Agenda, decisions and minutes

Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport - Tuesday, 9th July, 2024 2.00 pm

Venue: Council Chamber - The Guildhall, Portsmouth. View directions

Contact: Jane Di Dino 023 9283 4060  Email: jane.didino@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence.

Minutes:

 

 

 

No apologies were received.

2.

Declarations of Members' Interests.

Minutes:

 

 

There were no declarations of members' interests.

3.

Trading Standards: 'Threats, Challenges and Opportunities 2024 to 2026' pdf icon PDF 169 KB

Purpose.

1.     The purpose of this report is to inform the Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure, and Sport as to how Regulatory Services (Portsmouth Trading Standards [PTS]) will approach service delivery challenges for 2024-2026. This report provides a comprehensive update since the previous report presented in September 2022.   

 

2.     PTS' role is to protect consumers from adverse transactional experiences. This requires a transparent consumer protection system for businesses, with consumers aware of their rights alongside robust law enforcement. This is increasingly difficult to maintain due to newly emerging and complex markets, and demand pressures facing the service.

 

3.     Businesses also rely on advice from PTS. This area of service is also under increasing pressure as a result of high levels of enforcement necessary, particularly, to tackle rogue practices in this burgeoning area of unfair business activity as they emerge.

 

4.     This report highlights the current demands, service capacity and identifies the forecasted threats and challenges and implications presented by new burdens.

 

RECOMMENDED that the Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport

 

1.     Acknowledges the increasing duties and pressures facing Portsmouth Trading Standards.

 

2.     Acknowledges the level of resourcing currently available to Portsmouth Trading Standards is challenging when providing the protections the public should reasonably expect.

 

3.     Approves the way Portsmouth Trading Standards proposes to mitigate the growing threats as set out within the report, including the use of alternative enforcement measures.

 

 

The Integrated Impact Assessment will follow.

 

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

 

 

 

The Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport:

1.     Acknowledged the increasing duties and pressures facing Portsmouth Trading Standards.

 

2.     Acknowledged the level of resourcing currently available to Portsmouth Trading Standards is challenging when providing the protections the public should reasonably expect.

 

3.     Approved the way Portsmouth Trading Standards proposes to mitigate the growing threats as set out within the report, including the use of alternative enforcement measures.

 

 

Minutes:

 

 

 

Edward Skinner, Regulatory Services Lead introduced the report and in response to questions, he clarified that:

 

The figures in section 4.1 of the report relate to complaints from Portsmouth consumers about businesses across the UK and also consumers who have complained about Portsmouth-based businesses.  Every complaint is triaged but not all investigated.  It may be that there are other routes for redress that are available to that consumer, or it may not be a matter that is within the service's remit.  The reasons for deciding whether to investigate is documented.  Circa 150 viable complaints that were submitted since 2022 but were not investigated purely on a capacity basis. 

 

Complaints are made about goods or services and cover diverse. matters  

 

There have been reports of fake QR codes on parking meters and in petrol forecourts in Bournemouth.  He is not aware of any complaints about them in Portsmouth. 

 

As reported in section 7.1 of the report, the staffing capacity is currently 30 cases ongoing across the service which comprises 5.54 FTE.  However, no two cases are the same and the time taken to deal with the cases depends on their complexity.   This figure includes some staff who do not deal with casework; Mr Skinner, as manager, the solicitor and the primary authority/ safety specialist.  Therefore, the team's capacity to investigate complaints is far smaller than 5.54.

 

Members thanked officers for their work.

 

Councillor Hunt congratulated officers for seeking additional funding and prioritising some of the worst cases, being intelligence-led and noted that by working with the National Crime Agency and other regional and national trading standards groups, they are maximising effort on behalf of Portsmouth residents to go after those who are fraudulently trading.

 

DECISIONS

The Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport:

1.   Acknowledged the increasing duties and pressures facing Portsmouth Trading Standards.

 

2.   Acknowledged the level of resourcing currently available to Portsmouth Trading Standards is challenging when providing the protections the public should reasonably expect.

 

3.   Approved the way Portsmouth Trading Standards proposes to mitigate the growing threats as set out within the report, including the use of alternative enforcement measures.

 

 

4.

Sports and Leisure Update pdf icon PDF 237 KB

Purpose.

To illustrate and review progress against the Council's Sports Facility Strategy 2017.

 

RECOMMENDED that the Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport note the report.

Additional documents:

Decision:

 

 

 

The Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport noted the report.

Minutes:

 

 

David Moorman, Sports and Leisure Strategic Development Manager introduced the report and in response to questions, clarified the following points:

 

The two artificial, turf pitches at King George V Playing Fields are currently temporarily fenced-off following work to improve their quality and will remain so until the grass is established.  He will inform members if this is not the case. 

 

Councillor Hunt thanked officers and made the following points:

 

He is pleased to see the amount of investment in Portsmouth for the many different sports available.  

 

Sports Lottery is now looking at place and people rather than buildings.  The council will continue to improve facilities for people including the new sports centre in Bransbury Park which will include a children's learning pool.   Not many cities of our size can boast so many sports facilities.

 

When people are asked what they think the council's priorities should be every year in the budget consultation, sports facilities, culture and leisure always come at the bottom of the list.  It is to the credit of the council that it has this investment strategy which improves the outcomes of people at the top of the list in social services, education, and youth behaviour.

 

The investment is city wide.

 

DECISION
The Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport noted the report.