Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

Members reviewed the minutes and highlighted that some actions that were agreed at the previous meeting had not yet been completed. Officers agreed to circulate the following:

·     A copy of the volunteers welcome pack

·     Information relating to the cost of fire signals to the authority

·     Further data on deliberate fires

RESOLVED:

1.    That the minutes of the meeting held on 24^th July 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman

2.    That the agreed documents/information, as above, be circulated to the Committee following the meeting

There were no announcements by the Chairman, Executive Councillors and Lead Officers.

(To receive a report which provides key performance information that is relevant to the work of the Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee. Lead Officers for the service areas will be in attendance at the meeting)

The Chairman drew the Committee's attention to the Quarter One Performance Report, which provided key performance information relevant to the work of the Community and Public Safety Scrutiny Committee.

Members were invited to consider and comment on the performance information contained in the report, and to highlight any recommendations or further actions for consideration.

Questions and comments from members and officers included the following:

• In response to a question, officers explained that the offenders were finding new places to hide the illegal and counterfeit goods so officers were having to look for new ways to catch them out.
• Members felt that it was important that the public were informed of the dangers posed by the illegal and counterfeit goods. 
• Officers clarified that there were high efforts being made to ensure that people were reporting antisocial behaviour.

·         One member questioned how there could be a reduction in alcohol related anti-social behaviour incidents but a rise in alcohol related crime incidents was recorded by the police at the point of call for service, whereas the Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in their recent crime data integrity inspection, had given guidance that meant that those incidents which were formerly more likely to be registered as anti-social behaviour incidents were now more likely to be registered as "alcohol related crimes". This would mean comparing current figures with figures previously reported which was problematic, as the same circumstances that were shown as an "incident" would now more likely be registered as a "crime" for the police.

·         It was expected that there would be a rise in the figures for crime across Lincolnshire as a consequence of the results of the recent inspection by HMICFRS. This was due to a number of factors, including more recording of crime received via third parties and partner agencies in cases such as, for instance, historical Domestic Abuse.

• Officers were aware of the increase of demand for IT services and were looking at ways to incorporate IT services into libraries. 
• In response to a question, the Executive Councillor for Community Safety and People Management explained that colleagues were carefully considering the appropriate alternative measure that was proposed to replace 'alcohol related violet crimes' and that he would report back on the progress at the next Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (OSMB) meeting.

The Chairman asked members whether they felt that the targets for the current measures were appropriately set, or needed some adjustment. Members felt targets should be reviewed on occasion, as it was inevitable that they would change over time.

RESOLVED:

          That the report and comments made be noted.

(To receive a report from Donna Sharp (County Services Manager – Registration & Celebratory Service and Coroners Service) which provides an update on the progress and performance of the Registration, Celebratory and Coroners Service)

The County Services Manager provided an update on the Registration, Celebratory and Coroners Service (RCCS), focusing on the following:

·   Activity Levels and Budget

·   Assurance

·   Challenges

·   Medical Examiners

·   Stillbirths

·   Promotion, Marketing and Signposting

The County Services Manager was pleased to confirm the appointment of a new Senior Coroner to replace Stuart Fisher, the current Senior Coroner, following his retirement in October 2018. The Committee gave thanks to Stuart Fisher for his long service to the people of Lincolnshire and welcomed the new coroner.

The Committee were also asked for their views on whether the £4 statutory fee for the copy certificate at the point of registering stillbirths should be waived. The Committee were informed that, based on the 31 stillbirths recorded in Lincolnshire in 2018/19, the cost impact would amount to less than £150 per year. They were also asked for their views on eliminating the certificate costs for registering the death of somebody under 18 years old, which based on an average of 8 deaths per year, would have a cost impact of approximately £100 per year.

It was highlighted that there had continued to be difficulty in registering deaths within the 5 day period, where there had been no referral to the coroner. It was noted that many Medical Certificates of Cause of Death were not completed until day 3 or 4, and once the family had collected the certificate and contacted the service, the five day target was unachievable, and that there had been difficulties nationally in meeting the target.

Questions and comments from councillors and officers included the following:

• It was questioned whether there needed to be a restriction on the number of copies of the stillbirth certificated, if the fee was to be waived. The County Services Manager felt that it was unlikely for people to want lots of copies of the certificated, but it could be monitored.
• The County Services Manager agreed to revisit the Coroners Service Budget to present it in a clearer form.
• It was noted that there was limited income generated from the Coroners Service.
• The County Services Manager understood members' frustration that the registration service still didn't have a card payment facility available to families and ensured the Committee that and there had been continued efforts to resolve this at a corporate level. It was hoped that there would be card payment facility available by April 2019.
• It was clarified that the fees for the registration of births and marriages were set nationally.
• It was agreed that a definition of lawful and unlawful killing be circulated to the Committee following the meeting.
• Members requested whether the County Services Manager could return on an annual basis to provide an update to the Committee.

The Committee unanimously supported that a request be made to the Executive / Executive Councillor for Culture and Emergency Services to review the waiver of fees for copy certificates in these circumstances.

The Committee felt strongly that the costs associated with the registration of stillbirths should be waived, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

(To receive a report from Sara Barry (Safer Communities Manager), which provides an update on the recommissioning of Domestic Abuse Support Services in Lincolnshire, and advises on other developments which are likely to have positive implications in the future)

11:02am – Councillor C Brewis entered the meeting

The Community Safety Manager presented a report which provided an update on the recommissioning of Domestic Abuse Service, and advised on other developments that were likely to have positive implications for the county's response to domestic abuse victims in the future.

It was explained that the Council had initiated the tender for the County's Domestic Abuse Support Services in February 2018 and that the services were tendered in two distinct lots:

·    Lot 1 – Outreach Domestic Abuse Support Services

·    Lot 2 – Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) Services

It was noted that the contract had been awarded to a single provider, West Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Service (WLDAS), and that the contract had started positively.

The Community Safety Manager gave a summary of the following support services offered by WLDAS across the County:

• IDVA service
• Hospital IDVA
• Outreach Domestic Abuse Support Service – Support for Adults (Women and Men)
• Outreach Domestic Abuse Support Service – Support for Children/Families
• Targeted Children's Support Service

Questions and comments from members and officers included the following:

• In response to a question, it was clarified that the Hospital IDVA would initially only be based at Lincoln Hospital; however it was hoped that this could be expanded to other hospitals in the future.
• Resource had been put into training the IDVA's to be able to confidently assist people whom English was not their first language.
• It was clarified that the Outreach Support Service supported around 2000 victims, but the estimated usage for the intervention for young people and hospital provision within the service had been based on assumptions as these services had not been provided in the past. Officers ensure that these services would be monitored closely to ensure that demand could be supported.
• Officers were unable to give a definite answer as to how when they would remove somebody from the statistic of being a 'victim', as support was offered to individuals whenever they needed it.
• It was noted a new approach was being undertaken which would focus on prevention and early intervention, rather than a crisis management approach that had been taken previously.
• One member questioned how we protect the children or those individuals who disclose information about a victim or abuser to the domestic abuse service. In response, officers explained that individuals were offered support sessions as part of the intervention process and that conversations approached in a discreet, sensitive way.

RESOLVED:

          That the report and comments made be noted.

(To receive a report from Debbie Yeates (Area Manager – Corporate Support) which provides the final update on the review of its on-call Retained Duty System (RDS), updating the Committee on the progress and outlining the plan to ensure future resilience of the on-call system)

The Area Manager for Corporate Support gave an update on the Fire and Rescue Retained Duty System (RDS) Review, and the progress of the action plan and which would ensure future resilience of the on-call system.

The report highlighted the following 9 key areas of recommendation and their projected outcomes:

·    Recruitment and Selection

·    Structure of organisational development

·    Strategy and policy

·    Training phases 1-3/Learning management system

·    Resilience reserve and crewing levels

·    Availability agreement

·    Annual leave arrangements

·    Electronic availability

·    Payment system

It was noted that recommendations had been assigned to each one of the key areas, with area having been given a priority rating, with the aim of completing the project by 30^th April 2018.

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer explained that during the review they had recognised the need to maintain a focus on the on-call RDS system. Consequently, they had established an 'On-Call' Resilience Board to ensure that relevant personnel continued the good work started by the RDS review. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer offered to report to the Committee on a six monthly basis to update them on the progress of the On-Call Resilience Board.

Questions and comments from members and officers included the following:

• One member questioned how flexible the on-call firefighters were able to be in terms of availability, and what the minimum amount of availability that could be offered was. In response, officers explained that the preferred minimum number of hours was 90 a week, but in some circumstances it would be allowed to drop below that. Ultimately the divisional commanders had autonomy on this.
• Officers highlighted that on-call availability was a constant challenge and that the staff deserved recognition for the work they provided to the fire-service. 
• One Member asked whether there was anything councillors could do to help advertise and recruit for the on-call roles. Officers were hopeful that improvements to the council's website would enable the fire service to have a better recruitment site online and assist in the process.
• Officers were looking to identify the divisional areas that were finding it difficult to recruit on-call firefighters, and contact the local councillors to see if they could work together to help with recruitment. 
• It was noted that there was an employer information section on the fire service's website to give employers an insight of what the role of an on-call firefighter entails.
• In response to a question, officers confirmed that there was no compensation paid to the primary employers for the on-call firefighters, but fire services nationally were lobbying to allow a form of compensation to the primary employers.
• It was confirmed that some Lincolnshire County Council employees were also on-call firefighters.
• Officers explained that on-call firefighters received a maximum of 10% of a full-time firefighter's salary on an annual basis, and also received the same hourly rate as a full-time firefighter during a call-out.
• In response to a question, it was clarified that around 5% of the firefighters in Lincolnshire were women, which was one of the highest rates nationally.
• It  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

(To receive a report by Daniel Steel, Scrutiny Officer, which provides the committee with the opportunity to consider and comment on the content of its work programme for the coming year to ensure that scrutiny activity is focussed where it can be of greatest benefit)

The Board was provided with an opportunity to review its own Work Programme.

One member questioned whether the update on the 'Future Model of the Heritage Service' scheduled for 23^rd October 2018, included the archive service. In response, the Scrutiny Officer agreed to clarify this with the Chief Community Engagement Officer and notify the member.

RESOLVED:

That the Board was satisfied with the content of the Work Programme