Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and notices of appointment of substitute Members (if any).

Apologies were received from Cllr J Downes who was substituted by Cllr L Cruwys.

Councillors are reminded of the requirement to declare any interest, including the type of interest, and reason for that interest, either at this stage of the meeting or as soon as they become aware of that interest.

There were no declarations made.

To receive any questions relating to items on the Agenda from members of the public and replies thereto.

Note:   A maximum of 30 minutes is allowed for this item.

Members of the public present did not ask any questions.

Members to consider whether to approve the Minutes of the meetings held on 25^th June 2019.

The committee is reminded that only those Members present at the previous meeting should vote and, in doing so, should be influenced only by seeking to ensure that the minutes are an accurate record

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 25^th June 2019 were approved as a correct record and SIGNED by the Chairman.

To receive any announcements that the Chairman may wish to make.

The Chairman informed the Group of the opening of the new High-tech indoor cycle studio at the Exe Valley Leisure Centre.

The Chairman indicated that he intended (with the Groups approval) to take agenda item number 9 (CTF Fund Summary 2018-2019) as the next item of business.

To receive a report on the Communities Together Fund for 2018-2019 from the Group Manager for Growth, Economy and Delivery

The Group had before it, and NOTED, a *report of the Head of Planning, Economy and Regeneration presented by the Growth and Regeneration Officer who explained that the Communities Together Fund had been closed for 2019/2020.

She explained that the fund was administered by MDDC on behalf of Devon County Council (DCC) with a 10% contribution from MDDC. In March 2019, DCC announced its decision to discontinue the Communities Together Fund and introduced the following alternatives:

·         Crowdfund Devon (Extra Funding for Devon)

·         Doing What Matters (Community Grants Fund)

·         Making the Connection

The Chairman encouraged all Members present to actively promote the new schemes to Parish Councils within their wards.

NOTE: *Report previously circulated and attached to the minutes.

To receive a report of the Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing on areas within his remit.

The Group had before it, and NOTED, a *report of the Cabinet Member for Community Well-Being who outlined the contents of his report and stated that since becoming Cabinet Member it had been a steep learning curve.

He highlighted the key points of the report including:

·         Strategic Grants

·         ICT Services – Desktop operating systems upgraded to Windows 10

·         Land Charges – New burdens funding available

·         Leisure – 100% response rate for Facebook and SWIMTAG remains popular

·         Public Health – Record number of food inspections

·         Introduction of a noise app and a key emergency planning exercise

He explained to the Group that he had attended the Police and Crime Panel in Plymouth and had highlighted to the Panel the issues of the numbers of police on the streets and the opening of local police stations to the public. In response to direct requests from Members he confirmed that he would raise the issues of rural crime, county lines and the large area’s that Mid Devon Police had to cover at the next meeting of the Panel.

In response to a question about the Air Quality Report, the Director of Operations confirmed that the Council had a statutory duty to produce plans in areas where air quality standards had been breached. Crediton and Cullompton had breached the prescribed limits but Tiverton had not which was the reason that there was no plan produced for Tiverton. The Group Manager for Public Health and Regulatory Services highlighted that a detailed update report on the Air Quality Action Plan covering Crediton and Cullompton was planned for the next PDG meeting.

NOTE: *Report previously circulated and attached to the minutes.

To provide members with any update on performance against the corporate plan and local service targets for 2019/2020 as well as providing an update on the key business risks.

Note: The Leisure performance reports are restricted.

The Group had before it, and NOTED, the Performance and Risk *report from the Group Manager for Performance Governance and Data Security who stated that this was the first report detailing the 2019/2020 performance.

She explained to Members that the reports could be adjusted to accommodate additional performance measures if these were requested by the Group.

NOTE: *Report previously circulated and attached to the minutes.

To update Members on the Town Centre CCTV system and operational overview from the Group Manager for Corporate Property and Commercial Assets

The Group had before it, and NOTED, an update *report and an action plan detailed in section 7 of the report on the Tiverton Town Centre CCTV System presented by the Group Manager for Corporate Property and Commercial Assets.

He outlined the contents of the report and informed the Group that there were currently 26 cameras in Tiverton town centre and when the system was upgraded in 2016 partners, including the police, had been asked to comment on the location of the cameras.

He explained that at the Environment PDG on 6^th August a public question had been received regarding the viability of installing mobile CCTV cameras that could be used for enforcement purposes, specifically littering in West Exe Recreational Ground, Tiverton. He explained that the cost of providing one unit would be in the region of £4k but there was a possibility of a free trial.

The Director of Operations explained that arranging the free trial of a mobile camera was something that could be achieved quite quickly but the Council would first need to ensure that it had a Policy on the deployment of such cameras that was compliant with data protection legislation and the latest guidance. He explained that the Council was not able to install cameras in public parks where children played without a robust Policy in place and it would need to investigate how any footage obtained could be used for environmental enforcement purposes. 

The Group discussed the ongoing issues at West Exe Recreational Ground in Tiverton and AGREED that a Use of CCTV policy, detailing the governance around the use of mobile cameras in practice, and compliance to the latest guidance should be developed. The Group AGREED that the development of a Policy and an update to procedures should be added to the Groups work programme and be presented to the Group for consideration at a future meeting.

In response to a question regarding the provision of CCTV in Crediton and Cullompton the Group Manager for Corporate Property and Commercial Assets explained that they could consider this as part of the assessment of the current CCTV provision that the Property Services team were due to conduct. The Leader of the Council explained that it would be critical that all parties in Crediton and Cullompton that would benefit from additional CCTV should contribute to the cost of systems.

NOTE: *Report previously circulated and attached to the minutes.

To receive the annual review of Regulation of Investigatory Powers Policy from the Director of Corporate Affairs and Business Transformation.

The Group received the annual *review of Regulation of Investigatory Powers from the Director of Corporate Affairs and Business Transformation presented by the RIPA Co-ordinating Officer.

There were no issues or queries raised by Members and therefore:

It was resolved

(1)To RECOMMEND to the Cabinet to approve the reviewed Regulation of Investigatory Powers procedure the revised RIPA policy including the new annex on social media/internet research.

(2) that officers draft a policy on covert surveillance for non-RIPA cases to be submitted for approval and

(3) to note the contents of the Report

(Proposed by the Chairman).

NOTE: *Review previously circulated and attached to the minutes.

To receive an overview of the Public Health Department and how this relates to the work of the Policy Development Group from the Group Manager for Public Health and Regulatory Services

The Group received a presentation from the Group Manager for Public Health and Regulatory Services outlining the remit of the Public Health Service that was relevant to the Community PDG. This included:

·         An overview of the service with a range of statutory functions

·         The gross budget for the service and the number of staff with a breakdown of revenue and capital expenditure relevant to the PDG

·         Food inspections  - Which premises were require registration and inspection and BREXIT implications around approved premises and food imports/exports

·         93% of food premises in Mid Devon were broadly compliant

·         A record number of food interventions in 2018/2019

·         Food Hygiene Rating Scheme – 96% rated good or very good. It was not mandatory to display the scores in England

·         Infectious Disease Notifications – The team received about 120 instances per annum

·         Health & Safety Inspections- Looking for controls in place to prevent accidents and near misses

·         Private Water Supplies –The majority were single domestic premises but also a number of larger domestic and commercial supplies required risk assessment

·         Air Quality Management – The need to adopt an air quality management plan in areas which breached standards of air quality

·         Emergency Planning – Included the requirement to have response and recovery plans and conduct training exercises

·         Community safety – Includes the Community Safety Partnership and anti-social behaviour

·         Other duties including land contamination, unsanitary premises, pest control and hoarding

·         Support to other service areas including public health burials, corporate risk work and corporate health and safety

The Group had a discussion about the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and expressed a concern that high performing premises that required less frequent inspections could see their standards slip but it not be investigated for a long period of time.

Please note the following items have been identified for future meetings:

Single Equalities Policy and Equality Objective

Air Quality Action Plan Update

Financial Monitoring

Community Safety Partnership

Strategic Grants and Service Level Agreement Programme 2020-2023

Training Opportunities

Note: This item is limited to 10 minutes.  There should be no discussion on the items raised.

No additional items were identified