Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any declarations of interest.

There were no Declarations of Interest received at this point in the meeting.

The minutes of the Culture and Communities Scrutiny Panel held on 21 July 2022 were submitted and approved as a correct record.

The Chair welcomed Dale Metcalfe, Operational Community Safety Manager (Middlesbrough Council) to the meeting to discuss the issue of Off road bikes. The Panel had also hoped to hear from Chief Inspector Wendy Tinkler, however due to unforeseen circumstances, she was unable to attend and would be in attendance at the next meeting to provide a police prospective.

The Manager advised that he would provide information of what the council have been doing and what they can do (from a council perspective ). The issue of off road bikes is effectively a police issue, as under the Road Traffic Act they are able to prosecute and take action.

The Council are instrumental in what is known as 'Operation Endurance', a scheme that aims to crack down on  nuisance riders and motorists initially in the Cleveland areas. The Scheme is led by Cleveland Police, however works with partners, including Middlesbrough Council and Thirteen. From the Council, Neighbourhood wardens and community safety officers will join forces with the Road traffic team to crack down on this issue.

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988;

It is illegal to drive or ride a mechanically propelled vehicle without lawful authority on common land, moorland or land not forming part of a road, or on any road which is a footpath, bridleway or restricted byway.

The manager provided the panel with an example of where Operation Endurance had been effectively.

On Sunday 7th August, it is estimated over 100 persons gathered across various locations in Middlesbrough on off and on road bikes, cars and quads.  A subsequent “ride” out commenced where the group rode to Marske via the Trunk Road, Eston High Street and Redcar in convoy before returning to Middlesbrough where they dispersed. 

Some of the bikes/quads were ridden in a dangerous and anti- social manner with footage being shared across various social media sites. Middlesbrough Council have worked with Cleveland Police to identify these individuals (around 45 individuals) and action has been taken in relation to arrests and bikes involved seized. The Council's CCTV was used in this operation, along with private residents’ footage. A panel member queried how many of the individuals were from Middlesbrough, and this question would be addressed by Cleveland Police.

It is known that several railing fences were cut down by the offenders in order to gain easy access to “cut through” points for the intended route. These have now been repaired by Middlesbrough Council with additional target hardening methods put in place to prevent/ reduce the risk of this happening again in the future. In terms of new estates, Cleveland police are involved from the off set to see if there are any possibilities to include bollards/ traffic calming measures, however any measures need to ensure they meet DDA compliance.

In terms of supporting the police, the Council have measures in place through the Statement of Policy and Procedures for Antisocial Behaviour to assist and there are 5 strands:

Stage 1; warning letters,

Stage 2; Second  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22/11

The Chair will provide an update in respect to the discussions held at the Overview and Scrutiny Board on 21 September 2022.

The Chair provided a verbal update in relation to topics covered at the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting on 21 September 2022.

Following on from the discussion, a Board member queried the development in Grove Hill from Thirteen. The Democratic Services officer would enquire and the member would be informed accordingly.

AGREED – That the update be noted.

The Chair invited the Democratic Services officer to discuss the future work programme, the following points were made:

1.      The topic on Offroad bikes would be concluded at the next meeting - 17 November 2022.

2.      A visit to the Northern School of Arts (Middlesbrough campus ) had been arranged for Thursday 24 November 2022 at 1pm. This would be hosted by the Principle (Further Education) and Vice Principle (Externality and external relations. The Panel would be joined by the Deputy Head of Culture and the Executive Member for Culture and Communities.

3.      The second topic agreed for the municipal year had been the Impact of private rented properties on owner occupied properties. The panel were advised that although Selective Landlord Licensing say under the Regeneration Directorate, housing matters fit under the Adult Social Care. It was agreed that this would be discussed with the member who had put forward the suggestion and if required, a request to undertake a joint scrutiny panel investigation could be considered.

4.      The Panel considered the next topic of investigation and it was proposed to look at the museum service and how it supports our communities. A detailed project report outlined would be brought to the next meeting (17 November 2022) and the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Board contacted to seek approval of the topic.

5.      The Panel’s statutory responsibility to be updated on PREVENT and Channel would also be discussed at the next meeting (17 November 2022)

AGREED- That the above points be noted and progressed.