Agenda and draft minutes

The Scrutiny Officer invited nominations for Chair of the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the 2024/25 municipal year. Cllr Simpson proposed Cllr Walker and Cllr Ford seconded the nomination.

With no other nominations and no objections, Cllr Walker was ELECTED Chair for 2024/25.

Having taken the Chair, Cllr Walker invited nominations for Deputy Chair of the Committee for the 2024/25 municipal year.

Cllr Hicks was proposed by Cllr Elphinstone and seconded by Cllr Pressel.

Cllr Bennett was proposed by Cllr Thomas and seconded by Cllr Ford.

Having been put to the vote, Cllr Bennett was ELECTED Deputy Chair for the 2024/25 municipal year.

Apologies were received from Cllr Bloomfield, substituted by Cllr Ford, from Cllr Enright, substituted by Cllr Elphinstone, and from Cllr Dr Ley, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities, and Community Safety.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held 17 April 2024 and to receive information arising from them.

The Committee is recommended to AGREE the minutes as a true and accurate record having raised any necessary amendments.

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 April 2024 were AGREED as a true and accurate record.

There were none.

As part of its Crime and Disorder Panel responsibilities under the Crime and Disorder (Overview and Scrutiny) Regulations 2009, the Committee has invited the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley to attend, as well as the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, Jason Hogg.

Having considered the reports and asked questions, the Committee is recommended to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Thames Valley Police or to the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner.

As part of its Crime and Disorder Panel responsibilities under the Crime and Disorder (Overview and Scrutiny) Regulations 2009, the Committee welcomed Matthew Barber, the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley (the Commissioner), Jason Hogg, Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police (the Chief Constable), and Benedict Clark, Chief Superintendent and Local Command Unit Commander for Oxfordshire (the Chief Superintendent), to the Committee.

The Police and Crime Commissioner gave an overview of his new police and crime plan, which was due to be published next week, subject to final comments from the police and crime panel. The Commissioner provided an update on a separate Road Safety strategy which his office was working on. He highlighted some of the key priorities and initiatives, such as increasing funding for community safety partnerships, developing a Thames Valley wide closed-circuit television (CCTV) partnership, and the positive work that had been done through Operation Deter and youth offending teams to reduce knife crime and reoffending.

The Chief Constable gave an update on the operational performance and challenges of Thames Valley Police (TVP), including the recruitment and retention of officers and staff, the increases in demand and complexity of cases, and the budget shortfall. The Chief Constable explained the rationale and benefits of the force restructure, which would reduce the number of local command units from eleven to five and enable more flexibility and efficiency in deploying resources. The Chief Constable emphasised the importance of neighbourhood policing and the investment in increasing the number of neighbourhood officers and special constables.

The Chief Superintendent gave a brief overview of the crime trends and issues in Oxfordshire, noting that the county was relatively stable and had seen reductions in some of the most serious offences, such as knife crime and sexual offences. The Chief Superintendent also mentioned some of the operations and initiatives that were underway to tackle specific problems, such as shoplifting, rural crime, county drugs lines, and e-scooters. He outlined the plans for the new local command unit for Oxfordshire, which would be led by him and have thematic leads for different areas of work.

Cllr Ford left the meeting following the presentations.

Following the conclusion of the presentation, the Committee raised a number of comments and questions for the Commissioner, Chief Constable, and Chief Superintendent.

·       Members asked for more details in relation to the scale, and future potential scale, of the restructure of the TVP in Oxfordshire.

The Chief Constable and Commissioner explained to the Committee that the restructure was a response to the scale and relative demands upon the TVP in Oxfordshire. The restructure intended to provide Oxfordshire policing with good space for the next 10 to 20 years. There was no intention to overinflate the size of the TVP, with greater localised needs focused on across the Thames valley.

·       Several questions were raised concerning the data, challenges and lessons learnt by the TVP concerning the retention rate of the force.

The TVP was exploring additional screening and training to ensure candidates were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23/24

The Committee requested a report on the statutory community safety agreement.  Cllr Nathan Ley, Cabinet member for Public Health, Inequalities, and Community Safety, and Rob MacDougall, Chief Fire Officer and Director of Community Safety, have been invited to present the report and to answer the Committee’s questions.

The Committee is recommended, having considered the report and asked its questions, to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make.

The Committee requested a report on the statutory community safety agreement. Cllr Dr Nathan Ley, Cabinet member for Public Health, Inequalities, and Community Safety, and Rob MacDougall, Chief Fire Officer and Director of Community Safety, were invited to present the report and to answer the Committee’s questions.  Cllr Dr Ley had apologised in advance that he was unable to attend.

The Chief Fire Officer presented the report on the statutory community safety agreement, which outlined the achievements and challenges of the community safety partnership in Oxfordshire in the past year. He highlighted some of the key areas of work, such as tackling domestic abuse, reducing reoffending, preventing radicalisation, and supporting vulnerable people.

The Committee asked a number of questions and made some comments on the following topics:

·       Members enquired about the status and on-going work with the probation service, and how young people are being supported.

The Chief Fire Officer discussed ongoing engagement with probation services as part of the partnership's efforts to reduce reoffending, especially among young people. This indicated a collaborative approach to addressing community safety concerns.

The report and discussion emphasized various programs aimed at supporting young people, particularly those at risk of offending or reoffending. This includes efforts to provide both general support and more targeted interventions for individuals, with ongoing work to ensure the right provision across Oxfordshire.

·       Members praised the work of the Oxford Inclusive Economy Partnership, and examples such as the Tap Social Movement. There was a desire to continue the Partnership and for its role within a Community Safety partnership as a method of reducing reoffending.

The Committee is recommended to NOTE the progress of previous recommendations and actions arising from previous meetings, having raised any questions on the contents.

The Committee NOTED the progress of previous recommendations and actions arising from previous meetings and raised no further questions on the contents.

The Scrutiny Officer assured the Committee that recommendations categorised as ‘in progress’ were being chased for further update.

The Committee is recommended to AGREE its work programme for forthcoming meetings,  taking account of the Cabinet Forward Plan and of the Budget Management Monitoring Report.

The Committee AGREED its work programme for forthcoming meetings, taking account of the Cabinet Forward Plan and of the Budget Management Monitoring Report, subject to the following additions and changes:

·       The creation of a Transport Working Group, featuring a member of each political group. Cllrs Hicks, Bennett, and Walker volunteered to sit on the group.

·       An item on highway infrastructure and the use of available s.106 money.

Members also expressed a desire for the new Director of Economy and Place provide an update on the recommendations and address the Committee once they were in place.

Attached is the Cabinet response to the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee report on the Infrastructure Funding Statement 2022/23.

The Committee is asked to NOTE the response.

The Committee NOTED the Cabinet response to the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee report on the Infrastructure Funding Statement 2022/23.