To receive a presentation giving an overview of the Aston Project including the background, how it engages with the community, achievements and current activity. 

58.1          The Chair invited the representative from Gloucestershire Constabulary to address the Committee. 

58.2          The representative from Gloucestershire Constabulary gave the presentation, circulated separately, which explained more about the Aston Project which was based on prevention and early intervention; who ran it; the type of activities the young people who were involved with the project engaged in; and how success was measured.  Members were also shown a short video about the project.

58.3          A Member queried whether behavioural issues among young people was linked to poverty and if these problems were increasing due to the cost of living crisis.  The representative from Gloucestershire Constabulary advised that a background check was undertaken when a young person was referred to them – it was rare that someone was referred without already having received some sort of support or having had experience of things such as domestic abuse or parental drug and alcohol abuse.  Whilst it was not necessarily increasing, it was common to find that the young people on the project did not have the right kit for the activities they were undertaking e.g. wellington boots or waterproof shoes and it was also evident there were problems in terms of them accessing healthy food.  A Member sought clarification of the referral process and was advised that it was voluntary so the young person had to want to engage and do the activities and they required parental consent to participate.

58.4          A Member sought an explanation of ‘time banking’ and was advised that the young people carried out tasks, for instance, litter picking or handing out water at a half marathon, which they received credits for to use towards activities such as going to the cinema.  A Member asked if there was any data available on the progress of young people in the project and was advised that, although data was kept, it was a long term project and there were inevitably ups and downs so consideration was being given as to how that could be turned into realistic figures going forward.  The Member noted that the presentation had referenced an ‘outcome star’ system which measured young people’s perceptions on a radar scale and she felt that would be a nice graphical representation to evidence progress.  The representative from Gloucestershire Constabulary agreed with this point but explained that the outcome stars were not converted into usable data and that was something they had been looking at recently.  It was noted that if the behaviour of any young person on the programme escalated, they would be referred on for more intensive support.

58.5          A Member asked whether the Aston Project was available across Gloucestershire or just within Tewkesbury Borough and was informed the project was countywide; however, its operation and success was linked with the ability to recruit PCSOs and it was not easy work.  For instance, a PCSO had left their role in Cirencester and it had not been possible to recruit back to that area.  Tewkesbury Borough was very fortunate to have two PCSOs.  The Member expressed the view that rural deprivation at the fringes of the community was often hidden and the representative from Gloucestershire Constabulary agreed with this point.  The Member went on to indicate that she would like Parish Councils to be able to make referrals, or mention areas where problems were occurring with young people causing antisocial behaviour, but also to receive feedback on those individuals.  Members were advised that PCSOs were embedded in their neighbourhood teams and able to pick up hotspot areas where young people congregated; they had particular ways to approach the families about referrals into the project.

58.6          In response to a query as to the relationship between the Aston Project and Tewkesbury Borough Council and its Members, the representative from Gloucestershire Constabulary indicated that she would like to have a free-flowing two-way relationship – more involvement was better for the young person and she had seen positive results from PCSOs working closely with social workers.  Members would know their community concerns and received reports from their residents so it would be beneficial if they knew how to refer into the project.  The Director: Communities advised that he had previously sat on the Aston Project Steering Group but there had been a change in the way it was managed and Tewkesbury Borough Council had lost touch when the project had been more integrated into the Constabulary; this was a great opportunity to rekindle the relationship and he undertook to include the Aston Project as an Agenda Item at the next Community Safety Partnership meeting to update on its work.

58.7          A Member queried how many of the 21 young people currently involved with the scheme were from Tewkesbury and was informed that the majority were from Tewkesbury Town with a couple from Bishop’s Cleeve and one from Winchcombe.  In response to a query as to how the project was funded, Members were advised it was funded by Gloucestershire Constabulary and the Police and Crime Commissioner.  The Midlands County Co-Op had also provided funding and it was intended to approach others going forward.

58.8          The Chair thanked the representative from Gloucestershire Constabulary for attending the meeting and expressed the view that Members certainly had a role to play in helping to identify people for referral into the project and he felt there was a broader question about how this integrated with the Community Safety Partnership and the role that Tewkesbury Borough Council played in that which was a discussion that needed to be taken forward.

58.9          It was

                 RESOLVED           That the Aston Project presentation be NOTED.