Committee details

The council wants to work with the community to protect young people. There are many things the council can do itself, but there also many other agencies and organisations that have a role to play in keeping young people safe in Southwark. To get a better understanding of the issues and the best way these can be addressed by the community, Southwark Council has decided to establish a youth violence cross-party panel. The Panel will investigate the root causes of youth violence (particularly knife crime) and explore possible solutions. The Panel will be chaired by the council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Public Health and will be made up of 6 politicians (4 Labour and 2 Liberal Democrat councillors) as well as inviting two young people from local youth organisations to be Panel members.

The Panel will meet around six times over the next 6 months and will produce a final report afterwards. At each session, the Panel will be presented with evidence (written and verbal) from public bodies, community organisations and individuals. The Panel will decide from whom it receives evidence and can ask questions of those giving evidence. 

Though set up by the council to inform its work, the Panel will examine the role and activities of a wide variety of agencies and organisations, including the police, health services, schools and youth services, community groups, as well as the experiences of individuals such as parents and young people. The Panel will gather and assess the evidence to build a picture of youth violence and knife crime in Southwark, what is being done to reduce violence and to make recommendations to the council that can lead to more effective interventions.

The Panel will meet for the first time on 13 December at 5pm-7:30pm at 160 Tooley Street. At that meeting, the Panel will agree its agenda and timetable It will also be presented with a detailed case study that illustrates the range of issues that can be involved in a particular incidence of violence. The Panel will then hear evidence about the location and levels of violent crime in Southwark and the different roles and capacities of public authorities.

Terms of Reference

1.  To lead and co-ordinate evidence gathering from local stakeholders and responsible public sector organisations.

2.  To build a picture of the current status of youth violence and knife crime in Southwark.

3.  To use this evidence to inform the council’s response to tackling youth violence and knife crime.

4.  The panel will identify and agree specific issues to consider in their first meeting.

5.  The panel will agree a final report back to the cabinet / cabinet member for community safety and public health including any recommendations by the end of the 2018/19 municipal year. 

6.  Following the final report back , the panel shall come to an end.