Agenda item

To consider the following Leisure related reports scheduled for Cabinet consideration on 15 January:

·         BH Coastal Lottery

·         Approval of Fixed Penalty Notices Policy for Environmental Crimes and associated pilot scheme for litter enforcement in Bournemouth Town Centre

The O&S Board is asked to scrutinise the reports and make recommendations to Cabinet as appropriate.

Cabinet member invited to attend for this item: Councillor Lewis Allison, Portfolio Holder for Tourism, Leisure and Communities.

The Cabinet report will be published on Tuesday 7 January 2020 and available to view at the following link:

https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=285&MId=3725&Ver=4

BH Coastal Lottery Small Grant Scheme Criteria and Proposal to Extend BH Coastal Lottery Across BCP - The Chairman asked the Portfolio Holder for Tourism Leisure and Communities to introduce the report a copy of which had been circulated and which appears as Appendix 'D' to the Cabinet minutes of 15 January in the Minute Book. The Portfolio Holder outlined the aims of the report and recommendations. A number of points were raised by the Board in the ensuing questioning including:

·     That funding for smaller amounts for local charities was difficult to come by and welcomed the expansion. The scheme would be open to Charities from March this year;

·     A Councillor had received a letter raising concerns that the Council was encouraging gambling and questioned how the risk of potential gambling addiction would be mitigated and what safeguarding measures were in place. It was reported that underage gambling would be difficult as a bank account was required, and age had to be verified in order to buy tickets. People in general would buy 1-2 tickets per week and then had to wait for the results from the draw. Due to the fact there was no instant gratification the risks of gambling addiction were minimal. Although any user could self-refer for a refusal to sell further tickets. The scheme was also required to make a donation to gambling addiction charities.

·     A Councillor commented that it was great that people could choose where the funding was going and was a form of charitable donation.

·     In response to a question about how the funding for good causes would be split once the scheme was expanded geographically the Board was advised that the BCP wide scheme would start from zero as the previous funding pot would be fully distributed first.

·     Councillors asked about studies of gambling addiction in relation to the Bournemouth Lottery. It was explained that there wasn’t any known but previous research had taken place when establishing the lottery. This could be circulated by email if Councillors wanted it. If there was a significant increase in the quantity of tickets an individual was buying, they would be contacted by the company running the lottery.

Pilot scheme for the use of fixed penalty notices for relevant environmental enforcement issues and associated policy - The Chairman asked the Portfolio Holder for Tourism Leisure and Communities to introduce the report a copy of which had been circulated and which appears as Appendix 'E' to the Cabinet minutes of 15 January in the Minute Book. The Portfolio Holder outlined the aims of the report and recommendations. A number of points were raised by the Board in the ensuing questioning including:

·     Whether the beachfront would be included within this scheme. It was noted that there was no motivation for specific targets or unnecessary fines. It was important that the beachfront would be included and it was one of the worst areas. The Portfolio Holder confirmed that he had confidence in Council Officers ability to be impartial and neutral in delivering the scheme.

·     There was a perception that the previous scheme was extremely harsh but there was no profit involved for Bournemouth.

·     A Councillor asked how the amount for the fines was arrived at and the Board was advised that there were benchmarked and were inline with other areas.

·     In response to a question it was explained that the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme officers would provide statements as evidence as part of their general role.

·     The Board asked about restrictions of the scheme on those who were homeless and about action taken being proportionate. It was noted that there would need to be discretion in the issuing of notices.

·     A Councillor asked about how the success of he project would be measured.  It was noted that it was difficult to gage how much litter was actually dropped in the area and public perception would be a better indication of the scheme’s effectiveness.

·     The Board was informed that Dorset Police were aware of the pilot scheme and the communications strategy for ensuring that the public were aware of the project was being considered.

The Chairman thanked the Portfolio Holder for attending and responding to the issues raised on his reports.