Issue - meetings

Report of Councillor Shuttleworth of behalf of the Cabinet.

This matter was proposed by Councillor Shuttleworth on behalf of the Cabinet and seconded by Councillor Ungar.

Councillor Shuttleworth highlighted the impact of planned government spending cuts on police resources and the inevitable reduction in police officers as a result.  The further budget reductions facing Sussex Police would have significant implications for the work of the local partnership and community policing and the Council’s concerns should be recorded. 

Members praised the work of Sussex Police and all partners involved in the achievements of the community safety partnership and its continued value and strength to meet the stated financial and performance challenges.

Resolved: (Unanimously) That the 2014-17 Eastbourne community safety plan and the continued delegated implementation authority to the Senior Head of Community be approved. 

Report of Senior Head of Community.

Cabinet lead member:  Councillor Alan Shuttleworth.

(1) Community Safety Partnership’s achievements and future risks/opportunities to performance noted and 2014/17 community safety plan with continued delegated implementation authority to Senior Head of Community endorsed.

(2) Full Council be asked to approve the plan.

32.1 Cabinet considered the report of the senior head of community consider the current performance of the Eastbourne Community Safety Partnership (ECSP) under the updated Eastbourne community safety plan and to outline issues that may potentially impact future crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) performance. 

32.2 Bob Gough, Eastbourne crime reduction officer, and chief inspector Emma Brice, Eastbourne district commander, Sussex Police, were invited to address the Cabinet.  Bob Gough highlighted noted a ‘smoothing-off’ of the recent increase in reported crime and that Home Office statistics showed that Eastbourne when compared with similar towns fared particularly favourably.  He also highlighted that budget reductions facing Sussex Police would have significant implications for the local partnership.  Emma Brice spoke of the strengths of the local safety partnership and the importance of continued partnership working as a means of meeting future financial challenge.

32.3 Cabinet had previously endorsed the successful crime reduction performance of the partnership.  In 2000/06 Eastbourne was subject to around 11,000 crimes.  For the performance year 2010/11 this had dropped to approximately 7,500 crimes and to the end of June 2014, this had reduced to around 5,700 crimes, a further reduction of 5% compared with the same period last year.

32.4 Police recorded crime had, however, seen a considerable increase since the last report.  Up to the end of June 2015 overall crime had gone up from 5,753 crimes to over 6,800 an increase of 18.5%, compared with the same period last year.  This increase was due to 2 factors; (i) Sussex Police strict adherence to Home Office crime recording procedures and (ii) the PCC led initiative to increase crime reporting in a number of categories including, domestic abuse, hate crime and sexual offences.

32.5 The current plan (2014/17) had been developed in consultation with key partners including the police and other members of the ECSP.  A copy of the action plan was appended to the report to cabinet as appendix A.  Priorities for 2015/16 and measurement criteria were attached as appendix B.  Plan targets were reviewed at the end of each performance year and key performance targets had been incorporated into the relevant sections of the Council’s corporate plan.

32.6 Cabinet praised the work of the partnership and noted the value of the neighbourhood panels and benefits of partnership working.  They expressed concern at the prospect of further reductions in police funding which it was believed would hit Sussex especially hard.

*32.7 Resolved (budget and policy framework): (1) That cabinet notes the community safety partnership’s achievements and future risks/opportunities to performance and endorses the 2014/17 community safety plan with continued delegated implementation authority to senior head of community.

(2) That full council be asked to approve the plan.