Agenda and minutes

The drop-in surgery gives you the opportunity to talk with your councillors, street environment officer, Safer Neighbourhood police team, neighbourhood management officer and visiting speakers in an informal setting.

1.1       During the drop-in surgery residents had the opportunity to speak with: councillors, the Safer Neighbourhood Team, the Neighbourhood Management Unit, Street Environment Services, York LINk, Young People’s Services and visiting speakers.

2.1       Cllr Watt welcomed people to the meeting. The minutes from February’s meeting were agreed and signed.

An update on policing and community safety in the area.

3.1       PCSOs Justin Piercy and Danny Stannard were present to update residents on police activities in the ward.

3.2       The new police structure means that the area has a new Sergeant: Helen Skelton, and a new Inspector: Jo Brooksbank.

3.3       The teams operate on a 6 days on, 3 days off rota. This had meant that on the 3 off days there were no Safer Neighbourhood officers present in the area (although police response teams still operate). The team has now been split to ensure that there is coverage every day.

3.4       There has been a spike in garage and shed burglary figures recently, as well as an increase in drug crime.

3.5       Police are aware of the anti-social behaviour at Rawcliffe skate park. They are working with local groups to tackle the problem.

3.6       If residents have any local intelligence on crimes or problems then please let the team know. There is no risk of the information being traced back to them.

Residents had the following questions and comments:

Q         There is a lot of broken glass around the climbing boulder.

A         The information will be passed to Street Environment Services to deal with.

Q         What is the police website?

A         www.northyorkshire.police.uk

Find out about these issues and the council’s strategy for tackling them.

4.1       Amanda Gaines introduced herself as the council’s Strategic Commissioner for Teenage Pregnancy, Substance Misuse and Risky Behaviours.

4.2       Teenage pregnancy figures among girls aged 15-18 have started increasing recently. This is not one of the hotspot wards in the city, but it has seen an increase all the same.

4.3       The council are employing a number of methods to reduce these figures, including working with schools to ensure that sexual education is raised to a good standard and working with parents to teach practical ways of educating their children.

Residents had the following questions and comments:

Q         Previous generations have not seen the same levels of teenage pregnancy. What can we attribute the change to?

A         Studies have shown that countries which see fewer teenage pregnancies tend to have higher standards of values and morals. The values of those around us are the biggest form of social control.

Q         Do you work with pregnant teenagers when they leave school?

A         Yes. We continue to support and aid the mothers.

Q         How are you publicising the education for parents mentioned?

A         There has been no education for parents until recently, so just starting. The name of the programme is Speakeasy.

Q         What percentage of those under 19 become homeless as a result of the pregnancy?

A         Don’t have a figure. Homelessness is a big indication of teenage pregnancy and we work closely with homeless shelters.

Q         We hear stories of 16 year olds becoming pregnant so that they will get an apartment and benefits. Is this true or not?

A         Perhaps in the past this may have happened, but it is not as easy for them to get apartments etc. now and young people are learning this.

Q         Is there a correlation between sexual abuse of children and later teenage pregnancy?

A         Yes. The job covers sexual exploitation, which is not just child prostitution.

Find out about council road and development adoptions in the ward.

5.1       Cllr Watt recognised that there was an issue in the ward with unadopted developments and had asked for a council officer to attend to speak to the meeting on the issue, but nobody was available.

5.2       A map showing unadopted streets in the ward was displayed for residents to view.

Residents had the following questions and comments:

Q         Don’t the council require the majority of residents on a street to agree before it can be adopted?

A         Streets aren’t adopted because people want them to be. If they want to, the developer can ask the council to adopt a highway. They will then have to raise it an adoptable standard, at which point the council will perform an inspection. The developer maintains the highway to that standard for 12-18 months and if it is still of an acceptable standard then the council will adopt it.

Q         Some are not adopted due to the drains not being of the required standard, e.g. Arlington Road.

Your chance to ask questions about local issues and concerns.

6.1       Cllr Watt reminded residents that any suggestions for local improvement schemes or grant applications for the 2012-13 ward budget should be submitted before the end of August 5^th.

6.2       Cllr Watt invited issues that were not related to buses to be raised first.

Residents had the following questions and comments:

Q         What will happen with the land behind the new school on Eastholme Drive? Currently, it is home to anti-social behaviour and dog fouling.

A         Rawcliffe Recreation Association are writing a new lease that will include this area – to include 2 mini-pitches. City of York council will still maintain the grass.

6.3       Cllr Watt introduced Paul Brand from the council’s Transport Planning department, and Geoff Lomax and Alan Isherwood from Transdev.

6.4       Stuart Rawlings, parish councillor to Rawcliffe and Clifton Without parish councils, told the meeting that he had been co-ordinating a resident response to the bus service changes and had asked three of the residents to each prepare a statement, following which one representative from Clifton Without and Rawcliffe parish councils would provide a summary:

6.5       Diane Robinson: The issue is one of social inclusion. Residents of the villages must have the same opportunities as those elsewhere in the city. How can people take part in lifelong learning, interest groups, entertainment, youth, church and sport activities without transport in the evenings or at suitable times on Sundays? The blanket policy of the council, when applied to this ward weakens social inclusion and active citizenship.

6.6       Ron Healey: The reported subsidy for routes 14 & 22 serving this ward totalled £75,725, while the estimated support for the new 19A/C route was £73,710 – a small difference. The new, commercial route is also not necessarily permanent and can be changed with 56 days’ notice.

6.7       Dee Boyle: The new 19A/C routes are poor replacements and show a lack of thought for customers. One runs clockwise and the other counter-clockwise, which will cause confusion. One is supposed to go near the hospital, but Gillygate is the closest it actually gets. Many properties will not have an hourly service due to the alternating routes. The Sunday service timings are unevenly spaced. No real consultation has taken place with the public.

6.8       Clifton Without Parish Council: Where is the evidence to say the new routes are viable? To be attractive to residents, the service must be more direct and faster. The parish council was not included in consultations.

6.9       Rawcliffe Parish Council: An affordable link to the centre is vital for young, old and workers. The previous service should have been revised, not scrapped. The changes will mean an increase in short car journeys and an increase in carbon emissions.

6.10    Cllr Watt: Members are aware of residents’ concerns. We met with the Transport Planning department this week. The 22 was a heavily subsidised service and the 14 was no longer viable due to concessionary pass use (the council makes a loss each time it is used). The evening service  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.