Agenda item

RESOLVED that:

a)     The Panel requests to receive a report to its meeting on 14^th April 2022 on priorities in Northamptonshire with regard to managing fire safety risks in residential properties, to include risks associated with houses in multiple occupation.

b)     The Panel agrees that Panel members should be able to make requests for information to the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner between Panel meetings, on the following basis:

·         Requests should be sent to the Panel Secretariat to forward to the Office of the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner

·         Requests should be circulated by the Secretariat to all Panel members and substitute members for information.

c)     The Panel identifies the involvement of children and young people in crime and anti-social behaviour in Northamptonshire as a potential topic for scrutiny as part of its future work programme, subject to further consideration of the practicalities involved.

d)     The Panel agrees that its meeting agendas should include guide timings for individual agenda items in future.

The Democratic Services Assistant Manager presented the report setting out the latest version of the Panel’s work programme, highlighting the following points:

·         Briefing sessions with the Chief Constable and Chief Fire Officer and the tour of Darby House originally due to take place on 22^nd November 2021 needed to be rescheduled.

·         The Panel had not yet set a date for the requested report on action being taken in Northamptonshire in response to the outcomes of the Kerslake Report and Public Inquiry on the Manchester Arena attack.

The Panel considered the report.

The Chair noted that the PFCC had highlighted fire safety risks connected with HMOs as an area of concern in Northamptonshire. The Panel could consider adding an item on home fire safety risks, including those relating to HMOs, to its work programme.

The Panel considered the potential to request a workshop session with the PFCC on performance against key priorities, to provide more time to raise questions on the latest update reports. It was subsequently highlighted that there was scope for members to request information from, or ask questions to, the PFCC between Panel meetings in order to support scrutiny at formal meetings. This should be centrally co-ordinated appropriately through the Secretariat.

The Chair raised the need for the Panel to take further action regarding the appointment of substitute members by the constituent local authorities. The Chair could play a role in liaising with political groups regarding substitution but had better contacts at North Northamptonshire Council than West Northamptonshire Council. The Democratic Services Assistant Manager subsequently made the following points:

·         The current state of the pandemic did increase practical issues relating to attendance and substitution at committee meetings.

·         The Panel would need to take account of the constituent authorities’ approach to substitution. West Northamptonshire Council did not currently appoint specific substitutes for committees.

·         The Panel’s Rules of Procedure meant that if the Chair and Vice Chair were both councillor members they would each come from a different constituent authority. 

The Panel considered the potential for it to carry out some in-depth scrutiny work on the issue of young people’s involvement in crime and anti-social behaviour in Northamptonshire. Panel members made the following points during discussion:

·         The risk to young people of becoming involved in crime was growing. Vulnerable young people needed to be supported effectively and not fall through the gaps between different services.

·         The Panel could consider holding an information-gathering workshop with young people, youth service representatives and the PFCC. Scrutiny by the Panel could help to ensure that local services were joined-up.

·         Local authorities were primarily responsible for safeguarding young people.
Any work on this topic should reflect that the Panel’s role was to scrutinise and support the PFCC.

·         It could be helpful for members to set out the particular issues that they thought the Panel should scrutinise. These could be raised with the PFCC in the first instance. The Panel might then hold a workshop if it was not satisfied with the response.

·         Some young people who needed support had been missed by service providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

·         An information-gathering workshop could represent a different way for the Panel to consider an issue affecting Northamptonshire.

The Democratic Services Assistant Manager made the following points:

·         The Panel’s remit in its broadest sense included scrutinising decisions and actions by the PFCC. Proposed work would need to reflect this focus. However, the PFCC did have priorities in his Police, Fire & Crime Plan relating to young people and anti-social behaviour. The proposed work could therefore be done in principle. The key task would be to define the purpose and scope.

·         A topic such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people in Northamptonshire would be a massive one to scrutinise. The Panel should consider the practicalities involved in any potential in-depth scrutiny work.

A Panel member suggested that it could be helpful for future Panel meeting agendas to include guide times for individual items, to assist in managing business.

RESOLVED that:

a)     The Panel requests to receive a report to its meeting on 14^th April 2022 on priorities in Northamptonshire with regard to managing fire safety risks in residential properties, to include risks associated with houses in multiple occupation.

b)     The Panel agrees that Panel members should be able to make requests for information to the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner between Panel meetings, on the following basis:

·         Requests should be sent to the Panel Secretariat to forward to the Office of the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner

·         Requests should be circulated by the Secretariat to all Panel members and substitute members for information.

c)     The Panel identifies the involvement of children and young people in crime and anti-social behaviour in Northamptonshire as a potential topic for scrutiny as part of its future work programme, subject to further consideration of the practicalities involved.

d)     The Panel agrees that its meeting agendas should include guide timings for individual agenda items in future.