As usual I attended the latest monthly Blackhall PACT meeting in the Resource Centre on Wednesday evening. The meeting was well attended and good natured, with a lot of positivity despite a range of concerns raised on the night.
It’ll come as no surprise that the main issue on the agenda was the recent increase in reports of antisocial behaviour. This included the usual reports of dog-fouling, littering, fly-tipping, off-road bikes and illegal parking - and these matters have all been passed individually to the appropriate authorities for their attention.
**There’s more further down the page about how I’m currently working alongside the police, relevant council departments and a range of partner agencies to address local concerns about antisocial behaviour in and around our villages.
But first, following a number of comments about problems associated with some of the private-rented sector housing stock in Blackhall Colliery, and in response to a number of concerns raised about the roll-out of the council’s selective licensing scheme, I voiced my own concerns about the sluggish response of the council in registering private sector landlords onto the scheme. We’re 16 months into the programme now, and only 28% of landlords across the county have been signed up so far. That is wholly unacceptable and it undermines the entire purpose of selective licensing which is to bring much-needed regulation to the private-rented housing sector. I’ve raised residents’ concerns in a number of quarters over the past few months, particularly in the overview and scrutiny committees, who have agreed to take a closer look through their work programmes at how the selective licensing scheme has been rolled-out over its initial period, and also to look at ways of improving the scheme for the benefit of our communities.
At the launch of the licensing scheme last year members of the public were assured that it would deliver improvements in our communities by regulating the sector and holding private landlords to account for the condition of their properties and the conduct of their tenants - something that residents and attendees at PACT meetings over the years have been asking for. However, the council’s poor performance in developing the scheme has been woefully inadequate. Along with our residents I expected much better, and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure there are improvements made where they’re needed most.
**In response to a recent rise in reported incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour in Blackhall I updated the meeting on developments Stacey and I are working on, alongside a number of community agencies, to address residents’ concerns and allay their fears about crime and antisocial behaviour. I’ll update again on progress in due course, but in the meantime there are full background details in this link: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/07/responding-to-community-fears-of-crime.html
As ever, the police advised at the meeting that wherever and whenever there are any specific incidents these should be reported on each and every occasion. They acknowledge the inconvenience for residents’ in having to go through this rigmarole - but they insist that consistent reporting is the key to identifying trends and putting resource where they’re needed most. Police advise that residents should report incidents on 101, and 999 if there’s an emergency.
In addition there were reports at the meeting of high levels of shoplifting in the area. I took the opportunity to report back on a meeting I’d attended (quite by accident as it happens) earlier in the week in the Resource Centre when shopkeepers and business owners met face to face with the police to voice their concerns, and more importantly put something in place to tackle the problem of theft in their shops.
By way of a brief update on early developments, the meeting between shopkeepers and the police was held on Tuesday morning after one of the shopkeepers had taken the initiative to raise their concerns with the police. In response the police had arranged to meet with those shopkeepers who had expressed an interest. At the meeting police listened carefully to what the shopkeepers and owners had to say about persistent incidents of theft, and how they feared for their safety and that of their staff. To cut a long story short, the people present at the meeting have agreed to establish a Shop Watch scheme which will meet regularly to collate information and monitor progress on any schemes intended to reduce shoplifting incidents and associated crime. The parish clerk has kindly agreed to offer venue and administrative support to get the scheme off the ground.
Finally, following additional reports of dangers posed by vehicles parking outside the shops on Middle Street I spoke to a few residents after the meeting about a scheme we’ve revived which is designed to prevent illegal parking on Middle Street and at the same time ensure the safety of shoppers when using the public footpaths at this location. Initial plans are published elsewhere on this site, with more details to follow in due course.
