Agenda and minutes

The drop-in surgery gives you the opportunity to talk to your councillors, Street Environment Officer, Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team, Neighbourhood Management Officer, Cycling City York team or visiting speakers informally.

1.1            Residents had the opportunity to talk to the ward councillors, street environment officer, safer neighbourhood policing team, neighbourhood management officer and visiting speakers informally.

2.1            Councillor Aspden welcomed everyone to the meeting and invited residents to review the previous meeting’s minutes.

The Safer Neighbourhood Team will give an update on police operations within the ward and answer any questions you have.

Sgt Andy Haigh and PC Anna Daniels gave an update on police activities within the ward:

3.1       This year has seen an 18% increase in crime in Heslington.  The majority of these crimes have taken place around the university, including a lot of cycle theft. The police are working closely with the student union and other partners to combat the problem.

3.2       In Fulford there has been a 26% decrease in crime over the same period.

3.3            Regarding anti-social behaviour, there were 35 reported incidents in the past year in Fulford and 32 in Heslington. These are some of the lowest figures in the city.

3.4            Cycling on footpaths still seems to be an issue and the police have handed out fixed penalty notices to some cyclists on Heslington Lane.

3.5            Penalty tickets have also been issues for illegally parked cars near the university.

Residents had the following comments and questions:

Q         There has been a big increase in cars parking at the top end of University Road.

A         When a parked car is causing an obstruction then it is a police matter, but if it is simply parked on double yellow lines then it is a council matter.

Q            People have been parking their cars on the A19/Naburn Lane junction. This makes it difficult to see traffic from the roundabout. Can police take a look at it?

A         Will do.

Dawn Clarkson (Trading Standards) will be advising on Cold Calling Control Zones and the effectiveness of deterring doorstep traders.

Dawn Clarkson from Trading Standards spoke to residents about cold calling and doorstep crime in the City. Points made were:

4.1       There is a link between cold calling & doorstep crime.

4.2       All reported rogue traders will be investigated by Trading Standards.

4.3       There are now 106 Cold Calling zones within the City.

4.4       There are 6 zones in the Heslington & Fulford ward which cover 200 properties.

4.5       If an entire street doesn’t agree to being in a Cold Calling Zone, then smaller zones can be created.

4.6       If you are interested, you only need to nominate your street and Trading Standards do the rest.

4.7            Trading Standards also offer a home service directory of traders that have been checked and approved by the police and by Trading Standards.

Residents had the following comments and questions:

Q         We live in a very small street. Is there a minimum size limit for a Cold Calling Zone?

A         No. Most success is had in setting up zones for areas comprising fewer than 20 properties.

Stephen Moulds (Asset Manager) & Michael Watkins (Highway Maintenance) will give a brief overview of Neighbourhood Services, highways and winter maintenance.

Stephen Moulds (Asset Manager) & Michael Watkins (Highway Maintenance) gave an overview of the work undertaken by Neighbourhood Services (now part of  the Communities and Neighbourhoods directorate). They explained the following:

5.1            Highways Maintenance undertake work such as carriageway surfacing, street lighting, pest control, street signs and footway reconstruction.

5.2       They are also responsible for winter maintenance. This includes  gritting roads and footpaths.

5.3       Last winter was the worst for 30 years and included 20 days of snow and ice. 320 km of roads and 15 km of footpaths were gritted with 4,200 tonnes of salt being used.

5.4       As a result of these exceptional circumstances, there was a £450,000 overspend on the budget.

5.5       The department are reviewing the winter maintenance policy and would welcome any views and feedback from residents. You can contact them on 551551.

The key issues identified so far are:

• The location and availability of salt bins.
• Treatment of footpaths.
• Secondary routes: reviewing roads that are gritted.
• Cycle paths: identifying key routes which may be cleared.
• Pot holes: 7,000 potholes have been identified. The team are addressing those considered most dangerous first and are looking to have them all dealt with by the summer.

Residents had the following questions and comments:

Q         There are still lots of potholes.

A         By the end of the month they should be back to normal levels.

Q         There are potholes on Heslington Lane and Low Lane that have been marked for repairs, but nothing has been done yet.

A            Marking is done by an inspector. Potholes must be 40mm deep and 400mm wide to qualify for repairs. There is also a hierarchy of roads; Heslington Lane has a monthly inspection, but Low Lane has an annual one.

Q         How much more does it cost to reconstruct a road compared with resurfacing it?

A            Reconstructing is very expensive. The council’s budget is £1.2 million and it has to be spread evenly.

Q         Do you maintain yellow lines? They are quite bad on parts of Main Street in Heslington.

A         Yes we do. Location noted.

Q         Is it legally wrong to clear your own footpaths of ice and snow?

A         There has never been a successful prosecution of somebody who has cleared their own footpath. Responsible clearing is welcome, but the council cannot provide legal advice on the matter.

Q         Could we include an article along these lines in Your Ward closer to winter?

A         Yes. Noted.

Q         Are salt bins for public use? Could this be mentioned in Your Ward too?

A         Yes they are. Noted. Will look to include a list of locations also.

Your opportunity to raise any issues that have not been covered by the agenda.

The following points were made during the Have Your Say section of the meeting:

Q         There has been an increase in people parking by chicanes recently.

A         This is due to the south of the university campus being closed off while undergoing resurfacing. Students are looking for alternative places to park.

6.1       Tim Ngwena, Student Union president, spoke about the Student Union’s community strategy currently being developed to look holistically at refuse, noise etc. They would like to bring their strategy to this forum and are open to any suggestions.

6.2       A small amendment was made to the minutes, which were then agreed and signed.

6.3       The meeting closed at 8.40pm