To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Beswick, Susan Emmott, West and Peter Williams.

Members are required to declare any disclosable pecuniary, personal or personal and prejudicial interests they may have and the nature of those interests relating to items on this agenda and/or indicate if S106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.   

Further to the Council’s Code of Conduct, Councillor Kelly and Councillor Zaheer both declared a personal interest in agenda item 8 (Dippy on Tour).

To consider the Minutes of the meeting of Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, held 18 September 2019.

The Committee considered the Minutes of the last meeting held 18^th September 2019.

The Chair referred to recent events relating to Rochdale Market and requested that these events, including the decision (since rescinded) to close the Market, and the reasons for this decision be investigated by the Council’s Internal Audit team.

The Chair also requested that a report, relating to the Rochdale Riverside Project be submitted to the Committee’s next scheduled, on 20^th February 2020.

Resolved:

1.    That the Minutes of the meeting of Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, held 18^th September 2019, be approved as a correct record.

2.    The issue of Rochdale Market be referred to the Councils Internal Audit Team for investigation.

3.    The Director of Economy be requested to submit a report, to the Committee’s next scheduled meeting, regarding the Rochdale Riverside Project.

Head of Community Safety and Greater Manchester Police to report

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Neighbourhoods that reviewed the progress and approach to the Council’s community safety priorities delivered by the Community Safety Partnership.

The Committee was advised that the Community Safety Plan for the Council had been approved by the Council’s Cabinet on 27^th August 2019 following a Strategic Threat Assessment to determine the local priority areas. The revised plan has been informed by information from a residents’ survey in 2018 and a strategic threat assessment that included qualitative and quantitative data to assess the scale, trend, intelligence assessment and knowledge of themes.

The themes included:

·       Residential Burglary

·       Serious Violent Crime

·       Child Sexual Exploitation

·       Youth related anti-social behaviour

·       Modern Slavery

·       Domestic Abuse

·       Organised Crime

·       Substance Abuse – including drugs and new psychoactive substances

·       Night time economy and issues in our town centres

·       Community tensions

·       Sexual offences

·       Cyber Enable Fraud

The Chair had requested information relating to domestic violence in the Borough. Details of the measures being undertaken to counter the high levels of domestic violence that were reported across the borough were contained in the current delivery plan presented in Appendix 1 of the submitted report. A new domestic abuse steering group, with appropriate terms of reference, has been established to drive forward progress on a range of strategic issue relating to domestic abuse and its impact upon families and communities.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.

Head of Strategic Housing Service to report

Resolved:

That consideration of the Homelessness and Housing Allocations Business Transformation Project be deferred for consideration at the Committee’s next scheduled meeting on 20^th February 2020.

Assistant Director (Information Customers and Communities) to report

The Committee received a presentation, from the Assistant Director (Information Customers and Communities) and Link4Life’s Deputy Chief Executive that updated Members on preparations for the visit of ‘Dippy the Dinosaur’.

As part of a nationwide tour that takes in all parts of the United Kingdom, Dippy is due to visit Rochdale from February to June 2020, where he will reside in Number One Riverside. 

It was noted that at previous stops on his tour, where information was available, Dippy had attracted 153,000 visitors in Dorset and 250,000 visitors to Birmingham (including 90,000 advanced ticket sales). It was anticipated that upwards of 250,000 people will visit Rochdale during the Dinosaur’s stay in Rochdale. A number of events and activities were being planned by Link4Life and the Council to coincide with the visit with an emphasis on community and educational activities, including special packages for SEND children.

Resolved:

1.     The presentation be noted and welcomed.

2.     The Assistant Director (Information Customers and Communities) be requested to attend a future meeting of the Committee, in autumn 2020, to deliver a report/presentation reviewing Dippy the Dinosaur’s time in Rochdale.

Second quarter 2019/2020 (July – September) performance information – Economy Directorate

The Committee scrutinised the progress at the end of Quarter 2 (1st July – 30^th September 2019) towards achievement of the targets contained in the Economy Directorate Plan 2019/2020.

In accordance with the Council’s performance management framework, progress toward targets contained within Directorate Plans are to be reported to the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committees at the end of each quarter.

100% (11) of the actions included in the Directorate Plan 2019/2020 were still ongoing and were due to be completed by the action due date.   

The Operations Director (Rochdale Development Agency) updated the Committee on regeneration projects that were ongoing or in preparation across the Borough and of the work of Rochdale Development Agency. He updated the Committee on developments and proposals concerning Rochdale Market and the Committee agreed that a report regarding the future operating intentions of Rochdale Market be presented to the Committee’s next scheduled meeting on 20^th February 2020.

Resolved:

1.     The Quarter 2 (1st July – 30^th September 2019) progress towards achievement of the targets contained in the Economy Directorate Plan 2019/2020 be noted.

2.     The Director of Economy be requested to submit a report to the next scheduled meeting of the Committee on 20^th February 2020, regarding the future operating intentions of Rochdale Market.

Second quarter 2019/2020 (July – September) performance information – Neighbourhoods Directorate

The Committee scrutinised the progress at the end of Quarter 2 (1st July – 30^th September 2019) towards achievement of the targets contained in the Neighbourhoods Directorate Plan 2019/2020.

In accordance with the Council’s performance management framework, progress toward targets contained within Directorate Plans are to be reported to relevant Overview & Scrutiny Committees at the end of each quarter.

6% (1) of the actions included in the Directorate Plan 2019/2020 were complete, 88% (15) of the actions included in the Directorate Plan were still ongoing and a further 6% (1) of the actions had passed their due date and were not fully complete.

The Committee was updated on the numbers of rejected bins which the Council doesn’t collect and which are ‘contaminated’, including details on the level of fines that are imposed around contaminated bins or fly tipping? The Committee also requested information regarding the monitoring of business recycling, including how the Council can get businesses on board with the importance of recycling and dealing with waste?

The Chair asked for examples of fly tipping incidents on private land and requested that this matter be raised with the Cabinet Member with the responsibility for the Environment Portfolio.

Resolved:

1.     The Quarter 2 (1st July – 30^th September 2019) performance report detailing progress towards achievement of the targets contained in the Neighbourhoods Directorate Plan 2019/2020, be noted.

2.     The Head of the Council’s Environmental Management Services be requested to respond to Members of the Committee, in writing, detailing answers to the various questions that Members raised above.

To note the Committee’s Work Programme 2019/2020

Resolved:

That the Committee’s Work Programme 2019/2020 be noted.