Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

The report sets out a draft version of a renewed Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy. This has been developed by partners within the Safer Stockport Partnership.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: contact Ian O'Donnell on 0161 474 4175 or email: ian.odonnell@stockport.gov.uk

The Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing a draft version of a renewed Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy which had been developed by partners within the Safer Stockport Partnership.

The Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing (Councillor Sheila Bailey) attended the meeting to present the report and respond to councillors’ questions.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         It was commented that a different approach to tackling anti-social behaviour had been deveped following a piece of work that had been undertaken in the town centre to resolve problems associated with young people using local buses to travel to other areas to cause problems.

·         A theme of the Strategy was to ensure that local communities were resilient and able to challenge poor behaviour.

·         It was commented that elected members were often powerless to assist residents in relation to an active anti-social behaviour problem as Council resource at times when problems occurred and it was notoriously difficult to get through to the police non-emergency telephone number.

·         There was a lack of provision for young people which it was suggested contributed to problems of anti-social behaviour.

·         Young people often either did not want to take part in organised activity, or otherwise found the cost of entry to such activities prohibitive.

·         Concern was expressed in the relation to the attitude of the police towards the use of off-road bikes and quad bikes within local communities which reduced the quality of life for residents. In response, it was stated that the police had recently re-established an off-road bike unit.

RESOVLED – That the report be noted.