Agenda and minutes

Councillors Woodbyrne, Spall, Gantly and O’Sullivan

None

Declarations of interest

 If you have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest* in an item of business:

§  if it is not yet on the council’s register, you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent;

§  you may choose to declare a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest that is already in the register in the interests of openness and transparency. 

In both the above cases, you must leave the room without participating in discussion of the item.

If you have a personal interest in an item of business and you intend to speak or vote on the item you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent but you may participate in the discussion and vote on the item.

*(a) Employment, etc - Any employment, office, trade, profession or vocation carried on for profit or gain.

(b)  Sponsorship - Any payment or other financial benefit in respect of your expenses in carrying out duties as a member, or of your election; including from a trade union.

(c) Contracts - Any current contract for goods, services or works, between you or your partner (or a body in which one of you has a beneficial interest) and the council.

(d) Land - Any beneficial interest in land which is within the council’s area.

(e) Licences- Any licence to occupy land in the council’s area for a month or longer.

(f)   Corporate tenancies - Any tenancy between the council and a body in which you or your partner have a beneficial interest.

 (g) Securities - Any beneficial interest in securities of a body which has a place of business or land in the council’s area, if the total nominal value of the securities exceeds £25,000 or one hundredth of the total issued share capital of that body or of any one class of its issued share capital. 

This applies to all members present at the meeting.

None

RESOLVED:

That, subject in minute 40 to the amendment as follows-

Delete Councillor Khuruna and the insertion of Councillor Khurana -the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 11 October 2018 be confirmed as a correct record and the Chair be authorised to sign them

None

For members of the public to ask questions relating to any subject on the meeting agenda under Procedure Rule 70.5. Alternatively, the Chair may opt to accept questions from the public during the discussion on each agenda item.

The Chair outlined the procedures for Public questions and filming and recording of meetings

The Chair stated that in regard to visits in relation to the Scrutiny Review on Universal Credit, she was proposing visits on the following dates –

17 January 2019

22 January 2019

The Chair requested that Members let Democratic Services know whether they are able to attend these visits

The Chair also outlined the fire evacuation procedures for the Committee and Public present

Nick Davies, Islington Police, and Councillor Andy Hull, Executive Member Finance, Performance and Community Safety were present for discussion of this item and made a presentation thereon.(Copy interleaved)

During consideration of the presentation the following main points were made –

·         Snatch offences were at their lowest number monthly since August 2014, There has been a 50% reduction in the past 12 months compared to the same period in the previous year

·         This has led to a 7% reduction in total crime between 1 October 2017 and 30 September 2018 compared to the same period in the previous year. Islington was ranked 11^th out of 32 MPS boroughs for all crime. Across the MPS there was a 2% increase

·         Serious youth violence recorded a reduction of 16 offences compared to the same period in the previous year, and Islington was ranked 20^th.out of 32 MPS boroughs

·         There has been a 15% increase in burglary offences in the past 12 months, compared to the same period the previous year, although levels are lower than earlier in 2018. Islington are currently ranked 4^th out of 32 MPS boroughs

·         There has been a 14% increase in knife crime compared to the same period in the previous year, however there has been an 11% reduction in knife crime with injury (non-domestic abuse and where the victim is aged under 25)

·         There has been a sustained reduction in knife crime injuries under 25: down 10.7% and a 49.7% reduction in theft snatch offences

·         Serious youth violence is down 6.9% and the reduction in young people receiving custodial sentences has reduced from 30 in 2016/17 to 17 2017/18

·         There has been a very positive focused visit on Islington’s work with vulnerable adolescents in May 2016 and through partnership interventions and support have disrupted a concerning new group/gang in the borough

·         Challenges include – increase in prevalence and complaints re drug dealing and concern re: a possible escalation in gang tension/violence – increase in robbery offences, (slightly less than the London wide increase), gangs constantly evolving and trying new methods and techniques, and the London wide context of increase in violent crime, including record number of stabbing

·         Future work/Opportunities include – delivery of contextual safeguarding approach in hot spot areas, opportunities to work with the new Pan London County Lines Response and Rescue service, Camden and Islington Citizens Civil Society Commission on Violence, and further development of trauma informed approach across the Council and partners

·         Violence against Women and Girls – Samira BAMER DVA project supported 124 survivors since April 2018 and delivered 82 awareness raising sessions – Solace IDVA service worked with 423 victims – the new Keel Prototype multi agency team launching this autumn will test a new way of working with families affected by DVA – FGM Risk assessment tool launched recently – November White Ribbon campaign this year the focus in on DVA on Children and Young People

·         Challenges are increasing criminal justice outcomes for survivors, sustaining funding for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

Councillor Andy Hull, Executive Member Finance, Performance and Community Safety was present, together with Steve Key, Service Director, Resources

During the report the following main points were made –

·         It was noted that the forecast outturn from the General Fund is of a gross underspend of £1.2m before taking into account, the contingency budget of £2m. This figure had reduced by £100k since circulation of the report. It was noted that it was felt that the Council may achieve a break even budget position by the end of the financial year

·         It was noted that the HRA forecast is a net break-even position

·         Members noted that E&R were forecasting an overspend of £1.9 m and measures were in place to try to reduce this overspend

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted

The Chair informed the meeting that the report had been deferred until the meeting on 24 January 2019 to enable Thames Water to be present to update the Committee on a number of outstanding issues, in particular outstanding compensation claims, the recent floods in Offord Road and Grosvenor Avenue, progress on training of urgent response staff, and the response to the scrutiny review recommendations that related to them