Agenda and minutes

Residents had an opportunity to talk to their ward councillors; Mora Scaife, Oliver Collins and Richard Stratford from the Neighbourhood Management Unit; Street Environment Officer Angus Young, Members of the Safer Neighbourhoods Team; Annie Thompson from York LINk and Alison Jones from York Libraries.

There was also an opportunity for residents to put forward their suggestions for the Sustainable Communities Act.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved without amendments.

The Safer Neighbourhood Team will give an update about what they have been doing in the ward

Alisdair Dey, Inspector for North York area gave a presentation introducing himself and outlining the work of the police team in Hull Road ward.

Auto-crime (theft of or from vehicles). 

§         This is a major priority. 

§         We are taking a long term view. 

§         We aim to respond within 60 minutes. 

§         We are currently at half of last year’s figure.

Anti-Social behaviour.

• Police call for more information for anyone witnessing antisocial behaviour.
• Hull Road is well patrolled by the Safer Neighbourhoods Team.

Speeding. 

• If reported, the problem is recorded and subject to analysis.
• Equipment is put out to detect speeding issues at hot spots apparent from the analysis. 
• We have to prioritise because of limited resources. – Hull Road Ward is not a top priority

Questions.

1. Do signs on Melrosegate stop speeding?

• They indicate speed rather than record incidents of speeding.
•  It is hoped that they help

2. Officers at the side of the road would address the issue of people driving with mobile phones.

• Agreed.
• Difficult to spare the man power

3.. There is a problem with anti-social behaviour at school closing time around Archbishop Holgate’s and Derwent School. Can anything be done?

• Someone will go down and monitor the problem.

.

York Playspace is currently funded by the Ward Committee to hold two chill out zones per week.

In response to issues raised at the previous meeting there was a presentation of the video, ‘York Chill Out Zones’ by York Playspace to showcase their work.

• The scheme supports over 30 children  offering two 3 hour sessions per week.
• There is a range of activities available for the children
  • Sports
  • Cooking
  • IT
  • Art
• Sessions are held at Tang Hall community centre on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

There will be a presentation outlining the new Act and how you can get involved

 Mora Scaife from the Neighbourhood Management Unit introduced the Sustainable Communities Act.

§         The Act is a lobbying tool offering local authorities the chance to get more power from Westminster. 

§         The Act’s scope is very broad.  It covers environmental, social and economic factors. 

§         The council will filter through suggestions. If they are valid, we will put them forward for consideration. If not, they will be considered internally by the Council.

§         The process.  Information is gathered. Suggestions are then worked up and brought together for a citizens’ panel. Then they need to be agreed by the Council, and then on to the Local Government Association. This needs to happen by the 31^st July.

§         Residents had the chance to put forward suggestions at the ward committee meeting or online.

Questions.

1. Could we introduce something to limit the number of students to one area?

In response:

• All suggestions can be submitted

2. I had problems with the understanding the information in one of the websites printed in the newsletter.

In response:

• The information on the Council website maybe clearer.

3. Why are there so many students in the area?

In response:

• It is only natural this close to the university.

4. Why aren’t there more on-campus facilities?

In response:

• About 1 in 6 houses of ward residents are now students.
• Attempts have been made to press the government so that we can do something to alleviate the problems this causes in the community.
• The university houses about 1 third of students. 
• York St John University has built interim accommodation as a solution which has been relatively successful. There is a planning application for something of that sort at the car showroom on Lawrence Street.

Annie Thompson from York Link will give an update

Annie Thompson from York Local Involvement Network (LINk) introduced a short PowerPoint presentation on the organisation’s work. The key points were as follows.

• LINk is intended to give people a way of raising concerns over healthcare and social services..

• Involvement is open to residents of the city, and you can take part as much or as little as you like.  Non-residents can offer advice, but the postcode rule applies to membership.
• LiNK will ask people what their experiences are and use that information to influence the service. LiNK also has some legal powers to assist us. 
• This affects services in the local area.
• LINk was launched last September and has a steering group.  Volunteers from this ward are welcome.  

Questions

1. Is the LINk a statutory body?

• We are a quasi-statutory body. 
• I have a free remit to make sure that health and social services in York are sound

2. If you find a major problem, can you implement changes?

• There are sanctions to make sure that changes are carried out.
• We refer a problem to regulators who can press the issue.
• Failure to comply will reflect ratings and have a negative effect.

3. Could management procrastinate? Is there a financial incentive to comply?

§         Past experience has shown that companies generally comply.

Representatives will give a presentation on future plans for York’s Libararies

Alison Jones from York Libraries gave a short presentation outlining future development at York Central Library.

• The Explore development at the Central Library will be the third Library Learning Centre in York, following Acomb and Earswick.
• The services offered by the libraries include: IT training sessions, research into family history and display facilities for community groups.
• Hope to entice big name authors by creating space for a large audience.
• Residents were shown an outline of what the central library development would look like.
• The work should be complete by Christmas.  The Explore Centre concept is that the library should be a ‘place to be’. There will be a café, or ’chill out’ area, rather like a retail bookshop. No counters, but people to talk to, hoping to take away the barriers between the public and staff.

Questions

1. Will the café be run for profit?

• It will be managed by the library. 
• The profit will be put back into the library. 

2. Will work be done at Tang Hall?

• It is a running program. We will look at whether or not we have the means to begin similar work elsewhere.

Your opportunity to discuss local issues and concerns with your ward councillors

Residents present at the meeting were given the opportunity to raise comments and questions.

Comment: It is nice to see the ward committee meeting in this part of the ward for a change.