Agenda and minutes

The drop in surgery gives you the opportunity to talk to your councillors, street environment officer, safer neighbourhood team, neighbourhood management officer and visiting speakers informally.

1.1  Residents had the opportunity to speak informally to Cllr Paul Firth, Claire Taylor (Neighbourhood Management Unit), Iain Dunn (Street Environment Service), PC Alex Dodson and PCSO Tom Laurie (Safer Neighbourhood Police Team) and Sarah Fitsell (York Carers Centre).

Welcome and minutes

2.1    Cllr Paul Firth welcomed residents to the meeting.

2.2    The minutes of the last meeting on 5^th Jul 2010 were approved and signed.

An update from your ward police team and your chance to ask any questions.

PC Alex Dobson and PCSO Tom Laurie gave an update on policing issues in the ward.  The following points were noted:

3.1    Crime has been very low across the ward over the summer.  There has been on small anti-social behaviour issue on Churchfields but this has been resolved.

3.2    A couple of farms in the ward have been victims of ‘farm thefts’ which is currently the main crime problem in the ward.  The team has made one arrest so far and are spending a lot of time patrolling farm areas when on evening shifts.

3.3    The application for the Alcohol Exclusion Zone was rejected and will be reviewed again in six months.

3.4    The team continue to promote a) the ‘Light Up, Lock Up’ campaign for keeping empty houses well lit and secure during the darks nights; b) Operation Spoke cycle marking which enables the police the trace recovered bikes back to their owner.  Residents are encouraged to contact the team 0845 60 60 247 for more information.

3.5    The team are working closely with Trading Standards to launch as many cold calling zones as possible in Haxby.  Residents should contact Trading Standards on (01904) 551562

A representative from York Carers Centre will tell you about the centre and its role in supporting carers across the city.

Sarah Fitsell gave a presentation on the work of York Carers Centre.  The following points were noted:

4.1      It is believed that there are 18,000 carers in the York area but the Carers Centre are only in touch with approximately 1800 of those people. 

4.2      A carer is someone who is unpaid, is looking after or supporting a relative, friend or neighbour who is ill, disabled, frail or in need of emotional support.  Many cares may not realise they are carers.

4.3      York Carers Centre helps unpaid carers in York find the support they need in a variety of different areas and works to raise the profile of carers. 

4.4      The centre provides help for young carers (8-18 years), young adult carers (18-25 years) as well as for adults.

4.5      They centre run a free Emergency Card Scheme which enables a carer to register a back up plan so in the event of an emergency, the person they care for will not be left at risk.

4.6      For further information contact York Carers Centre on (01904) 715490, email enquiries@yorkcarerscentre.co.uk or visit their website at www.yorkcarerscentre.co.uk

This is your chance to find out more information about the schemes proposed in this newsletter.  If you have made a suggestion that has been short-listed, this is your opportunity to promote your proposal.

This part of the meeting was an opportunity for discussion about the local improvement schemes put forward for the 2011-12 ward committee budget.

Representatives gave more information about the following schemes:

5.1      HW-10-02 – Haxby and Wigginton Youth and Community Association – The application is to fund a youth club on 3 nights of the week.  The organisation receives some money from York Youth Services but must fund the rest themselves.  Many activities take place and in particular the team will be doing some work with young people around the issue of teenage pregnancy which is on the rise in the ward.

5.2      HW-10-19 – Grant to Wonder Years – This is a charity run organisation which is accessed by 100’s of families across this ward and beyond.  The money would be used to provide extra activities during the school holidays and works out at £200 per week for 12 weeks holiday during the year.

5.3      HW-10-12 – Wigginton Old School Management Committee – the money would be used to buy a new boiler to replace the existing one which is now 20 years old and coming to the end of its working life.

5.4      HW-10-10 – Street Sports York – The application is to fund ten mobile street sport sessions across the ward.  The sessions alternate between a skate park, a climbing wall, multi sport and archery is going to be introduced in the near future. 

Residents also made the following comments about the schemes:

5.5      HW-10-06 – Resurfacing an uneven section of the snicket on Headland Lane between South Lane and Greenshaw Drive – could Cycling City also contribute some money towards this?

5.6      HW-10-11 – York Citizens Advice Bureau to provide outreach sessions in the ward – these have proved very popular in the past and the staff at Oaken Grove are often asked when the sessions will be returning. 

Your chance to discuss local issues.

The following questions and comments were noted:

a)      Thank you for the traffic lights at the end of Mill Lane, they have made a big improvement.

b)      Thank you to Iain Dunn for the walkway he has had installed in Millennium Wood.

c)       Given that York is a ‘Cycling City’, could the council adopt a more positive approach to cycling.  There are ten ‘No cycling’ signs on Church Lane which is an ideal path to cycle along and is a safe route for children to get to school. 

Response was given that the team will look into the possibility of removing these signs and making this a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists.  Action

d)      I have never seen the Community Rangers on patrol around Churchfield’s and do not believe they are delivering what they promised.

Response was given that the rangers patrol Churchfield’s as a hotspot identified by the ward team.  Residents should report complaints to any member of the ward team.

e)      There has been a pile of litter on the side of Towthorpe Road for some time and despite reporting it, it has not been removed. 

Response was given that the team would look into this.  Residents were encouraged to continue reporting any roadside litter by ringing (01904) 551551.  Action