Agenda item

Consideration was given to the assessments of progress on the implementation of the recommendations from the Committee’s previously completed review of Welcoming and Safe Town Centres.

Presented by the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Service Manager – Public Protection, and supported by the SBC Community Safety Manager, this was the first progress update following the Committee’s agreement of the Action Plan in May 2025.  Supplemented by associated presentation slides, developments regarding actions linked to the Committee’s recommendations were highlighted as follows:

·       Recommendation 1 (Future refreshed versions of relevant Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) long-term strategies (e.g. Stockton-on-Tees Plan, Community Safety Strategy, Inclusive Growth Strategy) identify and reflect the unique nature of each of the Borough’s six town centres, and outline how SBC and its partners will maximise a sense of ‘welcoming’ and ‘safe’ within these spaces (acknowledging the key findings of this review)): The uniqueness of the Borough’s six town centres was recognised within several key SBC strategy documents, a number of which (e.g. Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, Community Safety Strategy, and Inclusive Growth Strategy) had been updated and published since the Committee concluded its review.

Learning from Operation Shield (a Stockton town centre initiative (referenced within the revised Community Safety Strategy 2025-2027) which aimed to improve safety through enhanced visibility, proactive engagement, and co-ordinated responses to issues such as anti-social behaviour (ASB) and vulnerability) was informing how similar principles could be adapted in other town centres, proportionate to their scale and need (e.g. feasibility discussions were ongoing over whether Stockton’s ‘Reducing the Strength’ campaign should also be rolled out in Norton town centre).

·       Recommendation 2 (Utilising existing partnerships (including engagement with local business forums / groups), consideration be given over how to maximise the annual events and markets programme to provide further opportunities for increased footfall / exposure to town centre environments): Aided by the identification of a Single Point of Contact (SPoC) from relevant SBC departments, the Council engaged enthusiastically with local partners to improve footfall into the Borough’s town centres.  Several mechanisms enabled this collaboration including the Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP), Stockon Business Improvement District (BID), Security Forum, Operation Shield, Pub Watch, Shop Watch, and daily partnership meetings.  SBC Community Safety officers had contributed and led on problem-solving projects to address issues in both Thornaby and Billingham town centres, liaising with the police, housing providers, fire service, SBC Town Centre Regeneration, and SBC Public Health.

SBC Community Safety was embedded into event planning considerations (e.g. Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF), Yarm Fair) and was represented at meetings to maximise the annual events and markets programme which provided further opportunities for increased footfall / exposure to town centre environments.  Presentation data showed higher footfall in April 2026 compared to May 2025 for all six town centres apart from Norton (which remained the same) – Billingham, Thornaby and Yarm had seen significant rises compared to nearly a year ago, whilst a more modest rise had been experienced in Ingleby Barwick.

·       Recommendation 4 (There should be a specific ‘town centres’ element to the SBC Communications Strategy which reflects greater and more consistent use of communication platforms (online and print media) to proactively market the Borough’s town centres (including periodic marketing campaigns) and promote positive developments, ensuring this reflects all six town centre spaces (not just Stockton)): There was a specific ‘town centres’ element within the Regeneration and Inclusive Growth, and Regulatory Services, annual communications plan which made consistent use of a host of communication platforms and engaged external media stakeholders to proactively market the Borough’s six town centres and promote positive developments, including community safety.  Example campaigns included the Stockton waterfront urban park, Thornaby regeneration schemes, Norton High Street improvements, Yarm improvements, Operation Shield, Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), ‘Reducing the Strength’, events held in the town centre such as Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) and SIRF, markets promotion, court cases, and closure orders where there had been positive action around ASB and criminality.

·       Recommendation 5 (SBC engages with the Bright Minds Big Futures (BMBF) initiative to establish effective ways in which to publicise / promote the Borough’s town centre offers to young people): Examples of engagement with BMBF, and its impact on service delivery, included consultation on the Community Safety Strategy 2025-2027, consideration of feedback on what made young people feel safe within town centres, and BMBF participation in Family Fun Days and the ‘Takeover Day’ within SBC Community Safety and Regulated Services.

·       Recommendation 6 (SBC provides the Committee with an evaluation of the 2023 implementation of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) in Stockton and Norton town centres, including details of how this was / is resourced, and whether such an approach may be suitable for other town centre spaces within the Borough): Following the introduction of identical PSPOs in Stockton and Norton town centres in April 2023, there was an immediate 52% reduction in reported begging incidents in Stockton town centre (2023-2024).  Initial deterrence was effective, largely due to warnings and the threat of legal action.  Reports of street drinking, and action taken to address this, increased.

However, over time, the deterrent effect diminished, with public perception suggesting a lack of visible enforcement and confusion about alcohol consumption rules in public spaces.  Consultation took place with the public at the end of 2025 (as well as with key SBC staff and partners), with feedback incorporated into the revised, and now different, PSPOs for both Stockton and Norton which went live in April 2026.  Importantly, vulnerable people continued to be directed to relevant support services.

·       Recommendation 8 (The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Cleveland provides the Committee with the outcomes of its evaluation of the recent anti-social behaviour (ASB) hot-spot patrols in Billingham, Stockton and Thornaby): A report had been received from the OPCC for Cleveland which showed mixed results concerning crime and ASB.  Suggesting that areas with higher levels of serious violence were more resistant in responding to efforts to lower ASB, data indicated that Norton saw a 2.63% reduction in ASB, and Billingham a 10.17% reduction.  However, Stockton town centre had experienced a 5.88% increase in ASB (July 2025 – March 2026).

·       Recommendation 9 (Cleveland Police ensures incidents reported to them by the business community are captured and reflected within its own crime / ASB recording systems): A force-wide governance structure was in place for retail and business crime, and the recently completed strategic retail crime plan, supported by a 4P delivery plan (Prevent, Pursue, Protect, Prepare), established a consistent framework for engagement, information-sharing, and co-ordinated activity across partners.  Cleveland Police actively encouraged reporting of retail and business crimes which not only assisted with detection but also built intelligence for effective crime prevention initiatives to be developed.  Various partnership-focused initiatives had led to a 17.8% drop in shop thefts in Stockton town centre during the preceding six months from December 2025.

·       Recommendation 10 (Cleveland Police and SBC consider further ways in which greater police / enforcement visibility can be achieved within the Borough’s town centres, particularly around identified hot-spot areas for crime / ASB / congregations of groups of individuals with addiction issues, as well as anticipated new developments (e.g. new Stockton waterfront)): There was clear evidence of multi-agency improvements being made to better resource town centre environments (e.g. Operation Shield, the Cleveland Police ‘Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee’ (a neighbourhood policing uplift programme), and OPCC support).  Given the increased demand in Stockton town centre and the regeneration project at the waterfront, the Council had committed to not only maintaining daily foot patrols within the town centre but increasing the team by an extra two in summer 2026.  These patrols would contribute to a consistent and visible uniformed presence, providing reassurance to residents, visitors and businesses, whilst also supporting early intervention and problem-solving.

·       Recommendation 11 (Where appropriate, consideration be given to the introduction of multi-agency, co-located hubs within town centre spaces to provide sanctuary, support and signposting for those with addiction needs) and recommendation 12 (SBC and its relevant partners formulate an agreed plan for managing and supporting highly visible street drinkers / drug-users (who may or may not be ready for recovery)): Work was actively underway to explore and apply best practice approaches to improving engagement with individuals experiencing addiction-related needs within town centres – this was being progressed through the Council’s Early Intervention and Prevention (EIP) Programme.  A decision was recently made to pursue a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) of professionals, both clinical and lived experience, from statutory bodies and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, to improve and encourage access to support and recovery for those suffering from alcohol and drugs addiction.

Commending the progress made since the agreement of the Action Plan linked to the Committee’s previously completed review, Members acknowledged the work of the OPCC for Cleveland in relation to retail crime, though noted that the police often felt let down by the courts which were handing down inappropriate / lenient sentences to shoplifters, meaning these individuals were soon committing crimes again.  In response to a Committee query on whether this issue needed to be raised with relevant authorities, SBC officers supported the relaying of any feedback on the challenges being faced as a result of decisions made by courts.

With reference to recommendation 3 (As far as possible, SBC ensures the ongoing and future development of the Borough’s town centres maximises accessibility, with appropriate amenities (e.g. seating / toilets) to support the experience of those using these spaces, and the promotion of existing public transport options into these areas) and the seven House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) applications refused since 2022, Members asked if the Council provided support to those proposing such developments (e.g. around good management).  SBC officers stated that the Council’s Planning Team gave advice around HMO applications and that these were sometimes re-submitted after SBC guidance.

Highlighting the perception that it was a no-crime area, the Committee noted that there was little mention of Ingleby Barwick within the information provided despite there being recent incidents of arson and shoplifting.  SBC officers offered to feed back any identified issues to the relevant Cleveland Police Neighbourhood Police Team (NPT) and would ensure Ingleby Barwick featured more prominently in the next update to the Committee.

Members returned to the rolling 12-month graph included within the Operation Shield slide of the presentation and sought clarity over which area/s this pertained to.  SBC officers explained that the graph illustrated the drop-off in reported ASB within Stockton town centre compared to April 2025, most likely because of the revised PSPO which was now active within that space.

Observing that there were only three weeks until the opening of the new Stockton waterfront urban park, the Committee sought assurance that appropriate plans were in place to ensure community safety around this key development.  SBC officers reiterated the use and visibility of dedicated personnel (numbers of which would be boosted for specific events (e.g. Armed Forces Day)), and the Council would continue to work / plan with police, mindful that deployment to this new park should not adversely impact other areas of the Borough.

AGREED that the Welcoming and Safe Town Centres progress update be noted and the assessments for progress be confirmed as stated.