Agenda item

The Committee considered a report of the Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Climate Change, which provided the Committee with Background information on enforcement and intervention activity by the Council’s Public Protection Service (for copy see file of Minutes).

The Public Protection Manager, Owen Cleugh gave a detailed presentation which provided Members with an Overview for Comment on activities of the Licensing Neighbourhood Interventions, Trading Standards and Safer Communities teams within the Public Protection Service with a focus on:

·        Business Compliance

·        The Special Investigations Team

·        Licensing

·        Nuisance Action Team

·        Community Action Team

·        Anti-Social Interventions Team

·        Safer Communities

The Public Protection Manager gave a detailed breakdown and outlined the issues faced by each team, highlighting the work being done around illicit tobacco, counterfeit clothing, footwear and sports memorabilia for the Special Investigations Team. He advised that Taxi Licensing was still the biggest issue facing the Licensing Team and informed Members that there had been 300 vehicle suspensions. The Public Protection Manager praised the work of the Community Action Team and noted the rise in complaints being handled by the team. He gave an example where the team had recently discovered a cannabis farm in a household with 22 dogs demonstrating the benefits of team walkabouts. He further advised that the Anti-Social Interventions Team had doubled enforcement over the past seven months to deal with a range of nuisances.

Councillor Jake Miller questioned the connective thinking between departments citing a recent incident in his ward of Wheatley Hill, where a business was proposing to apply shutters to its windows which was recommended by one team but was refused planning permission. Councillor Miller also questioned the inclusion of planning in walkabouts.

In response to questions from Councillor Miller, the Public Protection Manager informed the Committee that the team liaised with other internal departments but explained that they were limited in regard to decision making.  He agreed to speak with the planning department on this issue.

Resolved

The content of the report and presentation be noted.