Agenda item

1.

WELCOME

Cllr Derbyshire welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced her fellow councillors and representatives of the Police, Scouts, and Friends of Leeman Park, Poppy Road Poppy Project and Poppleton Road Memorial Hall.    She said that this was a non-political committee of City of York Council. 

The Minutes of the last meeting were agreed as a true record. 

2.

 POLICE UPDATE

PCSO’s Sue Court and Lou Scott provided the meeting with an update of the crime figures in the ward compared to the same point last year.

                                                2015    2016

Arson and criminal damage                16        11       

Burglary                                              10        8   

Drugs Offences                                  29        32      

Vehicle theft/vehicle offences                        10          8  

These figures were down to youths stealing mopeds and urged anyone with a moped to secure them in rear gardens if possible.  

Anti Social Behaviour                         66        51

In July it is planned to have 20/30 officers walking the ward and trying doors to heighten awareness and of leaving doors open in the summer months and making residents more security conscious.

Sue Court then explained about a new initiative called The Herbert Protocol which was taking place.    The Herbert Protocol aimed at reducing the risk to vulnerable people suffering from dementia or mental illness that go missing.     People are asked to go to the website and to fill in a printed or electronic form (electronic is preferable) together with a picture of their loved one; giving places where they may like to go such as where they shop, went to school, where they used to live or what bus they used to take regularly.  The form should then be submitted to the police by email to force.control@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk, or alternatively held at home and the answers can be provided over the phone.   When someone goes missing then you need to contact the police operator telling them you have a Herbert Protocol person profile in place.  

Leaflets were available on display at the front of the meeting.  

Q. Has there been any reduction in the number of calls regarding anti social behaviour?

A.  There are not as many calls.

Q.   Has there been any decision about the Public Space Protection Order for West Bank Park?

A.   It will be going forward for a decision to be made in either June or July.  

2

REDEEMING OUR COMMUNITIES

Phil Gleave, National Development Manager, Redeeming our Communities, (ROC) gave a presentation on the work of his national organisation and how its work could be of benefit to the residents of Holgate Ward.

They are a national charity working across the UK and aim to bring people together and inspire them to make a difference.   Reaching and communicating with people is a vital first step but does not resolve issues.   This needs to start with a conversation between community and voluntary bodies, Local Authority and Police.  They also foster partnerships with local Partnerships and Organisations, working with their own ideas and own agendas to make an even bigger difference.    They provide ongoing support that raises aspiration and changes what is happening in communities.  One example of ROC’s work is the ROC Café in Salford which since its inception in 2013 it has cut youth crime by 90%.  Like minded people can make an impact on their communities and working together can reduce anti-social behaviour.   Salford has saved £300K and there have been 32 fewer fires (arson).  Individuals who get involved in these projects leave crime behind them and move into improvement and productivity.  The ROC café is actually a youth club with a difference, police attend some of the sessions and relationships are built which works well.  They also encourage young people to play football and get involved in physical activities.

ROC mentors - they appoint ROC mentors who are properly trained and who work with young people and problem families who are heading in the wrong direction to change their situations.  

ROC Restore – works with people to help them see the consequences of their actions and make reparation instead of being prosecuted, thus taking people out of the criminal justice system which is a more cost effective way of dealing with these issues. 

ROC Centre - Celebrates what is already going on in the area, after consultation look at forming an action group to take the ideas forward.  On 3^rd March this year had a meeting which celebrated the good work being done in the community.  Delegates at the meeting identified issues where further collaboration could lead to further work. 

ROC has 134 projects running across the UK and 26840 lives have been impacted on.  They also deal with issues such as alcoholism, suicide, family breakdown, social inclusion, loneliness and isolation and mental health.  These are big issues and ROC is looking to appoint a full time co-ordinator in the Holgate area.   He asked whether Holgate residents were prepared to contribute to the community, and how ROC could assist existing community groups with their experience and an existing database.   

Phil Gleave can be contacted on 0161 393 4511 or emailed at philgleave@roc.uk.com.

Q. How do you get your funding?

A. We are a charitable trust, some money comes from grants that we have to apply for in the      same way as other charities. 

Q. Are you a Christian charity?

A. We are a national charity with a Christian basis that works with all faiths.

Q. Cllr Crisp asked if a meeting were arranged to look at working with ROC would a representative from ROC be available to attend?

 A.  Phil Gleave confirmed this

3

YORK CENTRAL UPDATE

Cllr Derbyshire updated the residents on the progress to date of the York Central project.

A Forum is to be set up which will be a citywide group of people.  CYC team hope this Forum will manage the news on the project.  There are planned to be forty members on the Forum.  If you are interested please complete the appropriate form which requires you to express how you would represent other people or groups. The ward councillors will be nominating the community representatives.  

At present it is planned that of the forty representatives on the Forum only ten will be residents of the Holgate Ward.  As Holgate ward will be the most affected by the development of York Central it was agreed by all councillors that with only ten representatives from the ward there would not be sufficient representation and they would be taking the matter up with CYC.   

An inaugural meeting of the Forum is planned to take place on 18^th July.  Once the Forum has been elected there will be a further consultation process running through to September when a planning framework will be worked up.  Once the framework is developed this will go through a further period of processing and further public consultation.  Residents were told there would be a lot of further public consultation going forward at every level.

Cllr Crisp said she was happy with the development in principle but that there needed to be an infrastructure in place and Holgate residents need to have their voice heard.  She felt that it was necessary to look at the residents’ issues and she said that the ward would be affected in the following ways:

·         Air quality – this is going to be worse due to the increase in traffic and she had seen no planning on this issue which worried her.

·         Residents had expressed fear to her of commuter parking increasing, particularly as blocks of flats were going to be built.  She felt it would be wrong to ask residents to pay for Resident’s parking and would look at a ‘grace and favour’ parking area for residents to mitigate the situation.

Q. Resident said that she had sympathy with Cllr Crisp’s view and it was unclear what the Forum’s powers were.  Was it just a way of ticking boxes.  Ten people cannot represent the whole of the Holgate Ward.  Would it be a good idea to use the internet to circulate news of the Forum and the project?

A. Cllr Derbyshire said she was happy to put the internet option forward as a mechanism for reporting the work of the Forum.  She also voiced objections to the representation on the Forum from Holgate Ward, she also felt that ten people were insufficient and they were starting a process whereby they were not going to accept the Forum as it is planned to be delivered as they did not think it was fair.

Q.  Resident raised concerns about parking on Wilton Rise, it being an unadopted road.

A.  Cllrs understood that the process of adopting the road was being progressed by the Council. 

Q.  Resident asked about the duration of the Forum.

A.   It was thought that the Forum would deal with the process leading up to the planning application but that this was not clear.

It was noted that the progress on the York Central development would be brought to future ward committee meetings on a regular basis.

4

HOLGATE PLANNING PANEL

Cllr Cannon explained that the ward was keen to have a planning panel comprising a group of local residents who would scrutinise any planning applications for the ward in the same way as Rural and Parish councils, and pass on their comments to CYC Planning Department.   Training and support would be offered by the Council.  The Panel would meet every 3 or 4 weeks dependent upon the number of applications submitted.  She asked if any residents would be willing to serve on the Planning Panel.

Expressions of interest were received from Peter Mawer, David Finch, Mark Druery and Aileen Hingsten.   A clerk would need to be elected from this group of residents who will act as a point of contact. 

5

WARD BUDGETS

Cllr Derbyshire ran through the ward budgets.  She explained that the ward budgets had been simplified to now include on general ward pot to address ward priorities and one highways budget.   Last year, 2015/2016 a total of £21,121 was spent.   Unspent funds will be carried over into this financial year giving a figure of circa £60K for the ward pot and £31.5K for the highways budget.

The deadline for any new grant applications was 13^th June.  The ward was looking to commission a research project on social isolation and looking to establish the extent of the primary mapping area and identify gaps to target.   There was a need to understand the extent of the problem before deciding who to spend the money. 

6

HIGHWAYS BUDGET

The ward has a budget of £31.5K (last year’s and this year’s).  We are currently looking at new projects and would like residents’ suggestions on any issues they could identify.    This could include resurfacing of footpaths, potholes in roads, cycle ways, street lighting, hedgerows and signage.   It was noted that the issues with Hamilton Drive and Lindsay Avenue would be dealt with by the Council from their core budget. 

Q.   How are overgrown hedges from gardens impeding footpaths dealt with

A.    The Council write or visit the property to ask them to cut them back.   If they refuse the Council can do the work and bill the owner for the work.

7

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Holgate Dock – Regarding the use of this space.  It is currently used by St Paul’s Primary School and anyone else who want to use it.   There is a problem with dog walkers now picking up their dog’s mess, and aggressive encounters with some of the dogs.   Discussion has now taken place regarding a Public Space Protection Order and the Executive Member has now decided that from a date yet to be confirmed dogs will be banned from this area.  

Replacement of Rubbish Bin – Resident asked that the replacement of a rubbish bin on the Royal Mail side of Scarborough Bridge be expedited.  Kristina Davey said that the request had been made.

York Timebank – Residents were informed that information regarding Timebank and the Memorial Hall was available on the display table.  

Cllr Derbyshire said that they were grateful to all the community groups in the ward for their work.   The meeting closed at 8.30pm.