Minutes:
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the first in person committee for over twelve months and how it was great to see everyone in person. Adapting to being back in the offices and working safely, the reports will be presented by a small number of officers rather than necessarily by the author. Any questions unable to be answered would of course be followed up after the meeting.
The Chairman advised that the local Area Commander for Newark and Sherwood, Inspector Heather Sutton has been promoted to Chief Inspector and is now the Neighbourhood policing lead for - Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood & Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe. She is also the force lead on rural crime and is already speaking with officers from the council about the rural crime issues in the district. The new Area Commander for Newark and Sherwood is Inspector Charlotte Allardice who is keen to work closely with the council on a number of issues and will look forward to working with Charlotte.
The Safer Streets Project was successfully completed at the end of March and there is commitment from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office, the Police and the Council to implement the learning and best practice from Safer Streets 1 into the continuation of some of the themes into neighbouring areas. The main themes will centre on burglary reduction and vehicle crime.
The Chairman informed the committee that whilst having seen some sunshine recently, our flooding preparation continues. The council is working with partners in both Southwell and Lowdham to implement flood mitigation measures to reduce the chance of future flooding in these communities. The Scheme in Southwell is progressing well (within the confines of what Covid has allowed over the past 12 months).
The main scheme for Lowdham is still being developed, although work on the banks of the Cocker Beck should be taking place later this year. In response to the floods in November 2019 and February 2020 the council is still administering Property Flood Resilience grants to home owners wishing to improve their home from the impact of flooding, so far having received around 50 applications.
The Chairman informed the committee that the Community Lottery is now live and the first draw took place on Saturday 29th May. As at 2nd June having 49 good causes registered and one or two more in progress, 392 players and good causes are forecast to receive around £23.5K currently, they are hopeful ongoing promotion will see the numbers increase which is great news and will generate more funding for our good causes.
The ban on evictions was ended on 31st May 2021, the Council will continue the no eviction approach for tenants who are working with the council to address their debts and enter into a manageable arrangement. The council are also prepared for opening up the community centres as soon as receiving the green light to do so.
Finally, the Chairman wanted to draw the Committee’s attention to the end of year performance reports presented this evening, and for it to join the Chairman in recognising the hard work and commitment taken to achieve the levels of performance during such an unusual year.