To receive a presentation from the Community Safety Partnership Manager.
Minutes:
The Committee received a presentation from the Community Safety Partnership Manager which highlighted the role of the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) and detailed the Community Safety priorities for 2025 / 26 noting that the priorities for 2026 / 27 were due to be agreed in March 2026.
The presentation provided details of specific projects that the CSP had been involved with, noting that they had been fully funded externally from various bodies. These projects included:
· The Promenade Park, Maldon: Make Space for Girls and Improving Public Safety - funded by the Essex Police Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) Safer Streets Programme. This project was part of the work being done to make green spaces safer and more inclusive for girls and gender diverse young people. It was noted that the monies had also been used for stake park procurement in the West Maldon Community Centre, Riverside Park and Promenade Park and the Secret Garden. The CSP Manager explained the key project benefits for each of the projects and how young people had been involved in the design.
· Her Place, Burnham-on-Crouch – funded by the Rural England Prosperity Fund, Essex PFCC Safer Streets Programme and Maldon CSP reserves. Consultation with year 9 students from Ormiston Rivers Academy had taken place and following production of a report, Burnham-on-Crouch Town Council and youth commissioners had been consulted. The funding would provide new assets for young people and ensure that any provision was more gender inclusive.
· Maldon Women’s Safety Charter – funded by the Essex PFCC Safer Streets Programme and Maldon CSP reserves. Businesses were encouraged to sign up to the charter and make pledges to improve women’s safety and encourage active bystandership. The CSP Manager outlined the key areas of the Charter and how this would build a safer and stronger community in the Maldon District. A launch event along with bespoke training and support for businesses was planned. Members were advised that a media campaign using a video filmed on location in the Maldon District to nudge behaviour and encourage active bystandership had been produced. The Officer agreed to provide Members with a copy of this.
The CSP Manager outlined a number of next steps that the CSP was striving to achieve for the future, including seeking opportunities to influence planning design, reviewing current play and sport to ensure gender inclusivity and embracing working with local schools and encouraging the use of green spaces.
In response to questions raised the CSP Manager advised that:
· forms of lighting within shelters where they were located away from residential premises would be looked into;
· during consultations with young people, phone charging facilities, roller staking and ‘funky’ chairs by the river (in Burnham-on-Crouch) had also been raised and would be investigated;
· Chelmsford Central Park had recently installed some bright coloured sun loungers with tables beside them which had proven very popular with young people, the Officer agreed to circulate details of these to Members.
· wi-fi and phone charging were important to young people and the Officer confirmed that they would try to accommodate these where possible. In response to a question regarding wi-fi being standard at all such areas, the Officer advised he would make enquiries in respect of this.
The Chairperson thanked the CSP Manager for his presentation.