Issue - items at meetings - Review of Enforcement Activity

The Executive Members are asked to consider three reports outlining the review the enforcement activity undertaken by Planning, Public Protection (Environmental Health, Trading Standards, Licensing, National Trading Standards Regional Investigation and National Trading Standards eCrime teams) and Housing Services and Community Safety between April 2019 and April 2020

Resolved:

i. Noted and approved the update on Formal Planning Enforcement Action.

Reason: To ensure Members are aware of the work currently being undertaken in Planning Enforcement and to provide oversight to the activity undertaken in the period.

ii. Noted and approved the Review of Enforcement Activity by Public Protection and the National Trading Standards teams.

Reason: To provide ensure enforcement activity undertaken in 2019-20 has been reviewed in accordance with the council’s enforcement policy, and meet the requirement of the surveillance commissioner for Member oversight of surveillance activity.

iii. Noted and approved the Review of Enforcement Action in Housing Services and Community Safety.

Reason: To provide ensure enforcement activity undertaken in 2019-20 has been reviewed in accordance with the council’s enforcement policy.

The Executive Member was joined in consultation by the Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods to consider the item, he also noted that while he had received apologies form the Executive Member for Environment and Climate Change he had consulted her views prior to the meeting.

The Executive Members considered the review planning enforcement action and activity undertaken between April 2019 and April 2020 by the planning enforcement service and enquired about the impact of COVID-19 on the service. Officers noted how work had been undertaken differently due to COVID-19 and highlighted that work had returned to business as usual but with practice practices in place. Changes to government guidance was also discussed due to changes which would see practices that were not previously being permitted and it was requested that these changes be reflected in the next report.

The review of enforcement activity by Public Protection and the National Trading Standards teams were also discussed, it was requested that the next review includes the context of how COVID-19 and the closure of the courts affected the two teams work.

The Executive Members also considered the review of enforcement action by the Housing Services and Community Safety teams. The breakdown of data was discussed and it was noted that a new case management system would allow further detail to be provided to future reviews and it was also discussed if data could be also broke down ward by ward. The impact of COVID-19 was also discussed including the impact of the closure of the courts.