Agenda, decisions and minutes

1.1  Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Joseph, Race, Rathbone and Stops.

2.1  There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 31 January 2022 be agreed as a correct record of the proceedings.

Matters Arising

The following updates on the actions were provided:

Paragraph 3.1 - Update on out of call hours service 

The Head of Community Safety, Enforcement & Business Regulation reported that 89 of 99 calls to the service were answered by the team, the average waiting time for a call was 55 seconds and 60% of calls were answered within 20 seconds.

Paragraph 4.4 – Pay Policy Statement

The Chair reported that the Head of Human Resources had advised that the data on the comparison between the Council and other local authorities in relation to pay was still being produced and would be available at the next meeting.  Action to be deferred to the meeting to be held in June 2022.

Paragraph 5.4 - Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN)

The Head of Community Safety, Enforcement & Business Regulation highlighted that there had been an increase of more than 1,000 FPNs from the previous year.  This increase had been due partly to the pandemic and the efforts of officers and teams working together better as well as the now being fully staffed.  The issue of recruitment and retention of staff had now been resolved.

In response to a question regarding leniency for elderly residents issued a FPN for urination in the streets due to lack of toilet facilities, the Head of Community Safety, Enforcement & Business Regulation stated that the service would consider any representation and medical evidence submitted by any resident before a decision was made to issue or waive a FPN.

RESOLVED to note the annual performance report for the Noise Service in 2021.

4.1  The Head of Community Safety, Enforcement and Business Regulation introduced the report setting out the annual performance in relation to noise nuisance for the period 1 January to 31 December 2021.  The report also provided an update on the volume of noise complaints, a breakdown of the individual types of noise within the services workload, including Temporary Event Notices (TENs).

4.2  The Head of Community Safety, Enforcement and Business Regulation highlighted the following:

·  Statutory noise nuisance and noise arising from anti-social behaviour were considered together as part of noise nuisance in Hackney;

·  Residents registering a complaint received a Noise Action Guidance which detailed the next steps and assisted with managing expectations;

·  In January 2022 NoiseWorks was launched with the objective to develop a fully integrated case management solution to effectively manage noise complaints in Hackney. The feedback from residents were positive;

·  The service also delivered an out of hour’s noise nuisance service from within the resources allocated.  This provision was challenging as the demand was unpredictable and at times of peak fluctuation could result in up to twenty service requests in an hour and the time spent dealing with a service request could vary from 15 minutes to half a shift for a more complex visit;

·  The number of TENs received in Hackney had increased significantly and the demand had been disproportionately high with the borough having the second highest number of TENs in London. The TEN was a complex system and time consuming, which continued to place significant demand on existing resources. The fixed administrative fee for processing an application did not cover the cost of resourcing the TENs system.  It was anticipated that there would be a rise in TENs application during the Platinum Jubilee Celebration in 2022; and

·  In relation to construction noise there had been 46 s60 notices served and 126 consents issued during January to December 2021.

4.2    Councillor Fajana- Thomas emphasised that the NoiseWorks app was a new noise reporting system intended to improve reporting for residents by allowing them to log noise complaints directly with the service and enable officers to work more efficiently.  In the longer term it should reduce the number of complaints, recurring complaints and Members’ enquiries relating to noise and also noise nuisance related anti-social behaviour.

4.3   In response to questions from Members relating to the report, the Head of Community Safety, Enforcement and Business Regulation replied as follows:

·  Westminster Council had the highest number of TENs in London followed by Hackney Council and this information had been based on the statistics gathered Londonwide on the number of TENs in each borough;

·  It would be feasible to compile a list of the top ten boroughs in London in terms of licensed premises and the number of TENs applications received within a specific period and compare this data with Hackney;

·  It was clarified that the TENs had created substantial work within the service and that the team had been working in partnership with the Police to reduce  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.1  The draft work plan for 2022/23 was noted.

5.1  The draft work plan for 2022/23 was noted.

6.1  There was no other urgent business.