Agenda item

a)    Officer presentation

b)    Committee questioning and discussion

c)    Formation of comments and recommendations

-          Rhys Cornwall Strategic Director- Transformation and Corporate)

-          Janice Dent (Policy and Partnership Manager)

-          Helen Gordon (Senior Policy and Partnership Officer)

-          Sam Slater (Head of Strategy, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent)

The Strategic Director introduced the report to the Committee. The Policy and Partnership Manager and the Senior Policy and Partnership Officer then gave an overview of the report.

The Committee asked the following:

• The Committee praised the report being created in various languages and questioned how they approached community groups for responses, as uptake of responses was low in areas with diverse communities. The Senior Policy and Partnership Officer noted they consulted Community Connectors and similar groups but were unsure why consultation uptake was low. They stated a face-to-face consultation was set up at the Gap Centre. The report reflected more qualitative data, with the majority feeling safe in Newport. The Policy and Partnership Manager noted people likely felt safe due to secure housing and feeling safe in one's community leads to taking pride in it.

• The Committee queried using other methods to gain wider participation from Newport's diverse population. The Strategic Director stated best practices from other consultations were being examined to garner more responses. The Policy and Partnership Manager noted they could learn from partner organisations' participation with community groups, such as Gwent Police. They also noted the issue of consultation fatigue and the need to be smarter when consulting with community groups.

The Committee praised the report's quality but was surprised by Newport's population distribution. They questioned how rural areas with sparse populations felt about safety and sought assurances that rural populations were not forgotten. The Strategic Director noted the varied population spreads faced different challenges in terms of crime but the Council worked with Gwent Police on these challenges. The Committee requested a breakdown of responses by location, which the Senior Policy and Partnership Officer agreed to provide.

• The Committee asked if housing associations were contacted for feedback. The Senior Policy and Partnership Officer explained partnership work occurred with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) but needed building upon, though no specific issues were raised.

• The Committee questioned how housing associations disciplined anti-social behaviour. The Strategic Director noted partners are used tactically for specific RSL issues, but that information was not collected for this report.

• The Committee asked how report information feeds into community wellbeing profiles. The Policy and Partnerships Manager stated the Intelligence Hub would share information with partners.

The Committee thanked officers for attending.

Conclusions

-          The Committee praised the report's presentation and accessibility. Additionally, they commended the effort to distribute the report in multiple languages, recognising the importance of reaching a diverse audience and ensuring inclusivity in communication.

-          The Committee emphasised the importance of recognising the safety and security of individuals living in rural areas as being equally significant as in urban areas. It was suggested that safety concerns in rural areas should not be overlooked or forgotten, indicating a need for specific attention and measures to address safety issues in these communities.

-          The Committee requested to receive a data pack of the information about areas of residence which was collected during the public engagement but was not contained within the report to enhance their understanding of the geographical distribution and associated safety concerns within Newport.

-          The Committee expressed concern about the low engagement rate from diverse communities. Despite the report being translated into multiple languages and efforts to reach out to community groups, participation remained low. The Committee recommended exploring ways to improve engagement with these communities to ensure their perspectives and concerns are adequately represented.