennis, Laura Blumenthal and Gregor Murray.

Beth Rowland attended the meeting as a substitute for Peter Dennis.

To confirm the Minutes of the meeting held on 23 January 2023.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 23 January 2023 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

It was confirmed that the matters arising from the meeting held on 23 January 2023 had been circulated via email to the Committee.

To receive any declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

To answer any public questions

A period of 30 minutes will be allowed for members of the public to ask questions submitted under notice.

The Council welcomes questions from members of the public about the work of this committee.

Subject to meeting certain timescales, questions can relate to general issues concerned with the work of the Committee or an item which is on the Agenda for this meeting.  For full details of the procedure for submitting questions please contact the Democratic Services Section on the numbers given below or go to www.wokingham.gov.uk/publicquestions

There were no public questions.

To answer any member questions.

There were no Member questions.

To receive a presentation from the Local Police Force regarding their work over the previous 12 months within the Borough.

The Committee considered a presentation from the Local Police Force, set out in agenda pages 13 to 16.

The presentation outlined the priorities for the Local Policing Area, including operations relating to sexual offenses, domestic abuse, knife crime, burglary, and keyless vehicle thefts. A number of partnership working examples were outlined, including a closure order on Ashridge Road, and ongoing facilitation of Wokingham Shop Watch.

The Committee were advised of the initial outcome of the Force Review, which proposed a 5-area command model which would place Wokingham with West Berkshire and Reading. It was unlikely that any changes would happen within Wokingham for at least a year, whilst the changes would feature a push towards neighbourhood policing, which was a crucial part of service delivery. A consultation was due to commence shortly, with a final decision due in July 2023.

Andy Cranidge (Area Commander – Bracknell and Wokingham), and Narinder Brar (Community Safety Manager) attended the meeting to answer Member queries.

During the ensuing discussion, Members raised the following points and queries:

·         The Committee expressed a desire to submit a response to the Force Review, and requested that an item return to the Committee in May 2023;

·         Were there opportunities for improvement with regards to communication from the police to residents, especially due to a spate of vehicle crimes in the Earley area? Police response – This spate of crimes was being carried out by organised criminals and gangs. Comments regarding communication issues would be taken on board. The best thing that individuals could do to protect themselves from keyless vehicle theft was to purchase and use a faraday box. The Force would make strides to ensure that more people were aware of outcomes to reports of crime;

·         It was noted that a more detailed breakdown of crimes carried out within the Borough could be circulated to the Committee;

·         It was noted that one crime could be recorded in more than one category;

·         Why had car manufacturers not provided solutions to keyless car thefts? Police response – Manufacturers do not want to supply faraday pouches as it gave the impression that the vehicle could be stolen easily. The Force was engaging with local dealerships on this matter;

·         Were the figures of domestic abuse victims likely to include individuals who had been abused on multiple occasions? Police and WBC Officer response – This figure included victims who had reported crimes multiple times. On average, a victim would report 35 instances of domestic abuse prior to making a 1^st report;

·         Was it possible to ‘reboot’ the Shop Watch in Woodley, could schools have a dedicated police liaison officer, and had neighbourhood policing been tried before? Police response – It was important to have good relationships with local schools, and this was being championed in the area. Neighbourhood policing had always operated locally, however recruitment of new officers often involved an element of protected learning which took them away from frontline duties which had to be covered by neighbourhood policing officers. Neighbourhood  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

To receive a presentation from the Local Fire Service regarding their work over the previous 12 months within the Borough.

The Committee considered a presentation, set out in agenda pages 17 to 26, which provided an annual update on the work of the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) within the Borough.

The presentation outlined that 1073 safe and well visits had been carried out during the last 12 months, a quality assurance process for protection activities had been implemented, and 1019 incidents in the Borough had been responded to within 10 minutes on 64 percent of occasions. A consultation was underway, CRMP, which set out 6 strategic priorities for the RBFRS. The consultation was scheduled to close at the end of March 2023.

Dave Crease (Group Manager – RBFRS) and Morag Malvern (Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) RBFRS representative) attended the meeting to answer Member queries.

During the ensuing discussion, Members raised the following points and queries:

·         Were ‘very high risk’ properties based on the likelihood of a fire or the potential consequences of a fire? RBFRS response – This rating was mainly based on the potential consequences, for example a fire breaking out at a care home or a high-rise residential building;

·         Was the RBFRS responsible for responding to any incidents at AWE Burghfield? RBFRS response – AWE Burghfield had a small on-site fire service to respond to minor incidents. The RBFRS worked closely with this team, and were on hand to respond to emergencies;

·         It was requested that the link to the RBFRS consultation be emailed to all Members;

·         It was noted that any building in excess of five storeys was required to be inspected on a more frequent basis;

·         It was noted that should Members or residents have concerns regarding the suitability or conformity of a fire door or alarm system, this should be reported directly to the RBFRS to allow a protection officer to attend and undertake a safety audit;

·         How would savings be achieved without compromising vital frontline services? RBFRS response – Many savings were being achieved via cross-border partnership working arrangements, and reductions to back-office staff. The RBFRS were losing some frontline staff to areas such as London who offered higher salaries. Apprenticeships were proving popular and were helping the RBFRS to recruit;

·         Would any changes to the Local Policing Areas impact how the RBFRS worked with the police? RBFRS response – There were a variety of communication channels including via the Community Safety Partnership available to facilitate good partnership working.

RESOLVED That:

1)      Dave Crease and Morag Malvern be thanked for attending the meeting;

2)      The link to the RBFRS consultation be emailed to all Members;

3)      An annual update be considered by the Committee in March 2024.

To agree the reports of the Preferred Registered Providers Task and Finish Group and the Local Cycling, Walking and Infrastructure Plan Task and Finish Group, and to agree the formation of the Active Travel Task and Finish Group.

The Committee considered a report, set out in agenda pages 27 to 48 and supplementary agenda pages 3 to 12, which set out the reports of the Preferred Registered Providers (PRP) Task and Finish Group and the Local Cycling, Walking and Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) Task and Finish Group.

PRP Task and Finish Group

Shirley Boyt, PRP Task and Finish Group Chair, stated that there had been a previous focus on delivery of social housing, whilst this report emphasised the need for increased tenant involvement and tenant satisfaction measures. The Group had provided Members with a greater understanding of the processes underpinning social housing delivery and management within the Borough.

It was noted that the report would promote a much-improved approach to tenant involvement.

In response to a query regarding how the PRPs were involved in this process, it was noted that the Chair of the Group had sat on the interviews with prospective PRPs. In addition, tenants of PRPs had been sent surveys which had provided context for the Group.

It was noted that, if agreed at the Executive, the Group’s recommendations would be included within the partnership agreement with PRPs, to be signed in April 2023.

In response to a query regarding the powers of the housing Ombudsman, it was noted that the new Government White Paper would provide them with increased powers.

LCWIP Task and Finish Group

Al Neal, LCWIP Task and Finish Group Chair, stated that the Group had met on 2 occasions and had received a considerable amount of detail and data. Due to timescales and the quantity of data provided to the Group, the Group resolved to focus on the draft LCWIP report document. Individual schemes were proposed to be considered by the Active Travel Task and Finish Group prior to public consultation.

It was noted that the Group was pleased to see schemes being re-considered where they had received a considerable amount of criticism.

It was noted that the proposed Active travel Task and Finish Group would assess the LCWIP document on a 6-monthly basis and scrutinise specific schemes prior to consultation. It was recommended that this Group initially consist of the same membership as the LCWIP Task and Finish Group, and subsequent membership was to be agreed annually at the first meeting of the municipal year of the Community and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Active Travel Task and Finish Group would likely be required to meet periodically for a number of years, assessing developments to the LCWIP and scrutinising detailed design proposals for specific projects as and when bids were submitted. Whilst the core Group would assess the LCWIP document on a 6-monthly basis, relevant Ward Members and Town and Parish Council representatives would be included in meetings relating to detailed design of specific schemes prior to public consultation.

It was requested that officers consider whether the Active Travel Task and Finish Group could be renamed to something such as a ‘Working Group’ or ‘Select Committee’, as the Group was proposed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 83.

To consider the draft scheduled items for the beginning of the 2023/24 municipal year, and to suggest any additional items for inclusion in next year’s work programme.

The Committee considered their work programme, set out in agenda pages 49 to 52.

RESOLVED That:

1)      Callum Wenham and Neil Carr be thanked for attending the meeting;

2)      An item relating to the Force Review consultation be scheduled for May 2023;

3)      The item regarding earmarked reserves be scheduled for 3 July 2023;

4)      Officers circulate the briefing update regarding burial capacity within the Borough via email;

5)      A briefing note be circulated to the Committee, providing additional detail with regards to the Organisational Foundation Programme;

6)      The Committee discuss specific details of what information they wanted in relation to upcoming items during the work programme item of each meeting;

7)      It was noted that the Arts and Culture Update could be moved to a later Committee date if the Committee’s schedule proved busy;

8)      An action tracker item be included within each Committee agenda for the 2023/24 municipal year;

9)      An item be considered in relation to how strategic planning worked with development control. An MS Teams call be considered to assess exactly what information the Committee wished to see.