Agenda and draft minutes

To confirm the minutes from the previous meeting

There were no minutes to be agreed.

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies received from Cllr Timmis.

To receive any declarations of interest

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered -

(i)            must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent

and, if the interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest, or a personal interest which is also prejudicial

(ii)           may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter (and must withdraw to the public seating area) unless they have been granted a dispensation.

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Members’ Register of Interests, or is not the subject of a pending notification, must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal and prejudicial interests are defined in Part 2 of the Code of Conduct For Members

[If a member is in any doubt as to whether they have an interest which should be declared they should seek the advice of the Monitoring Officer before the start of the meeting]

There was no declaration of interest.

An opportunity for members of the public to make statements or ask questions in accordance with the rules as to public participation

There was no public participation.

None.

James Deane gave an in depth presentation on the 2017-2018 budget.

There were no questions asked by Members.

Action: None

Outcome: The report was noted.

RESIDENT SERVICES PRESENTATION

Julie Still gave a presentation on Resident Services which also included cost savings.

Cllr Imarni asked what the difference was in the second option reduced saving. What sort of a difference are we looking at.

J Still said it’s hard to say as you can’t say for certain due to sickness cover. Approximately half of the £27,000 expected savings

Cllr England asked what schools were included.

J Still confirmed that it was Belswaines Primary School and this generates a very small income.

Cllr W Wyatt-Lowe asked how many schools had shown an interest.

J Still said that schools are normally in a 3 year contract. We are now on the Herts procurement site and can now bid for contracts as and when they arise.

Cllr Imarni stated that a lot of external agencies/companies rely on your CCTV, with a reduction in cover, are people willing to pay more for it.

J Still said it could, affect the service but that any gaps in monitoring would be kept to a minimum. If there is no one on site the cameras are rolling, they can’t be proactively involved in monitoring incidents. The hours where we are suggesting that no monitoring happens would be the quieter times. However this can’t be guaranteed anything could happen at any times which is why there is 24/7 cover at the moment.

Cllr England asked if there was any information to back up that quiet times are when theft occurs.

J Still confirmed that all they can use is the evidence which they already have. The new CCTV system can tell us when we are accessing and monitoring incidents and when they accrue.

Cllr Mahmood said that there had been a reported rise in crime recently, it’s worth bearing in mind that the CCTV only operates public spaces not residential areas where most burglaries, vehicle crime occur.

J Still stated that there are 202 cameras in public spaces and DBC buildings and a number of sheltered housing schemes too.

Cllr Mahmood said that we won’t be publicising any proposed reduction in CCTV.

J Still said definitely not, her biggest concern is the potential loss of the radio systems from the Police as this is 24/7 and helps the partnership working, that I can’t say what would happen but this is a risk.

Cllr England asked what point is this due to start changing.

J Still said the proposal is for the next financial year so April 2017.

Action:  None

Outcome: Report was noted.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITIES OSC PRESENTATION

E Brooks presented this presentation giving a breakdown of his areas and giving Members an opportunity to ask questions.

Cllr Mahmood asked if the garages under flats were the same sizes as the flats.

E Brooks confirmed that they are not the same size, they are smaller.

Cllr Mahmood asked  ...  view the full minutes text for item 84.

Cllr Mahmood asked the Officers for some reports for the January 2017 OSC.