Agenda and minutes

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There were no interests declared.

To approve the minutes of the last meeting held on 26 March 2026.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the Community Safety Select Committee meeting which was held on 26 March 2026 for approval and signature.

AGREED that the minutes of the Committee meeting held on 26 March 2026 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Committee received an overview report from the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Adults, Health and Wellbeing directorate which provided details of key achievements and challenges in 2025-2026 for the Community Safety and Regulated Services department (with specific focus on Environmental Health and Licensing), as well as emerging issues within these areas of Council activity.

Introduced by the SBC Assistant Director – Regulated Services and Transformation, and supported by the SBC Cabinet Member for Access, Communities and Community Safety, the Committee was informed that the Community Safety and Regulatory Services portfolio was made up of a wide-ranging offer which focused on protecting the Borough’s communities and local businesses.  These preventative, collaborative and place-focused services included Civic Enforcement, CCTV and Community Safety, alongside Trading Standards, Environmental Health and the Licensing department.  Within this group of services was also both Emergency Planning (involving the major incident plan) and organisational Business Continuity.

This overview report demonstrated how Environmental Health and Licensing services were managing risk, protecting vulnerable residents, supporting safe and compliant businesses, and working in partnership to address crime, disorder and environmental harm.  The report also highlighted how resources were being targeted using data and intelligence, how performance was monitored, and how workforce and financial challenges were being actively managed – providing Members with confidence that services were delivering their responsibilities while supporting the Council’s wider ambitions for healthy, safe and resilient communities.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Environmental Health is a branch of public health that examined how various environmental factors could affect human health and wellbeing.  With an important role in protecting the public, the service fed into a number of other SBC directorates / departments (e.g. planning, events) and was split into three main operational areas – Commercial Environmental Health, Animal Welfare and Pest Control, and Environmental Protection and Nuisance.  Led by the SBC Environmental Health Service Manager, key achievements, challenges and emerging issues regarding the SBC Environmental Health department were summarised as follows:

·       Commercial Environmental Health: Responsible for ensuring that food produced, sold or consumed within the Borough was safe, compliant with legislation, and accurately described, service performance was robust during 2025-2026, with 100% of all food premises due for review (757) receiving a full inspection (with no outstanding general inspections at the end of the year).  801 service requests (complaints) were received, mostly relating to food hygiene concerns, and the service responded to national food alerts, including a significant listeria incident affecting health and care settings.

In terms of notable successes, Stockton-on-Tees had the highest level of food sampling in the region for the fifth year running, and one of the highest rates in the UK.  The Borough was also noted nationally as having both the highest level of food hygiene rating standards in the North East, and the third highest across the country.

Looking ahead to 2026-2027, priorities included maintaining high compliance, responding to emerging risks, and supporting national initiatives.  Challenges included business growth, rising public expectations, increasing regulatory demands, and adapting to future system and legislative changes.  ...  view the full minutes text for item CSS/5/26

To consider information in relation to this scrutiny topic from the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Community Services, Environment and Culture directorate.

The first evidence-gathering session for the Committee’s review of Community Participation Budget (CPB) and Ward Transport Budget (WTB) considered an initial submission from the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Community Safety, Environment and Culture directorate.  Presented by the SBC Highway Network & Traffic Team Leader, and supported by the SBC Highways Manager, information covered the following:

·       Origins & Evolution

o   CPB: Introduced in 2007 as the Small Environmental Improvements Budget (providing a modest, flexible funding mechanism for local environmental works that were not prioritised through core budgets), the scheme was later re-named to reflect community participation and Member input (with Ward Councillors promoting projects based on local priorities).  This annual Borough-wide pot was initially £400,000 per year (revenue-funded) and was allocated by population.  Over time, the eligibility expanded to small engineering works, and in 2019, through the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP), the scheme was reduced to £200,000 per year, with tighter eligibility introduced to reflect long-term maintenance impacts.

o   WTB: This scheme began following a Place Select Committee review of the Area Transport Strategy in 2019 which saw the budget move from an area-based pot that Members would bid into to obtain funds to ward-based allocations which made it easier for Members to access.  From April 2020, £150,000 per year was allocated, with funding ring-fenced for transport issues.  WTB operated within a structured, evidence-led framework – Members shaped priorities, while officers assessed, designed and delivered schemes to ensure they met safety, legal and affordability requirements.

·       CPB v WTB – Key Differences: CPB was revenue funding, which had been identified within the MTFP and supported broader community-focused capital works.  WTB, meanwhile, was capital funding from the Council’s annual allocation toward highway priorities from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, and was strictly transport-focused (spending was audited to ensure it was directed toward transport priorities).

CPB could match-fund WTB schemes where there may be a shortfall in available budget.  However, WTB funding could not be used for CPB projects as the latter were more environmentally focused (rather than transport-related).  Crucially, it was important to emphasise that both budgets remained Council funds, where Members influenced priorities and officers retained overall responsibility for determining validity and for delivery.

·       Core Funding Criteria: The Council’s core highway budgets prioritised statutory duties and road safety interventions at locations with proven casualty records (based on recorded evidence from the Cleveland Police road casualty database).  The Department for Transport (DfT) assessed how Council’s spent money, and if this was judged to have been used unwisely, funding could be withheld.

CPB and WTB budgets operated differently because they allowed flexibility and could be directed where the concerns of constituents did not meet the evidence thresholds for funding via core budgets.  The availability of the CPB / WTB therefore filled the gap between evidence thresholds and lived experience of the Borough’s residents.

·       Eligibility

o   CPB: This could be used to capital fund projects, but SBC needed to be mindful of proposals that created ongoing revenue or maintenance costs.  Eligibility  ...  view the full minutes text for item CSS/6/26

CHAIR’S UPDATE

The Chair informed the Committee that the final report following the Committee’s review of Children affected by Domestic Abuse was presented to Cabinet in mid-April 2026.  All recommendations were subsequently endorsed.

WORK PROGRAMME  2026-2027

Consideration was given to the Committee’s current work programme.  The next meeting was due to take place on 28 May 2026 where the next evidence-gathering session would be held for the Community Participation Budget and Ward Transport Budget review.  The draft Action Plan in relation to the recently completed Children affected by Domestic Abuse review would also be presented for approval, and the first update on progress of the agreed actions following the previously completed review of Welcoming and Safe Town Centres would be received.

AGREED that the Chair’s Update and Community Safety Select Committee Work Programme 2026-2027 be noted.