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Agenda item

Estate Security

Minutes:

1.       

Estates Security Project – Presentation

 

The Head of Estate Management gave a presentation on the Estates Security Project which had been set up to increase safety for Bristol City Council (BCC) residents living in high and low rise blocks of flats:

 

Membership:

  • BCC officers, tenants, leaseholders, involved tenants, police and chaired by Councillor Jama.

Initial work: To understand:

·         What the issues are;

·         What we currently do;

·         What others are doing;

·         What are the options and associated cost.

Progress

  • Confirmed membership of the group;
  • Tour of sites/blocks across the city;
  • Building a current situation of issues;

Common Themes

  • Varying levels and types of anti-social behaviour in blocks including drug dealing and taking (city wide); rough sleeping in bin rooms/stairwells (in central area); Graffiti (prevalent around Dove Street).

Partial Closure Orders

•        Used to restrict access to premises as a means of tackling Anti-Social Behaviour;

•        Being piloted in Easton (Lansdowne Court and Croydon House);

•        Will make the blocks a safer and more pleasant place for residents and staff alike and help reduce crime and disorder;

•        The order will be in place for 3 months with the possibility of extending it by a further 3 months;

•        A new initiative for BCC and the Police;

•        Regular meetings will be held to monitor before extending to other blocks.

Next Steps

  • Inaugural Estate Safety meeting in September;
  • Develop plan with working group – identify quick wins;
  • Monitor success of partial closure orders with a view to roll out to other blocks;
  • Publicise positive outcomes.

 

The Director of Housing and Landlord Services and Head of Estate Management responded to the following questions raised by Board Members:

 

How did the project come about? Who are the members and how were they chosen?

·         The issue of estate security had been consistently raised as a concern at the Area Forum meetings;

·         Tenants and leaseholders were contacted about the project but others were welcome to join if they were interested; 

·         Councillor Jama had volunteered to chair the project as there were a lot of estate security issues within her ward.

 

Would sheltered housing also be included?

This type of accommodation would be looked at too.

 

There was a pilot project in London which evicted families involved in gang related crime.  Would Bristol look at doing the same?

This could be considered but it was difficult to pin down gang related crime.

 

How often would the members of the Project be meeting?

Meetings would be held monthly to keep the momentum going.

 

What is the timescale?  What is the role of the Board in the project?

The Project was ongoing and the Board would be updated regularly.

 

The following comments were also raised by Board Members:

  • Many tenants missed the local housing officers and their role in dealing with local issues;
  • It  would be useful if the Fire Service could be involved in the project as well as the police;
  • Upgrading street lighting was a key issue in improving estate security;
  • Pete Daw expressed an interest in being involved in the project.

 

Supporting documents: