Agenda item

To provide the Cabinet with an update on the positive progress with Highlight Priority Actions adopted for 2024/25 towards the Council’s Corporate Plan Themes for 2024/28.

 

To inform Members of a breach of the Council’s Policy Framework and legal decision making requirements with regards to the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy (sections 5 and 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998).

That Cabinet:

 

(a)    notes the contents of the report together with the highlighted realignment of particular milestones for particular highlight priority actions, as set out in the Appendix to the Portfolio Holder’s report (A.1);

 

(b)    formally receives and notes the Monitoring Officer’s report issued under Section 5A of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 in respect of the position in relation to Council’s omission regarding the formulation and implementation of a Crime and Disorder Strategy for the Council, as required under Sections 5 and 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998; and

 

(c)    in response, requests an update from the Portfolio Holder for Partnerships on the proposed form of action to resolve the historical omission at the next meeting of Cabinet complete with timescales.

 

Earlier on in the meeting, as detailed under Minute 57 above, Councillor Barry had declared a Discloseable Pecuniary Interest in the subject matter of this item insofar as he was a Trustee of the Brightlingsea Lido and the Lido Trust was referred to within the Appendix. Councillor Barry had been granted a Dispensation by the Monitoring Officer pursuant to Section 33(2)(e) of the Localism Act 2011, to enable him to stay in the room and vote on this item, as reference to the Brightlingsea Lido, of which he was a Trustee was mentioned but only in noting a factual position, rather than regarding making any new decisions about the Lido.

 

Cabinet considered a joint report of the Leader of the Council and the Monitoring Officer (A.1) which provided it with an update on the positive progress with Highlight Priority Actions adopted for 2024/25 towards the Council’s Corporate Plan Themes 2024/28. The joint report also informed Members of a breach of the Council’s Policy Framework and legal decision making requirements with regards to the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy (sections 5 and 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998).

 

Members were well aware that the Council had approved a Corporate Plan for 2024/28 and that this had established its strategic direction for those four years. That strategic direction itself sought to reflect the issues that mattered most to the local people, the national requirements from Government and the challenges that faced the District over that time period. The Corporate Plan had been adopted unanimously at the Full Council meeting held on 28 November 2023 (Minute 76 referred).

 

The themes of the 2024/28 Corporate Plan were:-

 

•    Championing Our Local Environment

•    Pride in Our Area and Services to Residents

•    Working with Partners to Improve Quality of Life

•    Raising Aspirations and Creating Opportunities

•    Promoting Our Heritage Offer, Attracting Visitors and Encouraging Them to Stay Longer

•    Financial Sustainability and Openness

 

The Corporate Plan shaped and directed the Council’s work and an extensive range of actions had been, were being and would be undertaken across the 2024-28 life of the Plan to deliver against its themes and priorities.

 

Members recalled that the Highlight Priority Actions adopted by Cabinet on 12 March 2024 sought to take forward the Corporate Plan. This meeting of Cabinet provided the opportunity to review progress with the Highlight Priority Actions adopted and realign the milestones for certain of those Highlight Priority Actions in view of the circumstances that now required this.  This detail was set out at Appendix A to the joint report.

 

It was reported that, within Appendix A, the opportunity had been taken to update Cabinet as a whole on the delivery of five highlight priorities for which there were no specific milestone for Quarter 2(Q2).  Those highlight priorities were:-

 

•A3(b) - Progress the review of the Local Plan to support sustainable development of  quality housing for a range of tenures.

•B4      - Take the opportunities afforded by Freeport East and the development of Bathside Bay.

•D1     -  To support projects to reduce Health inequalities e.g. around Fuel Poverty and access to the jobs market.

•D2      - To expand the Pupil Encounters’ Project, to provide all school children with additional encounters with businesses and employers throughout their Education.

•D5      - Establishing the feasibility for a new wellbeing hub in the District

•F2      - Review its communication strategy.

 

In all of the above cases, the progress shown in Q2 demonstrated the delivery of the priorities was progressing as envisaged with the intended outputs/outcomes.

 

In respect of the position set out in Appendix A, all highlight priorities were at low risk of not being delivered.  As such, the overall rating for each of the highlight priorities was ‘Green’.   The Appendix then set out the position for performance in Quarter 1 (Q1 – April to June) and Quarter 2 (Q2 – July to September) of 2024/25 against the approved milestones for each of those highlight priorities.  The Q1 position had been discussed with Portfolio Holders and then published in the summer following the end of that Quarter.

 

Cabinet was informed that the Q2 position was now presented and represented performance to the half year point.  Appendix A showed that against eight of the milestones scheduled for Q2, they had either been completed fully or substantially within the Quarter (and were therefore shown as ‘Green’).  A further four milestones had seen good progress within the Quarter and were shown as ‘Amber’ with one highlight priority Q2 milestones showing as ‘Red’ as progress had not been achieved as originally envisaged. 

 

Members were advised that the one ‘Red’ milestone concerned the safer streets funded project to improve lighting and extend CCTV coverage in Clacton-on-Sea’s Town Centre.  The commentary in Appendix A against that highlight showed that the position that had been achieved with a view, and a commitment, to deliver the scheme (albeit it to a different timeline than had been originally envisaged). 

 

In considering this joint report, Cabinet was also reminded that this first half year of 2024/25 had seen the following significant matters:-

 

(1)       High Street Animated with Transformation and Fun Event (Easter 2024);

(2)       Advice and Information on Applying for Grant Opportunities Available at Tendring4Growth Event in April 2024;

(3)       Find a New Role of Career at Jobs and Skills Fair in Jaywick Sands (May 2024);

(4)       Essex Sunshine Coast picks up three prestigious Blue Flag Awards;

(5)       Mental Health Hub in Clacton gets £28k boost;

(6)       Essex Textiles Service Rolled Out In Tendring;

(7)       Princes Theatre Named Among Top Ten Percent Of Attractions Worldwide (Travellers Choice Award by Trip Advisor);

(8)       Four Parks And Garden In Tendring Recognised As Some Of The Best In The Country (Green Flag awarded by Keep Britain Tidy);

(9)       Beachgoer and Beach Patrol Praised After Women Rescued From The Sea In Clacton (July 2024);

(10)    Car parks across Tendring handed top safety awards (Safer Parking Award Scheme Park Mark from the British Parking Association);

(11)    Sea defence works begin at Walton’s Naze;

(12)    Leisure Centre Income Buoyant;

(13)    Treasury Income more favourable than expected;

(14)    Council Taxcollection performance at the end of Q1 2024 was 29.37%, an increase compared with the 27.78% reported at the end of the same period last year;

(15)    Increasing attendance at the Princes Theatre (at the end of Q2 2024 the number of attendees at the Theatre was 20,638, an increase of 760 compared to the figure of 19,878 at the end of the same period last year); and

(16)    Successful Neighbourhood Plan Referendums held in the Parishes of Ardleigh and Elmstead (September 2024).

 

Cabinet was informed that Section 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 - formulation and implementation of strategies stated -

 

(1)  The responsible authorities for a local government area shall, in accordance with section 5 [with subsection (1A)] and with regulations (*) made under subsection (2), formulate and implement –

(a)    a strategy for the reduction of crime and disorder in the area (including anti-social and other behaviour adversely affecting the local environment); and

(b)    a strategy for combatting the misuse of drugs, alcohol and other substances in the area; and

(c)    a strategy for the reduction of re-offending in the area; and

(d)   a strategy for —

(i)  preventing people from becoming involved in serious violence in the area, and

(ii) reducing instances of serious violence in the area.

 

(*)  The Crime and Disorder (Formulation and Implementation of Strategy) Regulations 2007, Regulation 3.— Functions in respect of the formulation and implementation of a strategy –

(1) For each area there shall be a strategy group whose functions shall be to

(a)  prepare strategic assessments; and

(b)  prepare and implement a partnership plan, for that area on behalf of the responsible authorities.

 

Regulation 5.—

(1)    During each year the strategy group shall prepare a strategic assessment on behalf of the responsible authorities.

(2)    The purpose of the strategic assessment is to assist the strategy group in revising the partnership plan.

 

Members were advised that the approval of the Strategy/Partnership Plan was a function which must go to Full Council for approval, and whilst this was set out in the Council’s Constitution, as part of the Council’s Policy Framework, this was because it was a statutory requirement under Regulation 4(1) and Schedule 3 (Functions not to be the Sole Responsibility of an Authority’s Executive) under the Local Authorities (Functions and Responsibilities) (England) Regulations 2000).  Schedule 3 specifically referred to the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy under Sections 5 and 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1988 and this remained current law and in force.

 

Cabinet had before it within the joint report the following written statement of the Monitoring Officer:-

 

“I have made enquiries with the relevant department in respect of the current position with regards to the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy required under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and to date have been informed the Council does not have an up to date approved Strategy or Partnership Plan approved.  Reference has been made to the Crime and Safety Partnerships Strategic Assessment however, as the legislation as set out above confirms, the purpose of this assessment is to assist the strategy group in revising the partnership plan.  Further information is required to determine how this omission will be resolved.

 

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 imposed a duty on certain key public sector organisations to work together to make places safer.  The Act created Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (now known as Community Safety Partnerships or CSPs), which brought together the police, local authority, fire and rescue services, health, and probation to formulate strategies for the reduction of crime & disorder.  Tendring has a CSP and may have produced a strategy or priorities setting out an overarching framework for the Tendring CSP to reduce crime & disorder in the coming years, however this must be approved and adopted by the Council, following a recommendation from Cabinet.  Upon approval of the strategy, an annual Strategic Assessment would inform the Partnership action plan and overseen by the partnership to drive focussed action and resource deployment for the coming year.

 

This is a report issued under Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 to inform Members that Tendring District Council, has omitted to comply with the legal requirement to approve and adopt a Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy.  The Council is required by law to consider this report and decide what action (if any) to take in response.

 

The Chief Executive and the Assistant Director (Finance & IT) & Section 151 Officer have both been consulted on this report, as required by the legislation.”

 

Through the joint report, the progress with the approved specific highlight priorities to deliver against the Corporate Plan 2024-28 Themes were set out for the public record.   Accordingly, the report provided the opportunity to review progress with a number of initiatives and projects specifically identified for 2024/25 towards the ambitions in the 2024/28 Corporate Plan. Additionally, and in order to formally receive the Section 5 report from the Council’s Monitoring Officer and to consider its contents and Cabinet’s response thereto:-

 

It was moved by Councillor M E Stephenson, seconded by Councillor I J Henderson and:-

 

RESOLVED that Cabinet -

 

(a)    notes the contents of the report together with the highlighted realignment of particular milestones for particular highlight priority actions, as set out in the Appendix to the Portfolio Holder’s report (A.1);

 

(b)    formally receives and notes the Monitoring Officer’s report issued under Section 5A of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 in respect of the position in relation to Council’s omission regarding the formulation and implementation of a Crime and Disorder Strategy for the Council, as required under Sections 5 and 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998; and

 

(c)    in response, requests an update from the Portfolio Holder for Partnerships on the proposed form of action to resolve the historical omission at the next meeting of Cabinet complete with timescales.