Agenda and draft minutes

The main meeting had been preceded by a drop-in surgery which had provided residents with the opportunity to meet and speak informally with ward councillors, the street environment officer, the safer neighbourhood policing team, the neighbourhood management officer and the visiting speaker.

To approve and sign the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee held on 30 January 2012.

RESOLVED:       That the minutes of the meeting of the Hull Road Ward Committee held on 30 January 2012 be approved and signed as a correct record.

An update was given on the situation in respect of Hull Road Park.  Councillor Fitzpatrick informed residents that she had a contact with particular expertise in parks and it was hoped that they would be able to put forward suggestions.  There was also the possibility of forming an exchange project.  More information would be provided at future meetings.

It was noted that Mr Taylor had now joined the Hull Road Planning Panel.  Thanks were expressed to the members of the Panel for the work that they carried out.   Further members would also be welcome.  Residents were reminded that Councillor Barnes was the first point of contact for planning related issues, as Councillor Fitzpatrick served on the Planning Sub-Committee.

A representative from the Policing Team will talk about and answer questions on their work in the ward.

Paul Fenwick (Beat Manager) and Kira Robinson (PCSO) were present.  They gave details of the make up of the team and explained that the team had now relocated to Fulford Road Police Station. 

An update was given on current issues within the ward:

·        Work was taking place to address the concerns of residents of Olympian Court who were experiencing problems in respect of the behaviour of children in the area.

·        There had been three fires at St Nicholas Fields.  It was suspected that the offenders may be children.  Letters were to be sent to residents in the area to advise them of the situation.

·        An operation was taking place to address the issue of cycle thefts/burglaries from sheds and garages. 

·        Operation Tornado was targeted at metal thefts, for example the theft of lead flashing from roofs.  The Police were working with scrap metal dealers in their efforts to tackle the problem.

·        There had been a recent increase in thefts from motor vehicles.  Residents were advised not to leave satellite navigation systems or other belongings on display.

Councillor Fitzpatrick informed residents that she had visited Olympian Court with an enforcement officer.  It was hoped to set up a project with St Nicholas Fields to work with young people as a way of addressing the problems.

Details were given of the establishment of a new Police and Crime Panel which would replace the North Yorkshire Police Authority following the Police & Crime Commissioner election in November.  The council’s representatives on the Panel would be Councillor Fitzpatrick and Councillor Williams.

The Safer Neighbourhood Policing team representatives were thanked for their attendance at the meeting and for their ongoing work in the community.

At this point in the meeting you can raise any issues or concerns you may have in respect of the ward.

An opportunity was given for residents to raise any issues or concerns they may have in respect of the ward.  The following issues were raised:

·        There were a number of potholes in Osbaldwick Lane and these were posing a risk to health and safety.  It was likely that the damage was caused by the large lorries being used to carry out the building work at Derwenthorpe.  Members stated that they would look into this matter and seek to ensure that the costs of the repairs to the road surface were met by the developers and Joseph Rowntree, as they had made a commitment to put right any damage caused.

·        A representative from the York in Transition project expressed his appreciation of the funding that the group had received to enable it to carry out some thermal imaging of properties to raise awareness of energy efficiency measures.   Attendance at a meeting that had been arranged had been very encouraging and the outcomes had been very positive.  Some funding remained and would be returned.

·        Residents asked if action could be taken to prevent the excessive leafleting of properties by estate agents.  Members requested that copies be forwarded to them and they would look into this matter.

·        It was noted that there had recently been incidents of flooding at Badger Hill.  Members had visited the area and were pleased to note that the landlord associations were supporting residents in the vicinity.

·        Concerns were expressed that a number of residents, including some living in Hull Road and Badger Hill, had not received copies of “Your Ward” and may not therefore be aware of the meeting.

An event had recently taken place to recognise the contribution that John Horsley, who had been nominated for a volunteer of the year award, made to the ward.  Members paid tribute to the community spirit within the ward, as evidenced by the work that John Horsley and other individuals were carrying out.  They stated that they would welcome suggestions as to how this community spirit could be developed even further.

The Neighbourhood Manager will outline the process for grant funding for 2013/14 onwards and the Ward Committee will be asked to adopt the priorities under the Community Contract for 2012/13.

The Neighbourhood Manager outlined the process for grant funding for 2013/14 onwards and gave details of the Community Contract for 2012/13. 

It was noted that Community Contracts were agreements between ward committees, the community, council departments and other organisations that provided services.  The contracts detailed:

·        Information about the ward

·        Specific challenges within the ward

·        The basic service delivery that communities could expect

·        Volunteering opportunities

·        Information as to how residents could engage and be involved

The contracts also addressed priorities for the ward.  The priorities for Hull Road had been identified as:

·        To make the ward feel  safer

·        To make  it feel more neighbourly

·        To enable residents to have confidence  about where they lived

Copies of the draft contract were available for residents to comment on.  An action plan was also being developed.

Members encouraged residents to become involved in the Community Contract and drew particular attention to the opportunities for them to participate in the Tang Hall Residents’ Association and the Tang Hall Community Centre management committee.

RESOLVED:                That the priorities identified for Hull Road Ward under the Community Contract be approved. 

REASON:                     To ensure that priorities under the Community Contract are adopted for the forthcoming year.

To formally agree the schemes to be funded through the Ward Committee for 2012/13 (to view the schemes for the ward go to www.york.gov.uk/wards/)

Details were given of the schemes to be funded through the Ward Committee for 2012/13.

It was noted that funding had now been divided into three components:

(i)           Ward Budgets – to commission local voluntary and community organisations to meet identified needs.

(ii)          Other Voluntary Sector Support – funding to support those voluntary sector organisations that provide services to more than one ward committee.

(iii)        Ward Credits – to be allocated to identified wards to be used to commission new services, either from within the council or from other partners.

Details were given of the schemes that had been approved for 2012-13:

·        £500 to Badger Hill Residents’ Community Group to provide information and venues for meetings

·        £600 to Tang Hall and Heworth Residents’ Association to provide a two day children’s holiday programme at Hull Road Park through the six week summer holiday

·        £250 grant to the Avenue Children’s Centre to support Tuesday Toddlers snack time

·        £500 grant to the Avenue Children’s Centre towards holding a family fun day – to be linked to York800 and proactively advertised in the Hull Road area of Tang Hall

·        £1,570 Community Chest to support community groups to deliver activities and events throughout the year

Residents sought clarification as to whether they could influence decisions as to the schemes that were to be funded from the voluntary sector support budget and the ward credits.  The Neighbourhood Management Officer explained that the criteria for these schemes was available on the council’s website and that further information would be sought as to the mechanism by which residents could make their views known.

Members highlighted the Community Chest and welcomed suggestions/requests for support from local groups and projects who may wish to make use of this fund.

The Neighbourhood Manager was thanked for her presentation and for the support that she had given in respect of the provision of acoustic tiles at Tang Hall.

RESOLVED:                That the allocation of ward funding, as outlined above, be approved.

REASON:                     To enable ward grant funding to be allocated to local ward schemes for the forthcoming year.

Jonathan Carr, Head of Development Management at the City of York Council, gave a presentation on the planning policies relating to houses in multiple occupation.   The presentation focussed on the following issues:

·        The concerns that had been raised by residents, including views put forward at the Ward Committee in October 2011.  The issues raised had included anti-social behaviour, noise nuisance, parking pressures and above average levels of litter in some areas.

·        The findings of a council survey into HMOs, including the concentration of  HMOs in certain parts of the city.

·        An explanation of HMOs in terms of planning legislation and the definitions used.

·        The introduction by City of York Council of an Article 4 Directive with effect from April 2012.  It was noted that this did not apply to HMOs that were in place prior to this date.  Details were given of the Supplementary Planning Document which contained the guidance and criteria.  Full details were available on the Council’s website (www.york.gov.uk/environment/Planning/article4/)

·        The thresholds would be reviewed on an annual basis.

·        The Council would investigate any alleged breaches of control and evidence of occupation prior to 20 April 2012 would be sought if appropriate.

·        Details of the action that could be taken for any breach, including a Planning Enforcement Notice and the court action if required.

Clarification was sought as to whether an HMO application could be refused and whether there was an appeals process.   The officer confirmed that an application could be refused and that the applicant could appeal against such a decision.  He confirmed that the policy had not yet been challenged through an appeal and the thresholds had not yet been considered by the Planning Inspector.

Residents expressed concern that the Council was not always able to identify HMOs, particularly if the landlord paid council tax.  The officer explained that information such as council tax records, landlord licenses and information from the public was taken into account. 

Concerns were also raised that some landlords were stating that their properties were HMOs prior to 20 April 2012, although local residents did not accept this to be the case.  Officers explained the ways in which such potential breaches were investigated and assured residents that a lease in itself would not be accepted as sufficient proof.  If there were concerns about a particular property the Planning Enforcement Team would investigate.

Members stated that the Landlords Association was trying to work with them to address residents’ concerns.

Residents stated that they had local knowledge and were well placed to provide information about HMOs in the area.  Discussion took place as to how this information could be shared effectively with the Council.  It was noted that the Badger Hill Residents Community Group  had been notifying Members of concerns about particular properties and these had been reported to the Planning Enforcement Team.  Members requested that residents remain vigilant about this issue and report any potential breaches. 

Residents acknowledged that  arrangements put in place to enable them to share information about HMOs with the Council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To help identify issues to be the focus for the next informal meeting.

Residents were asked to identify any issues that they would wish to be considered at future ward committee meetings.  The following suggestions were put forward:

·        Regular updates on HMOs, including a presentation on housing standards.

·        Residents were pleased to note that a Community Strategy had been launched by the Student Unions across York, and that neighbourhood representatives had been appointed.  They suggested that it would be useful if the representatives for the area attended future meetings to talk about the strategy and other issues.  Residents were also pleased to note that a percentage of the money raised during Student Raising and Giving would be allocated to local schemes.  Community projects would be able to bid up to £1000.  Feedback was given on the Hull Road Park Community Fun Day that had been organised by the University of York Students’ Union. 

RESOLVED:       That the items outlined above be included on future ward committee meeting agendas.

REASON:           To provide issues for consideration at future meetings of the ward committee.