Minutes:
Cabinet received a report from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider the recommendations of the Late Night Economy in the Lancaster District Informal Task Group.
The options were set out in the report as follows:
1. To accept the recommendations of Overview and Scrutiny.
2. Not to accept the recommendations of Overview and Scrutiny.
3. To make alternative proposals to those recommended by Overview and
Scrutiny.
Councillor Hughes proposed, seconded by Councillor Leyshon:-
“That recommendations 1 to 4 be approved and it be noted that recommendations 5 and 6 will be referred to Council.”
Councillors then voted:-
Resolved unanimously:
(1) That Recommendations 1 to 4 of the Late Night Economy in the Lancaster District Task Group be approved:-
Recommendation 1
(a) That the Community Safety Partnership be requested to establish a Sub-Group to continue the work of the Scrutiny Informal Task Group with the membership mirroring the existing Task Group, including Pubwatch.
(b) That the Community Safety Partnership Sub-Group consider appropriate levels of training of licensed premises staff and receive updates provided by Pubwatch representatives of Lancaster and Morecambe.
(c) That the newly formed Sub-Group consider the city centre’s ability to gain Purple Flag Status and also investigate the introduction of a rewards system for well-run licensed premises.
Recommendation 2
(a) That based on the evidence heard, the Task Group recommends to Council that it continues to give its full support to the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) covering the central area of Lancaster.
(b) That updates on the use of the PSPOs be reported to the annual Community Safety meeting of the City Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
(c) That the feasibility of the PSPO for Morecambe Town Centre and Promenade be assessed by Lancaster City Council and the Police and be reported to the City Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Recommendation 3
That, after considering the evidence provided, it be recommended that CCTV is vital to the infrastructure of Lancaster city centre and Morecambe. The Task Group agrees that public CCTV is a vital community asset which provides reassurance, deterrence and response.
Further to this, it is recommended that work continues with all of the potential partnership participants on building a business case for how a partnership approach to the delivery of a repurposed CCTV system might operate and that a report on this is quickly developed and presented to the Cabinet for consideration.
Recommendation 4
(a) That the proposed Community Safety Partnership Sub-Group meet with Lancaster University and the University of Cumbria’s senior management and the Student Unions regarding policy and practice on alcohol education, consent, health and safety, alongside the annual consideration regarding student admissions to A & E and calls upon the Emergency Services, in liaison with the University Hospital of Morecambe Bay Trust (UHMBT) and the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
(b) That the proposed Community Safety Partnership Sub-Group examine the
Universities’ Codes of Conduct regarding off-campus behaviour and the use of sanctions for anti-social behaviour relating to alcohol and put forward any recommendations to the Universities for consideration.
(2) That it be noted that Recommendations 5 and 6 will be referred to Council:
Recommendation 5
That all Members of the Licensing Act Committee take part in an annual early hours visit with the Licensing Team as part of their mandatory training.
Recommendation 6
That the City Council’s Policy on the training of staff in licensed premises be reviewed.
Officers responsible for effecting the decision:
Chief Officer (Health & Housing)
Chief Officer (Environment)
Reasons for making the decision:
Implementing the recommendations within the report will assist the City Council in meeting the Corporate Plan priority for Clean and Green Places, improve communication between organisations operating within the late night economy and improve relations between residents of the Town/City Centres and those visiting the centres to utilise the facilities of the late night economy.