Agenda and minutes

The evacuation procedure was noted.

There were no interests declared.

To approve the minutes of the last meeting held on 11 July 2024.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the Community Safety Select Committee meeting which was held on 11 July 2024 for approval and signature.

AGREED that the minutes of the Committee meeting held on 11 July 2024 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To consider information from the following Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) departments in relation to this scrutiny topic:

·       SBC Town Centres Development

·       SBC Public Health (supported by CGL)

Cllr Mrs Ann McCoy (Billingham) and Cllr Richard Eglington (Thornaby) wished it to be recorded for transparency purposes only that they were currently members of their respective Town Councils as well as Ward Councillors.

The second evidence-gathering session for the Committee’s ongoing review of Welcoming and Safe Town Centres featured submissions from the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Town Centres Development team and the SBC Public Health team (supported by Change Grow Live (CGL)).

SBC TOWN CENTRES DEVELOPMENT

The SBC Town Centres Development team was identified as a key contributor to this review and were therefore approached for information on plans for / progress on town centre investment and making these spaces welcoming / safe, examples of work undertaken / planned with other SBC directorates / departments to make the Borough’s town centres more welcoming / safe, and feedback on town centre audits in relation to safety.

Led by the SBC Assistant Director – Town Centre Development (who was accompanied by the SBC Town Centres Improvement Manager), a report, supplemented by supporting visuals, was presented which included the following:

·         Remit of the Town Centres Development Team (TCDT): The TCDT had responsibility for the development and delivery of a wide range of interventions across the Borough’s six town centres.  Predominantly under the financial umbrellas of the Levelling-Up Fund, Towns Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Future High Streets Fund, it oversaw and co-ordinated the development, design and delivery of capital projects.  Town centre business engagement and market management was also a focus.

Ultimately, the role of the TCDT was to ensure town centres continued to thrive as a critical part of the Borough through the creation and development of high quality, welcoming and safe spaces that encouraged visitors and supported economic growth.  The Council was building on this investment and continued to drive change forward in the six towns across the Borough to adapt to the changing face of retail and town centres in the coming years.  A key and intrinsic part of its vision was to create places that were both safe and welcoming.

·         Regeneration scheme design: The design of plans and regeneration schemes needed to reflect the ambitions of residents, Elected Members, businesses, and a variety of wider stakeholders.  A wide range of inputs were therefore sought from across the Local Authority and through an array of external partners and agencies to ensure that emerging concepts and designs were compliant with relevant policy, guidelines and laws, whilst continuing to meet the needs of the initial brief and end-users.

When developing spaces and places, there were many factors that required consideration to ensure that SBC were in line with legislation and other functions within the Local Authority – these included Planning, Legal, Highways, Community Services, Care for Your Area, Licensing, and Security and Surveillance.  Individual workstreams for each element of a project included discussion with key stakeholders (both internal and external) to ensure understanding across all parties – this helped identify who was responsible for areas of delivery and  ...  view the full minutes text for item CSS/21/24

CHAIRS UPDATE

The Chair drew attention to recent reflections on the current information which the Committee was scrutinising and potential future items which could be added for consideration (in addition to the ongoing in-depth review).  Members were encouraged to highlight any community safety-related issues which the Committee may wish to explore further (either within or outside formal meetings) – topics to be forwarded either directly to the Chair or to the Scrutiny Officer supporting the Committee.

WORK PROGRAMME 2024-2025

Consideration was given to the Committee’s current work programme (2024-2025).  The next meeting was due to take place on 24 October 2024 where evidence-gathering for the ongoing review of Welcoming and Safe Town Centres would continue, with contributions anticipated from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, Cleveland Police, and Cleveland Fire Brigade.

AGREED that the Community Safety Select Committee Work Programme 2024-2025 be noted.