Agenda item

The Area Council Manager introduced the item, referring to Part A of the report, which gave an indication of the cumulative impact of Area Council expenditure to date.  In particular attention was drawn to the following: 938 older people had now been engaged, 333 children and young people had achieved accreditation, and 2,270 Fixed Penalty Notices for dog fouling and littering had been issued.

The meeting then went on to consider Part B of the report, which provided feedback on each of the contracts held by the Area Council.

An update was provided on the contract with RVS.  Within the quarter, 102 additional older people had been engaged, bringing the total numbers to 938.  Members were reminded that the contract would finish on 30^th June, with the contract for the service to reduce isolation and loneliness in adults and older people commencing on 1^st July, 2017.  This would also be delivered by RVS.

Members commented on the need to promote intergenerational work, with opportunities for young people imparting their skills to older people in areas such as IT.  The meeting also discussed the need for services to engage with GPs.  It was hoped that this would improve with the introduction of ‘My Best Life’ social prescribing, and the referrals from this service would be monitored.

With regards to the contract with the YMCA, the meeting heard how 165 sessions and been held and 69 additional children had been engaged.  In total there had been 2,828 attendances during the period, with at least 3 sessions in each ward every week.  It was acknowledged that this contract would come to an end on 31^st March, 2017, with a new service to build emotional resilience in children and young people aged 8-14 years to commence on 1^st April, 2017, which would also be delivered by the YMCA.

An update was provided on the contract with Kingdom Security.  187 Fixed Penalty Notices for dog fouling and littering had been issued within the quarter and 6 Parking Charge Notices.

Since the inception of the Environmental Enforcement Service, £106,506 had been returned to the Area Council.

A number of issues were raised with the contract, including reports of the conduct of officers.  The Area Council Manager reported that body camera footage of all reported incidents had been reviewed and all bar one case had shown that officers had acted appropriately.

Concerns were expressed regarding the restorative justice sessions, and it was thought the effectiveness of these could be improved.  Members went on to discuss the impact of the contract, and it was noted that a full review of the contract, including its effectiveness, would take place in the autumn.  Members also noted that the service had agreed to undertake research over a month to give a better indication into the types of littering offences.

The contract with Twiggs Grounds Maintenance continued to perform well, with 192 additional pieces of work being undertaken.   11 Central Area Team led projects had been supported and Twiggs had supported 4 work experience placements.

The meeting heard how the officers employed through the Private Sector Housing and Enforcement SLA had visited 287 different properties within the quarter, with 25 property inspections.  1,841 properties had been visited throughout the contract, and the officers had two very significant ongoing pieces of work.

Members discussed how issues with housing associations were picked up, and it was suggested that this could be the focus of a check and challenge issue in the future.

The meeting noted that the three organisations delivering the Youth Programme were performing effectively, with Exodus engaging 64 new people in volunteering, and YMCA Y Stay In engaging 39 additional young people in the quarter.  It was noted that the rescheduled contract management meeting with Lifeline had now taken place.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.