Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies received.

None

There were no declarations of interest made.

That the minutes of the meeting held on the 27^th July 2021 be agreed as a true record.

(A period not exceeding 20 minutes for statements from up to 5 members of the public on matters within the Panel’s remit, proposing action(s) which may be considered or contribute towards the future development of the Panel’s work programme).

There were no public statements made.

The Panel received a report, which provided information about the new 2021-2024 Domestic Abuse Strategy.  Members were told how the strategy sets out a coordinated community and whole family response to domestic abuse, ensuring that it was everyone’s responsibility through clear objectives.

There was a discussion held and the following areas were highlighted;

Data/Victim Support  - Clarification was sought on data from the report, that “during the 12 months from April 2020 to March 2021, South Yorkshire Police recorded 9,724 reported incidents of domestic abuse, 6,021 of these were recorded as a crime”. It was questioned why 3,703 cases were not recorded as crime.

Members heard how early intervention and support was recognised as being very important in addressing domestic abuse.  It was explained that as a country we also record non-crimes and that would mean when a domestic abuse incident occurred, if there was a recordable crime, for example, an assault, theft or harassment etc, a crime would be recorded and flagged as domestic abuse.  It was continued that in the event the police attended a report of an incident, for example, reported from an argument from next door (and the relationships within that environment met that criteria), then that would be recorded a domestic abuse non-crime.  It was explained that this would result in a referral being made which would then be recorded on the system and allow for further suitable actions to be undertaken accordingly.  It was commented that more recently the proportion of crime to non-crime had moved more towards the crime side (partly due to legal changes that have been made to what is a crime).

Members were informed that during the pandemic there had been an increased reporting of domestic abuse, following more time being spent at home and with families, resulting in an increased requirement being placed on support services.  It was commented that domestic abuse incidents were previously being prioritised through the court system, and as a result of the pandemic, there had been a delay with all cases and that balance needed to be addressed.  It was recognised that the longer it takes for a case to be resolved then the harder it was for the victim.

Reference was made to front line services who might have been able to ‘spot the signs’ but as a result of the pandemic had not seen people (including children) as they normally would have.  It was commented that following the pandemic, there may be an increase in referrals being made through the Domestic Abuse Hub through partner agencies.  It was commented that most referrals to the Domestic Abuse Hub currently came from the Police or Children’s Services.

Clare’s Law - An explanation of Clare’s Law was provided in terms of ‘right to know’ or ‘right to ask’ and what this meant in terms of the process.  Members were informed that during Quarter 1, there had been 64 requests of ‘right to know’ and 30 requests of ‘right to ask’ which was a slight reduction  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

The Panel received a presentation, which described the Borough’s overall flood risk and provided an overview of the authority’s winter readiness. Members received information about the challenges faced by the authority in delivering flood alleviations’ schemes and specifically around the funding of those projects.

There was a discussion held and the following areas were highlighted;

Sand Bags – Regarding the shelf-life and turnover of sandbags, Members were informed that the Council now had hydro bags in stores as they lasted longer. It was noted that the supplier provided sand bags, which were turned over on a regular basis.

It was explained that the location of companies were in Branton and Thorne, and sandbags could also be dropped off at North Bridge.  It was reported how at the last near miss event, there had been a 4 day waiting time to prepare.  Members heard how the sandbags could be delivered to site so there was no problem in terms of connectivity or being locked in.

Built Environment – Members heard how ensuring that new build housing was not adding pressure to or being built on existing types of flood risks, that sustainable drainage had been brought into planning provision (following the 2007 floods and the Pitt Review) and therefore as part of the consultation for the application, the Council acted as a consultee.  Members were assured that further new guidance was coming under planning but had not yet been released.

Members heard that following the 2019 floods, Defra had released a substantial amount of funding, providing £500 per property (Property Flood or Level Resilience) for a survey to be carried out to find out what the best resilience solutions were for that property to be protected.  It was continued that a further £4,500 was made available as a grant to provide solutions although any remaining money would have to be found by the resident.  The Panel was provided with information on the numbers of households who had followed through with the process and it was acknowledged that there were challenges such as some properties not wanting to engage with the process, some properties being rentals and also due to restrictions arising from the pandemic.  Reference was made to the fact that some estates were made of generic houses and it was clarified that the process and guidelines set by Defra was based on the individual property.

The Chair requested that details of the scheme be sent out to Ward Members to help publicise the scheme.

Health Assessments – Regarding whether there had been a health assessment for residents who had been living in properties impacted by the floods, Members were advised that a response would be sought from colleagues in Public Health.

Resources – Further to an enquiry around how many registered and trained volunteer Flood Wardens were operational, Members were informed that it was a function of the Local Environment Agency (LEA) who administered the scheme.  The Drainage and Street Works Manager offered to provide this information to Members outside  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

The Senior Governance Officer presented the Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan report for the 2021/2022 municipal year.

RESOLVED that:-

1.     The Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan for 2021/2022 be approved;  and

2.     The Council’s Forward Plan of Key Decisions, be noted.