Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence of Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

All members of the Committee were present.

To approve the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 20 August 2020.

The minutes of the Committee meeting held on 20 August 2020 were agreed as a correct record.

It was noted that:

·       The final report of the Ad Hoc Scrutiny Panel in respect of the future arrangements for the Council’s residential housing stock had been presented at Cabinet on 20th October 2020 (Minute 80)

·       ‘Our Council Plan’ had been approved by Council on 21^st October 2020 (Minute 85).

The Councillors will be asked to say if there are any items on the Agenda in which they have disclosable pecuniary interests, which would prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items, or any other interests.

No interests were declared.

Most debates take place in public. This only changes when there is a need to consider certain issues, for instance, commercially sensitive information or details concerning an individual. You will be told at this point whether there are any items on the Agenda which are to be discussed in private.

All items were considered in public session.

The Committee will receive any petitions and hear any deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also hand in a petition at the meeting but that petition should relate to something on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10 (2), Members of the Public should provide at least 24 hours’ notice of presenting a deputation.

No deputations or petitions were received.

Due to current covid-19 restrictions, members of the public may submit written questions to the Committee. 

Questions should be emailed to executive.governance@kirklees.gov.uk no later than 1000 am on 28 October 2020.  

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule:-

·         51(10) - each person may submit a maximum of 4 written questions

·         11(5) - the period allowed for the asking and answering of public questions will not exceed 15 minutes.

The Committee received questions from Councillor Martyn Bolt in respect of:

(i) Feedback and visibility in respect of the results of the consultation undertaken by Kirklees, Calderdale and West Yorkshire Combined Authority in relation to potential options for a by-pass at Cooper Bridge and subsequent proposals.

The Chair explained that the results of the consultation had been published on the Combined Authority’s website. The expectation was that any changes to the scheme would be subject to consultation with ward councillors and that Cabinet would discuss proposals, and the need for further consultation, at the appropriate time.

The Chair of the Economy and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Panel advised that she had requested an update on the scheme to be provided to Members of that Panel.

(ii) The status of Planning Panels/Committee.

The Chair confirmed that planning was not a quasi-judicial process but an administrative decision-making process. This was set out in Part 5.3 of the Council’s Constitution.

The Committee will consider the latest progress on the devolution deal for West Yorkshire, particularly the draft Order currently being developed by Government.

Alan Reiss, Director for Policy, Strategy & Communications from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority will be in attendance.

The Committee received an update on the latest progress in respect of the devolution deal for West Yorkshire, with particular reference to the draft Order currently being developed by Government.

Julie Muscroft - Service Director, Legal, Governance and Commissioning; Alan Reiss - Director of Policy, Strategy and Communications, West Yorkshire Combined Authority; Nick Howe – Corporate Policy Officer, and Councillor Paul Davies - Kirklees representative, West Yorkshire Combined Authority Scrutiny Committee were in attendance for this item.

It was explained that, following the ‘minded to agree’ deal that had been signed in March 2020, a Scheme had been prepared which set out the proposed future arrangements for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA). An eight-week public consultation on the Scheme had then taken place between May and July, which had received 4400 responses. The consultation results, along with further feedback from Leeds City Council and Kirklees Council, had been submitted to the Secretary of State, in September, to be taken into account when drafting the Order.

Each partner authority would be asked to agree to the final Order in November thus allowing it to be laid before Parliament before Christmas. The Order would then be made by January/February 2021, so that a mayoral election could take place in May 2021.

The deal would devolve a range of powers and significant long-term funding to the region, with the aim of giving people more control and greater freedom to decide their future. It would provide the region with a greater level of influence with Government to shape policy and offer the potential for further deals in the future.  The Combined Authority would gain access to funding streams equating to £1.8 billion of additional public funding, which would translate to a far greater impact on the economy and inclusive growth in West Yorkshire.

The process had been designed by Central Government and was set down in statute. It was believed that there had been a number of opportunities for Councils and the public to comment on the deal.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members and the following key issues were covered during discussion:

·       In response to a question about representation of all political groups, and thus the electorate, it was explained that the Combined Authority would comprise the Mayor and a representative appointed by each of the five constituent authorities plus non-voting members from City of York Council and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP). In addition, there would be 3 members appointed for political balance, based on the overall political make-up of the region. Although this meant that not all political parties would be represented, WYCA would be the only Combined Authority in the country where this wider formal voting representation was in place. It was also anticipated that there would be at least as many positions on Combined Authority Committees as currently and this provided opportunities for other Elected Members to be represented and  involved. Further engagement would be a decision for the Mayor.

·       The proposals for scrutiny  ...  view the full minutes text for item 95.

The Committee will receive a report which provides the opportunity to discuss and comment upon the refreshed 2020 Kirklees Communities Partnership Plan which outlines the key strategic priorities for the next 12 months.

Contact:

·         Jo Richmond, Head of Service, Communities

·         Lee Hamilton, Safer Kirklees Manager

·         Chris Walsh, Performance Manager, Communities

The Committee received a report which offered Members the opportunity

to discuss and comment on the October 2020 refresh of the Kirklees

Communities Partnership Plan, which outlined the key strategic

priorities for the next 12 months.

Jill Greenfield - Service Director, Customer and Communities; Jo Richmond - Head of Service, Communities; Lee Hamilton - Safer Kirklees Manager; Chris Walsh -  Performance Lead, Communities; Chief Inspector Alan Travis, West Yorkshire Police; and Councillor Carole Pattison – Chair of the Communities Board and Cabinet Member for Learning, Aspiration and Communities were in attendance for this item.

The report reminded the Committee of the statutory duty on Community Safety Partnerships to develop a strategic plan to address multi-agency issues affecting quality of life for residents.

In Kirklees this was known as the Communities Partnership Plan and included work being done in respect of cohesion, migration and re-settlement. The Plan covered the period 2018-2021 and was refreshed on an annual basis. The refresh now before the Committee was informed by the insights, data and analysis gathered from the Partnership Strategic Intelligence Assessment (PSIA), up to the end of September 2020. It recognised the significant challenges presented by the pandemic whilst continuing to address the established,overarching priorities;

·       Preventing and Reducing Crime

·       Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour

·       Protecting People from Serious Harm

·       Improving the Place

The report set out the key findings from the PSIA in relation to each of the priorities with a particular focus on the impact of the pandemic and the

disproportionate impact on communities in the more deprived areas.

It was explained that:

·       The overall priorities/themes remained current and largely unchanged but had been refreshed to reflect the findings of the PSIA.

·       There was a cross-cutting focus on: prevention and early intervention; targeting key hot-spot areas; support for victims and reduction in re-offending.

·       The governance structures were currently being reviewed.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members and the following key issues were covered during discussion:

·       Challenges had been experienced in respect of restorative justice work during lockdown. The three Victim Hubs had been, and were currently, closed but a 24-hour telephone line had been set up in conjunction with Victim Support. The potential for the use of technology to facilitate remote meetings would continue to be explored. During lockdown contact with offenders had been telephone-based but some face to face engagement was now taking place.

·       The Police worked closely with the Safer Kirklees Team on both the development and delivery of the Plan. Joint working took place with neighbouring districts and at both regional and national level, particularly in relation to high risk crime and best practice was regularly shared between the Community Safety Partnerships across West Yorkshire. It was accepted that the level of co-operative working could be more clearly reflected in the Plan and this would be taken on board.

·       Serious violent knife-enabled crime had decreased significantly during lockdown against a background of significant improvement in the figures over the preceding 12 to 18 months. Both preventative and enforcement work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 96.

The Committee will receive a report which provides a further update on the development of the Kirklees Domestic Abuse Strategy.

Contact:

Alexia Gray - Head of Quality Standards and Safeguarding Partnerships

The Committee received a report which provided a further update

on the development of the Kirklees Domestic Abuse Strategy.

Alexia Gray, former Service Manager for Domestic Abuse, was in attendance and gave a presentation which highlighted; the impact of the pandemic; the responses adopted to mitigate this so that services could continue to operate effectively and safely; and the links to the wider strategy including the proposed refresh of the underlying detailed action plan. This work had included the establishment of remote working practices, ensuring robust communication and reporting mechanisms and constant monitoring of data and intelligence.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members and the following key issues were covered during discussion:

·       The data was open to interpretation; the 4% increase was within a normal range and could not be attributed to the pandemic with any certainty. The data from the police required further examination in respect of whether there was a different split between the level of 3^rd party and direct reports prior to and during lockdown.

·       It had been recognised at an early stage of lockdown that people were using quieter methods to report incidents. The Police had created an online reporting form, the take-up of which had been good, and this facility would now be retained. A live webchat function had also been established in conjunction with the Pennine Domestic Abuse Partnership.

·       Information could be provided to Members in terms of repeat calls. The rates for both victims and perpetrators had been at approximately 30 to 40% for the last 2 to 3 years. This was an issue that would be considered as part of the refresh of the action plan. Addressing it required work in relation to changing behaviours.

·       There was a good stock of appropriate emergency accommodation within Kirklees and there good working relationships with Women’s Aid and the women’s refuge and a strong partnership with housing services for those needing to move on.

·       The impact of the innovative work being undertaken by the IDAAs (Independent Domestic Abuse Advocates) and the police was welcomed. If new methods/systems for reporting were proving to be effective then these should be retained and developed. It was confirmed that funding for the IDAAs to go out with the police would be factored into the main contract from 2021.

·       Consistent and stable funding was needed to allow effective methods to be developed and continued over time rather than intermittent pots of funding that only addressed an issue in the short-term.

·       It was good practice to have ideas for projects in place to facilitate a fast response to potential funding opportunities. A needs assessment and gap analysis was being undertaken and partnership work was taking place, across West Yorkshire, to consider and develop potential projects.

·       Work had progressed in respect of the Place Based Working funding but had stalled due to the pandemic. A report would be submitted to a future meeting to update the Committee on this area of work.

Resolved

(1) That the update in respect  ...  view the full minutes text for item 97.

To consider items for inclusion in the Scrutiny Work Programme

The work programme for the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee 2020/21 was noted.

The next meeting of the Committee was scheduled for 3^rd December 2020.

The Scrutiny Annual Report for 2019/20 would be presented to Council at its meeting to be held on 25^th November 2020. Each Chair was requested to prepare to present a highlight from their Panel.