Agenda item

A report will be presented in respect of the Kirklees Communities Partnership Plan 2022-2027.

Contact:

Jo Richmond – Head of Service, Communities

Lee Hamilton – Safer Kirklees Manager

Chris Walsh – Safer Kirklees Manager

A report was presented in respect of the Kirklees Communities Partnership Plan 2022-2027; the strategic plan to address multi-agency issues affecting quality of life for residents, as required by Section 5 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Councillor Carol Pattison, Cabinet Member for Learning, Aspiration and Communities was in attendance and introduced the plan. The Communities Board had made a commitment to develop co-ordinated partnership approaches to tackle the strategic priorities; to be informed by intelligence and data; to embed a place-based approach; to ensure safeguarding was at the heart of all work; and to address inequalities.

The key strategic priorities for the next five years were:

·       Tackling Violence, Abuse and Exploitation

·       Reduce Anti-Social Behaviour and Neighbourhood Crime

·       Reducing Risk

·       Building Resilient and Inclusive Communities.

Jo Richmond – Head of Service, Communities, Lee Hamilton – Safer Kirklees Manager and Chris Walsh – Safer Kirklees Manager attended the meeting to introduce the report and gave a presentation highlighting the following points:

·       The plan was informed by a Strategic Intelligence Assessment (SIA) developed using data, intelligence and insight from partnerships, which was reviewed on an annual basis. Issues might also be included where they were of particular public concern.

·       A number of partnership groups sat beneath the Board with a focus on particular priorities.

·       Detail of the themes and work covered by each of the over-arching strategic priority headings.

·       Performance measures and targets underneath each strategic priority.

Chief Superintendent Jim Griffiths from West Yorkshire Police was also in attendance. He welcomed the contribution that he and his senior leadership team had been able to make to the development of the plan, through working alongside partnership colleagues. It was important that the Partnership Plan sat alongside the wider policing plan for West Yorkshire and the three themes within that plan; reducing crime, protecting the vulnerable and providing reassurance to the public were reflected throughout the Partnership Plan.

Questions and comments were invited from the Committee Members, with the following issues being covered:

·       Speeding was a constant issue of concern raised with Ward Councillors and through Place Standard work, but the plan did not appear to reflect this.

·       It was understood that ‘Community Speedwatch’ was not supported by West Yorkshire Police and there was no option to report speeding on the website, which impacted on how it was prioritised. This issue was not just about injuries and fatalities; it had a day-to-day impact on how safe people felt in their locality and their wellbeing.

·       Consideration needed to be given to what constituted anti-social behaviour, as this could be perceived differently by different people, and also the approach to neighbour disputes, as it was important to hear both sides.

·       Chief Superintendent Griffiths explained that there were many serious issues addressed within the plan that were not visible to the public on a day-to day basis, unlike issues such as speeding, and there was a need to prioritise the available resources. He said that he would be keen to consider whether Community Speedwatch could be helpful in addressing the issue.

·       Road safety, which included speeding, was included in the plan and was taken seriously. There was a Road Safety Partnership and investment had recently been made in hand-held speed monitoring devices for use, in partnership with the local community, in areas where there were persistent concerns.

·       Safer Kirklees provided regular briefings for Ward Councillors and would contact them if there was an issue of concern in their area. The Police also held regular meetings with Councillors. Any ideas on other/better ways to engage would be welcomed.

·       Ward Councillors should be involved in the development of this plan; they were central to their communities and were aware of their concerns and priorities.

·       Addressing anti-social behaviour, including managing expectations and dealing with neighbour disputes, could be challenging. There was an intention to look at best practice from other areas and to review the approach.

·       There were certain criteria, established by the Department of Transport in 2007, that had to be met in order for permanent speed cameras to be installed. This work was undertaken by the West Yorkshire Casualty Prevention Partnership.

·       The themes in the plan had been developed using partnership data in the main; the Strategic Impact Assessment would be published on the website alongside the Plan.

·       This was a well-presented document that was easy to read, and the monitoring of outcomes was welcomed. It would be helpful if any changes in priorities from the preceding plan were highlighted and for an update to be provided on progress.

·       There had been a slight shift in priorities since the last plan, with violence against women and girls being an emerging priority and a stronger focus on water safety.

·       Quarterly updates were provided to the Communities Partnership Board on the measures and each sub-group had its own delivery plan which included relevant measures. It was considered that the results had been skewed by the effects of the pandemic over the last two years so it was difficult to accurately determine progress in many areas. However, this plan set out a clear set of measures to provide a benchmark to allow meaningful monitoring of progress for the future.

·       Positive outcomes should be celebrated.

·       Organised crime and serious violence were complex issues, but it was considered that positive outcomes were being achieved as a result of the structured meetings that took place within the partnership and the established strategic and operational aims. A significant amount of early intervention work had also taken place, using funding from the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit. Intelligence data was used to identify the key areas of focus for this work, which was undertaken alongside community groups and schools and supported by enforcement undertaken by the police.

·       It was confirmed that Safer Kirklees worked alongside other social housing providers, in addressing anti-social behaviour, as well as the Council.

·       Work was ongoing in relation to the Drugs and Alcohol Strategy, with workshops due to take place during the Summer. In terms of the links with mental health; there were strong connections with Public Health and a range of partners would be involved in the development of the strategy which would be based around the three strands in the government strategy; early help and prevention, treatment and recovery and enforcement.

Resolved –

1)             That the Communities Partnership Plan 2022-2027 be noted.

2)             That the points raised by the Committee be taken into account in the progression, and implementation, of the Communities Partnership Plan and that Council be made aware of the Committee’s views, as set out below, when the plan is submitted for endorsement:

-       Councillors, as representatives of their communities, should be involved in the development of the Communities Partnership Plan.

-       There should be a greater focus on speeding and road safety, to reflect the concern of residents.

-       The importance of listening to both sides when addressing neighbour disputes.

-       Outcomes and examples of good practice should be publicised.