Agenda and minutes

Bring along your items to swap for something else you’d like and help to reuse and recycle.

Residents were invited to take part in a Swap Shop event. Items included apples, plants, seeds, books and clothes. Any left over items were taken away and would be sent to charity shops.

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

Residents had the opportunity to speak informally to Cllr Andy D’Agorne, Cllr Dave Taylor, Kristina Davey, Sally Barker (Neighbourhood Management Unit),  Sgt Andy Haigh and PC Laura Smith (Safer Neighbourhood Police Team) and  Free fruit tree and strawberry plant vouchers were issued to residents that wanted them as part of a Fishergate Ward Committee scheme for 2010/11.

Welcome and Minutes

Councillor D’Agorne, Councillor Taylor & Jonathan Tyler welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Minutes from last Committee Meeting on 20^th July 2010  were accepted as a true record and signed.

The safer neighbourhood team for Fishergate ward will give an update on police operations in the area and answer any questions you have.

Sgt Andy Haigh and PC Laura Smith gave an update on policing issues in the ward.  The following points were noted:

3.1    Crime has continued to decline in the ward year on year. This year there is a drop of 1.5% which, although, not a big drop, is still encouraging when considered alongside the steady decline seen in previous years.

3.2    Following the change of government in May 2010, there are likely to be changes to the way North Yorkshire Police carry out their duties. As a result, residents of the ward have not been asked about their policing priorities as in previous years as North Yorkshire Police are waiting for a steer from government. This will mean that for now, the Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) will focus their efforts on crime such as theft, burglary and anti-social behaviour.

3.3    The SNT will tackle cycling on footpaths and lack of lights through issuing verbal warnings and fines when incidences are seen while out on patrol. This issue will no longer be dealt with through a problem solving plan.

3.4    If residents were concerned about incidences of cycling on footpaths, they were urged to contact the SNT and report it. PCSOs would be asked to patrol in the areas reported to tackle the problem rather than producing an action plan.

3.5    If residents were concerned about speeding, they were urged to fill out a 9 to 5 Alive form, available at the meeting. The Polices’ Traffic Management Unit would assess the complaint and pass to the Traffic Department for action if deemed necessary.

3.6    A plan for tackling anti-social behaviour will be drawn up to cover the 6 wards in Sgt Haigh’s area of responsibility.

Residents were given the opportunity to ask questions:

3.7    A general discussion took place about cycling problems in the ward. David Webster, Project Leader – Development & Transport, informed the meeting that improvements would be made to signage on areas where there are joint foot and cycle paths along Fulford Road. Cllr Taylor suggested that the ward committee could consider funding cycling education in the ward.

3.8    A resident asked if the police ever had success in catching graffiti offenders. Sgt Haigh reported that this happened occasionally but the offender caught is generally responsible for hundreds of tags. Cllr Taylor informed the meeting that the police and Street Environment Service share a database called Taggie where photographs of tags are saved so that if an offender is caught, there is a record of their tags, how many there are, where they were done and the dates they were done. This evidence is used during the prosecution process.

A representative from University of York Student Union will tell the meeting about what they do in the community and how you can get involved.

Tim Ngwena from the University of York Student Union gave a presentation on the volunteering work that takes place by students at the university.  There are a number of projects that students are involved with such as Kids Gap, helping adults with dementia, conservation work, Rag (Raising & Giving) and sports coaching. They have also been working closely with the police and street environment service on a recent Action Day where 30 unsightly properties in the ward were made tidy.

Details of all these projects can be found on their website yusu.org/volunteering.  Residents were also asked to put forward any volunteering projects they may be aware of by emailing: volunteering@yusu.org .

A general discussion followed about housing and parking issues in the ward. Tim reminded the meeting that often younger adults may appear to be students but could actually be young professionals that still live in houses of multiple occupation and need cars for work.

If there are repeated illegal parking problems or other problems with refuse collections or condition of property then residents can make a complaint to Student Union and they will write to the student to try and solve issue. This can result in positive outcomes when other ways of tackling the issue have failed.

Students are advised prior to them coming to York not to bring a car unless absolutely necessary. Cllr Taylor informed the meeting that education is the key to reduce car use by students.

Council officers will report on the review of the new arrangements and listens to your comments.

David Webster, Project Leader - Development & Transport gave a presentation about the review of alterations to the Fulford Road corridor. David is currently putting together a report to give options to the executive member for transport about how to improve the corridor as it is. The committee meeting that will look at this report and decide on one of the options will take place on 2^nd November 2010. Residents were advised to forward their views about which option they would prefer, and why, to Fishergate members or David Webster so that these can be conveyed at the meeting. Residents can also register to speak at the meeting.

The options were as follows:

We will talk about the proposed schemes for next year.  This is your chance to tell people about any schemes you have suggested and to get more information about schemes you may support.

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

Cllrs D’Agorne and Taylor declared their interest in scheme number 1 (Grant to 20’s Plenty Campaign) as it is supported by the Green Party.

Cllr Taylor declared an interest in scheme number 32 (Contribution towards a Frankie Howerd memorial plaque). He has been fundraising for the plaque and, if supported by residents, would like to contribute some ward committee funds towards the project.

Your chance to ask questions about local issues and concerns not covered on the agenda.

Residents were given the opportunity to raise any issues not covered in the main agenda items:

8.1             A resident complained about the new cobbles on the corner of Broadway. They are dangerous for pedestrians with visual impairments and they force cyclists to veer into the path of pedestrians.

8.2             A resident highlighted concern about planned cuts to the 415 and ??? bus service. This contradicts the councils’ efforts to encourage less car use. Residents were informed that a meeting, attended by Hugh Bailey MP was taking place to discuss the cuts on 19^th November. Anyone wishing to attend the meeting should contact Hugh Bailey’s office.

8.3             Cllr Taylor informed the meeting that councils have little control over bus operator decisions to cut services unless they are able to subsidise particular bus routes and times. Unfortunately, councils are likely to have less funding for bus subsidies in the future and this will have an impact.

8.4             Cllr D’Agorne informed the meeting that new road markings have now been painted outside Broadway shops which informs road users of the pedestrian route. The meeting agreed that the markings have had a positive impact with the exception of one member of staff working in one of the shops using the area to park a car.

8.5             Cllr D’Agorne informed the meeting that the lighting at the Millennium Bridge would soon be improved. The new lighting would use less energy and have lower running and maintenance costs and will make the bridge much safer for pedestrians at night.