Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors S Atherton, Child, Evans and Webster.

To approve the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 21 September 2023.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 21 September 2023 were approved, subject to an amendment which states that Councillor Gordon was advised that she was able to participate in items 14 and 15, as they did not relate to any items under consideration at the meeting.

Members to declare any interest as appropriate in respect of items to be considered at this meeting.

No declarations of interest were received.

To consider the attached Forward Plan and identify any relevant items for inclusion in the Scrutiny Work Programme, or to request further information.

The Chairman introduced the Cabinet Forward Plan and invited Members to comment.

Members are to review and comment upon the attached Scrutiny Work Programme 2023/24.

The Chairman introduced the Scrutiny Work Programme 2023/24 and invited Members to comment upon the document.

The Scrutiny Committee will consider the following as part of the Crime and Disorder agenda item:

·       Impact of team restructure and the difference this has made.

·       Partnership working and collaboration – including an introduction to the new Inspector for Melton, Darren Richardson.

·       Current and future funding opportunities.

·       Community Cohesion and Engagement.

·       Strategy and Key Performance Indicators.

As part of the item there will also be a question and answer session.

The Assistant Director for Customer and Communities, Aysha Rahman, introduced the report, and a presentation was given to Members.

Members were advised that no cases could be discussed as this could compromise any ongoing investigations.

Inspector Darren Richardson was introduced, he explained he had been at Leicestershire Police for 15 years and is a local resident. He gave an update on various areas they have been working on.

• Drug and county lines – Inspector Richardson stated that since January this year, they have arrested 30 people for drug offences and have seized a significant amount of cash and drugs. They have given out section 8 warnings and by being proactive he is confident that this area will see improvement.
• Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and environmental crime – Inspector Richardson recognised that this area has had a big impact. The constabulary have been looking at different approaches and have worked well with the partnership targeting hotspot areas. A section 35 dispersal order was raised 18 October due to ASB in the town centre with a group of young people, several people were arrested and 1 charged.
• Rural Crime – This has previously been a weak point for Leicestershire Police. The Police and Crime Commissioner is now targeting this area, with a rural team of 2 officers and a vehicle fit for purpose. There have been 1100 engagements in the last year, call handlers have been trained to deal with rural crime, there are now 6 rural WhatsApp groups and 20 volunteers on horseback. This has resulted in a 53% reduction in rural crime, £1M of stolen agricultural equipment has been recovered.
• Hate Crime – This has been made a force priority, although it is not as prevalent in Melton.
• Violent Crime – This has been a partnership priority, working with local secondary schools.
• Nighttime Economy – There needs to be more focus, with more presence of local officers, the installation of CCTV has helped in this area.

The Chair thanked Inspector Richardson for his report. A Member commented that they had witnessed how the police had dealt with drug dealers in their area, they thought they had handled it brilliantly and were very impressed.

In response to a query on how long a caution stays on a young person’s record, Members were advised young people do have access to support and they are given every opportunity to reflect on their choices in order to make the correct decisions. However, if they are charged it does stay on their record, if it is a community notice then that is not disclosable.

Following a query on the working hours of PCSO’s, the Committee was informed that PCSOs are civilians and are not contracted to work after midnight. Melton Police Station is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, resources can be stretched if there is a major incident however Officers will be brought in from surrounding areas if required.

It was asked if there have been issues with young people using  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

Housing Ombudsman, Annual Report 2022/23

Housing Ombudsman, Annual Report 2022/23

The Director for Housing and Communities, Michelle Howard, introduced the report explaining they wanted to bring it to Members attention as soon as possible as Officers take complaints seriously and want to be open and transparent. The Director stated that very few do go to the ombudsman with 4 complaints being considered with 10 findings, with 5 of those being considered maladministration. However, it was also noted that there were some positive findings contained within the report.

Officers advised that a query had been raised with the Ombudsman, as there were some queries regarding the data leading to some difficulty in reconciling the complaints. There was also a difference in the data between the Ombudsman report and the letter sent to the council.

The query was raised as to whether complaints arise as a result of a tenant’s expectations. Officers confirmed there are a range of reasons for complaints. The Committee were informed that a review of the complaints policy had taken place in the last year, and the Council is committed to ensuring that complaints are properly followed up.

In response to a question regarding how much compensation is given, Members were informed that the ombudsman assesses and decides how much is paid depending on the inconvenience and stress caused. In addition, it was noted that the ombudsman can request policy changes if they are required.

The Assistant Director for Housing Management said that the culture of how the Council deals with complaints is taken very seriously. Officers now contact people either by phone or face to face to discuss stage 1 or 2 complaints to help resolve the issues and get a full understanding of tenant’s expectations. Complaints are analysed to understand any trends of changes required.

Members queried how the public will be informed about the report and were informed that the report will be published with all the figures to provide context. 

Following a question on whether the ombudsman takes into consideration factors such as sickness or the behaviour of the contractors It was stated that as the Council are the landlord, it is the Councils responsibility to keep tenants informed and to effectively manage contractors.

A Member noted that a review of complaints more generally may be a topic of interest for the scrutiny committee in the future.