Agenda and minutes

You will have the opportunity to talk to:

§         Cllr Madeline Kirk

§         Cllr Sian Wiseman

§         Mora Scaife, Acting Principal Neighbourhood Manager

§         Angus Young, Street Environment Officer

§         Sgt Donna Musgrove and PC Alex Dobson

§         Parish Council representatives

1.1             Local residents had an opportunity to speak to Cllr Madeleine Kirk, Cllr Sian Wiseman, Angus Young (Street Environment Officer), the Safer Neighbourhoods Policing Team, Mora Scaife and Ginnie Shaw (Neighbourhood Management Unit)

1.2             Residents had an opportunity to find out more about the York Local Involvement Network (LINk).

2.1             Residents were welcomed to the meeting.

2.2             The minutes of the last meeting were approved

York LINk helps you to have your say on some of the most important issues in your area – the NHS and social services. Annie Thompson will be at the meeting to answer your questions and tell you how you can get involved.

Annie Thompson (Partnerships Co-ordinator) spoke about the work of the York Local Involvement Network (LINk) and encouraged residents to volunteer in the activities of the Network.

The following points were noted:

3.1             LINk includes both health and social services, speaking with one voice about services in York and can signpost residents to particular services

3.2             LINk has legal powers, including the ability to visit services to see what they do, write reports and make recommendations

3.3             LINk is looking for volunteers to get involved in its work.  For example, there will be seven community representatives and seven from voluntary forums on the Steering Group; a Readers’ Panel (to read publications to check they are clear) and LINk Working Groups (for example, on dental services, care homes)

3.4             LINk Annual General Meeting will be on 26 March 2009.

There were no questions.    

An update on behalf of the Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team was given by PC Alex Dobson.

He drew attention to the following:

4.1             Copies of speeding concern report forms on behalf of the York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership (95 Alive), for residents to detail times and location of vehicles exceeding the speed limit and return to North Yorkshire Police Traffic Management Office on Fulford Road

4.2             Flyers promoting Immobilise: a new approach, involving residents registering their valuables on a website www.immobilise.com.  Residents without access to the internet can still register property by returning details to Fulford Road, YO10 4BY

4.3             Team cards with contact details for the York North Team, including Strensall and Earswick

4.4             An A5 sheet of useful contact numbers for reporting complaints and seeking information/advice 

Sharron Hutchinson will be in attendance to update us on progress.

Sharron Hutchinson (Young People’s Services) provided an update on the Portacabin in Strensall.  She made the following points:

5.1The Portacabin had not been meeting Health and Safety requirements.  Consequently, it is estimated funding in the region of £15,000 will be needed to bring it up to standard.  A firm estimate was being sought, together with the necessary funding

5.2 The URBIE bus is still going out to the area to prepare for the move back into the Portacabin

5.3There is a group of young people wanting to take a lead and be more involved in the management, together with the ward councillors and ward committee.

Residents made the following comments:

a)         Why was there such a cost when the Portacabin had been vacated in summer 2008?

The response was that the condition of the Portacabin meant that, in order to meet health and safety requirements, expenditure had to be made.

We have published our provisional priority list of schemes to be funded out of the next financial year’s ward budget. This is the final opportunity to influence this process and let us know how you feel about the prioritised schemes.

Following a summary presentation on the 2009/10 ward budget, residents’ comments were invited.  The following questions were raised:

6.1             Scheme ST-09-01 (fund to install further traffic calming measures in the ward): what are the measures and where will they be installed?  Various locations were mentioned by residents: York Road, Strensall, at level crossing and turn off to West Pit Lane; a feasibility study for a VAS through the hamlet of Towthorpe.

6.2             How can speeding be tackled?

The response was to use the forms now available (95 Alive), as referred to in police report.  Statistics provided by forms are needed to make a case for taking action, including triggering a traffic survey and, ultimately, providing funding for road safety measures.

6.3             Scheme ST-08-15 Grant to Earswick Parish Council (funding towards play equipment for 3-9 year olds in the area behind Earswick Village Hall) maximum £4k.  Cllr Wiseman declared an interest in this scheme.    Cllr Kirk provided background to the scheme, including that, though it had received 96 votes, it had not yet been approved and was a 2008/09 reserve scheme.  Ward committee decided to allocate £4k to this scheme from current year’s underspend.

6.4             Scheme ST-09-08 to be dropped from the 2009/10 budget and become a reserve scheme in 2009/10.  This would mean the figure provisionally allocated (£2k) would go towards traffic calming measures (Ambition 1), perhaps a VAS on Ox Carr Lane.

6.5             In addition, the ward committee decided to allocate funding to provide secure gates for Durlston Drive Sports field (£825 + VAT = £948.75), also from the potential 2008/09 underspend

6.6             Two salt bins have been provided.  It was confirmed by a resident that they had been filled and used. 

There were no objections raised to the changes. The ward committee approved the provisional schemes list, as detailed in the Your Ward January 2009 newsletter, subject to changes referred to above, a total of £24,499 anticipated budget.  In response to a question from a resident, councillors confirmed that the budget was subject to ratification by full council later in February.  The councillors expressed the hope that residents would use the service provided by Older Citizens Advocacy York as provisional funding had been approved. 

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

7.1             A resident (Mr Collins) raised a complaint about disturbance from motor cycles at the motorcycle school 7 days a week.  There is both noise nuisance and problems caused with parking.  Environmental Officers had been informed.

7.2             The footpath from Ox Carr Lane through the woods towards the golf course, a great facility, has lost a quantity of gravel and is muddy in low lying parts.  Response was that the Parish Council will deal with this when the weather is more suitable.

7.3             Earswick Scented Garden did not receive a grant this financial year.  Appeals had been made to garden centres in ward for donations of trees.  Also possibility of award from Community Pride Challenge Fund

7.4             A number of residents were concerned about the proposed charges for disposal of green waste from 9 February 2009 and the potential that this would encourage fly-tipping.  In particular, would individuals acting on behalf of parish councils have to use their personal permits to dispose of waste for the parish council?  This will be clarified as it seemed appropriate to treat parish councils as charities.

7.5             The poor state of the roads (Southfields Road, West End, The Village, Princes Road were all referred to).  A petition has been ciculating.  A meeting on 18 March 2009 re Southfields Road will be attended by a ward member and parish councillors.  The other locations are also to be considered.

Cllr Wiseman thanked everyone for their attendance and closed the meeting.