Agenda item

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This item was moved to the first item on the agenda.

The Assistant Director for Health, Wellbeing and Public Protection introduced the item, and the Environmental Health Manager presented the report and highlighted the key areas.

The Chair thanked the Environmental Health Manager for the report and invited questions and comments from the Committee as summarised below.

Councillor Long asked whether they received support from the Norfolk Countywide Community Safety Partnership (NCCSP) Scrutiny Sub-Panel and added that the NCCSP Sub?Panel would welcome attendance from CSNN officers.  The Assistant Director for Health, Wellbeing and Public Protection confirmed they would attend and explained that, whilst the Council worked well with the NCCSP, there had been some disconnect in how the partnership’s work in West Norfolk was presented and progressed through Council governance.

The Chair suggested that officers return to the Committee in six months to review progress against the audit recommendations.

The Chair also requested a clear overview of all partnership relationships to ensure appropriate representation at every level. The Assistant Director for Health, Wellbeing and Public Protection reassured the Committee that officer?level attendance was strong in addressing community safety issues in West Norfolk and noted that a scrutiny member role had lapsed but would be reviewed.

In response to a question from Councillor Bearshaw, the Assistant Director for Health, Wellbeing and Public Protection explained that an operational partnership team was already in place, with established links, and had not encountered any difficulties arising from the Borough leading the Community Safety Partnership.

The Chief of Staff and Monitoring Officer advised that member involvement in various groups was determined through the Outside Bodies appointments made in May and reassured the Committee that context for each body would be provided to support members’ understanding.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance stated that future Annual Governance Statements would more closely reflect these activities, enabling this Committee and other scrutiny panels to better review the Council’s work on antisocial behaviour, which had not previously received the level of scrutiny it should have.

In response to questions from Councillor de Winton, the Assistant Director for Health, Wellbeing and Public Protection confirmed that internal audits of the Community Safety and Neighbourhood Nuisance Team had taken place previously, but this was the first audit of the wider community safety function.  The Assistant Director for Health, Wellbeing and Public Protection stated they were confident in current resources but would request additional support if needed.

The Portfolio Holder for People and Communities commented that, although there may have been some past neglect, it was reassuring that officers were now working to align activity with partners, as community safety was important to all.

In response to comments from Councillor Devulapalli, the Assistant Director for Health, Wellbeing and Public Protection reiterated that the Council had a good relationship with the NCCSP and clarified that the misalignment related to internal processes and how the wider work should be developed.

The Chair proposed that the Audit Committee receive a follow up report in six months’ time.  Councillor Long seconded the recommendation and the Committee unanimously agreed.

The Audit Committee made the following recommendation:

The Audit Committee receive a follow up report in six months’ time.

RESOLVED: The Audit Committee noted the contents of the report.