Agenda

To receive any apologies for absence from Councillors.

To receive information on any changes in the membership of the Committee.

Note – When a member of a Committee is unable to attend a meeting of a Committee or Sub-Committee, the relevant Political Group Leader (or their nominated representative) may, by notice to the Monitoring Officer (or their nominated representative) prior to the meeting, appoint a substitute member from within the same Political Group. The contact details on the front of this agenda should be used for notifications.

Councillors are requested to declare any interests on items included in this agenda. Please refer to the workflow on the preceding page for guidance.

Declarations received will be reported at the meeting.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Meeting held on 9 February 2026.

To receive and consider updates to the recommendation tracker.

To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:-

https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeID=151&Info=1&bcr=1

The deadline for the submission of public questions is midday 3 clear working days before the meeting.

The deadline for the submission of a statement is midday the working day before the meeting.

The deadline for the submission of a petition is 10 working days before the meeting.

At its meeting on 18 November 2024 the Overview and Scrutiny Board agreed to establish a working group to consider the BCP Council developing Consultation Framework in response to report brought to the Board on Consultation methods and responses The group met three twice during April and May 2025.  Subsequently, the Board requested the working group to broaden its original remit to include an examination of recent consultations and examples of previous consultations, with a view to identifying any lessons that could be applied to future practice. The working group met a further 4 times from September to December to undertake this task and formulate recommendations to improve issues around consultations. The findings of the working group and detail explaining the rationale behind the recommendations which the Working Group have formulated are summarised in the appendix to this report.

This paper sets out elements of development and delivery by ‘Safer BCP’, the BCP Community Safety Partnership (CSP), and its constituent agencies. It provides Members with an update since the last report to Overview and Scrutiny Panel in January 2025.

The Local Government Act 2000 includes crime and disorder scrutiny as one of the functions the council must ensure its scrutiny arrangements cover. Sections 19 and 20 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and related regulations require the Council to have a committee with the functions of reviewing and scrutinising decisions and actions in respect of the discharge of crime and disorder functions by “responsible authorities”.

The specifics of the duty are set out in the Police and Justice Act 2006, which also allows members to refer any “local crime and disorder matter” raised with them by anyone living or working in their area, to the Crime and Disorder Committee. The Board designated as the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee must meet at least once every 12-month period to conduct the functions.

Guidance issued concerning how this role should be conducted include that:

• the role should be one of a critical friend, providing constructive challenge at a strategic level.

• the focus should be on the entire partnership and if issues arise that relate specifically to a particular partner agency, it may be more appropriate to refer such issues to the governing bodies of that organisation.

• the scrutiny of partners should be “in so far as their activities relate to the partnership itself.”

In the BCP area, the Overview and Scrutiny Board undertakes this function each December/January.

BCP Council conducted a Department for Transport (DfT)authorised trial in August 2025 to test whether increasing Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) levels and associated charges to London?equivalent rates would improve compliance and reduce illegal parking in the coastal area from Sandbanks to Hengistbury Head. The trial showed a reversal of the expected rise in contraventions, with overall PCNs decreasing against forecast models, alongside reductions in serious on?street breaches and improvements in bus punctuality. No negative impact on visitor numbers was identified, and parking capacity remained consistently available, suggesting most illegal parking had been by choice rather than necessity. Some behavioural displacement occurred into lower?level car park contraventions, and peak?pressure days still presented challenges. Overall, the trial demonstrated that higher PCN levels can effectively improve compliance, with BCP Council recommending either a national review of PCN rates outside London or a wider, longer?term follow?up trial.

The Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Board is asked to consider and identify work priorities for publication in a Work Plan.