Agenda and minutes

The Committee noted the apologies of Councillors Fuller, Hannides and Whitbread and Appointed Members Catherine Hobbs and Rob Sanders.

To approve and sign as a correct record the Minutes of the meetings held on 15^th February, 2018 and to deal with any matters arising, attached.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the 15^th February, 2018 Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee be approved and signed as a correct record. 

The Committee considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Living providing an update of the Local Authority Trading Company proposals, as at the end of February 2018. 

The Committee discussed with the Cabinet Member the timetable and key programme activities including the Essex County Council Business Academy model being used by senior management in City Services and Parking to develop their skills operating in a commercial environment and the appointment of the Commercial Director. 

The Committee considered the report of the Leader of the Council providing an update on the short and long term plans for the former respite centre at Kentish Road.  Following discussion with the Leader the Committee made the following recommendations:

RESOLVED:

(i)  That officers provide the Chair of OSMC with the details of who to contact at the CQC in order that a letter of support for the Kentish Road submission could be sent;

(ii)  That the Leader lobbied the CQC to shorten the registration process to speed up the opening timeline;

(iii)  That, when determining the principle and process for disposal of the site to a local community or voluntary organisation, the Council stipulate that the provision on site includes respite care for people living with a learning disability;

(iv)  That the Council formally states that service users who previously used the respite centre at Kentish Road, and who wish to return to the centre, are able to access the new respite service when it opens;

(v)  That, when the Council re-opens the centre at Kentish Road, the respite service was accessible for 24 hours a day 7 days a week, rather than the proposed weekend only opening;

(vi)  That, when the Council transfers the site to a local charity or voluntary organisation a peppercorn rent was charged by the Council.

The Committee considered and noted the report of the Chair of the Scrutiny Inquiry Panel ‘Reducing Drug Related Litter in Southampton’. 

The following recommendations of the Scrutiny Inquiry Panel were approved for inclusion in the final report:

(i)  Displacement of drug litter – To undertake analysis of drug litter finds since the night time closure of Grosvenor Square Car Park to better understand the link between car park closure and the location of drug litter finds in the city. This information should then be used to help inform future decisions relating to the night time closure of additional city centre multi-storey car parks;

(ii)  Make it clearer how to report drug related litter - To encourage public reporting, review the location and content of information on the Council’s website that explains how to report drug litter and what to do if you find drug litter. This information should be made available to community groups who organise and undertake litter picks;

(iii)  Extend opening hours of the Southampton Needle Exchange – To make it easier to dispose of injecting equipment, when recommissioning needle exchange services extend the opening hours of the Southampton Needle Exchange, to include weekend opening, and provide needle exchange services from the Cranbury Avenue Day Centre;

(iv)  Signpost out of hours services – To raise awareness, include the location and opening hours of the out of hours needle exchange services on the Council’s website, on appropriate needle exchange forums, and request that the information was signposted on the outside of the Southampton Needle Exchange;

(v)  Public sharps bins – Following informed consideration of potential sites and designs, to pilot the locations for discrete public sharps bins where drug litter was a persistent problem.  Information relating to the effectiveness of the sharps bins should be analysed and the whereabouts of the public sharps bins should be communicated to people who inject drugs through the needle exchange services;

(vi)  Drug consumption rooms – To undertake a robust evaluation that would fully assess the potential benefits a medically-supervised pilot drug consumption room could bring to Southampton. The evaluation should include consideration of the potential impact on drug related litter, health and criminal justice outcomes, public finances and whether a facility would add value to current services. The provision of Heroin Assisted Treatment from a drug consumption room should also be factored into the analysis, as well as the safety and security of staff;

(vii)  Drug consumption rooms – Working in partnership with local authorities, representative bodies, providers and other organisations that support the position, to lobby the Government for a change in legislation relating to drug consumption rooms, enabling local commissioners of drug treatment services to commission the establishment of such facilities if local need was evidenced.

The Committee received and noted the report of the Service Director, Legal and Governance detailing the actions of the Executive and monitoring progress of the recommendations of the Committee.