Agenda item

To seek approval to continue to part-fund a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO)* in the Harwich & Dovercourt area for the period 1^st April 2024 until 31^st March 2025 (12 months), Harwich Town Council and Tendring District Council will each fund 50% of the role.

*This is an extension of the existing arrangements, and a post holder is currently in this role if formally agreed, the Council will be invoiced for their contribution.

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)   approves the continuation of the arrangement to part-fund a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), deployed in the Harwich & Dovercourt area, for a period of 12 months from 1^st April 2024 until 31^st March 2025, the cost of which is to be met from the associated funding identified, as part of the Quarter 3 Financial Performance 2023/24 that was considered by Cabinet, on 19 April 2024; and

(b)  that the continuation of this arrangement post 31 March 2025 will be considered as part of the future funding review of external posts and the options available during 2024/25 will be presented to Cabinet.

Earlier on in the meeting, as detailed under Minute 4 above, Councillor I J Henderson had declared an interest insofar as he was a Harwich Town Councillor and therefore a decision maker on this matter at Harwich Town Council. He thereupon withdrew from the meeting and took no part in the consideration of this matter nor the voting thereon.

Cabinet considered a joint report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder and the Partnerships Portfolio Holder (A.9), which sought its approval to continue to part-fund a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO)*, in the Harwich & Dovercourt area, for the period 1^st April 2024 until 31^st March 2025 (12 months). Harwich Town Council and Tendring District Council would each fund 50% of the role.

*This was an extension of the existing arrangements, and a post holder was currently in this role if formally agreed, the Council would be invoiced for its contribution.

Cabinet was reminded that, since 2019/20, Tendring District Council (TDC) and Harwich Town Council (HTC) had collaborated to fund a PCSO in the Harwich and Dovercourt area. This was agreed on a year-by-year basis, and the funding was not part of the Council’s base budget. The funding had been secured in previous years through separate decisions and by transferring money from elsewhere in the Council’s overall budget.

Essex Police had reported that this arrangement had been hugely important and greatly appreciated by them. They believed that this had been a mutually beneficial arrangement and sincerely hoped it could continue for the full period specified.

It was reported that, in line with TDC’s Community Safety Partnership arrangements, the Community Safety & Safeguarding Manager had met with the Community Policing Team Inspector to discuss implementing specific targets and key performance indicators for the role in conjunction with agreed priorities as outlined in the Community Safety Strategic Priorities and Delivery Plan.

Members were informed that the PCSO for the Harwich area submitted a monthly report to both TDC and HTC. The report provided information on the number of hours the PCSO spent patrolling each month, as well as the engagement events, calls, and incidents they had attended. In addition, any further activity, such as joint patrols or problem-solving activities with TDC’s ASB Officers or its Community Ambassadors were reported.

Cabinet was reminded that Clacton had the highest reported incidents, closely followed by Harwich, which had more than the rest of the areas in the District combined. There were also specific operations and projects that ran in Clacton; however, those operations currently were not available in Harwich/Dovercourt.

The Portfolio Holder’s report therefore sought Cabinet’s agreement to continue partially funding the pre-existing arrangement for the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. It was proposed also that future funding for this post would be considered as part of the intended wider review of external grant funding to be undertaken throughout 2024/25.

It was felt that the continued employment of a PCSO was important in order to continue engagement and reassurance patrols, conduct vulnerability visits, attend community events and work in conjunction with the Council’s Community Ambassadors and Anti-Social Behaviour Officers in the Harwich/Dovercourt area.

It was moved by Councillor Placey, seconded by Councillor M E Stephensonand:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)   approves the continuation of the arrangement to part-fund a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), deployed in the Harwich & Dovercourt area, for a period of 12 months from 1^st April 2024 until 31^st March 2025, the cost of which is to be met from the associated funding identified, as part of the Quarter 3 Financial Performance 2023/24 that was considered by Cabinet, on 19 April 2024; and

(b)  that the continuation of this arrangement post 31 March 2025 will be considered as part of the future funding review of external posts and the options available during 2024/25 will be presented to Cabinet.