Issue - meetings

The National Counter-Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) Counter-Terrorism Security Survey on Bath City Centre in September 2016; identified locations in Bath as a ‘Crowded Place’; with particular focus on the areas around Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths. As the 2017 attacks demonstrated, crowded places present attractive targets for terrorists. Subsequently disrupted plots and intelligence assessments suggest this will continue to be the case (Contest Strategy Document 2018).

The report identified where the City is vulnerable and where the overall risk to the City is raised. By taking action to address these identified vulnerabilities, the likelihood and impact and therefore the risk to the area is reduced.

Councillor Manda Rigby introduce the report by saying that in 2016 the police contacted the Council and said that although there was no specific evidence of an imminently planned attack, as an area with a high footfall, and specifically the Abbey, the Council would need to look at what would be needed in terms of protection against a terrorist attack, including an hostile vehicle attack. Terrorist acts could come in a variety of ways, and there were measures in place to protect from non-vehicular attack, which were included in our risk assessments. Temporary hostile vehicle mitigations had also been brought in for large events, including remembrance services, the Bath Half and the Tour of Britain.

Some concrete moveable bollards were installed to support the Christmas Market on the advice of Police. These have been retained where appropriate and would be replaced with permanent measures.

A consultation went out at the start of the year, and the report was a result of amendments of proposals in it having listened to consultation input, and commissioning a report about accessibility, more specifically for disabled residents and visitors.

The report contains the details of which streets would be closed

There was also an operating schedule which would allow Blue Badge holders disabled access via a video link to the operating centre, with access for emergencies whether city wide or for a resident needing a trade person in a hurry.

The Council took on board obligations under the Public Sector Equalities Duty Act and there would be further phases of work subject to monitoring the results of these measures to amend and adapt based on evidence and data.

Councillor Manda Rigby moved the recommendations.

Councillor Richard Samuel seconded the motion by saying that he was pleased to second recommendations in this report.  Bath streets referred to in this report were very crowded and densely populated, and the police have commented and have advised on security and protection of citizens, and it would be totally untenable for the Council to ignore their advice. The difficulty the Council had was in the balancing off  the needs of residents, visitors, and the security. Councillor Samuel believed that the report had outlined an appropriate balance, it will undoubtedly not please everybody.

In terms of the financing of this project – there would be a few stages to the project and those stages would involve the firming up of the estimates of the cost of implementing this scheme as set out in the report.  The report has highlighted that there were risks with possibilities that the cost may drift upwards. In agreement with Council Rigby and the director of finance, Councillor Samuel would run one more check on top of the ones that already exist in the Council's control processes, and those processes normally permit officers to exercise delegation in developing schemes for the good governance of the Council which require all schemes to go through a business planning process. Therefore, paragraph 2.13 of the report has been introduced as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40