Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors W H Gray, K E Lee, J L King, E J Sneath and A N Stokes.

An apology for absence was also received from Councillor Mrs S Woolley (Executive Councillor NHS Liaison, Community Engagement, Registration and Coroners).

It was noted that Councillors J L King and E J Sneath would be observing the meeting remotely, via Teams.

No declarations of Members’ interest were received at this point in the proceedings.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 8 November 2022 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record, subject to the word ‘negligent’ at bullet point one on page 3 on the minutes being amended to read ‘negligeable’.

The Chief Fire Officer extended his welcome to Steve Topham, the newly appointed Assistant Chief Fire Officer. The welcome was then echoed from members of the Committee.

(To receive a report from Emma Golds, Senior Commercial & Procurement Officer, which invites the Committee to consider a report on the Coroner’s Body Removal & Transport Re-Procurement, which is due to be considered by the Executive Councillor for NHS Liaison, Community Engagement, Registration and Coroners between 16 and 23 December 2022.  The views of the Committee will be passed on to the Executive Councillor as part of her consideration of this item)

The Chairman invited James Chapple, Head of Registration, Celebratory and Coroners, and Leanne Fotherby, Commercial & Procurement Manager, to present the item, which invited the Committee to consider and comment on the Coroner’s Body Removal and Transport Re-Procurement, which was due to be considered by the Executive Councillor for NHS Liaison, Community Engagement, Registration and Coroners between 16 and 23 December 2022.

The Committee was advised that under the Coroners Justice Act 2009, the Council had a statutory duty to provide appropriate and robust arrangements for the collection and return of bodies whose deaths were referred by the coroner for investigation.  It was highlighted that the current agreement was due to end on the 31 May 2023, with no further option to extend. The Committee was advised further that the coroner was happy with the current contracts in place, and it was anticipated that due to the nature of the contract, it was expected that most bids would come from current suppliers, due to the infrastructure currently in place. 

It was reported that the Council was intending to publish the ‘Coroners Body Removal and Transport’ re-procurement in February 2023, as an open tender to ensure maximum engagement with the market and to provide fixed term contracts with sufficient reassurance to both the suppliers and the service of rotas.  The Committee was advised that the contracts would be awarded to the supplier(s) whose tender scored the highest per lot, and which provided the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) against the Council’s chosen award criteria for each lot.  Details of the geographical locations, lots, and contracted hours were shown on page 17 of the report presented.

The Committee noted that the contracts would be expected to run for three years commencing on 1 June 2023, and that there would be an option for the Council to extend by one additional period of two years. 

It was reported that the contract value was £436,000 annually, and that the total value of the five-year contract was £2,180,000.

During consideration of this item, the Committee raised the following comments:

·       Members raised a point in relation to post-mortem service provision which was currently being delivered at Leicester Royal Infirmary and Hull Royal Infirmary and inquired whether there were still plans for the service to return within the county. Officers confirmed that at the time United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) had no capacity to host the service back within the county, however, assurances were given that the Registrations and Coroners’ Service was in active discussions with ULHT on future post-mortem provisions. Members requested that the comments captured reflected the need for resolution as this matter impacted residents who’s deceased relatives were transported out of county, which ultimately caused delays on funerals and caused issues with the requirement of deaths to be declared within a five-day window. Members also emphasised on the costs associated with out of county return transportation and storage outside the county;

·       Members sought clarity and assurances around the streamlining of the service, following  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

(To receive a report from Martyn Parker, Assistant Director – Public Protection, Nicole Hilton, Assistant Director – Communities, Lee Sirdifield, Assistant Director – Corporate, Mark Baxter, Chief Fire Officer and Steven Batchelor, Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership Senior Manager, which sets out the performance of the Tier 2 Service Level Performance measures for 2022-23 – Quarter 2 that are within the remit of the Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee)

The Committee considered a report from Martyn Parker, Assistant Director - Public Protection, Nicole Hilton, Assistant Director – Communities, Lee Sirdifield, Assistant Director Corporate, Mark Baxter, Chief Fire Officer and Steven Batchelor, Senior Manager, Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, which summarised the Service Level Performance against the Success Framework 2022/23 for Quarter 2 that were within the remit of the Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee.

Ryan Stacey, Assistant Chief Fire Officer and Will Mason, Head of Culture were also in attendance for this item.

During consideration of the new Power BI dashboard, some of the following comments were raised:

·       Further information was sought regarding the Friendship and Emotions workshop.  Officers agreed to forward on details of the workshop content, and when and where they were being held on to members of the Committee.  The Committee noted that all schools booked in through the co-ordinators and that workshops were offered to all schools across the county. It was noted that at the end of the previous year the workshops were online, but now there was a hybrid model as well as face to face sessions. It was highlighted that the Stay Safe Partnership was looking into how the impact of the workshops could be recorded and that this was still work in progress.  The Committee also noted that the team had contact with safeguarding officers within schools and that more work being done around emotions and healthy relationships as this had seen a rise in the number of disclosures received;

·       Whether any work was being carried out to improve Teacher/pupil relationships.  Officers advised that they were not aware of any issues, but would look into the matter raised;

·       Some concern was raised regarding safeguarding and service provision for children in travelling communities.  It was agreed that this was a matter for the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee and that information would be circulated to members of the Committee after the meeting;

·       Reassurance was sought that with the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) meetings operating virtually, that no one was being missed. The Committee was advised that meetings were being held virtually as it had enabled more services to be engaged in the meeting as they found it easier. It was highlighted that a formal review of MARAC was taking place to ensure that partners abilities were being maximised.  The Committee was advised that the review was due to be completed in April 2023;

·       What had been the impact of the shortage of veterinary surgeons on inspections; and whether the in-house training had been implemented and whether any adverts had been placed in veterinary publications.  It was agreed that a response would be sought from members of staff within the trading standards team;

·       Whether any complaints had been received regarding the pricing in shops or the quality of the service. It was agreed that a response would be made available to members of the Committee;

·       Thanks were extended to the trading standards team for all the work carried out removing dangerous  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.

(To receive a report from Mark Baxter, Chief Fire Officer, which invites the Committee to consider and comment on the contents of the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Authority’s Statement of Assurance 2021/22)

Consideration was given to a report from Mark Baxter, Chief Fire Officer, which invited the Committee to consider and comment on the content of the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Authority’s Statement of Assurance for 2021/22.

Attached at Appendix A to the report was a copy of the of the Statement of Assurance document for 2021/22 for the Committee to consider.

The Committee was advised that Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Authority was satisfied that the systems and measures it had in place with respect to financial governance and operational matters for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 were fit for purpose and effective.

During consideration of this item, the Committee raised some of the following comments:-

·       Media coverage regarding diversity and bullying issues some fire and rescue services were encountering and how the service was ensuring it was not happening in Lincolnshire.   The Chief Fire Officer advised that he found reports of what was happening within his sector to be very troubling.  The Committee was assured that LFR had strong cultures and behaviours throughout the organisation, and that it was the LFR commitment that whenever there had been any evidence of poor behaviour, these were addressed immediately. The Committee noted that there were systems in place to allow staff to report any issues or concerns confidentially, through independent reporting lines;

·       Engagement with foreign nationals – The Committee was advised that local crews and community safety teams actively engaged with their local communities.  It was noted that messages were delivered to communities in as many languages as possible; and that the LFR also had a proactive recruitment campaign with all communities within Lincolnshire as the service was keen that the diversity of its crews mirrored the same diversities within communities;

·       Recruitment Campaign – It was reported that during the last 12 months there had been a healthy number of applicants for whole time fire fighters.  With regard to on-call personnel, again there had been a significant number, but more had to be done to ensure that these staff were retained. It was highlighted that the service lost approximately the same number of staff it recruited each year.  It was highlighted that Lincolnshire was competing with other services across the country, so there had been a focus of training existing staff within the organisation, as well as external recruitment;

·       Whether there were any issues or projects the service would like to carry out to improve the service.  Issues highlighted included IMT services how these could be streamlined to make the service more efficient;

·       Whether IMT packages were being updated.  It was noted that due to pressures of IMT across the whole council, some updates had not been received as timely as they might have been.  It was highlighted that updates would be received before the end of the year. It was highlighted further that there was a programme looking at how the service could system optimise all its IMT packages; to try and to reduce reporting streams, which would then  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

(To receive a report from Thea Croxall, Adult Learning & Skills Manager – Economic Development, which provides the Committee with an update on the Multiply Numeracy Programme 2022/23)

The Committee considered a report from Thea Croxall, Adult Learning & Skills Manager – Economic Development, which provided an update on the progress made to deliver the Multiply Programme in 2022/23.

Appendix A to the report provided details of the 2022/23 Multiply Programme - Location of Provision by Delivery Organisation for the Committee to consider and highlight any additional areas for consideration to meet the needs of businesses and constituents to inform future planning.

During consideration of this item, the Committee raised some of the following comments:

·       Assurance was sought as to whether funds allocated to the programme had been utilised up to 31 March 2023.  The Committee was advised that all the money allocated would be spent in year one;

·       The teaching of entrepreneurial skills through crafting in Lincolnshire, one member enquired as crafting was expensive to get started in, whether any money was available to help individuals to get set up;  The Committee was advised that there was not any further funding through the programme, however, through the wider adult learning programme, courses were available such as setting up your own business, which would make the learner aware of grants that might be able available to apply for;

·       The uptake of for numeracy courses undertaken by prisoners, or those recently released from prison.  The Committee was advised that to date, there had been very little interest.  It was however noted that a lot of partnership working was being done with organisations such as Lincolnshire Action Trust to raise awareness and increase interest to ensure that this vulnerable group was included;

·       Of the nineteen projects received, seventeen were shown on pages 63 and 64. For the two not included, what criteria had not been met.  It was reported that one provider who had been offered a project unfortunately did not have the capacity to deliver that and another project.  The Committee noted that one of the biggest challenges was ensuring there was provision across Lincolnshire for the ten interventions being delivered;

·       What could be done better going forward to attract more participants. The Committee noted that some really creative programmes were coming forward to help bring maths to life, such as money management and feeding your family, which would be delivered in a more practical way, making it more relevant for the people of Lincolnshire;

·       Whether there was an expectation for the projects to carry on in the coming years or whether providers would have to re-apply. It was reported that projects were monitored monthly, to ensure that providers had met the target they signed up for at the beginning of the programme.  Later in the programme, officers would then be looking at the impact of the programme on individual learners; and

·       What support was offered to providers delivering the programme.  The Committee was advised that there was experienced staff already in place who supported adult learning providers, and they were using those skills to support organisations delivering the Multiply programme, in terms of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

(To receive a report by Kiara Chatziioannou, 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 Chairman invited Kiara Chatziioannou, Scrutiny Officer, to present the report which invited the Committee to review the work programme as detailed on pages 66 to 68 of the report pack and to highlight any additional scrutiny activity to be included for consideration in the work programme.

RESOLVED

That the work programme as detailed on pages 66 to 68  of the report pack presented be agreed.

The meeting of the Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee ended at 12:44pm.

(To receive a report from Zoe Walters, Community Safety Strategy Co-Ordinator, which provides the Committee with an overview of the actions undertaken by the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership to tackle proven reoffending in Lincolnshire)

SITING AS THE CRIME AND DISORDER SCRUTINMY COMMITTEE

Consideration was given to a report from Zoe Walters, Community Safety Strategy Co-Ordinator, which provided an overview of the actions being undertaken by the Reducing Reoffending Core Priority Group (RRO CPG), including key areas of activity to be completed under the new delivery plan.

It was reported that the current Delivery Plan (April 2022 – March 2025) focused of female offenders; and those aged 18-24; and aimed to provide alternatives to the Criminal Justice System, that would lead to a reduction in repeat offending.  The Committee noted that work was in the very early stages of planning and delivery, and that more in-depth information on specific areas could be made available for the Committee to consider at a future meeting.

The Committee was advised of the Integrated Offender Management (IOM) and the IOM Cohort details; the Lincolnshire Women’s Strategy: Supporting Women and Girls at Risk of entering the Criminal Justice System (further details were provided on page 72 of the report); the Lincolnshire Prisoner Release Housing Protocol (further details were provided on page 73 of the report); and the Lincolnshire Mental Health Treatment Requirement Programme Site (details of which were provided on pages 73 and 74 of the report).

In conclusion, the Committee noted that the remit of the Reducing Re-offending Core Priority Group was numerous and varied due to the complexity of the priority areas on which it was focused. It was noted that the work streams being focused on were evidence based and included a focus on diversion and early intervention.  It was noted further that the work streams evidenced strong partnership working with external partners and across Directorates within the council. 

During consideration of this item, the Committee raised some of the following comments were raised:

·       The measures that were in place to reduce reoffending.  It was reported that the various work streams mentioned in the report were targeted at a particular area to address the factors.  It was highlighted that a performance framework was being developed around some of the elements mentioned in the report; and that further information in this regard could be made available to the Committee at a future meeting;

·       Whether prisoners when discharged were provided with a help pack. It was reported that there were numerous support mechanisms in place to help prisoners.  Reference was made to the departure lounge that was being led by the Lincolnshire Action Trust; and the partnership approach in terms of how to get their initial supervision appointment; links to the Department for Works and Pensions for their benefits; maintaining abstinence from substances; and the role of the Community Offender Manager within Probation etc;

·       The success of the Manchester approach regarding mental health problems;

·       Some members felt that they were not able to scrutinise, as more information was necessary, as to what was being done regarding each area of work.  A request was made for a further report with reference to one or more of the workstreams being  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.