Agenda item

The Chairman introduced the report. A PowerPoint presentation was also tabled.

The Assistant Director of Community Safety and Regulatory Services (CSRS) outlined the multi-agency approach to anti-social behaviour (ASB) that had been carried out in Burnt Oak.

A Member noted that it was excellent to see community partners working together with great success but enquired how this could be sustained as it had required huge effort and cost. The Assistant Director of CSRS responded that her team was in regular contact with the Streetscene team which inspected the area weekly. The police were also aware of the plan and were monitoring the area. There was also greater engagement with the local community which helped with the monitoring, including displacement of the street drinking and other antisocial behaviour. There was currently more input into the area and this would need to be reviewed again in the near future. The Assistant Director of CSRS expressed her gratitude to the Ward Councillors for their help.

Councillor Conway reported that she had objected on behalf of residents to an application to sell alcohol in the area (and will be doing so again as another one has recently been put in) but that the Licensing Sub-Committee had been unable to take any action. So it was proposed at the most recent Licensing Committee meeting to review policy, specifically to look at cumulative impact zones so that new licenses could be considered in the context of the wider area. The police are also interested in assessing this approach. A report is expected to be brought back to the Licensing Committee in early 2019.

A Member enquired what could be done about repeated fly-tipping at Montrose park and Watling Park. The Assistant Director of CSRS reported that Barnet had a strong relationship with Community Payback and was seeking the support of the probation services for continued work on fly-tipping. Also the use of CCTV for all Barnet parks was being investigated.

A Member enquired how long the process had taken in setting up the Public Space Protection Order. The Strategic Lead stated that the idea had initially been discussed two years ago but once agreed it had taken around three months to mobilise all the partners into action.

A Member reported that the bicycle rack in Burnt Oak, as pictured on the front page of the PowerPoint presentation, needed repair. The Assistant Director of CSRS would feed this back.

Action: Assistant Director of Community Safety and Regulatory Services

A Member recommended the ‘Friends of the Parks’ schemes as a way of helping to improve Barnet parks.

The Chairman moved to the vote on the Officer’s recommendations.

1.    To note the multi-agency approach taken to tackling anti-social behaviour and environmental crime in the Burnt Oak area, including the implementation and enforcement of Barnet’s first Public Space Protection Order zone.

2.    To endorse a continuation of this same approach to tackling anti-social behaviour and environmental crime in the Edgware and Childs Hill areas.

The Committee voted unanimously in favour of the above recommendations.

Resolved – the report was noted and a continuation of the same approach was approved for the Edgware and Childs Hill areas.