Agenda and draft minutes

To appoint a Chairman for the meeting.

It was proposed by Councillor P Boylan and seconded by Councillor P Choudhury that Councillor G Williamson be appointed Chairman for the meeting.  After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that Councillor G Williamson be appointed Chairman for the meeting.

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors R Henry and M Stears-Handscomb.

The Chairman welcomed new and returning Members to the first meeting of the Joint CCTV Executive of the 2019/20 civic year.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 January 2019.

It was proposed by Councillor P Choudhury and seconded by Councillor J Lloyd that the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 January 2019 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman, subject to the addition of Councillor Heywood to voting Members present from Hertsmere Borough Council and the deletion of Councillor Wayne as he had been correctly recorded elsewhere in the minutes as having given his apologies.  After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 January 2019 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman, subject to the addition of Councillor Heywood to voting Members present from Hertsmere Borough Council and the deletion of Councillor Wayne as he had been correctly recorded elsewhere in the minutes as having given his apologies.

The Head of Housing and Health submitted a report to update Members on work carried out since the Committee’s meeting on 22 January 2019 to address to the governance issues identified by the Shared Internal Audit Service (SIAS) during their audit commissioned by Stevenage Borough Council on behalf of the CCTV Partnership.

The Head provided a detailed breakdown and summary of the Essential Reference Papers referenced in the report submitted.  He stated following a SIAS recommendation, the CCTV Management Board were now meeting on a quarterly basis.

The Joint CCTV Executive was advised of the shareholders agreement and decision making arrangements.  He referred to the 9 SIAS recommendations and the new partnership agreement.  The Head responded to a number of queries from Councillor P Choudhury in respect of the Shareholder Structure and the future management of the CCTV cameras.  Following a number of other questions from the Committee regarding the governance framework of the CCTV Camera partnership, the Assistant Director (Communications and Neighbourhoods), detailed the history of the CCTV Camera Partnership.

Councillor Mrs J Lloyd proposed and Councillor I Albert seconded, a motion that the recommendations detailed in the report be approved.  After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, this motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that (A) Members provided feedback on the work carried out to date by the CCTV Officer Management Board, included at Essential Reference Paper ‘B’, to address the recommendations made by the Shared Internal Audit Service (SIAS) in their report published in August 2018;

(B)   the revised governance Framework between the CCTV Partnership and the Hertfordshire CCTV Ltd and the constituent parts of both as presented in Essential Reference Paper ‘C’, be approved;

(C)   the revised terms of reference for the CCTV Joint Executive Committee presented at Essential Reference Paper ‘D’, be approved;

(D)   the revised terms of reference for the CCTV Officer Management Board presented at Essential Reference Paper ‘E’, be approved;

(E)   the draft revised Hertfordshire CCTV Ltd Shareholders Agreement presented at Essential Reference Paper ‘F’ and requests the CCTV Officer Management Board to consult Directors of the Company on its content, be endorsed;

(F) authority be delegated to the CCTV Officer Management Board authority to finalise the Shareholders Agreement having sought the views of the Directors of the Company and legal representatives from the partner councils save that if any further substantive amendments are proposed these shall be brought back to Members of the Joint CCTV Executive for approval; and

(G)   an amendment to the completion date for drafting a revised Partnership Agreement to 30^th September 2019 or the next Joint CCTV Executive Meeting (whichever is the sooner) so as to fully incorporate the documents considered within this report, as amended by members, be approved.

The Assistant Director (Communities and Neighbourhoods) submitted a report that summarised the cost benefit analysis undertaken to reassign partner-owned cameras from Hertfordshire CCTV limited to the CCTV Partnership.  The report outlined the financial impacts for the company and the partnership as well as legal implications.  It was recommended that Members give further consideration to the growth potential for the CCTV service and associated implications for the partnership and the company.

The Assistant Director provided a detailed financial analysis of the CCTV Service and explained that the CCTV Executive was responsible for oversight of all of the 417 CCTV Cameras.   He responded to a number of questions and comments from Members.  He commented on the likelihood of schools and Parish Councils coming on board with the CCTV Camera Partnership.  Councillor J Newmark stated that he would be keen to hear from the Directors of Hertfordshire CCTV Limited. 

Councillor P Clark proposed and Councillor I Albert seconded, a motion that the recommendations detailed in the report be supported.  After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, this motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that (A) the reassignment of partner-owned cameras to the CCTV Partnership, be approved;

(B)   Members requested further analysis of pricing structures by camera type and usage of control room capacity to facilitate negotiations on a revised charging model between the partnership and the company; and

(C)   a presentation be requested from the Directors of Hertfordshire CCTV Limited on a Business Plan for the company moving forwards.

The CCTV Operations Manager submitted a report to inform the CCTV Joint Executive Committee of the progress and operational effectiveness of the Hertfordshire CCTV Partnership Control Room and Cameras.

The Operations Manager responded to a number of detailed queries from Councillor A Curtis.  He also summarised the efficient procedures in place for replacing faulty cameras following a question from Councillor P Clark.  The Joint Executive was advised that the police were reliant on CCTV cameras more than ever due to pressure on police resources.

The Operations Manager advised that he was not aware of any complaints in respect of how the control room was being run.  He referred to Pub Watch and Shop Watch and the planned use of digital radios once the new control room was operational.

The Operations Manager confirmed to Councillor G Williamson that all would be welcome to visit the new control room once this was operational.  Councillor P Choudhury commented on whether high definition (HD) quality CCTV could be available to the police, the crown prosecution service and the courts.  The Operations Manager confirmed this was possible if the courts systems were brought up to date to allow the viewing of HD quality recordings.

The Operations Manager confirmed to Councillor G Williamson that there would be 2 day period of downtime once the old control was closed down and the new control became operational.  He stressed that the CCTV cameras would continue to record during this period of downtime.  The Joint CCTV Executive received the report.

RESOLVED – that the Quarterly Management Report be noted.

To agree a date and venue for the next meeting.

RESOLVED – it was agreed that the next meeting would be held in September before the end of that month at the Offices of Stevenage Borough Council.