Agenda and draft minutes

There were no apologies of absence.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Health and Public Protection Scrutiny Panel held on 21 January 2025.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Health and Public Protection Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 21 January 2025, be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

There were no Chairman’s announcements made at this meeting.

To receive any declarations of interest from members in accordance with Standing Orders and the Council’s Code of Conduct and disclosures of advice or directions received from Group Leaders or Political Groups, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

There were no declarations of interest made at this meeting.

To receive any deputations of which notice has been lodged.

There were no deputations made at this meeting.

To consider a report by the Director of Nieghbourhoods on a review of the Emergency Planning Service.

The Panel considered a report by the Director of Neighbourhoods which provided a review of the Emergency Planning Service.

Councillor West enquired what type of event would trigger an emergency planning response from the Council. The Head of Environmental Health advised the Panel that a request to take action under Emergency Planning would likely come from the Blue Light Services as they would normally take the lead, and the Council would be providing support if required. He also explained it would depend on the incident as to the type of response there would be from the Council, however he did confirm that the Council’s main priority would be to look to accommodate those who have been left vulnerable and in need of housing.

Members enquired as to whether the Council still undertook exercises to keep staff trained in the roles that could be required of them should an emergency arise. The Head of Environmental Health confirmed that exercises are undertaken from time to time, and that these could range from a desktop exercise to a practical exercise involving multiple agencies. He also confirmed that at Solent Airport an exercise is undertaken each year as per the requirements of the CAA. (Civil Aviation Authority).

Councillor Harper enquired as to whether there is any learning undertaken from other authorities and areas where there have been previous disasters. The Head of Environmental Health confirmed that information is shared across all of the LRFs (Local Resilience Forums) across the Country via a learning pack following any emergency planning cases that occur. This provides a useful insight to all authorities on what went well and what could be improved upon for others.

RESOLVED that the Panel notes the arrangements in place to meet the Council’s statutory responsibilities in respect of Emergency Planning.

To consider a report by the Director of Neighbourhoods on a review of the Violence Reduction Partnership Strategy & Anti-Social Behaviour Hotspot Funding for 2024-25.

The Panel considered a report by the Director of Neighbourhoods which provided a review of the Violence Reduction Partnership Strategy and Anti-Social behaviour hotspot funding review 2024-25.

Councillor Mrs Bryant enquired as to whether the Community Safety team worked with Y-Services in respect of issues with young people. The Head of Environmental Health confirmed that the Community Safety team worked alongside all relevant agencies to ensure that the correct action and support is provided to those who need it.

At the invitation of the Chairman, Councillor Miss J Burton, Executive Member for Health and Public Protection addressed the Panel on this item.

RESOLVED that the Panel note the content of the report.

To consider any items of business dealt with by the Executive since the last meeting of the Panel, that falls under the remit of the Health and Public Protection Portfolio.  This will include any decisions taken by individual Members during the same time period.

The Panel considered the Executive items of business which falls under the remit of the Health and Public Protection Portfolio, including Executive Member decisions and Officer delegated deciisons, that have taken place since the last meeting on the Panel in 21 January 2025.

There were no comments received.

There were no comments received.

To provide an opportunity for Members to consider the scrutiny priorities for the Health and Public Protection Panel.

The Director of Neighbourhoods addressed the Panel on this item and provided an update on some of the items will be coming forward in the next municipal year.  She then offered members the opportunity to put forward any further suggestions for items they may wish to scrutinise for the next municipal year.

Councillor Furnivall enquired as to whether there would be an opportunity to invite the Director of Public Health at Hampshire County Council to the Panel to provide an update on how the Borough is performing and to highlight things that the Council is responsible for and how these things are impacting the population in certain wards, especially those with higher levels of deprivation. Members discussed this suggestion at length, and it was felt that this would be something that would impact across all the Scrutiny Panels and therefore suggested that, should the Director of Public Health at Hampshire County Council accept the invitation, all Members should be invited to attend.

A request for a brief update on parking charges was put forward, to replace a proposed annual report on parking charges, as Members felt it was not necessary as there had been no major changes since the last report to the Panel in 2024. The brief update would cover issues such as vandalism, complaints and maintenance. It was agreed that this would be brought to a future meeting of the Panel.