Councillor Berry, Neighbourhood Services and Community Safety Portfolio Holder and Neil Greenwood, Head of Environmental Health and Community Safety, will provide the committee with a verbal update about the implementations of the recommendations of the Domestic Abuse Task Group, which reported to Cabinet on 22 March 2017.
Minutes:
Councillor Berry, Neighbourhood Services and Community Safety Portfolio Holder provided the committee with a verbal update about the implementations of the recommendations of Domestic Abuse Task Group, which reported to Cabinet on 22 March 2017. Neil Greenwood, Head of Environmental Health and Community Safety also attended the meeting and assisted with responses to questions from members.
Councillor Berry welcomed the new the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 that had recently been passed by parliament and updated members on the contents of the Act. He highlighted to members that domestic abuse was a pan-Lancashire issue and the most recent figures in Wyre suggested that in the three-month period from May – July 2021 there were 362 domestic abuse offences compared to 301 in 2020 and 322 in 2019. He explained that over 25 per cent of the instances were alcohol-related, 70 per cent of the victims were female and 30 per cent male and the average age of victims were in the age bracket 30 – 39-year-olds. He explained the Wyre wards with the highest domestic abuse cases, which were Pharos, Park, Jubilee, Bourne and Mount; however, he highlighted that domestic abuse happened throughout Wyre.
He then reviewed each of the recommendations that were originally agreed by the Cabinet.
1. That steps be taken by the council’s representative on the Police and Crime Panel and/or the Portfolio Holder and officers of the council to make representations to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to ensure that the views of Wyre Council, as a recognised stakeholder, are taken into account throughout the process of performance monitoring of the newly commissioned service.
It was explained that Wyre received good support from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Police and Crime Panel. Councillor Berry underlined that over the last municipal year the service had supported 361 victims of these 242 received long-term support such as rehousing and 119 received brief interventions such as safety planning. He additionally praised the work and support of Fylde Coast Women’s Aid.
Members asked if there could be a breakdown of the number of domestic abuse cases with the wards that have the highest number, to which Neil Greenwood said he would provide an update to be sent round to members following the meeting.
2. That all councillors be offered and encouraged to take part in domestic abuse training, to be delivered by the end of March 2018.
Councillor Berry updated members that this training had been delivered in 2018 and suggested that the training be repeated in 2022.
3. That the Council continues to support and promote the annual White Ribbon Campaign.
He explained that the council continued to support the annual White Ribbon Campaign, but the Covid-19 pandemic had affected the ability for certain functions from taking place, however, illustrated that the Wyre Community Safety Partnership wished to action various campaigns going forward.
Neil Greenwood explained that the Wyre Community Safety Partnership had applied to the Police Crime Commissioners Office for grant funding to facilitate the No Excuse for Abuse campaign. This had been accepted.
4. That the Council appoints two councillors and two officers as Domestic Abuse Champions.
Councillor Berry explained that the council did in fact appoint these positions in 2018. He updated members that, due to personal circumstances, two new councillor Domestic Abuse Champions needed to be appointed to fill the current vacancies.
5. That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee receives a briefing report, preferably specific to the Wyre Council area, from the council’s representative on the Police and Crime Panel or the Portfolio Holder about the newly commissioned service at the beginning of the 2018/19 Municipal Year.
6. That the report from the council’s representative on the Police and Crime Panel or the Portfolio Holder to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at the beginning of the 2018/19 Municipal Year includes comments about the implementation of each of the task group’s recommendations.
Councillor Berry updated members that the final two recommendations were completed in 2018.
The Chairman thanked Councillor Berry and Neil Greenwood for their attendance and contributions.