Council Meeting – 3 July 2012
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COUNCIL MEETING – 3 JULY 2012 (C) QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILLORS 1. Councillor Ayub to ask the Council’s representative on the Thames Valley Police Authority: Thames Valley Police Authority - Neighbourhood Policing Areas Would the Council’s representative on the Thames Valley Police Authority give the establishment figures for each of the new Neighbourhood Policing areas from October 2012 giving the number of officers and the appropriate ranks? REPLY by Councillor Page (Council’s representative on the Thames Valley Police Authority): The attached map shows the new neighbourhood policing areas and the relevant establishment details are as follows: Reading North Led by Inspector Binns Caversham (Mapledurham and Thames/ Peppard and Caversham) Rank Numbers Inspector 1 Sergeant 1 Constables 3 PCSO 5 Reading West (Kentwood with Tilehurst/ Southcote with Norcot) Rank Numbers Inspector 1 Sergeant 1 Constables 4 PCSO 5 Please note the one Inspector covers both areas Reading Central Led by Inspector Stacey Dedicated Town Centre Rank Numbers Inspector 1 Sergeant 1 Constables 7 PCSO 11 Abbey and Battle excluding town centre Rank Numbers Inspector 1 Sergeant 1 Constables 5 PCSO 6 Please note the one Inspector covers both areas Reading East Led by Inspector James Reading East (Redlands with Park) Rank Numbers Inspector 1 Sergeant 1 Constables 6 PCSO 5 Reading South (Minster with Katesgrove/ Whitley with Church) Rank Numbers Inspector 1 Sergeant 1 Constables 7 PCSO 7 Please note the one Inspector covers both areas Total Numbers from October 2012 Rank Numbers Inspector 3 Sergeant 6 Constables 32 PCSO 39 I should make it clear that the current Neighbourhood Action Group arrangements are unchanged but we as an authority, working with local residents, ward councillors and the police, will need to review and re-invigorate a number of the existing NAGs. MapledurhamMapledurham andand ThamesThames PeppardPeppard andand CavershamCaversham KentwoodKentwood andand TilehurstTilehurst BattleBattle andand AbbeyAbbey RedlandsRedlands andand ParkPark NorcotNorcot andand SouthcoteSouthcote MinsterMinster andand KatesgroveKatesgrove WhitleyWhitley andand ChurchChurch Title: Local Police Areas (LPA) Reading Borough Drg.No.: Date: 03/07/2012 Scale at A4:1:46000 Produced by GIS & Mapping Services Ref: 35075\RBC LPA - A4P.wor © Crown copyright and database rights 2012 Ordnance Survey 100019672 2. Councillor Williams to ask the Council’s representative on the Thames Valley Police Authority: Thames Valley Police Authority – Extra Resources to Tackle Burglaries Would Councillor Page give an update on the extra resources being committed during this financial year to tackling burglaries in Reading? REPLY by Councillor Page (Council’s representative on the Thames Valley Police Authority): As an absolute priority on the Reading LPA, each and every officer is expected to contribute in some way to the reduction and detection of residential burglary. However, specifically, as part of our recent re-structure, the Area Commander has increased the Local CID strength by 12, taking it from 23 DC’s/PC’s to 35. A significant proportion (70%) of these resources are dedicated to burglary only. In addition, the patrol strength has been increased from three sgt’s and 18 Pc’s to four and 22 respectively with an increased focus on quality in terms of the initial investigation at the scene. Finally, additional funding has been provided centrally to employ eight members of staff - two analysts, four scene attenders and two support staff to work with the Integrated Offender Management Team. 3. Councillor Hacker to ask the Council’s representative on the Thames Valley Police Authority: Thames Valley Police Authority – Detecting and Disrupting Child Exploitation Would the Council’s representative on the Thames Valley Police Authority set out the additional resources being committed during this financial year to detecting and disrupting child exploitation in Reading and adjoining areas? REPLY by Councillor Page (Council’s representative on the Thames Valley Police Authority): The details you request are as follows: Dedicated Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) Resources There are currently four dedicated Child Sexual Exploitation Officers within Thames Valley Police. Two of these officers are based within the Berkshire Referral Centre, one officer is based within the Oxfordshire Referral Centre and the other officer is based within the Buckingham Referral Centre. Additional (non-dedicated) Resources There are a number of other resources across the Force who are not dedicated, however they clearly contribute to the detection and disruption of Child Exploitation. These resources are detailed below. Missing Persons Co-ordinators There are five Missing Persons co-ordinators who are based within the three referral centres of Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Part of the role of these individuals is to flag patterns of behaviour which could be indicators of Child Sexual Exploitation. Protecting Vulnerable Persons (PVP) Intelligence Officers There are five PVP Intelligence Officers who are also based in the three referral centres. The Officers research intelligence and information received in relation to Child Sexual Exploitation. Any key intelligence is passed to the relevant investigation team as appropriate. Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) The unit conduct de-briefs of Missing Persons where concerns have been identified which may link to Child Sexual Exploitation. This is often in conjunction with Children Social Care staff. Neighbourhood Policing and Patrol Teams Neighbourhood Policing and Patrol Teams are often the first officers in attendance following a report of a missing person. As such, they are expected to obtain information and intelligence in relation to any suggestion that Child Sexual Exploitation may be an impact factor. These officers are also briefed to follow a specific trigger plan when a missing person is likely to have been the subject of Child Sexual Exploitation. Additional Resources in Reading There are two further officers (a Detective Chief Inspector and an Analyst) who are working to explore the current position in relation to Child Sexual Exploitation offences in Reading. The results of this work will be shared with the Children Social Care Unit. Resources for further investigative action will be committed, and funded from the £500,000 which the Police Authority has assigned over an eighteen month period to expand the current work into detecting and disrupting child sexual exploitation. Reading will be able to draw on this funding for police overtime, additional specialist resources such as retired investigators and the outsourcing of hi-tech crime work. The Force has placed overall oversight of this work within its Major Crime Team. 4. Councillor Stanway to ask the Lead Councillor for Culture and Sport: Security at Caversham Court Could the Lead Councillor for Culture and Sport please give an update as to the funding for the closing of the Caversham Court gates by a security guard? REPLY by Councillor Livingston (Lead Councillor for Culture and Sport): Following representations from Cllr Richard Davies and residents in Caversham and subsequent meetings to discuss the options, I have concluded that the locking of Caversham Court Gardens should continue. This will be funded from within existing budgets. 5. Councillor Stanway to ask the Leader: Portas Pilot Would the lead councillor please provide an update on the Portas Pilot bid that the council made? REPLY by Councillor Lovelock (Leader of the Council): Reading’s bid to become a Town Team Pilot was based on the creation of meaningful partnerships for two district centres by engaging with existing business groups, property owners and community organisations. There were 371 bids to become national pilots and on 25 May DCLG confirmed that Reading’s was unsuccessful; only 12 were successful across the country. Reading’s bid was automatically re-submitted to Round 2, which closed on 30 June and will be announced this month. If this is unsuccessful, consideration will be given to using some of the £100k High Street Innovation Fund that the Council has received as a separate but related part of the Portas Review. This will be tabled at Cabinet on 16 July. 6. Councillor White to ask the Lead Councillor for Education and Children’s Services: Primary School Places I'm sure the lead member will agree that the unexpected demand for primary school places this year has been stressful for everyone involved especially families and children. Please can he inform me what steps the Council is taking to improve the modelling of demand so the Council is not caught out again? REPLY by Councillor Ennis (Lead Councillor for Education and Children’s Services): Reading is no different to other cities and towns across the country where there is an unprecedented level of demand for places. This year in Reading, for example, there have been 2,144 applications for reception year places for September 2012. As above, this is 200 more than last year and significantly higher than forecasted. That means the Council has to work with local schools to make more spaces available. Demand has increased due to a number of factors, which are not isolated to Reading. There have been rapid population changes in urban areas which have a direct affect on the number of school places available. There has also been a substantial increase in the birth rate and 0-4 population, developments within the area have yielded additional children and migration both within the borough, from other parts of the country and internationally are having an impact on the demand for school places. These issues have been raised at Prime Minsters question time and have been the subject of newspaper headlines across the country. Pressure on school places is ongoing and set to get potentially more difficult in future years. Whilst we have faced similar problems to other authorities, including our neighbours we have not received the same level of support as other Boroughs. Whilst Wokingham Borough has received an additional in year £6 Million we have received £70k. Therefore we have committed £2.2m of our Capital Budget in order to create the extra places needed.