Agenda item

Councillor Sue Burke, Portfolio Holder for Reducing Inequality:

a)    presented a report to Performance Scrutiny Committee covering the following areas:

·         Welfare and Benefits Advice

·         Welfare Reform

·         Housing Benefit/Council Tax Support

·         Discretionary Rate Relief Policy

·         Test and Trace Payment Scheme and Winter Grants Scheme

·         Food Vouchers for Vulnerable families in the Easter Holidays

·         Financial Inclusion

·         Skills and Training (including Adult Learning and The Network)

·         Homelessness and Rough Sleeping

·         Asylum Seekers and Refugees

·         Neighbourhood Working

·         Equality and Diversity

·         Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour

·         Lincoln Community Lottery

·         Lincoln Social Responsibility Charter

·         Holocaust Memorial Day

b)    invited members comments and questions.

Question: Members asked when the refugees we had agreed to house were coming over from Afghanistan and how many we were taking in.

Response: We had pledged 3 properties, and these had been filled with 3 families.

Question: Members asked how equality and diversity was being measured and whether the figures provided were accurate.

Response: The figures were an aspiration.

Question: Members asked why there had been no fixed penalty notices issued.

Response: Most of the data provided was from the lockdown period. Issues were mainly resolved by informal reconciliation rather than enforcement. Updated figures were to be forwarded to the committee.

Question: Members asked for more explanation as to what was regarded as a student issue.

Response: Student issues could refer to various reasons, for example, students living away from home for the first time and learning how to be respectful to their neighbours etc. The University did work with students to help with these issues.

Question: Members asked how up to date staff training, with respect to safeguarding, was and whether it was kept up to date.

Response: Staff were up to date with training. There was a rolling programme for training on a wide range of subjects alongside a staff ranking system to identify what areas staff needed help and when.

Question: Members asked whether the app to make people safer walking home was national.

Response: It was hoped that the app would be developed locally, and a company had been asked to write this. If this app was successful it would be the first in the country. There were some liability issues which were being worked through. The app should hopefully be live in March 2022.

Question: Members asked whether the ending of furlough would create more work within the Revenues and Benefits Team and whether large businesses were monitored to see how viable they were.

Response: Furlough was an issue for many residents in the city. There was no published furlough data as there was a lag time with the data being produced. There was an increase in homelessness applications which may be down to furlough. Additional funding had been provided for ‘vulnerable renters’

Question: Members asked how many customers having been signposted to the kickstart scheme had been successful.

Response: There was no published data for the Kickstart scheme, but anecdotally we were the second highest performing district nationally.

Question: Members asked what was being done to combat fly-tipping in the City.

Response: Fly-tipping was problematic in Sincil Bank, Monks Road and Minster Ward. Fly-tippers had to be caught in the act or proof of ownership needed to be found amongst the waste in order to prosecute.

Question: Drink spiking was an issue in the city. Members asked what venues were doing to protect customers.

Response: Lincoln Big were working with the Police and venues on drink spiking. The Police were engaging with establishments and the City Council had a licensing responsibility and would be as proactive as possible. Evening Ambassadors were being recruited for the Friday and Saturday nights in the city to help people get home safely.

Question: Members asked whether enforcement action was recorded so that repeat offenders could be identified.

Response: All interactions were logged via a case management system.

RESOLVED that the content of the report be noted.