To enable the Cabinet to consider the recommendations submitted to it by the Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee following that Committee’s consideration of the interim report from its Council Enforcement Arrangements Task and Finish Group at its meeting held on 10 January 2024.

RESOLVED that the recommendations made by the Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee be welcomed and noted and that the response of the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning thereto be endorsed.

It was reported that the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee (“the Committee”) at its meeting held on 10 January 2024, had considered an interim report from its Council Enforcement Arrangements Task and Finish Group which had been submitted following that Group’s conclusion of the element of its enquiry concerning Planning Enforcement.

The Committee had been provided, as part of the material for them to consider, the following:

1)  the Head of Democratic Services & Elections’ covering report; and

2)  the Interim Report of the Council Enforcement Arrangements Task & Finish Group following the element of its enquiry concerning Planning Enforcement dated 31 October 2023.

Those reports were before Cabinet attached as Appendices 1 and 2 respectively to item A.2 of the Reference Report from the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

At that meeting on 10 January 2024 the Committee had resolved to submit the following recommendations to Cabinet:-

“That:-

(1)   the pilot monthly update list on planning enforcement cases (showing Ward, location, alleged planning breach and reference number) be rolled out to all Councillors from the start of January 2024 and that, in the list, those cases relating to the same premises be cross referenced or be shown sequentially and allegations of breaches around the creation of Houses in Multiple Occupation be clearly identified;

(2)   moves be made to utilise the functionality built into the Planning computer software system, Uniform/Public Access, in order to provide up to date details on planning enforcement cases through the website.  This use should be timed to commence from 1 April 2024 for new cases, that existing live cases be added as updates are made to those cases during 2024/25 and that in March 2025 a report be provided to Councillors of those cases not available at that point on the website through the stated software packages;

(3)   the following be instigated in relation to arrangements across the Council to support joined up and effective enforcement:

a.  The pilot arrangements for action logs being created for meetings of the Operational Enforcement Group (that are associated with matters discussed at meetings of that Group (and are then monitored away from meetings of the Operational Enforcement Group)) be implemented fully going forward.  These action logs would also include relevant responses concerning information held by other service areas of the Council about premises that are referenced to the Group by any one of the service areas who are represented on the Group (including ‘NIL’ responses if appropriate).

b.  A mechanism of alerting service areas who are represented on the Operational Enforcement Group of live enforcement cases in each of the other service areas on that Group, an ongoing basis, be developed and implemented so as to improve the knowledge flow in the Council of allegations and provide for appropriate enforcement and timely interventions to be made to secure the best interests of the Council, its residents and businesses with a view to raising public confidence in the Council’s competence to secure those best interests and deliver  ...  view the full minutes text for item 75