The Safer Stronger Communities Select Committee met to discuss anti-social behaviour enforcement and library services in the borough. The committee heard that an integrated enforcement approach is being developed to tackle anti-social behaviour, and that Lewisham Library has been named the London winner of The British Book Awards 2025 Library of the Year. The committee also discussed the upcoming reopening of Lewisham Library following refurbishment, and the cessation of fines across the library service.

Anti-Social Behaviour Enforcement

The committee received an update on the council's integrated enforcement approach to tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB). Councillor Oana Olaru-Holmes, Cabinet Member for Refugees, Safer Lewisham and Equalities, said that anti-social behaviour was a persistent issue that affected the quality of life for many residents, and that the integrated approach would deliver a more effective and coordinated response within existing resources.

James Lee, Director of Community Services, explained that the integrated enforcement approach was a long-term change programme that reflected the understanding that ASB comes in many forms and requires a coordinated response across the council and in partnership with a range of external agencies. He noted that the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) ¹ introduced in August 2024 had raised public expectations, and that the multi-agency framework had proven highly effective in coordinating enforcement efforts. Mr Lee said that the objectives of the integrated enforcement approach were to:

• Simplify how residents and businesses contact the council to report issues
• Strengthen early identification and resolution of issues by improving data and intelligence sharing across services
• Align enforcement teams to reduce duplication, promote joint working, and ensure a consistent, coordinated response
• Monitor performance against defined targets to track success and drive continuous improvement
• Maintain strong governance to ensure operational work is purposeful, accountable, and fit for purpose

Mr Lee also outlined the structure of the enforcement teams, and the proposal to establish a centralised intelligence hub (Unified Network for Intelligence, Tasking and Enforcement, UNITE) to gather data and insights from a broad range of internal departments and external partners.

Inspector Duncan Jackson spoke about the police's role in tackling anti-social behaviour, and said that the police were the most integrated in understanding and sharing information with the council that he had ever experienced in his 24 years of policing. He said that the police were working to identify addresses that were being used for handling stolen mobile phones and drug dealing, and that they were using ASB legislation to tackle shoplifters.

Inspector Jackson also said that patrols were becoming harder to deliver due to abstraction, but that the move to integrate with the council allowed areas to have eyes and ears and enforcement that the police were not always able to give. He noted that Ruffy Green in Catford was a tier one hexagon under Operation Mortello, which is the new Operation Nightingale, the government's promise to look at high crime areas in town centres.

Councillor Rachel Onikosi raised concerns about the lack of data on the number of patrols carried out by the police in Catford, and asked how members could be better informed about police activity.

Councillor Mark Ingleby raised concerns about the police response to anti-social behaviour issues in Hither Green, and asked how the police could ramp up their response. He also referred to an incident at St Mungo's where staff had sought emergency services support but had received a poor response from the police.

Councillor Sophie Davis said that it was important for residents to see visible policing, and that the council needed to communicate with residents about what was being done to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The committee discussed the equalities implications of the integrated enforcement approach. It was noted that the PSPO had included significant equalities monitoring of all groups and individuals approached during dedicated patrols, but that the transition to integrated enforcement meant that specific patrols would no longer be the norm. It was recommended that equalities data be collected only for individuals who have been issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice.

Libraries

The committee received an update on the performance of the library service over the last 12 months, and discussed community library developments and achievements, the Lewisham Library project update and timelines, and the cessation of fines.

Councillor Sakina Sheikh, Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities and Sports, said that the staff in the library services put their heart and soul into their work, and that this was reflected in the improved visits and diversification of what was on offer in the libraries. She also highlighted the upcoming opening of Lewisham Library as a flagship community business library hub.

Sidra Hill-Reid, Head of Community Education and Cultural Assets, presented a report on the library service. She said that the service operated through a network of 12 libraries, four of which are hub libraries, and eight of which are delivered by community partners such as Calico. She said that the libraries delivered not only the statutory service around provisioned books, encouraging the love of reading, and literacy, but also archives and heritage services.

Ms Hill-Reid said that visits to libraries grew by 8% last year, and that issues increased by 6%. She also said that the ethnicity profile of library members reflected that of the borough.

Simon Higgs from Calico, which runs four community libraries, said that the libraries were all issuing more books now than they were when Calico took over, and that visitor numbers were returning to pre-pandemic levels. He said that the libraries were open for longer hours, which made it easier for people to visit.

Councillor Best raised concerns about the responsibilities of the council in maintaining the buildings used by community libraries, and asked about the differences in the leases. Ms Hill-Reid said that each of the leases and licences to the community partners had a different repairs matrix, which laid out the different responsibilities.

Councillor Best also asked about the possibility of having a heritage centre in the new Lewisham Library. Ms Hill-Reid said that there were plans for a heritage centre on the third floor of the library, and that there would be display cases on the ground floor.

Councillor David Walker noted that the numbers for 10 to 19 year olds using the library were lower than other age groups, and asked if there were any views on why that was the case. Ms Hill-Reid said that the library service was developing a youth library and lace to engage with young people in the way that they wanted to be engaged.

Councillor Mark Ingleby paid tribute to the environment offered by the libraries, and said that library staff and volunteers often triaged homeless people and people in crisis. He also asked about the SEEN marketplace, and whether longer leases could be offered to community library partners.

Councillor Natasha Burgess praised the cessation of fines, and said that it was a lovely example of a policy that was based on meeting need. She also asked about the naming of Lewisham Library. Councillor Sheikh said that the instincts were gearing towards keeping the name as Lewisham Library, but that there would be a process in which feedback would be sought.

The committee discussed making a recommendation to Mayor and Cabinet about protecting heritage assets, and ensuring that there was a contingency fund for repairs to library buildings.