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Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member for Community Well-Being Report

Meeting: 18/02/2019 - Scrutiny Committee (Item 138)

138 CABINET MEMBER FOR COMMUNITY WELL-BEING REPORT (00.06.22) pdf icon PDF 569 KB

To receive a position statement from the Cabinet Member for Community Well-Being providing an update on the areas within his portfolio.

Minutes:

The Committee received and NOTED a *report from the Cabinet Member for Community Well Being.

 

He outlined the contents of the report and stated that it was generally good news. He then took questions from Members.

 

In response to questions he explained that the policy was to offer the first Trim Trail in Amory Park in Tiverton. As Cabinet Member he had not received a formal request from Crediton Ward Members for the installation of a Trim Trail in that area but that S106 monies could be used for that purpose. He explained that developers in the district were being actively encouraged to install Trim Trails as part of new developments.

 

Members, referring to the taxi inspection figures contained within the report, requested further information on the types of inspections completed as some felt that some taxi’s in the area were not of a high standard. The Cabinet Member confirmed that he would get officers to provide details of the taxi inspection process.

 

Members explained that since the Council had gone cashless they had received complaints from elderly residents. The Cabinet Member explained that the Council still accepted card payments or on line payments and people could still pay by cash through the post office or banks. The Director of Corporate Affairs and Business Transformation explained that people could still pay by cash through the kiosk.

 

There was a general discussion on concessions for elderly people using the Council leisure facilities and he explained that the concessions had moved from solely age based 12 months ago to people’s ability to pay. He said that elderly people in receipt of benefits received concessions.

 

He explained the new triaging and co-ordination approach introduced to Public Health customer service requests which had made the service more efficient. The Public Health Officer confirmed that this meant that only complicated cases would be referred to more experienced staff for resolution therefore freeing up their time.

 

Members then discussed the standards that the Council used to register taxi drivers and that the Government was currently looking at new legislation which would prevent people who had already been refused a licence in one district from gaining licences in neighbouring authorities and continuing to work in the original district.

 

The Cabinet Member confirmed that the emergency plan, which was on the on line intranet, was district wide.

 

He explained the introduction of a noise app in early 2019 would enable people to record instances of noise nuisance, freeing up expensive monitoring equipment and officer time and confirmed that a similar antisocial behaviour app was soon to be introduced.

 

Members requested further details of the additional work being undertaken by the Public Health Community team to support Bereavement Services.

 

 

Note: *Report previously circulated and attached to the minutes