Agenda item

The Leader, or his nominee, to answer questions from Councillors on matters affecting the Borough, in accordance with Standing Order 14.

The Mayor reported that two general questions had been received, in accordance with Standing Order 15, from Councillor R Sider:

Question 1 -

“The Shepperton Village Fair is the largest community event in the borough attracting a throughput of between eight and nine thousand people each year, and in the past many years ago was the leading event in what was called the Spelthorne Fortnight.  The council have insisted on security and a no alcohol policy as a result of an incident which took place some 10 years ago on the river bank two hours after the Fair had closed and was nothing to do with the Fair in any way shape or form. The cost of security is now £2000 which the volunteer Fair committee endeavour to raise. At the Fair this year on the 11th of June, two men were found to be drinking wine in Manor Park close to the main public access corner to the park. They were asked to stop drinking and informed that there was a No Alcohol policy in place and asked to move off site. They refused, and when Security insisted they comply, they showed signs of escalation. They were told that the police would be called but showed no concern. After a further warning, and in consultation with the Chairman of the Fair committee, security called 999 for assistance. At the end of a 15-minute conversation with the police, the police told them that this was nothing to do with them unless public order was breached, that no law had been broken, and it was up to the council to prosecute. Since the Chairman did not wish the incident to escalate to the point of public disorder and possible violence in the middle of families enjoying themselves, he agreed to Security backing off, whereby the men continued drinking. One of the duties of the security company is to monitor any violation of the No Alcohol policy. It now seems that this policy is unenforceable either by the Fairs security contractors who this year were former Gurkhas, or the police, and is a policy which has no impact on anyone who chooses to ignore it.

Will the Leader of this council share my concerns that this incident could well have escalated into public disorder and that police should have attended in the interest of public safety?”

Response from Councillor J Boughtflower, Leader of the Council

“In situations such as this, Surrey Police have to make their own assessment as to any response required based on the information available to them.  Our officers have spoken with the Borough Commander, Maxine Cilia, who has checked the records of the call received by Surrey Police at the time of the incident you have referred to.  She has advised that when the call was made to the police, the person who contacted them from the fair security team advised that there were no issues with the two males drinking wine, who were sitting drinking and not causing any issues.

The security operative stated that the only issue was that they should not be in the location drinking, which was not covered by any law, but only by the private rules of the event. This meant that the police could only get involved when, and if, there was a breach of the peace, which in this case was not mentioned. The police have powers to eject people from a licensed premises or venue but not in this type of situation.  Inspector Cilia has therefore concluded that the police call-taker in this instance gave the right advice with the information presented to them.”

Question 2 –

“In an email of the 8th of June 2022, emanating from the Head of Communications at Spelthorne Council, all councillors were advised that on the 9th of June, Ashford Multi Storey Car Park would be closed until further notice because of recent substantial vandalism, that meant that it was now not safe for residents to use. In its communication to residents for such action, the council apologised for such closure, and went on to say ‘ The car park at Church Road has been the subject of targeted and systematic vandalism which has resulted in significant damage to the fire doors, stairs, shutters, barriers and lighting’.   In conclusion, a council spokesperson added ‘We are very sorry for the inconvenience that this will cause for some people but hope that everyone will understand that we had no choice in the matter.

In view of the foregoing, can the Leader of the Council inform me what action has been taken by the police to combat such wanton vandalism and destruction of council property?”

Response from Councillor J Boughtflower, Leader of the Council:

“Thank-you for your question, Councillor Sider.

In a previous statement issued by Surrey Police they have advised that their Ashford team are certainly well-aware of the multi-storey car park and they were deployed regularly to cases of anti-social behaviour there, as well as proactively patrolling the area. They have stated that they are working hard to target various ongoing low-level crimes in the area, and tackling anti-social behaviour in the car park formed part of that work.

The Police also work with the Council’s Community Safety Team and JET officers to identify hotspot areas of ASB so that physical resources can be deployed to areas where increased ASB is identified. This would include reported vandalism of any property within the Borough. The Annual Community Safety Review will be reported to the Neighbourhood Services and Enforcement Committee in September and the Borough Commander, Inspector Cilia, will provide additional detail as to how the Police are tackling such matters.”