Agenda and draft minutes

·         Talk to your ward councillors, police, community involvement officer

·         Find about local groups and activities in your area

·         Pick up ward grant application packs

Residents were invited to talk to your ward councillors, police and community involvement officer

Also find out about the changes to York’s libraries and how these affect the ward

Find out about a range of local community groups and how you can get involved

PCSO Jimmy Hannon updated residents on the crime figures for the Strensall ward.  There have been 56 crimes in the ward which is a decrease from 58 at this time last year. 

There were 22 incidents of violence most of which took place at Stockton Hall Hospital.   There were four burglaries in the ward; Strensall has the lowest burglary rate in the City of York at present. 

There was one crime against a parked vehicle, but again, the ward has the lowest rate of vehicle crime in the city.

There are no major crime issues in Strensall.   The burglaries that took place mostly happened when doors or garages where left open, so residents are asked not to make it easy for thieves by leaving garages  open and they should lock their doors.

If you see anything suspicious please report it on 101 or 999.  You can leave me a voicemail by quoting my collar number or alternatively you can email me.

Residents need to be aware that anti social behaviour has historically peaked over the last two years during the summer holidays.   If you notice people starting to gather, please ring us and we can put a stop to it.  The same applies to people drinking and causing a nuisance.

He noted that during race meetings he is likely to be unavailable but leave a message and it will be dealt with. 

Cllr Doughty and residents thanked PCSO Hannon for his work in the community and attending the meeting this evening.

Tom Render from Yorkshire Ambulance Service spoke to the residents about Community First Responders.  

He is responsible for all the Community First Responders for the whole of York and surrounding areas and he would like to set up a Community First Responders team in Strensall ward.  

Volunteers would be trained in how to use a defibrillator, oxygen therapy and basic life support skills and training would be ongoing.  The team members would have total back up and are never left alone in a situation. 

Community First Responders are part of the 999 emergency services.   When 999 is dialled the call taker asks for your postcode which is fed into the computer system.  The dispatcher will then search for the nearest resource in the area.  This could be an ambulance, rapid response vehicle or a community first responder depending on who is nearest to the incident.   This is important in the case of cardiac arrest when the first minutes are crucial and can mean the difference between life and death.   The faster a person has access to a defibrillator the better the chance of survival.   Ordinary CPR has a survival success rate of between 6/8% whereas a defibrillator has a survival success rate of 50/60%.  Community First Responders do save lives.    They are also trained to deal with strokes, diabetic emergencies, asthma, anaphylaxic shock and to administer oxygen therapy.

Community First Responders can now access the 24/7 Yorkshire Ambulance Service online education programme.

He asked for six volunteers to start a team in Strensall and the team would be asked to dedicate a minimum of 120 hours per month which amounts to about 4 hours a week per individual.   If anyone is interested my contact details are on some leaflets at the back of the room.  Responders must be over 18 and have had a driving licence for 12 months and have no more than three points on their licence.

People are encouraged to go out in pairs at first to give each other confidence.  Responders can also spend a day with paramedics and a day in the control centre.

I meet with teams every other month, although some teams meet monthly to share information and experiences.    Responders need to be reassessed every six months.

It was agreed that this issue could be put in the Village magazine to spread the word.    

Contact details: 

Tom Render: Telephone 07554416711  Email: tom.render@yas.nhs.uk

Russell Stone, Head of Public Realm at City of York Council updated residents on the changes to street maintenance and enforcement and how the new Smarter York Team would be working.

He said he was no in charge of street cleansing and ground maintenance across the city.   His section used to include the Street Enforcement Officers but a couple of years ago their role was split into Community Engagement Officers and Enforcement Officers.  This coincided with the Council reviewing their other enforcement roles.   An anti-social behaviour hub has now been formed comprising six officers and others who work more closely with the police and pcso’s.    Therefore the duties of the Street Enforcement officers are now dealt with by a wider team.

The community engagement role has been left under my control and three officers from the Smarter York team undertake this work.

The Council is aiming towards working with volunteers to assist them i.e. residents groups, businesses, private sector, individuals to help us keep the city to the standard we would like it to be.  Across the city there are different needs and standards and our budgets and resources are shrinking and they are expected to continue to do so.  As a result of this the street cleansing service will become more reactive. Ten years ago officers had set rounds but now we are reliant on our own ‘eyes and ears’ as well as those of other members of staff and members of the public to tell us if there is a problem.   It is hoped that officer will be able to set up a group.  There is a section on the Council website setting out the changes and new ways of working and Mr Stone said he could be contacted by phone on 01904 551551 and asking to speak to the Smarter York officers.  I can also be emailed directly on Russell.stone@york.gov.uk.

The Ground Maintenance Team has also decreased in numbers and therefore they are not able to do as much as previously and are setting minimum standards.   If people want to get involved we will help them.   For example a couple of years ago residents on the Wigginton Committee asked if they could look after their street by cutting their own verges and picking up litter.  They were given some basic Health and Safety training on what and how to do it and signed a letter to say they had had the training.  They were then put on the Council’s volunteers’ insurance policy.  They contact us from time to time to pick up bags of litter that they have collected.

The ward budget for 2014-15 has been confirmed at £3260.   Discussions will take place at the next ward team meeting, the date for which has not yet been set.   We try to allocate the funds fairly and proportionally between the three villages.  Previous grants are looked at historically.

There were no issues discussed.

Cllr Doughty thanked all the residents for coming

The meeting started at 7.00pm and finished at 8.30pm.