The Place Services Scrutiny Committee met to discuss the council's performance outturn for 2024/25, receive an overview of the Open Spaces Strategy development, and approve the committee's work programme for 2025/26, adding an item on the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority to the agenda for the December 2025 meeting. The committee reviewed performance indicators related to the Borough Strategy priorities, including community safety, housing, economic growth, and environmental sustainability.

Performance Outturn 2024/25

The committee reviewed the council's Performance Outturn Report for 2024/25, focusing on priorities 3, 4, and 5 of the Borough Strategy: creating safe communities, supporting a strong local economy, and promoting green spaces.

Key discussion points included:

• Domestic Abuse: Concerns were raised about the increase in repeat victim incidents.
• Town Centre Safety: Violence in St Helens town centre had decreased due to Public Space Protection Orders[^1] and the night time economy forum. [^1]: Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are designed to deal with particular nuisances in a defined area that negatively affect the quality of life for those in the local community.
• Temporary Accommodation: A reduction in the number of weeks people spent in temporary accommodation was noted, with new house building expected to increase the availability of affordable housing.
• Homelessness: The council's limited housing stock was identified as a factor affecting its ability to control numbers in temporary accommodation and rough sleepers.
• Cost of Living: The national cost of living was recognised as a major contributor to people losing their homes.
• Social Housing: Housing developments with social rented accommodation were highlighted, with the council's housing allocations policy prioritising local people, veterans, and domestic violence victims.
• Serious Violence: St Helens town centre was identified as a hotspot for serious violence offences, leading to the adoption of a Public Space Protection Order with Merseyside Police.
• Employment: The Ways to Work service had exceeded its target for supporting people into employment, education, and training. The development of a Home Bargains distribution centre at Omega had led to 220 St Helens residents gaining employment.
• Planning and Highways: Positive performance was noted in relation to planning applications and highways inspections.
• Business Start-ups and Economic Inactivity: The council had not achieved targets for business start-ups and economic inactivity due to long-term sickness, attributing this to factors beyond its control.
• Recycling and Climate Change: Recycling rates were better than other parts of the region, with plans to increase food waste collection. Face-to-face programmes were being conducted in poor-performing areas to improve recycling habits.
• Missed Collections: Missed recycling and waste collections would be revisited, with collection vehicles using trackers to log access issues.
• Fly-tipping: The enforcement team had been increased from two to four staff to enable greater prosecution of fly-tipping offences. Councillors were asked to support education campaigns about waste disposal and recycling.
• Leisure and Libraries: Leisure services and the Libraries Service were performing well, with visitor numbers and book borrowing exceeding targets.

The committee resolved to note the performance position at outturn 2024-25, the actions planned to address specific areas for improvement, and requested that the Director of Operations share education materials about fly-tipping with all councillors.

Open Spaces Strategy Development Overview

The Director of Operations presented an overview of the development process for the council's Open Spaces Strategy, including its aims, objectives, current context, and challenges.

Key points included:

• The strategy had been in development for some time, with elements already being implemented.
• The vision was for parks and open spaces to be safe, accessible, and fun for everyone.
• A public consultation was underway to gather feedback on the draft vision and objectives.
• The council aimed to encourage local residents to engage with community groups supporting the maintenance of parks and open spaces.
• Community involvement was seen as key to parks achieving Green Flag status[^2]. [^2]: The Green Flag Award scheme is an international quality mark for parks and green spaces.
• Active Travel was a key element of the strategy, covering public footpaths in parks, urban areas, and the countryside.
• Various departments had contributed to the strategy, particularly regarding public health and promoting healthy lifestyles.
• The borough had outdoor gyms and nearly 70 play areas to encourage activity and nature experiences.

The committee agreed to monitor the delivery and implementation of the final strategy, with action plans for each ward to be developed in consultation with councillors and local residents. The committee resolved to note the presentation on the development of the Open Spaces Strategy.

Scrutiny Work Programme 2025/26

The Scrutiny Support Officer provided an overview of the committee's current work programme and progress on task and finish reviews. The Director of Operations had received a request from the Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority to attend a meeting of the committee to provide information about its current operations and performance outcomes and take any questions the committee may have. The committee agreed to add an item on the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority to the agenda for its December 2025 meeting and resolved to approve the work programme subject to the agreed changes.