Agenda item

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 majority of respondents felt safer, thought that burglaries, people loitering, vandalism, and fly-tipping had all reduced, and would move to other alley gated areas.

·       Lawrence Street, Stockton – April 2024: In April 2024, a resident was injured by an alley gate in Lawrence Street, Stockton falling on them.  Following an accident investigation, all the Borough’s gates were subsequently assessed, with professional engineers providing a recommendation to upgrade the hinge mechanism.  £70,000 was allocated to undertake emergency upgrades, and the gates were now assessed on a six-monthly rota.

·       Public reported stats: 2023 – 28 reports of alley gate damage; 2024 – 226 reports (year of Lawrence Street accident); 2025 – 126 reports; 2026 (up to September) – 70 reports.

·       Non-budgeted maintenance spend (not including inspections): 2023-2024 – £9,000; 2024-2025 – £25,000; 2025-2026 – £43,000.

·       Financial implications: The costs for the replacement of one set of gates were estimated by the manufacturer as between £5,000 and £7,000 (depending on location and individual requirements).  Lock replacements were £90 (plus two hours labour), with the cost for the removal of current gates set (no replacement) being £1,000.  Current inspection and maintenance-identified works had no budget allocation and were currently an overspend on the Highways budget.  The total replacement of all the alley gates on the Borough’s scheme would be in excess of £2,000,000.

·       Future policy options / considerations: A number of options were noted in relation to future considerations around this community safety measure.  Continuing with existing arrangements (i.e. no change) carried high risk, whilst there were funding implications for the like-for-like replacement of the Borough’s alley gates as part of a multi-year programme.  SBC could look to re-evaluate the locations where these gates were currently in place (replacing key gates where required and reducing overall numbers), or could undertake the phased removal of all current alley gates over multiple years (though this would still have budgetary demands and, possibly, political resistance).  Consideration could also be given to any other community safety options (e.g. CCTV) which might be able to more effectively deter crime and ASB in alleyways, and consultation could be initiated to ascertain what residents living within the proximity of alleyways think / feel about existing and future measures.

Thanking SBC officers for the information provided, Committee discussions initially took place on the quoted full replacement costs and whether it would be more prudent to focus on problematic parts (e.g. hinges / bolts / locks) rather than the entire gates themselves, many of which were in decent condition.  Members also acknowledged that the design could be somewhat of an eyesore, that costs were incurred due to damage to locks, and that effectiveness could be compromised by people vandalising / climbing over the top of them.

Further Committee comments were made in relation to the initial effort to dissuade individuals from using alleyways as rat-runs, as well as attempts to address fly-tipping and ASB (which was an issue at the time they were installed).  Whilst they clearly served a community safety purpose, they needed to be inspected on a regular basis to avoid accidents / injuries – something which officers subsequently provided assurance around (with gates being more regularly checked after the Lawrence Street incident).  Also, resident views on the value / effectiveness of the gates may have changed over time and needed to be sought.

Returning to the theme of the overall look of the gates, Members asked if any information was available from other Local Authorities with regard the designs they had installed.  Officers stated that most gates comprised a standardised design, and that more ornate structures may not be as effective despite being better from a visual perspective.

SCOPE AND PROJECT PLAN

It was noted that the next evidence session later this month would feature a submission from Cleveland Police, with proposed questions for the intended survey for SBC Ward Councillors also being considered.  A written response from Cleveland Fire Brigade would also be shared prior to the next meeting.

AGREED that the information provided by the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Community Safety and Care For Your Area departments be noted.