Good evening and welcome to the people’s scrutiny committee this is a meeting of the council held in public this is not a public meeting there are no fire drills planned but so if the fire alarm sounds please leave by the nearest exit and proceed down the far exit to
The Courtyard once it’s safe to return councilors will receive a text message officers will also advise when it’s safe to return to the meeting we’ll be recording this meeting this evening using our webcasting system the webcast will be transmitted live and be available on the council’s website following the meeting all mobile devices
Should be switched off or set to silence and the meeting is not Disturbed thank you so do we have any apologies for absence uh councelor Lawrence is being substituted by councelor Carol Morris thank you any Declarations of interest I’m not sure whether I need to but on um agenda item four it talks
About the uh py Food Bank Basel and food bank and I volunteer there on a Tuesday evening okay thank you councilor Reed anybody else no right we’ll go on to item three the minutes of the previous meeting I take it everybody’s had time to read it so vote on block if possible does
Everybody agree that was here agree with the minutes of the meeting yes you okay y that’s fine thank you just to confirm Usain yeah sorry and those that weren’t here abstaining yep sorry two thank you right now we go on to item four the quarter 4 report people thing thank
You thank you um before you tonight counselors is the quter 4 report I will point out obviously quarter 4 is still going and will be going till the end of March so the items that are updated will only be the monthly piis the courtly pis will not be done until uh well until
April um so if there are any questions um quite happy to take them right councelor Morris yes um it might be because I’m I’m not usually here that I don’t know anything about it but if I can just ask a few questions please um on page 21 it
Talks about the um motivated minds and flex youth group um which I be get re believe has only just recently began so it’ be interesting to know whether that is going well and also um on numerous Pages afterwards um page 23 it’s talks about year-to dat targets but there aren’t any
I just wonder why that might be um and there are various consultations I wonder when they they’ve obviously they’ve completed but I’m wondering when the results of those are due should I stop there or would you like me to carry on I think stop there was that last sorry was that last
One sorry the the last one was on page 24 was talking about um Community diversity Council and um tackling cake crime um certainly in terms of U motivated minds and they work with the fleps youth group we’ve worked with motivated Minds now for for probably three four years um and they’re doing an
Excellent job from their base in the Eastgate um and certainly the flex youth group uh have also benefited from uh the executive development course so we know that the work we’ve done with motivated minds and flex um has enabled them to access further funding from alternative sources so they’re they’re doing a very
Good job and supporting our community very well um in terms of the targets these are uh new uh were new targets a couple of years or new Pi sorry A couple of years ago so we’ve not set a Target per se uh because we weren’t measuring them before I’ll certainly discuss um
With uh the staff that’ll be looking after these in future around whether they should be targeted or not um but what we have seen is a significant increase in volunteering in culture and health um although we would expect it to go down in December and January um it
Will pick up uh considerably uh as the weather gets warmer because a lot of our friends group don’t operate during the winter so um uh that’s that one and in terms of the consultations um not my area um but I do know we are Consulting on um and talking about the
Future inclusion and diversity strategy and how that would work with the connected Community strategy and also the digital inclusion strategy so we have this kind of whole inclusion strategy because we’re talking about the same thing to different people so how we work that together so that’s the kind of
Work that we’ll be doing in the new minable year so that’s on the list to be done so um that’s where be on with that the moment thank you very much Mr Grace so that might be something that you would be putting on your work program come the new year okay
Um so the um an application was submitted to sport England in October 24 for um deepening the plan find your active work is is there an update on that um so uh members will remember we’ve had the local delivery pilot now for four years in the burrow which was
Funding from sport England that we’re working with uh active essics and the Essex health and well-being board to deliver along with cester and Clon we have been particularly successful in Essex um and Basel and also doing very very well as part of that um so sport England are now
Expanding um that program and it will be called Place partners of which uh bason will be a place partner um so we’re putting together currently the bid I think that’ll be done over the summer and we’ll be going uh in later in the year our bid we’re currently building
What that may look like for uh sustaining the excellent work that’s already been done in getting people physically active so that’ll be going in in October that will also be coming to this committee prior to that being submitted for discussion um but um yeah so it’s it’s there’s a new set of
Funding that we can apply for um which we’re working with now with active essics and at what we’re going to do and we’re also going to be supporting those new areas in Essex that have now got uh some funding uh to start the work that we did four years ago so that’s
Castle point and I think far have got some so there’s two that are going to be in the next pot for that so quite an exciting time really that we’ve shown how well it works and how how well it’s done thank you very much councilor
Reed thank you and again I’m not sure if this is appropriate because I’ve already said I volunteer with the food bank but it says on page 22 um initial work is underway to work with basilon food bank on their move to the um EXC community resource center do we know of any time
Scale of when that move is going to happen I mean would it coincide with possibly when they have to leave the place or not thank you um I’m not sure the timeline because obvious there some Works to do to the building that they’ll need to do so I
Know that work is currently on going I’ll try after this meeting I’ll find out the date and then I’ll circulate that to all members I’m not up to date on that particular project at the moment but I’ll I’ll get it to you as soon as I know okay thank you councelor
Myers uh thank you chair on the collective Community strategy uh say on page on the bottom so page 21 um work is now underway to work with local community groups in town councils to commemorate dday in in June um obviously this is a bit of a a new bit
Because this wasn’t there in the last I don’t believe in the last quarter’s report um what what work are we currently doing to to cimo because obviously it’s a big thing for the baron for the country to commemorate those um areas so what sort of work has been
Going on so far to allow local community groups and town councils to properly commemorate um in June so uh members will remember that we had uh we now have five beacons across the towns one in each town so the council will be delivering an event in bason and
We’re working with Partners in central bason there’ll be one in Lon there is one in pitty uh there is one in Wickford and there is one in biki uh the town councils are involved in those we’re working with those so that there’ll be an event around the lighting of the
Beacon um but I think what we’ll make sure is that there’s a communication goes to all members about that to let them know in their Wards when that’s happening what’s happening because we’re leaving um there is a a set of instructions as there always is with
These things and what they’d like to see happen but there’s a lot that’s left up to the individual group or organization that’s that’s doing the main managing um so that will we’ll get that circulated once we know a little bit more but I’ll make sure that that’s that’ll be
Circulated well in advance obviously of the events okay so obviously um most places now have parishes or or town councils in you know one one of the towns at least um but in terms of working with local community groups could you elaborate on who you’re working
With there you go who we working with and what they’re sort of planning to do for for that I mean just off the top of your head you know if if you know of what the community groups um are doing um or who they if you mean have it now
I’m quite for you to circulate it later okay um so we’re working with Basel and Heritage py which will be at what Tyler uh with for Town Council and we’re also working with B Ricky Town Council it’s their Beacon and they’ll be doing their thing the one I don’t know is is is
Landon I’m unsure of but again I’ll circulate that round of who’s doing that unless uh counselor Jeff Henry knows um but I can’t remember off the top of my head yeah I um I understand that uh Landon is going to be pulling in some kind of a
Thing although it’s not part of the central um budgeted Council aspect so um we are organizing something more at a more local level so I think Wickford and biller Ricky their Town councils largely are the key players to that bason will be doing something I believe with the
The Heritage people M Wayne has been working on that for a couple of months now um and that will be probably here in our in our Civic um main town and I think pitsy will will have something I know we’ve got to organize locally at Lon ourselves but we will
Do okay thank you um for that U and just finally of course um going on to the um the play review and obviously what the successes we’ve had uh this year we we we’ve spoken about this at every single um scrutiny we’ve had over the last two years um
With the you know the exceptional job that that yourself Paul and and staff have made in in sorting out these contracts and and and and whatever um and getting them delivered I think that we look at what we’ve achieved over the last two to three years on on on this um
Aspect of getting the these um new activ new play um areas done in a in a timely and efficient manner I think I think that’s credit to you and your staff and the contractors to actually um you know do it on time and on budget um
I just wondered if uh Council of Henry would like to make a few comments on on on his portfolio about how he feels it’s been and going forwards for the next seven years or so well obviously um you don’t have a conversation in any Council Building without somebody
Bringing up the the two magic words of every local Authority who’s paying um but the money’s been set aside we’re very proud of the fact that we haven’t touched it we haven’t in any way um scaled that down um it’s it’s a peculiar thing with the play strategy because
There’s nowhere that we can go and just this isn’t Costco we don’t get to walk in and say I’ll have 143 play areas please there’s quite a lot of work that that’s involved um as As a matter of course all of our Parks all of our play areas are routinely inspected to make
Sure that they’re safe and that they that there’s there’s no danger to the people currently using them they have been um rated in terms of of safety so we know that priority we know which ones got two years left in it we know which one’s got six months left in it um and
We we will make safe on those Parks you know according ly um obviously the budget is spread out over over a 10year period um we’re now about to come out of year three and go into year four and they are they they have been great and actually we’re seeing now um a vastly
Different um mix of tactile experiences so you’ve got play panels with with moving objects and and things that are actually quite educational they’re not just babyish shapes that they’re quite educational teaching about the weather and and and and and a variety of things which is really really nice to see
Because it’s actually something that’s that you can then do something with the shape is a shape but you know the Sun and honey pots and bees and pollinators and and things like that a a very very different thing it’s not a particularly simple job um our officers um Tracy in
Particular will go out and and consult so when we’ve been out Consulting for a skate park we’ve literally set up a tent in the middle of a big Park and we’ve sat there for 6 hours and talked to people engag with local families people passing by when it comes to the
Individual playgrounds that might be on housing Estates or between Estates um we will literally go to the nearest primary schools and consult with the the student bodies there and that’s been incredibly successful so children are telling us what they want on their play play park on the way home it’s been um helpful
It’s been been useful um but none of it’s none of it’s quick we then order those goods we then wait for that design to come in we then agree that design we then have to get that design through legal and procure it and follow all of those procurement steps and then finally
Somebody gets to come along with a van and a shovel and actually start the work in many months could have passed in that in that time so I think coming out of this year we’ve delivered 13 this year there’s 10 on the books for next year of
A variety of sizes and across and even spread of the borrow and that’s also an important aspect it’s not we’re not getting one town done first we’re doing these in the in the safety priority order um of of those but obviously we are continuing to um do the safety
Audits on those um pieces of play equipment and that will be largely the only thing that would really change the order of delivery that’s it thank you right um on page 21 um after seeing both Bas and twinning the BBW CVS and the community Transport Service um it says about them
Going for their funding because their funding Circle runs out on the 31st of this month for where about we are on securing their funding for the next number of years uh yeah all their funding uh has now been awarded so the um cmdr I think have been completed for those so they’ll
Be receiving their funding for next year okay brilliant thank you um the other number which jumped out at me was on page 28 and again it comes under health and well-being which is um very important as we we spoken before about the CDC coming to pits and things like
That and the um New Center coming within Eastgate it was good to see the number of bike applicants Pedal Power jumped up in January is this probably down to weather or is it a change in the way they’re working um well it’s become very very popular and word gets around December’s
Never a good month to the yard stick anything against um but yeah so it’s still growing from strength to strength um and certainly working with Partners like the hospital for example where it’s been a huge benefit uh to those people um the story that um was told I think it
Was a cabinet one a cabinet we were discussing it and um the uh somebody that works at the hospital on low wage um having to take a bus to work cos them quite a lot of money um is now able to take her daughter back to dance classes
Because she can cycle to work and therefore has released the money to do it so that’s exactly what it’s for it’s exactly to help people um sustain a more green and yet more fuel efficient and cheaper form of Transport so it’s doing really well at the hospital and
Supporting quite a lot of people in getting to work um at a very very affordable cost brilliant thank you has anybody else got any other questions on this report no right thank you very much we will move on then to item five which is the annual review of the public spaces protection order
Thank you thank you chair um so yeah we’re going to talk about the um public spaces protection order um this evening what this report is is that it’s um bringing to you the annual review of the public spaces protection order hopefully as you all know we’ve had that public spaces
I’m going to call it a pspo because that’s what we call it so I’m hoping that you’ll you’ll get that understand what that means um so the public the PSO has been in place for two years now just over two years and we um it’s a
Three-year order so it will be in place until March 2025 we it isn’t a saty obligation to do an annual review but um when the order was um agreed and approved at at cabinet there was a request that we do carry out an annual review because what it will do
Is give us an opportunity to consider if there are any variations that we might want to make to the um to the pspo so the first part of the report and initially is really to to highlight the successes of the pspo that we’ve we’ve
Had over the last uh the last year so um I will I’m conscious of time but I won’t I will just go briefly over some of those highlights um we’ve had 500 5,370 patrols um which have been um really high Vis visibility patrols which is the main purpose of the pspo because it’s
About deterring antisocial CRI antisocial behavior and crime three High Street towns and shopping areas are the highest locations for the patrol so that’s basan and blicky and Wickford um the main areas of the pspo enforcement are mainly due to alcohol consumption in restricted areas um illegal use of drugs urinating illegal
Use of motorized vehicles and car cruising so that’s the areas where we’ve actually been able to issue fixed penalty notices um under the the psbo um and the ongoing added value uh I think from having the pspos is that we’ve been able to carry out 644 public reassurance visits 62 assists
With emergency services so events that have happened in the in the pspo pspo areas where we’ve had our community safety wardens patrolling they’ve actually been able to help with emergency um situations and also deterring um ASB and this is where the community safety wens themselves have witnessed that their their presence has
Deterred a group of people that may potentially have been causing some antisocial Behavior so there’s 66 incidents that have been recorded of that there’s probably a lot more but they might not necessarily have been been witnessed um we have also highlighted in the report that ASB has
Reduced in most areas that where we are patrolling um and there’s only a very very few where that that hasn’t happened um there reduction in reported car cruising incidents has been quite significant um and that you know we we introduced a additional area for car cruising as a variation last year which
Was at the southfields um Area Industrial Area in London London sorry in Landon and again as I say we’ve received significantly less reports around particularly around the Tesco flyover and that area since we introduced those uh pspo restrictions um so we’re really seeking terms of the annual review it’s it’s
There for information purposes but you know obviously it’s an opportunity for the committee to comment and report on that um on that information um but the main part of the um report would which we would obviously really like members uh views is that we are recommending two
Variations to the pspo this year um the first one is is about um is about B uh is about bicycles and we we’ve just heard heard that you know um people riding bicycles is a really important aspect it’s culturally we’re moving towards encouraging more use of bicycles
So this is not about prohibiting the vast majority of people who will ride their bicycle in the in the Bor in a in a in a in a in a a well behaved Manner and in and in the appropriate way this is trying to put something in place to
Deal with the minority of people that are we are experiencing that is increasing is that riding their bicycles in an antisocial way and that’s particularly in some of our public space areas such as the town center and some of our Park um areas and we are getting increasing reports about that and I
Think the uh report identifies that so the other one is about using amplifiers and this is spe specific for the bason town center and we’re again seeing an increasing amount of um Amplified use of uh buskers who I do not have the council’s permission to carry that out
That activity in the Town Center so it’s not a planned event and it’s not something that the council have given permission or the Town Center management company have given permission for that to happen um so this is about trying to have another tool in our in our tool kit
To enable the community safety wardens and or the community policing team to be able to issue on the on the spot fixed penalty no es when they witness that activity the wording around those um prohibitions are quite vague in the report at the moment and that’s quite
Deliberate because what we want to do is to get to get to seek some views around that we will have to go out to a public consultation so this report will be going back to Cabinet in um June to get authorization to formally go out and consult on those two
Recommendations um so what when we’ve done all of the consultations there will be some final wording that will be agreed based on you know what what is the feedback we get from um members of the public businesses and members of the council um and then our legal team will
Put work together to say to to put the correct wording together about what we actually want to achieve from that prohibition um as I said um so really we’re just seeking your views comments and that whatever um views and comments we get back from today will be included in the
Report that goes to the cabinet in in June thank you thank you very much for that report um one thing I’m going to mention before we kick off this was what we always must remember is the counselor who pushed off for the pspo in the first place which
Was um our friend and colleague councelor Luke McKenzie who you know we we sadly lost a few weeks ago and missed early but it it was him and councelor Rimer that pushed for this originally starting at the py fly with the um Street Cruisers we had there so it’s
Good to see that an idea that has started in a small area pitsy has spread across the bar and actually the amazing difference it has made to all our residents and businesses so I just wanted to have that um before we go in what I’d like to do it possible always
Break this discussion down really into two pieces one to discuss the recommend the proposed recommendations and then go on and talk about the full report later if that’s all right with all counselors so if we can start off with the first one regarding bikes what is anybody anybody got any
Feedback either positive or negative on that proposal councelor um I think that I mean it’s it’s positive that um the report states that um things are improving but I think the time will tell now with the lighter nights and the better weather because um where I live I mean the once the
Light the lighter nights come we have motorbikes coming down the trav’s way they go around the park when inord Road and they go straight right past the north the shops at Chon square and go around northland’s Park and then they do that on a a circular tour sometimes all
Day and sometimes all night um and so I think that at this time of year it is going to be quieter but once we you know once the clocks change I think they could be and so I think then we’ll see exactly what difference this has actually
Made I I kind of feedback as as everybody knows I’m Ward counselor with counselor Reed the frustrating Point as a counselor on that is the fact of where these motorbikes are coming from has been reported to ESS police several times yet they’re still allowed to get
Away with it and that I think for us and and probably for yourselves and for a residen is the frustrating bit I myself of Ford on CCTV to essics police of where they’re coming from yet we still I completely agree with councelor Reed of impit is a massive problem
Um regarding bikes especially in our town centers I can only speak for pitsy and for bason two areas that are frequent yeah we need to we need to tough and down on them um the amount of near misses that we’ve seen either well with adults but especially with children
And those that are disabled or the elderly um if we haven’t had any serious instan already I’m very surprised so I would be completely in favor of cracking down on people using bikes antisocial so that’s my view um councilor Morris it’s clear that this has been a
Problem for some time it was in the it was in the original um documents but it says in several places here that it wasn’t actually implemented because it was felt that the punishment was too severe for the crime so what we need to do is find a way of preventing it that
Is felt to be proportionate so yeah I I think we should continue with what was intention intended in the first place Shey um thank you Mr chairman I was just going to say that the um a couple of weeks ago were out in pitc um and one of
The comments that was made so not necessarily on your you usual High Street but in the Alleyways in the Estates um some uh a couple of residents mentioned that people are using those Estates as um shortcuts and because they’re riding in the Estates when it’s
Hard for me to uh to to describe but what Resident was uh uh I was just outside their place and it’s it’s really bad because if their kids come out of their house literally out outside their house there could be somebody coming in with a bike like a tea dunon but it’s
Part of the estate and there’s no way that the younger kids can see that and they were actually raising that if it’s possible to put um uh possible Gates that can prevent them from doing that or at least slowing down at that part of the estate um to prevent um well
Accidents especially with young people and then it prevents young people from uh being safe outside they just outside their own house which is uh I think something that needs to be taken into consideration with this one not just antisocial behavior on your usual basan Town pitty town but in theats as
Well just to clarify I think the recommendation that we’re putting forward it would cover all of the pspo area so it’s where it’s wherever we’ve got a public space effectively it it would cover antisocial Behavior use or on a bicycle I think what what you’re talking about is is it’s not necessarily
Antisocial Behavior use it’s the fact that it’s it can’t be seen and therefore it’s just a bit dangerous in terms of the way that that’s happening I mean that’s more of an estate what we would call what we would call an estate Improvement so if there is an
Opportunity to put a gate on or to do something different in that area then that’s really for the um it depends where is obviously if it if it’s Clarion or if it’s somebody it’s we can certainly work with you outside of the meeting to see if there’s something that
We can do that particular area when you say Claren it’s not van I meant P sorry in P okay that’s if you if you would like to share with me after the meeting where that is then we can get somebody to have a look at that area and see if
There’s anything that we can do okay in there and come back to you is that okay yeah uh nothing else for me thank you Mr chairman councelor Henry thank you uh Mr chairman and thank you for entertaining me I know I’m not a member of your committee but I think
This is a really really really sound idea we see this now in a lot of the areas that are covered by this um the public spaces Town Center shopping parades and things like that people just going at incredible speed from one end of the thing to the other with some
Quite vulnerable people just stepping out into their path and this could this could be potentially lifechanging um injuries for some of these elderly vulnerable quite frail people for whom they rely on this da go out for you know a packet of a copy of the Sun or or
A pint of milk that’s that’s their entire social life incapsulated in that one trip so to have these types of people running up and down perfectly all right perfectly acceptable mode of transport and with a safe and sound I know elain and and the housing team are
Looking at doing um safe bicycle stores particularly in the Lee Chapel North area but it’s it’s a difficult thing we we all have to share the same space and we have to be a little bit considerate of each other so I think anything that empowers um the use of a psbo to
Actually make that a little bit more bearable for those residents that might come AC Cropper if they step out at the wrong time um I do I did want to just briefly talk about the success of the southfields Edition that was last year I’m a Lander
We have another land in here um the noticeable drop in the noise as they’re cruising around South fields of a nighttime and then bombing down Nicholas to to Bas Vegas is is just incredible and it’s nothing to do with the time of year it’s to do with the fact that we’ve
Done something about it I would also say that I haven’t seen as much trouble per se in my local park as well because there is more of that presence around the park and around that estate that adjoins the park so thank you really really really successful could we also
Though with this bicycle thing include those electric mad things those toasters with handles that people are flying about at Brak neck speed through the high streets because they’re actually going quicker than bicycles thank you um technically um we we could include that as part of the the fact
That it’s a a cycle um it so it would be if it was being ridden again as you said in an antisocial way so councelor Myers uh thank you chair um yeah um obviously you know as a child in Wickford and you know used to be on my
Bike and going you know to parks and and things like that but obviously yes thank you thank you councelor Henry um but in ter but in ter terms of um what we consider to be antisocial riding I you know I consider to be especially Wickford High Street is mentioned in this
Report is you know you’re not just riding down the road or potential children riding on the pavement and then sort of dodging people you’re actively going past people’s parted cars and actively driving on the wrong side riding on the wrong side of the road um with vehicles coming towards you while pulling
Wheelies and and all this kind of stuff and cars having to break very sharply um I say this from experience because i’ I’ve seen it I don’t know about the other towns but I I think I’ve seen it in py a couple of times um so I
Think this is this is very good to kind of not to penalize people riding bikes but to penalize people who are doing it stupidly you know the High Street is not an assault course you know it’s not it’s not where you take your mountain bike to
Go over ridges and ranges and and try out new skills and and things like that but there’s been you know times where you’re riding very very close to people’s door mirrors in in busy town centers um where you know you got buses taxis cars motorbikes and stuff it only
Takes it only take one person to open their car door and someone flips over the top of it to say that that person’s being done because they didn’t have due care and consideration of not looking out for a cyclist for example whereas a cyclist shouldn’t have been there in the
First place um doing all that so I I I I agree with the with the extension to the PSP in this respect um I think it also in terms of the other areas where we prohibited things like um motorbikes and and careless riding and things like that into into town centers because obviously
Netherland Park was included last year which is very close to we for Town Center um so of course you it’s not just one area but when they’re when they’re leaving they are are predominantly going through a High Street or they’re going back towards um the road towards bason
So excluding well I say excluding but having an order in place on one particular area where you know you can follow them down there and they still the same thing you get a fine or or or talking to um I suppose the only thing
I’ve you know say is do we do we have to give our wardens bikes as well to chase them you know because obviously if they’re on a bike they’re going to go but obviously if you get you know I know they have body cams and everything else they can
See the faces and all that so if they see them again then of course they can you know follow up later on and give that sort of intelligence uh but I think having it in place and and and telling people that we will not put up with it
You know if you’re if you’re going down the road and you know your dad’s on the bike and he’s followed on by six sixy old Jimmy on his bike fair enough for in the pavement or on the road or whatever find just don’t be doing wheelies and
All this stuff down the road and and going in other side of the traffic potentially you know uh Mount mounting the pavement because a car’s not going to stop or it does slam its brakes or so it gets shunted up the back um you know but nothing’s nothing’s happened yet but
It just means that it could and we’re seeing it time and time again and as um Council the Reed mentioned that when once the once the uh lighter weather comes in we’ll probably see a little bit more and more of it as we did last year
While which is I think was why this is being brought in um but I to I totally agree with it and and I thank you officers for for for looking at the data and everything else and realizing that there is a problem um and hopefully that
Once once you know in June um once the order is written and everything else and we can get through go to consultation that I believe a lot of residents across the bar will be very very supported of this so thank you cast green you and yes I thank the
Officers too for all the work they’re doing trying to make this better for the residents especially when you get a lot of abuse from you know the residents are saying to us that they’re being spat in the face you know and the and the kids
Are riding off on their dirt bikes but I also remember a time 30 years ago um Victoria Road in Lon which you probably might remember cancer Henry um a young lad they were on their BMX bikes in those days and they had lots of heels and um motorbike with young kids on came
Up the other side and the young lad just lost his life you know so this is always in my mind you know especially when you’re going through the parks at misle or around those areas we see all the time they’re all starting now as you say
The weather gets better you can hear all the droning they’re coming along and the fears going on the the residents are coming out they absolutely really iate with it all um if we had the funding it would be amazing to have a couple drones come up or something and then someone
Can see where they’re going and qu you know grab them if you know what I mean but anyway just try your best thank you right we’ll quickly move on then to the amplifiers Bas town has anybody got opinions or anything they wish to share on that
Bit the only bit actually I will quickly ask for um bit reassurance is so in my experience with buskers nearly all of them now have amplifiers for guitars whatever so would this is this to stop all of it or is this to stop when it becomes a nuisance can I have that
Please thank yes I think I just I probably wanted to make the point in my introduction and maybe I didn’t make that point as as as well as I should but this is not about stopping that cultural um experience of people playing music and being able to listen to music
Because that’s again that’s a really important thing that the borrow is um encouraging so there will still be planned events that will happen in the town center and they will that will involve some form of amp potentially could involve some form of Amplified music and there will also be some
Occasions when the council will give permission for somebody to be there to place music for a normally around a particular event or a particular for a particular reason what the what this is what this is about is trying to stop is when we’ve got those um people that are just
Turning up no permission unannounced and just you know basically they get all their equipment out get their their their amplifiers out and start playing music and normally it’s it’s around you know it’s a sort of a form of begging in that you you’re getting you’re wanting
To get some money for that um so and what is what is actually doing is because we’ve got residents that live in the town center and we’ve got quite a lot of businesses that are not necessarily retail businesses we’ve got quite a lot of um office accommodation
That is above the um the retail that really loud music can have a massive impact on those people so it’s really a way to stop that level of nuisance so if somebody was singing without an amplifier for for example it may be that that’s not causing the level of nuisance
It’s not creating the level of complaints that we we might be receiving there would still be an issue if that person was begging and because the police could still deal with that and could potentially ask them to move on but this is about really dealing with those people that are creating that very
Loud noise in the Town Center okay thank you very much yeah uh I support it simple councelor Morris you can I just ask on um page 46 it says that uh this policy was there historically it was managed by the town wardens but has not been in place for several years and
I just wonder why what what happened why it it desisted thank you um yes counselor there it was in place um but the uh the level of fine wasn’t appropriate for the similar to the use of bicycles so this is a more appropriate way of dealing
With it um and and it makes it a more appropriate deterrent because we’ve got our community safety Waters that can go out and Tackle these specific issues because we’ve got those doing specific Town Center patrols now um so it it it eases the process essentially that we
Can go out and tackle it more easily um and the the fine is more representative of the incident itself it it was the same issue with B Les what I’d just add to that as well is that the bylaw will still be there that bylaw has been in in place for since
2006 so that is that is still available to us it’s still a tool that can be used the difficulty with that bylaw is is that you can only you can only um give the fine if you go through a court prosecution whereas with the pspo we can
Issue a fixed penalty notice that then has a lower fine has a you know A reduced fine it’s it’s £100 and I think it’s reduced to 75 if they pay within a certain amount of time but we don’t have to go through the actual court process
In order to to issue that fine so it’s so this is like almost like another tool that we could use and if somebody was persistently um you know doing that then we could possibly have enough evidence then to go through the bylaw process and actually get the higher fine through the
Call but at the moment it it doesn’t work so well in that way so the PSO is just an additional tool effectively so the bylaw will still remain and still be in place so once again like with the bicycles it’s a case of it’s it’s needed
But we just need the uh the right tool to deal with it councelor Meyers uh yeah thank you um councelor Morris um brought up what I was going to say about obviously with the existing in bylaw and and how we use that and obviously this is another uh
Potential solution like on on the on on the door as such rather than going through the courts which would probably cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds to to prosecute someone um my particular question is around uh asking you know without permission of the council so not necessarily just
Amplifiers but are we do we already have something in place for for say that someone wants to have an amplifier or even just a s in the Town Center to apply to the council for a license to do so and if so if there’s if there’s a you
Know that’s what it says here without you know without the express permission of the council so obviously there’s a there’s a cost involved to have to be done very and officer resource to be used to ask for that kind of thing so I just I just mention you know one about
Busking in general uh with this Council and you know if they say they’re going to have a decimal limit on the on the um bit of equipment Etc so not to be antisocial but to uh you know to to to provide entertainment in the Town Center not necessarily begging as but but to
Provide they may they may be they may be uh you know just proper you know working Journey men something like that going from town to town and doing something not necessarily begging but but their employment is is that so just just wondered what the you know the
Definition of what we’re looking at here is uh sorry there’s a number of things at play here so um if there is to be entertainment in the Town Center there is a process for that and that’s deemed as an event busing if the council allows busking so
We say come and book an area let us know what you’re doing Etc that does then attract for us a very large Bill uh for performing rights so you’re effectively running an outdoor theater um that people then have to pay for playing that music so that
Would end up with us paying for that so um we don’t allow bus we don’t technically allow busing and we’re specifically stopping and we’ll find people for Amplified music so that’s the position we take music in the Town Center can happen but that would usually be as part of an event councelor
Reed just going on to the baset I I get the fact that there’s offices and things like that in the town center but I actually quite enjoy just if somebody’s just singing not Amplified with speakers and things I actually think it’s really nice um and this is how a lot of famous people
Become famous I mean Sam Ryder he was a busker and look at him now and I think it’s I think by not having allowing any busing in the town centers is um sad it’s sad quite honestly I think that’s one of the reasons why we’ve used the terminology
That it the prohibition is about the Amplified music it’s not about busking and because you know I I think we all get that that is a cultural experience and people do get some enjoyment from that so what I think you know and we again it’s really good to get your views
And your feedback here because what that’s helping us to think about and particularly your point um as well about the permissions it is about helping us think what does that wording need to actually say and so that we’re much clearer about what this prohibition is about um and so it’s I think that’s
Really helpful to to hear those those comments but I think that’s the one of the reasons why we’ve not deliberately said that we’re the prohibition is not about busking it’s about the Amplified noise and the Amplified music so we need to be clearer on that yeah thanks can’t sherley uh thank you Mr
Chairman I was going to say that um I think getting the permission is um is is definitely a plus and is something you should look at I know that in London I us still live in London um it got a bit ridiculous in the underground because
There was a lot of bosers so where some of us will enjoy it and uh appreciate it there are people out there that don’t and and we are here to look after everybody so if they apply for permission to go to a because this is
What they did in London in the end so they didn’t want to just dismiss it so if anyone wanted to do busin on the Underground for example they would have to have permission to go and do that do that whereas before anybody could go anywhere and start bosing and then you
Can get like two three people in you know somewhere like Picadilly circus when there’s enough noise thank you very much actually so where what I’m trying to say is some people will appreciate it some people won’t and and we have to be mindful of those people and if they are
Going to get permission maybe there should be a restriction on how high they go with the music um you know might be something you need to consider because of the noise um thank you thank you C okay change is M right okay shall we discuss now the rest of
The report thank you anybody wants kick us off counc Morris you said that this um pspo started in 2002 and it concludes in March 2025 what steps have been put in place to ensure that it can continue after then or something is available to take its place
I I think we’d like to be saying that from the annual report that we’ve produced that the pspo is is successful it’s doing the job that it you know we we put it in to do so there will be an intention um that we will take when we
Take the report to Cabinet um towards the end the the the Autumn next year which will be about confirming the um consultation feedback and then it will also be about confirming the variations to the report we can use that as an opportunity to get the authorization um
To go out to full consultation again to extend the um psbo for a further period of time so that would be our um that would be our suggestion that we’d want to continue with the pspo um but you do have to then apply for the pspo uh every
Is it every three years yeah every three years so I mean as long as we’ve done the appropriate consultation around that and we’ve got evidence to prove that it’s still required and it’s still doing its job then we should have be able to continue um with the pspo in you know in
Existence and there are a number of local authorities that have had pspos in in place for several years now um so there’s no reason why that that couldn’t continue if there’s support for that yeah I mean the reason I’m saying this is because of the time scale you
Have to go out for consult ation I’m not sure how for how long this one would need to be consulted on probably three months as usual and we are getting a lot of um this sort of thing coming that needs to be renewed coming up at the
Last minute so what I’m suggesting is that you need to it would be useful if there was a time scale put in place so that you can show that the consult you know it went to capit at this date so there’s three month consultation so therefore we’re new policies written and
It can be in place by the time that needed that’s really helpful feedback and thank you very much what we can do is we’re taking a report in June so what we can start to do in June is to is to lay that timetable out and then we can
Start that consultation um get the Authority for that and the consultation much earlier so thank you I really appreciate that feedback right um looking at the table on page 80 I meant the fact of I think that everything has fallen Street crime and and social behavior apart from pitty
Town Center which when I first saw that I kind of got a little bit concerned I’m glad there’s there’s a paragraph under it explains why and it was down to a particular group and and hopefully next year we’ll see the figures looking a lot better than they did
Um again I’ve got to cover pit Le cuz that’s my area where I live and where I represent so um I I had a certain resident that used to phone me weekly or sometimes even daily about the antisocial Behavior within norland’s Park um I would agree that okay over
Like with P councelor Reed said earlier motorbikes common sense in this weather hopefully they don’t come back I mean we have got another area in py which I’ve noticed we’re getting a lot of dirt bikes on but I’ll deal with that after the meeting um but in general antisocial
Behavior in the park has improved over the last couple of years and the other area I’ve got to bring bring praise I think is probably the right word for both sou Community wardens and Essex police is film Wars end um I know we’ve installed new CCTV cameras over there
But the general feeling over there is a lot more people feel a lot safer we still have a problem with shoplifting from two of the shops there which I know is an ongoing thing we got work with the shops as well as with this I’ve met with the
Security team at one of the shops um and their area uh controller for security came down and had a meeting but in general residents feel a lot safer around there which comes down to a mixture of this work this it’s police and call a community wardens so that’s
Really all I’ve got to say on it um apart from that I think I’ve definitely seen a Improvement in the town I’ve lived here about 25 years and I think last couple of years we all know that the feeling of crime is out there and a lot of people feel very very
Vulnerable the data shows something slightly different what we do need to do and it’s something when I speak to the police is we must get people to keep reporting crime because that is a problem where a lot of people feel it’s not worth and whenever I’ve gone to a a
Police um Road Show and or safe of Bas you know it’s something we have to tell residents and keep going even if it’s something they don’t necessarily think hugely affects them it’s worth reporting so that’s something I’ve always been asked to do so I’ll move on to councelor
Meers uh thank you chair I’ll I’ll be fairly quick I mean looking at the the annual report I mean considering what we what we looked at last year as well I mean we’re seeing we’re seeing drops across the vast majority of um our areas not withstanding what what what councel
Turon said about py Town Center but there was a there was a specific reason about about that and hopefully that has as you said has now been dealt with um I think that obviously as I’ve had discuss you before on the task and finish group as well about how we could improve you
Know what goes to the um um safeer basle together partnership the uh action meetings you have in the mornings uh it just appears to me that over the last year or so we have started to be getting a lot better at what we were doing since this was first introduced so
Thank you very much you know and and for all your hard work on that um we can see you know some some increases but that’s perhaps because that we’re targeting differently and and actually getting the people out to to to go into his hot spot so the data in terms of increases
Sometimes is not necessarily because there is an increase it’s just because they’ve there and seen it and we’re targeting a lot more efficiently which I think is very important and and and I’m glad that the officers have been able to work together with with the police and
The other agencies in order in order to do that I mean the report pretty much speaks for itself as an annual review we’ve listened to people people we’ve gone listen to council listen to Residents about where issues are as I said you know we included a couple of
Places last year for you know never part for for um Pony and Tra and motorbikes and we also included uh another area as well for for you know alcohol etc etc so I do think that the trajectory we’re going on at the moment with this pspo is um very positive and as councelor
Morrris said about these timelines you know if it’s going to be because we’re in 2024 now obviously if this is up in 2025 we need we’re going to have to get this rather than all of a sudden oh no we need to do this really quickly we’ve
Got three months to go before it runs out you you want to be in a position where you can say four five months out but we’ve done the consultation we’ve done the paperwork once it’s up just sign a dotted line and we’re ready to go
For the next three years I think that I think that’s an important thing to do because our residents appreciate it what’s going on they do see the wardens they do see them in in town centers and in parks they do Eng gauge with residents and children and and whatnot
And what they’re doing um so I think on the whole having having this bred and expanded as it is with the with the resource that we’ve got is working so um so I do thank you all for that so my comment on that thank you chair councelor
Morris yes it’s nice to see on page 81 um two3 of the way down the community safety Warden scheme has also been crucial in securing external funding to enhance the scheme and and widen the remit of the service from April there will be an additional four Community safety wardens for six months
Specifically focusing on Town centers and violence against women and girls bearing in mind the motion we had it for Council thank you councelor ad sherley yeah thank you uh Mr chairman just very quick um just looking at the list of areas that’s been covered and I think I I say
It at every meeting um uh particularly the 34 estate in v um so if You’ got some money and you’re doing continuing some work please consider them because they have been asking uh not that is of any bonus to me going forward because van is gone but I do think they do need
Looking after it over there um the other thing I was going to say is they have also been asking for CCTV cameras uh which initially we’ve been told that they can’t have but if it’s good enough for felmor it’s good enough for the 348 thank you has anybody got any other comments
On this report no okay thank you very much for the report and the good work over the last couple of years so we now move on to item six which is the work program which com is there any comments to I mean there’s nothing really going forward but is there any comments or
Anything that anybody wants to add for the next meeting whenever that would be councelor Morris suggested something during the quarter 4 which was the CDC so I’ll add that to yeah okay going to add the CDC to it thank you anybody else got any thing okay um I’d like to thank
Everybody for the last year this is our last meeting thank you I think we’ve had some very good discussions uh and debates over the last year all been very friendly and been I think a critical friend to the administration and to the officers I understand it’s Mr brace’s
Last public meeting tonight or ever so I’d like on ever well I’d like it not I’d like it noted thank you very much for all your hard work over your time at bason Council uh for the residents of basin thank you very Much