Agenda and minutes

[The Chair to welcome everyone to the meeting]

Cllr Anwen Muston, Chair, welcomed everyone to the meeting and advised it was also being live streamed to the press and public

Apologies were received from the following members of the panel:

Cllr John Reynolds

Cllr Greg Brackenridge

Cllr Sally Green

There were no declarations of interest recorded.

[To approve the minutes of the meeting as a correct record]

That the minutes of the meeting held on 28 September 2023 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

[To approve the minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record]

That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 October 2023 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

[Luke Dabin-Williams, Finance Business Partner, Raeesa Mohammed,Corporate Analytics Manager, and James Amphlett, Head of Data and Analytics,to present report]

The Chair invited John Roseblade, Director of Resident Services, to introduce the report.

The Director advised the panel the presentation would provide an update on the Council’s budget position and the draft budget plan for 2024-2025. The Director advised the panel that they would be asked to consider and comment on the draft budget and the extent to which it is aligned to the priorities of the Council.

The comments of the panel will be included in a feedback report to Scrutiny Board for consolidation and onward response to Cabinet on the Draft Budget 2024-2025 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy as part of budget consultation process.

The Director advised the panel that James Amphlett, Head of Data and Analytics and Luke Dabin-Williams, Finance Business Partner were also in attendance to answer queries.

The Director advised the panel that the draft budget is presented as part of the annual budget setting cycle, and it was being presented to scrutiny for early engagement.

The Director gave an overview of the background to the drafting of the 2023-24 budget that was previously approved by Full Council on 1 March 2023.

The Director commented that that work is ongoing to reduce the forecast budget deficit with an update to Cabinet on 18 October 2023 reporting a forecast budget deficit of £2.6 million for 2024-2025 rising to estimated £22.0 million by 2025-2026.

The Director added that proposals will be presented to achieve a balanced budget for 2024-2025 and deliver a sustainable medium term financial strategy.

The budget deficit for 2024-2025 is now projected to be in the region of £2.6 million. The draft budget will be subject to change.

The Director commented in the uncertainties in the drafting of the budget, for example, future funding, inflationary pressures, and demand for services.

The Director commented on the efficiencies which have been identified in the budget for 2024-2025 which have been separated into service areas within the remit of the panel. The Director highlighted the £300,000 efficiency target for parking services which is due to the reduction on the level of support following Covid -19 which are gradually being phased out.

The Director commented on the link between the budget and the performance management framework and gave details of the relevant performance targets for the priority ‘Good homes in well-connected neighbourhoods’ within the remit of the panel. The Director commented on the changes in the movement of performance indicators for this priority.

The Director commented on some of the risks to key services and highlighted the increase in demand for homelessness support and the provision of temporary accommodation.

The Director added that there are discussions about the using Council owned properties across the City to meet this need.

The Director commented on the budget risk to environmental services because of increased demand and the costs of services. The Director highlighted the changes because of a legal case concerning the management of trees which has led to the requirement for them to be inspected every two years rather than  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

[Chief Superintendent Richard Fisher (West Midlands Police) to present report.

Simon Foster, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, will also be attendance]

The Chair commented that Community Safety Session 2 scheduled for 8 February would focus on the issue of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in more detail. The inclusion of an overview of ASB work in the presentation is within the overall context of understanding partnership arrangements for delivering Community Safety for the Wolverhampton area.

The Chair invited Chief Superintendent Richard Fisher to present his report.

The Chief Superintendent advised the panel that the presentation would give an overview of the rollout of the ASB preventative work in Wolverhampton and the role of Safer Wolverhampton Partnership Board (SWPB). The SWPB is statutory board enacted under the Crime and Disorder Act (1998) with representatives from strategic partners and additional invited partners to support the delivery of the SWP strategic priorities.

The Chief Superintendent gave an overview on the role and responsibilities of the SWPB and the approach to tackling ASB.  The Chief Superintendent explained that the difference between ASB and crime reflects the separation of the different roles among the partnership. The Chief Superintendent explained the legal definition of ASB and the types of issues that would meet the criteria, for example, neighbour disputes, noise nuisance and threatening and intimidating behaviour.  The Chief Superintendent explained that given the range issues covered by ASB that tackling it is more than the responsibility of the police and covers the work of other strategic partners. The work of the ASB Team in Wolverhampton Homes was highlighted as an example of this wider statutory responsibility of this organisation to deal with tackling ASB issues.

The Chief Superintendent added that where behaviour is criminal that the reporting process is to use either the emergency number 999, the 101 non-emergency number or the West Midlands Police (WMP) live chat function. The Chief Superintendent acknowledged concerns of Councillors about the performance of police call handling service. There has been investment in the service following the appointment of the new WMP Chief Constable Craig Guildford. The investment has led to call handling performance moving from being one the lower performing services nationally to be in the top 10 in terms of its response times performance, for example, 90 percent of 999 calls are answered within 10 seconds and 101 calls are answered in average of 43 seconds.

The Chief Superintendent advised the real challenge to the force is managing the call volume which is equivalent to that of Police Scotland in terms of 999 calls received.

The Chief Superintendent advised the panel that the issue of ASB is prioritised as it is a key community concern and commented on the importance of people feeling safe in the places they live and work. 

The issue of ASB is being tackled collectively by the SWP Board because of evidence nationally about the devastating impact of ASB particularly when it is targeted on a single person, or somebody within their home.

The issue of ASB can only be tackled holistically at the partnership level due to the different contributory and complex factors outlined in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

[Earl Piggott-Smith, Scrutiny Officer, to present report]

The Chair invited Earl Piggott-Smith, Scrutiny Officer, to present the report.

The Scrutiny Officer advised the panel of the agenda items scheduled and invited comments on the draft programme.

The panel agreed to note the report.

Resolved:

The panel agreed to note the report.