STATEMENT OF THE CORPORATE AND PARTNERSHIPS OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

Since the Chairman’s last statement to Council on 21 February 2024, the Corporate & Partnership Overview and Scrutiny Committee has met once on 5 March 2024, when the Committee met with the outgoing North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, and the following other items were considered:

· Bi-annual Update on Community Safety Plan Delivery & Partnership Working

· Equalities & Diversity Update

· Property Services - Update on Property Rationalisation

The PFCC provided a detailed overview of the progress and improvements against the inspection reports produced by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary &Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). She also provided a detailed overview of the operational and corporate improvements she had introduced for both North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, which Members were pleased to note.

In regard to the Community Safety Plan Delivery & Partnership Working Members were pleased to receive an improved overview of performance through the provision of clearer performance data/statistics. They also received an update on the steps being taken by North Yorkshire Police and partners to address sexual orientation hate crime, with more awareness raising taking place and encouragement of reporting. Members requested that their next Community Safety bi-annual update include an in depth focus on the ongoing ‘PREVENT’ work aimed at stopping people from being drawn into terrorism, to include information on the multi-agency Prevent Partnership Board and the local arrangements in place.

In regard to the Equalities & Diversity, Members received a progress update on the Council’s equality objectives for 2021-2025. Overall members were pleased to note the report but raised concern that equality issues that were previously more easily identifiable at a local district level may now be harder to recognise now that those areas formed only a small part of the whole North Yorkshire Council area, and agreed it was important not to lose sight of them.

The Executive Member for Finance & Resources attended the meeting to introduce the update on property rationalisation. He confirmed the expected early quick wins had not been as quick as expected but confirmed the lack of early pace had now been resolved. Members recognised the issue of rationalisation was service dependent and therefore closely tied to the ongoing restructure of Council Services following LGR. They therefore agreed there was a balance to be reached between taking a cautious approach until the impact on services was known and progressing the work as timely as possible. They also agreed the necessity of having customer access points in all areas and acknowledged the potential knock on effect that closing council buildings could have on footfall on local highstreets and on local businesses.

The next meeting of the Committee is on 10 June 2024, when the following items of business are scheduled:

Transformation Strategy

Workforce Update

North Yorkshire Refugee Resettlement Update

Annual Locality Budgets Update

Annual Community Libraries Update

COUNCILLOR ANDREW WILLIAMS

1 May 2024