Issue - meetings

Report by the Corporate Director of Public Health & Wellbeing.

Cllr Keith Humphries, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing presented a report which sought endorsement of the Wiltshire Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Reduction Strategy and Implementation Plan. As this would in time form part of the overall Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy, part of the Council’s Policy Framework, this would require onward recommendation to Council for adoption.

The Council was obliged to work in partnership to tackle ASB through the obligations placed on it by the Crime and Disorder Act and the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. The Strategy had been approved by the Community Safety Partnership on 17 June 2010 and this Council was now being asked to endorse it as a constituent partner. The Strategy would enable partners to consolidate efforts and approaches to tackling ASB, develop toolkits to be used within communities, manage and support individual cases reported and communicate how specific community based problems would be dealt with as a matter of upmost priority.

The reduction of anti-social behaviour (ASB) was a key goal within the Local Area Agreement (LAA) and the strategy would help ensure a coherent and effective response to this challenge.

In reference to partnership working, Cllr Jeff Osborn, Chairman of the Organisation and Resources Select Committee reported that a Partnerships Task Group had been established to scrutinise partnership working and would be looking at Community Safety Partnerships. The Corporate Director of Public Health and Wellbeing welcomed this move and respectfully suggested that any analysis of partnerships should begin with establishing the desired outcomes of such an exercise.

Recommended to Council:

That Cabinet endorse the Wiltshire Anti-Social Behaviour Reduction Strategy and Implementation Plan and recommend it to the Council.

Reason for Decision

The Wiltshire Community Safety Partnership Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy was needed to provide a harmonised service across Wiltshire and would provide a framework to promote effective, co-ordinated partnership work to tackle anti-social behaviour at both local and countywide levels.