Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no Reserve Members in attendance.

RESOLVED:  To note that 

(1)          the Declarations of Interests published in advance of the meeting on the Council’s website were taken as read and the following further declaration made at the meeting by Councillor Jean Lammiman in respect of agenda item 4 be also noted:

Vice-Chairman of Heath Robinson Museum Trust – Non-Pecuniary interest.

(2)          Members and Co-opted Members who had declared interests remained in the virtual meeting whilst the matters were considered and voted upon.

On behalf of the Committee, the Chair welcomed Acting Chief Inspector Ed Baildon of the Metropolitan Police NW-CU (North West Command Unit) to the meeting.  The Chair also welcomed the Portfolio Holder for Community Cohesion and Crime to the meeting.

The Chair added that since the death of George Floyd in the USA, the operations of the Police had come under increased scrutiny around the world.  In Harrow, Councillors had felt that in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement, it was timely for the Committee to discuss their impact on policing and to address the following key points:

-               enforcement of the lockdown and changes as lockdown measures were being relaxed;

-               impact on general crime and disorder and Community Safety in Harrow;

-               impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities, including the inequalities they faced;

-               partnership working.

The Director of Strategy as the lead officer on Community Safety welcomed the opening remarks made by the Chair and recognised the need for an open dialogue.  He referred to the significant challenges faced by the BAME communities during the pandemic both internationally and nationally and cited the example of the disproportionate representation of BAME communities in areas such as the criminal justice system.

The Director referred to the need to work together to help understand the issues and to create better outcomes for Harrow’s communities.  The Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Crime referred to Harrow’s diverse community which had pulled together during the pandemic.  The Portfolio Holder spoke about a leaflet which set out how the different communities of Harrow could protect themselves and that this had been translated in different languages for circulation to the residents of Harrow.

Members of the Committee were invited to ask questions of the Police, Portfolio Holder and Officers.

Question 1:

In Harrow, the Black Community was seven times more likely to be Stopped & Searched than other Communities.  Was this justified?

The Acting Chief Inspector reported that Stop & Search was not based on ethnicity. Various types of crime, intelligence and demographics of an area ought to be factored into this.  Parts of Harrow had different demographics and all aspects, including age and ethnicity, would be examined.

In response to additional questions on whether there was a statistical error rather than a systematic issue, the Acting Chief Inspector explained that he was not saying that there was a statistical error but that additional information also needed to be factored in. He reported that, in Harrow, 1294 White people and 1474 Black people had been Stopped & Searched for the period July 2019 to June 2020.  Whilst this did not equate to seven times, it was disproportionate in terms of the population of Harrow.

Question 2:

Allegations had been made that BAME Police Officers were more likely to be the subject of misconduct investigations.  How were they supported?  How was the representation of the BAME communities being increased within the Police Force?

There were 1597 Police Officers in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 120.

Report of the Chief Executive.

The Chair welcomed the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources to the meeting.

The Director of Strategy introduced the report that would be considered by Cabinet at its meeting scheduled to be held on 9 July 2020.  He added that the report was part of the regular reports on Covid-19 submitted to Cabinet and it was being presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the purposes of the Questions & Answer Session that evening.  The report updated Members on the latest situation and advice, including the economic impact of the pandemic and the Council’s plans for recovery.  The report also addressed the need to learn lessons which had been raised by the Committee at its last meeting.

The Leader of the Council referred to the report and drew attention to the emerging issues, particularly in relation to Children Looked After (CLA).  The Leader added that in moving away from the crises, issues around mental health and self-harm had become evident.  The Council was also facing significant financial challenges and further government announcements setting out how they would support Councils were awaited.  He stated that 10,000 residents of Harrow were on benefits, the income received from Council Tax had dropped and many residents had been furloughed.  The economic situation was challenging and many residents were likely to be made redundant and training and development would become vital in order to reskill residents into other types of employment.  The Council was working as part of the West London Alliance, which was looking at ways to rebuild the economy and deliver on a low carbon economy.

The Leader was pleased to report that many businesses in Harrow had opened on 4 July 2020 and had managed their venues well by adhering to the guidelines.  He thanked officers for their work.

The Committee asked the following questions:

Question 1:

Services provided by the Adult Social Care to those shielding had been impressive.

Questionnaire to residents needs to capture the changes required to critical and social care provision?

What were the pressures as a result of the increase in the number of children in care?

The Leader agreed that those shielded had received an excellent service from the Council and had been looked after well.  Adult social care staff had been offering welfare calls to those on the shielded list during the early part of the pandemic, as part of the 7 day per week service.  He added that the pressures in social care were challenging but the Council was working well in this area.

The Corporate Director of People outlined the issues around mental health presentations which had increased three fold since the pandemic. The number of those attempting suicide had increased and 42 cases had been reported since 23 March 2020.  There had been a significant interest in the number of children in care.  These changes were putting pressure on front line staff who were working a full week.  The Council was working with its partners in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 121.