Agenda and draft minutes

This meeting will be filmed for live and / or subsequent broadcast on the Council’s website.  The whole of the meeting will be filmed, except where there are confidential or exempt items, and the footage will be on the website for 12 months.  A copy of it will also be retained in accordance with the Council’s data retention policy.

If you attend and make a representation to the meeting, you will be deemed to have consented to being filmed.  When admitted to the Council Chamber you are also consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings for livestreaming and / or training purposes.  If you do not wish to have your image captured, please contact Democratic Services prior to attending the meeting.

If there are any technical difficulties with the livestreaming, the meeting will still proceed.

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 30 July 2026.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the Community Safety Select Committee meeting which was held on 30 July 2026 for approval and signature.

AGREED that the minutes of the Committee meeting held on 30 July 2026 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To consider and agree the draft final report.

Consideration was given to the draft final report for the Committee’s Scrutiny Review of Community Participation Budget (CPB) and Ward Transport Budget (WTB).  Specific attention was drawn to the following:

·       Conclusion & Recommendations: Regarding recommendation 3 (Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) considers creating additional resource to support the processing of CPB / WTB proposals (and subsequent communication on these to SBC Ward Councillors)), an amendment was proposed to emphasise that further support should be provided via existing (not additional) resources.  The Committee subsequently agreed to change this recommendation to ‘SBC considers how existing resources can best support and improve the timely processing of CPB / WTB proposals and ensure effective communication with SBC Ward Councillors throughout the process’.

Responses to Member queries in relation to the originally quoted underspend for the two budget schemes, and possible financial implications for some of the other recommendations, were provided.  Regarding the former, the Committee was reminded that whilst an underspend was reported at the time, evidence was also given that numerous project proposals were still being processed or were in development, and that the underspend was not representative of a lack of demand (more a reflection of resource limitations and, for example, legal requirements or site constraints).  As for the latter, it was felt that the proposed recommendations could be met through a refined in-house offer and would not have any direct financial implications for the Council.

The dissatisfaction from Members (relayed via the SBC Ward Councillor survey) towards existing CPB / WTB arrangements was highlighted, though it was also noted that officers had expressed a strong willingness throughout the review to make improvements to these budget schemes (some of which had already been taken on board and actioned).

The Committee approved the content of the draft final report, subject to the identified minor amendment to recommendation 3, and was informed that the agreed version would be presented to Cabinet later in October 2026.

AGREED that the Community Participation Budget and Ward Transport Budget final report be approved for submission to Cabinet.

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

Introduced by the SBC Assistant Director – Regulated Services and Transformation, the report was supplemented by a presentation which initially outlined the following key messages:

·       The services (whose work often takes place behind the scenes) are central to public protection, community confidence, and supporting local businesses.

·       Demand is increasingly complex, often involving vulnerability, crime, anti-social behaviour (ASB), and organised criminality.

·       Strong partnership working remains essential to achieving positive outcomes (with work also undertaken to address the root causes of presenting issues).

COMMUNITY SAFETY

The SBC Community Safety Services Manager led the Committee through the Community Safety part of the presentation which included the following:

·       What the Service Does: The SBC Community Safety team protected residents, businesses and visitors through ASB case management, civic enforcement, CCTV and Control Room operations, community cohesion and engagement, violence reduction initiatives, emergency planning and business continuity, safeguarding vulnerable people, and multi-agency partnership working (with police and fire services, the NHS, housing providers and voluntary sector partners).  It helped make Stockton-on-Tees a safer place to live, work and visit through prevention, intervention, enforcement and partnership working.

·       Key Headlines 2025/26: During 2025-2026, 3,181 ASB hotspot patrols were delivered and 11,092 reports of ASB were received across police and Council systems.  Stockton-on-Tees continued to have the lowest combined ASB reporting rate in Cleveland, with reductions seen in Ropner (34.2%), Billingham (10.2%), and Norton (2.6%).  In terms of town centre safety, shop theft had reduced by 17.8% in Stockton Town Centre, Operation Shield and Joint Action Group (JAG) activity continued to be delivered, and support was provided for Stockton Waterfront Urban Park opening and major events.

·       Civic Enforcement: The Civic Enforcement Team provided a visible presence across town centres, residential neighbourhoods, parks and open spaces, schools, and identified hotspot locations.  Its key responsibilities were tackling ASB, fly-tipping / littering / dog fouling enforcement, environmental crime investigations, unsafe and inconsiderate parking, unauthorised encampments, community reassurance patrols, and intelligence gathering and evidence collection.  The team gave added value as a result of its visible deterrent against offending, rapid response to community concerns, joint operations with Cleveland Police, and support for vulnerable residents and communities.

·       Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs): PSPOs for Stockton Town Centre and Norton were reviewed and strengthened during 2025-2026, addressing aggressive begging, street drinking and associated behaviour, public urination and defecation, dog fouling, misuse of offroad bikes, and misuse of electric bikes and scooters.  In terms of the application of these orders, the service prioritised compliance through advice and warnings before formal enforcement action wherever appropriate.

A related public consultation undertaken prior to the renewal of these PSPOs saw 528 responses received, with 93% identifying begging and 96% identifying street drinking  ...  view the full minutes text for item CSS/34/26

To consider information in relation to this scrutiny topic from the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Community Safety and SBC Care For Your Area departments.

The first evidence-gathering session for the Committee’s review of Alley Gates considered information from the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Community Safety and Care For Your Area departments.  Presented by the SBC Community Safety Services Manager and supported by the SBC Principal Projects Officer, the submission included the following:

·       Background: During the 2001-2002 municipal year, a pilot project to install alley gates to three streets in the Newtown ward was initiated (Middlesbrough and Hartlepool had already run similar pilots at this time), with the aim being to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) in these areas.  Following its success, funding was secured from the SBC capital programme, along with additional finance from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, the Cleaner, Safer and Greener Fund, and the New Opportunities Fund.

The Borough’s alley gates programme ran until 2012-2013 whereupon 327 gates were in place on Council / adopted land.  Some of these had been installed via the SBC Ward Councillor Community Participation Budget (CPB), with others owned by, and the responsibility of, Thirteen Housing Group. 

·       Locations: The six wards within the Borough that currently had the most alley gates installed were Ropner (116), Mandale & Victoria (82), Newtown (61), Stockton Town Centre (61), Norton South (9), and Norton Centre (6).  Yarm ward had three, Billingham South ward had two, and Billingham West & Wolviston, Hardwick & Salters Lane, Southern Villages, and Village wards all had one alley gate in place.  Maps indicating the locations of alley gates for Newtown, Mandale & Victoria, and Ropner wards were provided, as was a link to a full audit of all gates within the Borough.

·       Legislation associated with alley gates: During the pilot and the early stages of the alley gate programme, legislation under the Highways Act was utilised (with Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs)).  In 2005, new legislation was introduced to allow the installation of alley gates through Gating Orders via the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act.

In 2014, the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act introduced Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) which replaced the previous legislation to allow the installation of gates to restrict access.  A PSPO could be used to restrict activity that had a detrimental effect on the locality, was (or was likely to be) persistent in nature, was (or was likely to be) unreasonable, and justified the restrictions being imposed.  A PSPO must clearly set out what the detrimental activities were and what was deemed 'anti-social' or 'unreasonable', so could be challenging.

·       How effective have the alley gates been: 2005 data highlighted that the alley gate programme had resulted in a substantial decrease in incidents of crime in the gated areas: 43% reduction in domestic burglary, 64% reduction in deliberate fires, 58% reduction in ASB, and 52% reduction in fly-tipping.

·       Feedback from the community: In 2004, a consultation exercise was undertaken to gauge the views of residents where alley gates had been installed and been in place for over six months – the response was very positive.  Since the gates were installed, the  ...  view the full minutes text for item CSS/35/26

CHAIR’S UPDATE

The Chair noted a recent regional joint Members / officers scrutiny network meeting which included a proposal to explore Local Authority scrutiny functions across the North East.  The Chair had been contacted by the North East Regional Employers Organisation (NEREO) and would be meeting with the Chair to look at ways of facilitating the communication of information / best practice across the region.

The Chair also reiterated thanks to officers for their contributions to this meeting and asked that appreciation be relayed back to relevant teams / colleagues for their ongoing efforts in keeping people of the Borough safe.

WORK PROGRAMME  2026-2027

The next meeting was due to take place on 22 October 2026 and would involve the next Scrutiny Review of Alley Gates evidence-gathering session, a progress update on outstanding actions in relation to recommendation from the Committee’s 2020 Fly-Grazed Horses review, and the annual Air Quality update.

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