Meeting documents

To confirm as an accurate record the Minutes of the meeting held on […].

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2021 be confirmed and signed as an accurate record.

To receive any requests to address the Committee or respond to any questions from members of the public. (Please see the notes for further information)

There were no public questions or statements submitted for consideration at the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest reported at the meeting.

A representative from North Yorkshire Police to present a written report providing crime and antisocial behaviour statistics for Richmondshire.

Inspector Mark Gee of North Yorkshire Police presented a report detailing the number of Crimes and instances of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) committed in Richmondshire during 2020 and 2021.  1,143 crimes had been reported during January and February 2021, which was a 29% reduction on the same time period last year.  Insp Gee highlighted the impact that "stay at home" messaging was having on crime, by reducing the amount of road travel and decreasing the opportunities for burglars to strike unoccupied homes.  355 instances of domestic abuse were reported, which was a 15% reduction.  There had been 775 reports of ASB; a significant increase which was partly due to COVID-related FPNs.

The Committee enquired about the impact of fraud and cybercrime, particularly on elderly and vulnerable people.  Insp Gee noted that there had been an increase, particularly scams relating to DPD and Royal Mail deliveries, and that the Police had been working to educate the community where possible, and that he would feed back the Committee’s concerns into the Financial Fraud Team.

Resolved:  That Insp Gee be thanked for his time in attending and answering questions, and the content of the report be noted.

To receive a verbal update from NYCC’s Flood Risk Manager on flooding and water management in the district, and to answer questions on specific areas of concern to the Committee.

Emily Mellalieu, Flood Risk Manager for North Yorkshire County Council, gave a verbal presentation to the Committee explaining the role of her team.  In 2010, NYCC was given the role of Lead Local Flood Authority, with the responsibility of acting as a statutory consultant to planning authority on sustainable drainage, in areas where the risk is highest.  They also had the responsibility for producing flood investigation reports under s19 of the Water Management Act 2010, the last such report having been produced in 2019.

The Committee asked about the provision of resilience plans, and it was explained that these were provided by the Emergency Team and considered all contingencies, looking to provide an operating plan to increase preparedness before an event.  The situation in Gilling West was also discussed, and it was highlighted that the Environment Agency’s involvement would be required since the water source was a main river, which fell under the EA’s remit.  The Committee was informed that areas of specific concern could be highlighted to the team by email, and arrangements made for site and local visits.

Resolved:  That Emily Mellalieu be thanked for her time in attending the meeting, and for answering the Committee’s questions.

The Democratic Services Manager to provide an update on Task Groups held since the committee’s last meeting and to present the up to date work programme for 2020-2021.

The Democratic Services Manager presented for consideration the current Overview & Scrutiny (External) Committee Work Programme for the Civic Year 2019-2020.

Resolved:         (a) That Mental Health be added to the Health and Partnerships work area, in particular the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of residents.

                            (b) That NYnet Broadband be considered as a matter of priority, as the Committee felt it was vital to a successful economic recovery.

                            (c) That the impact of cybercrime and fraud be considered as part of the Crime and Disorder work area.

                            (d) That a Task Group meeting be set up and the NYCC Flood Risk Management team and a representative of the Environment Agency be invited, so that Members could explore issues surrounding flood risk in their wards.