To receive the above report.

Brian Martin, Community Safety Manager introduced the report and explained that Cabinet had agreed to run the Night Time Economy Pilot and the pilot was due to end in December 2015. Community Wardens had been acting as first responders in enforcement issues such as taxi’s, noise and businesses depositing rubbish early. Brian Martin stressed that the pilot was not about wardens acting as proxy police.

The wardens covered three main areas which were Windsor and Eton, Maidenhead and Ascot; a lot of the patrolling was done in cars with approximately 30% of patrols carried out on foot. The rest of the time wardens were covering the Night Time Economy, they were writing reports.

Brian Martin informed the Panel that all call out’s or checks carried out by the wardens were detailed in Appendix one;  and some of them resulted in further action. The report also showed that over six months of the pilot running, noise nuisance was down by over 40%; there was a 27% reduction in antisocial behaviour and a 12% reduction in taxi related incidents. Brian Martin clarified that there were various factors that had contributed to the reduction in incidents and not all reductions were due to the pilot.

Brian Martin stated the pilot fulfilled a manifesto commitment of providing an extended service to residents but, there was a loss of 4% of warden’s daytime working by having them fulfil the out of hours role. Six options were considered going forward which included stopping the service altogether. There were benefits to having the Night Time Economy service but there were also risks associated with it and continuing the service may affect officer morale. There may be a need to enforce the flexibility clause contracts which could potentially involve a 12 week consultation.

The Chairman stated the pilot had been a resounding success as the majority of complaints from residents came in after midnight. The Vice-Chairman commented the borough had been trying to create an economy that flourished in the Town Centres; the Night Time Economy Pilot used a holistic framework and improved the quality of life in the Town Centres. It was a necessary tool for Town Centre managers and encouraged more visitors. It would be interesting to see the full report in February 2016. The Vice-Chairman fully endorsed the scheme.

RESOLVED:  The Panel recommend that Cabinet:

1. Approves the continuation of the Night Time Economy service until the conclusion of the pilot period in December 2015;
2. Requests that a further report be presented to Cabinet in February 2016 to determine whether the Night Time Economy service is continued as a permanent arrangement including confirmation of the final service configuration if it is to continue;
3. Delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Operations in conjunction with the Lead Member for Environment Services and the Head of Service for Community Protection and Enforcement to continue to operate a service if it is deemed a success at the end of the Pilot until Cabinet finalises the service configuration in February 2016;
4. Delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Operations in conjunction with the Lead Member for Environment Services to prepare a media statement for release to communicate and promote the permanent Night Time Economy service.