Agenda and minutes

Residents had the opportunity to talk with Cllr David Horton; Cllr Tracey Simpson-Laing; Julie Hood, Neighbourhood Management Officer; Michal Czekajlo, Neighbourhood Management Support Officer; Michelle Watling, Street Environment Officer; Jim Boyle, York Credit Union; Acting Inspector Iain Sirrell; PC Andy Chapman; and Annie Thompson, York Link in an informal setting.

2.1    Councillor David Horton welcomed everyone to the meeting and gave some background to the purpose of ward committee.

2.2    The minutes of the last meeting were agreed as an accurate record and signed.

3.1    Michelle Watling gave an update on Street Environment Service activity in the ward.

3.2    Street Environment Services work with Community Payback in several areas within the ward e.g.

·        The grass verges on Lidgett Grove have been tidied up;

·        Litter picks around Sovereign Park area;

·        Hedges across the ward have been cut back;

·        Some cycle barriers across the ward have been painted;

Community Payback will be maintaining the flower beds around Sovereign Park in the near future.

3.3    There is an increase in the number of scrap men in the ward. The following advice was given in respect of scrap men offering to dispose of unwanted items;

·        A receipt should be obtained, it should contain the details of the person disposing of the waste and information as to where the items will be disposed of;

·        Street Environment Officers can inspect waste being carried, and ask to see the waste carriage licence and waste transport books.

·        Several lorries have been stopped in the ward in the past none of which had the appropriate documentation. Fines were issued to all of them. Prosecution can take place to recover unpaid fines.

3.4    Residents were asked for the suggestions on how to use the Street Environment Services ward improvement budget, please contact the Street Environment Officer with any suggestions.

Residents were given the opportunity to raise questions, the following were asked.

Q       Where do the scrap men come from?

A       They are active across the whole of York, and they live across the whole of York. Some take your unwanted items and dispose of them by fly tipping the item, this makes you liable along with them.

Q       Can the details about waste carriage licences be found on City of York Council website?

A       This information is not provided on the website. However, this is good idea and will be investigated.

Q       Could the overgrown branches be cut next to the cycle path at the entrance to Acomb Wood?

A       They can be trimmed if they are causing an obstruction to the cycle path. Michelle will take this forward

Q       The mud is accumulating on the sides of the cycle path which seems to get narrower each winter. Could Community Payback be asked to tidy it up? 

A       Michelle to follow up.

Q       Overgrown tree branches and small twigs are growing up from the bottom of the tree trunks are obstructing the footpath on Beckfield Lane. Could that be looked into?

A       We are able to trim the overgrown hedges, trees can sometimes be more problematic. Michelle to follow up.

Q       There is a spate of fly posting in the area.  Can anything be done?

A       There is a fine for illegal advertising, which is £70 per poster. We are aware of this particular issue and are trying to contact the company. If the posters remain displayed, then the fine will be issued for every poster.

4.1    Acting Inspector Iain Sirrell gave an update on the current restructure within the Safer Neighbourhood Team.

·         Inspector Phil Cain who took over the area over a year ago has now moved to work as Chief Inspector in the Control Room.

·         Iain Sirrell will temporarily cover the Inspector post for the area until a permanent replacement is found. Iain Sirrell has worked as Sergeant under Phil Cain and will provide continuity for the team.  

Opening times for Acomb Police Station are:

Mondays and Saturdays 10:00am – 12:00noon,

Tuesdays and Fridays 2:00pm – 4:00pm,

Wednesdays and Thursdays 6:00pm – 8:00pm.

The enquiry desk is manned by volunteers.

4.2    PC Andy Chapman is now the beat manager for the area

4.3    Statistics for the ward for period between May and June 2011 show:

·        A reduction in  burglaries compared to the same period in 2010;

·        The number of motor vehicle theft has risen from 3 last year to 15 this year. This is mainly due to one offender, since their arrest the number of vehicle thefts has reduced to the average level.

4.4    Two operations are taking place in the ward currently.

·        Operation Shadow is progressing; Police are carrying out stop checks, visiting ex-offenders homes, liaising with neighbours. The purpose of the operation is to put pressure on the offenders.

·         Operation Secure, the purpose of it is to minimise shed and garage burglaries identifying hot spots and delegating officers to those areas.

4.5    Update on the queries and issues that were raised during the last meeting.

·        Issue with cyclists on A59 - several cyclists have been warned and a number of £30 fines have been issued;

·        Anti social behaviour around the Global building – additional patrols have been targeted to the area at the appropriate times. There have not been any recent reports of antisocial behaviour.

Residents were given the opportunity to raise questions.

Q       Some parents are concerned that their children were stopped by the Police on Boroughbridge Road.

A       We are being proactive and will not ask under 10 year old children to cycle on the road if he/she is not comfortable with it.  We are stopping young cyclists to give them advice.

Q       Is it legal to ride a scooter on the footpath?

A       There is no legislation regarding this. We are working with schools to educate pupils on the dangers that riding a scooter on footpaths might cause.

5.1    Jim Boyle, North Yorkshire Credit Union representative gave an explanation of the services provided by Credit Union and the benefits it can bring to the community.

·        York Credit Union was established several years ago and is run and owned by its members.

·        York Credit Union offers a wide range of loans and savings products. The low interest loans are offered to vulnerable residents on low income who, in most cases, would be denied a loan from a Bank. The charges on loans offered by York Credit Union are very low compared to big commercial lenders.

·        York Credit Union pays a yearly dividend to its members calculated on their savings. The dividend percentage last year was 2%.

·        Saving accounts for young children are promoted by York Credit Union.

·        York Credit Union has introduced current accounts for residents who do not have a bank account. Those accounts offer residents the benefit of a debit card and the ability to make online payments for goods and services.

Residents were given the opportunity to raise questions.

Q  Can funds be withdrawn at any time, that is without notice?

A  Yes, but some saving products we offer set the date before which the savings cannot be withdrawn, ‘Christmas Saver’ is a good example. 

Q  Do you have to live in York to join the Credit Union?

A  Yes, you have to be a resident of York to join. Once you are a member if you move from York, your membership will not be affected, we call it a ‘common bond’.

Residents were given opportunity to raise questions.

The Friends of Acomb Green representative expressed his gratitude for ward committee funding. The Summer fair on the green will again be part funded from the grant.

Q       The pedestrian crossing on Beckfield Lane was reconstructed recently; its current layout is not easily accessible for blind and partially sighted, or residents using walkers.  Can anything be done to he?

A       The current layout of the crossing is a compromise and  takes into account the junction layout, shops, trees, bus stops etc.

Q       Could small 20mph signs on the lamp posts be installed as reminders of the speed limit?

A.      Installing small 20mph signs on lamp posts would be very expensive therefore not cost effective.

Q       How many different speed zones are there in York?

A       There are 20mph and 30mph zones only.

Q       The Your Ward newsletter was not delivered to my address this time.

A       The latest Your Ward publication was distributed along with Local Link. We are testing different methods of delivery to find a more cost effective means of delivery.  We will feed back your comments regarding undelivered newsletters into the evaluation process.

Q       Is there an update on the timescale of former British Sugar site redevelopment?

A       We have no information on the timescale as yet, but will make sure everyone is fully informed about the next

The meeting was announced closed at 20:30.

The next meeting date is Tuesday 18^th October 2011, venue TBC.