Agenda item

The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Health and Community which updated Members on the latest structures as a response to the MAPS proposals from the Safer Halton PPB Topic Group.

The Board was advised that the Topic Group had been formed in 2006 to consider proposals to move to a multi agency approach for community safety. This was a significant piece of work and continued into the work programme of the Board in 2008/9.

Following on from the recommendations of the Topic Report, the Community Safety Team had undergone a major reorganisation. It was noted that there were a number of new funding sources and pieces of legislation and guidance that had also been considered since the original report was compiled. These legislative changes had helped to shape the foundation of the current structure and allowed for the inclusion of new partners into co-located team.

Members were advised that recent changes in relation to the national target setting had also had an impact on the delivery of the service and that this meant the new team must further develop the capacity to change delivery direction flexibility to meet these targets.

Members were further advised that consideration had also been given to the delivering ‘Safer Communities: A Guide to Effective Partnership Working’ document which contained a more detailed approach to applying the hallmarks of effective practice in partnership models which was the overall aim of the Safer Halton Partnership.

It was noted that a new structure had been developed that recognised the scope and membership of the Team and identified the developing priority areas of business that the Multi-Agency Community Safety Team delivered.

The membership of the Team had expanded to include a number of additional partners that were originally highlighted in the MAP report. These organisations were either co-located or part of the virtual network and further details of these partners were set out in the report.

In order to manage the new partnership, Government and community targets a robust performance management framework was now in place to monitor each of the key themes. These themes had been identified by the Strategic Needs Assessment, Local Area Agreement and the assessment of  Policing and Community Safety targets. The Community Safety Team had also identified new co-located office space and was due to move to the Widnes Waterfront development on 1^st May 2009.

An invitation was extended to the Board to visit the new office space, once the Team had relocated.

It was suggested that the Topic Group be re-convened to scrutinise the new arrangements and make sure results were being produced. It was noted that much of the work of the Team was as a result of alcohol related issues, and as the Council had committed itself to involvement in a number of interventions it would be prudent to wait for confirmation of these and to look at a wider focus of outcomes for the review.     

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the reported be noted and continued support be given for the future development of a multi-agency approach to community safety;

(2)       the Policy and Performance Board note the wider operating landscape of community safety and performance management criteria;

(3)       a working party be reconvened once confirmation of alcohol interventions had been confirmed, to look at a wider focus of outcomes.