Agenda and draft minutes

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The Chair announced to those present that the meeting would be livestreamed.

The evacuation procedure was noted.

There were no interests declared.

To approve the minutes of the last meeting held on 28 May 2026.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the Community Safety Select Committee meeting which was held on 28 May 2026 for approval and signature.

AGREED that the minutes of the Committee meeting held on 28 May 2026 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To consider a presentation from the SBC Digital Services and Systems department regarding a new, streamlined process for submitting WTB and CPB requests, as well as initial feedback from the Town / Parish Councils and local residents surveys.

The third evidence-gathering session for the Committee’s review of Community Participation Budget (CPB) and Ward Transport Budget (WTB) considered a submission from the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Digital Services and Systems department regarding a new, streamlined process for submitting CPB and WTB requests.   Presented by the SBC Customer Development Lead, information covered the following:

·       Online form introduction: A new online form had been designed to provide a consistent way of submitting new WTB requests.  The form gathered the details needed to help assess proposals more effectively, reducing the need for follow-up emails seeking further information.  Requests were securely recorded and managed by SBC officers through a single end-to-end process, improving the management and tracking of proposed schemes from submission through to outcome.

·       Where to access the online form: The form would be easily accessible in the Members area of the SBC intranet.

·       Online form – introduction page: The introduction page explained the purpose of the form and what information would be needed before submission.  The page used the same look and feel as other Council online forms, thereby providing a familiar experience.

·       Reporting new issues: The form enabled the submission of new issues for investigation.  To avoid duplication, Members only needed to state each issue once.

·       Issues within your ward: The online form was intended for reporting issues within a Member’s ward boundary.  Issues outside a ward could easily be raised by the relevant Member.

·       Ward Member agreement: Where a ward had multiple Members, requests should be agreed by all Members before submission to prevent any potential delays.

·       Providing issue information: Providing detailed information helped the request to be assessed more efficiently.  Members could include features like ‘what is happening’, ‘how often’, ‘who is affected’ and ‘where it is located’?

·       Resolving the issue: Members should share any ideas or suggestions they might have for resolving the issue.  Suggestions were optional and would be considered as part of the assessment process.

·       Uploading evidence: Members could easily upload files they think were relevant, such as photos of the affected site or location.  Photos, documents or correspondence could help provide additional context.

·       Final check before submitting: An easy-to-follow ‘Check your answers’ page allowed Members to review their answers before submission.  Members could return to any section to update information if needed.

·       Confirmation: Members would receive instant confirmation that their request had been successfully submitted.  A unique reference number was provided to help track the request, and a confirmation email was automatically sent for a Member’s records.

·       What happens next?: Requests were securely transferred into the Council’s case management system.  All details and supporting evidence were stored together in one place – this helped officers assess, track and manage requests efficiently.

Thanking officers for the information provided, the Committee felt that further thought was needed around the requirement for all Members within a split ward to be in agreement on a submission, noting that some wards were represented by Councillors from different  ...  view the full minutes text for item CSS/21/26

CHAIR’S UPDATE

The Chair had no further updates.

WORK PROGRAMME  2026-2027

Consideration was given to the Committee’s current work programme.  The next meeting was due to take place on 30 July 2026, with Members informed that this would be split between formal business (to receive and approve the draft scope and plan of the Committee’s next in-depth review of Alley Gates) and a subsequent informal session to go through a summary of the evidence collected as part of the ongoing Community Participation Budget and Ward Transport Budget review.

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