Agenda item

To consider motions referred from council assembly 27 March 2013:

• Basic safety and security for residents
• Localising planning decisions
• Fire at Walworth Town Hall / Cuming Museum

RESOLVED:

Basic safety and security for residents

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below be agreed.

1.  That council assembly believes that crime and the fear of crime are among our residents’ main concerns and notes the council’s fairer future promise to crack down on anti-social behaviour and implement a violent crime strategy.

2.  That council assembly notes the progress being made against the 5 priorities in the violent crime strategy including:

·  9% reduction in violence with injury

·  4% reduction in most serious violence

·  22% reduction in knives used to injure

·  19% reduction in youth violence

·  10% reduction in domestic abuse.

3.  That council assembly notes that despite savings to Southwark’s anti-social behaviour unit, the number of anti-social behaviour cases that have been managed by Southwark antisocial behaviour unit (SASBU and housing officers over the last three years has actually increased by 40%; the number of acceptable behaviour contracts issued increased by 19% on last year.

4.  That council assembly welcomes the establishment of the Southwark anti-violence unit (SAVU), a multiagency team working together to support individuals and families affected by gang and serious youth violence. It welcomes the fact that, the first 10 months evaluation highlights that following engagement with SAVU, 45% of SAVU clients have not come to police notice, compared with the 12 months prior to their involvement in the scheme when 100% had come to notice. Council assembly further notes the favourable review of this work by the Home Office in October 2012, in which the council was praised by the review team for its 'political leaders recognising and prioritising ending gang and youth violence work and sending out a very strong signal that this is a priority for the borough and will be resourced and supported'.

5.  That council assembly also welcomes the announcement in last month’s budget of £1.4m to upgrade outdated camera systems on Southwark’s housing estates as well as 30 new redeployable cameras and an upgraded control room. It notes that CCTV has supported the police in making around 900 arrests between April and March of 2012/13.

6.  That council assembly regrets the government’s decision to cut the Met’s budget by 20% and the impact this has had on police officer numbers in the borough and on closures to police stations in Rotherhithe and East Dulwich. It welcomes the council’s decision to identify £750,000 for community safety initiatives including alternative police front counters.

7.  That council assembly asks the cabinet to develop plans to:

• Work collaboratively with customs and excise, police and neighbouring boroughs to tackle the drugs trade
• Work with communities and registered social landlords to develop new approaches to resolve conflicts within communities
• Help communities gain confidence to tackle anti-social behaviour in their midst
• Continue the excellent work of SAVU despite government cuts
• Develop further the work with our partners to reduce re-offending
• Work with Solace, the voluntary sector and local hospitals to develop innovative approaches to tackling violence against women and girls.

Localising planning decisions

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below be agreed.

1.  That council assembly notes the concerns which residents and members from all parties have raised about travel times to Tooley Street from the south of the borough.

2.  That council assembly recognises the need to make planning decision-making as accessible to all residents as possible.

3.  That council assembly further recognises the need for financial efficiency across all departments in this time of austerity, and the additional unsustainable costs which would be incurred by holding planning committee meetings in a range of different venues across the borough.

4.  That council assembly therefore proposes that some planning sub-committee meetings should be held at the council offices at Queen’s Road Peckham as soon as it is practical.

5.  That council assembly requests the director of planning to report back on the impact of this change of venue in terms of the attendance of members of the public at planning sub-committee meetings in one year’s time.

Fire at Walworth Town Hall / Cuming Museum

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below be agreed and the comments of the chief executive be noted.

That council assembly:

·  Expresses great sadness at the devastating fire this week at Walworth Town Hall and the damage it has caused to the Cuming museum and adjoining buildings

·  Thanks the emergency services, council staff and local residents and businesses for their dedicated efforts to protect lives and heritage

·  Supports the work of officers in finding alternative temporary premises for the One Stop Shop and library study space

·  Recognises the need for community conversations to now take place to allow residents to share their thoughts about the buildings and the future, including preserving the external facade in any rebuilding work

·  Notes that the first fire engine on the scene came from Southwark Fire Station, which is currently on the Mayor of London's list for closure, and that other fire engines assisting were from stations also under threat of closure

·  Calls on the Mayor of London to have regard to this event before finalising the planned fire station closures in light of the events of this week, given how much worse the situation could have been without the quick response from our local fire stations.