Agenda item

·        An update on ward funded schemes and ward budget timetable for year 2017-18

·        Ward priorities – matters we will focus on this year

·        Anti scam advice – Matthew Boxall, Public Protection Team

1)              Welcome and Apologies

Councillor Myers welcomed everyone to the meeting.  There were no apologies for non-attendance. 

2)              An update on ward funded schemes and ward budget timetable for year 2017-18

Cllr Myers outlined ward budget figures and funding process for 2017-18.

·        Ward general/revenue budget allocation is £23,673 (not including carry forward amount from year 2016-17 which is yet to be confirmed).

·        Ward highways/capital budget allocation is £11,280 (plus carry forward of £22,560 from years 2015-16 and 2016-17).

Cllr Myers gave details of projects that were funded from the ward budget since the last Ward Committee meeting. These include:

·        A grant of £8,080 to the Lidgett Grove Methodist Church to upgrade the community cafe/kitchen area with a new dishwasher, fridge and freezer, cooker extension, purchase additional chairs and improve the external signage.

·        A grant of £2,000 to the Friends of Carr Junior School to produce a 'Day in the life' film to commemorate the old school site. Cllr Myers stated the Ward Committee has not heard from the group recently and an update on how the project progressed will be requested.

·        Commission tree work on the Fishponds Wood site £1,150 and a grant of £340 to Friends of Fishponds Wood for PLI cover for the group, purchase of bat boxes and to cover costs associated with chipping tree logs and branches.

At this point representative from the Friends of Fishponds Wood spoke about the group’s most recent ventures including transforming logs into seating spaces and installing bat boxes. It has been observed that footfall in the wood increased recently and that the area has become popular as a picnic spot.
Cllr Barnes asked about a potential of creating a composting facility within the wood which was suggest to him by residents of Woodlea Avenue.
The Friends of Fishponds Wood representative concurred with the idea of locating the composting facility within the underused area of the wood and offered to take it back to the group for discussion.

York Rotters were suggested as a potential partner in that venture.

·        Commission planting trees at various locations across the ward. £7,200 dedicated to pay for 40 tree saplings, tree guards, planting by the contractor and watering visits.

·        A grant of £3,750 to the Arty Farty Stuff Community Interest Company towards the Legacy project to undertake intergenerational story share of Acomb.

At this point representative from the group spoke about the project progress so far. A number of local stories has been collected, however the project lead has become ill and can not continue with the project until he is back from the hospital. The project came across difficulties in engaging with Carr schools and the Manor CE Academy. Cllr Barnes suggested contacting the wellbeing coordinator, or the governing body at Carr schools. The group was also offered a stall space in the forthcoming Acomb Fun Run.

·        A grant of £1,500 to the Active8Learning to provide a range of craft and skill workshops for elderly residents to learn new skills.

At this point the project representative stated that the first workshop will be held on Tuesday 11^th April, 10:30am – 12:30pm at the Lidgett Grove Church and occur  bi-weekly after that date.  Workshops aimed for retired, isolated, unemployed and residents with free time to spare will provide opportunity for social interaction over a cup of tea and  to partake in range of activities from jewellery making, Easter baskets, willow, spring wreaths to marbling. Sessions will be free to attend, however booking is required by either telephoning 01904693111 / 07772107763, or emailing Admin@activ8learning.co.uk

·        A grant of £540 to the Lidgett Grove Methodist Church to fund a community farm project as part of an extended Community Café during Easter.

·        A grant of £1,212 to the Lidgett Grove Methodist Church to cover costs associated with re-launching of the community garden.

·        A grant of £628 to the Craft and Chat group, based at the Lidgett Grove Church, towards craft materials and equipment.

·        £500 to cover costs associated with organising of the Acomb Fun Run. The event will take place on Sunday 23 July, 10:00am – 12:30pm at the Carr Infants and Junior School site. It will include 2km run for 4-14 year olds, 1km run for all (parents, grandparents and family members) and fun fair activities on the school grounds. The event is free to attend, however booking is required via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/acomb-fun-run-tickets-32843001301

·        Commission Total Sports and York City Football Club Foundation to provide sports activities for young people in the ward over the summer 2017. This will cost £3,155.

Cllr Myers read ward priorities for the year ahead and invited ward funding applications that are relevant and help address these priorities.

Cllr Barnes added that ward priorities were set at the beginning of his and Cllr Myers term of office and were informed by statistical information and feedback gathered from local residents including ward survey return of over 150 response forms.

3)              Anti scam advice – Matthew Boxall, Public Protection Team

Mr Boxall outlined the remit of the Public Protection Team which includes: rogue trading and anti scam advice; alcohol, gambling and taxis licensing; tackling sale of cheap/illegal tobacco; tackling sales of alcohol and tobacco to under aged; visiting and advising victims of scams; environment protection; health and safety at work; tackling sale of unsafe goods i.e. sale of unroadworthy second hand cars.

Mr Boxall provided the meeting with a list of do’s and dont’s to help residents feel more robust and not fall victim of a scam.

·        Place a sticker in your window to inform that you do not welcome doorstep callers.

·        Do not answer the door. You may feel that you are being rude, but this approach discourages doorstep callers.

·        If you opened the door ask the person for their ID and check it. If you can, take the actual ID card from them and to check their credibility – do give it back though! Inform the person that you intend to check their ID and lock the door behind you. You can use the internet or the phone book to establish if the company/charity that the person represents is genuine.

·        Never agree to purchase the service or work offered on the spot. Always acquire at least three quotes to obtain the best value for money. You can use the AGE UK home services directory that provides information about traders vetted by the police and the City of York Council.

·        You have a legal right to change your mind. During the cooling-off period you can cancel the purchase for any reason and get your money back.

·        Register with telephone preference service to cut down the number of call you receive.

·        Try not to answer phone calls from unknown numbers. If you keep not answering calls your number will eventually be taken off their system.

·        Do not open and delete suspicious emails. Scammers will try to obtain your bank account details, so do not provide them vial email, or over the phone.

·        When signing documents always read what you are agreeing to. When asked to tick the box read what is stated next to the box and do it!

·        If you feel that you have fallen victim of scam telephone the Citizens Advice consumer service on 08454 04 05 06.

Q       There is a Facebook scam where the message appears to be genuine as it comes from your friend account.

A       There are a lot of scams on social media. Perpetrators want to obtain your bank account details and employ more and more creative methods to achieve that.

Q       Can you report a local sales person calling you?

A       Yes, you can report those instances to the telephone preference service.

A feedback was offered that ignoring calls can work, as it this resident instance number of unwanted calls reduced after a period of time of not answering them.

Q       What is the charity collectors status?

A       Door to door, or collection of funds in the city centre is not regulated in legislation and does not require a licence. There is an institution that deals with these matters (The Institute of Fundraisers). The usual process is that the charity intending to undertake funds collection in York will contact the Public Protection Team so we are aware that they will be fundraising in York on a particular day.

Cllr Myers spoke about the ‘Gag mag’ sellers in the city centre and the recent motion to the Full Council to take steps to tackle the nuisance resulting from often aggressive and intimidating behaviour of involved salespeople. 

Mr Boxall added that it will be difficult for the City of York Council to take any meaningful steps without evidence in complaints.

A comment was made that it is difficult and time consuming to make a complaint to the Council which may be discouraging to a lot of people.

Mr Boxall agreed to feed this back and encouraged residents to make complaints should an instance requiring a complaint occur, so an evidence base can be built.

PCSO Hale further added that if a person feels intimidated or threatened by the street seller they should ring 101 if it’s just verbal and not very serious, or 999 in an emergency i.e. if the perpetrator used physical force.

4)              Police update

Cllr Myers invited PCSO Hale to give an update on the Police work in the area.

PCSO Hale explained that tackling auto crime and theft of unattended vehicles are the priorities, however there is no major problem.

Other types of crime remain very low in the area.

Cllr Barnes asked if there is a link between the Police and the newly established Local Area Teams.

Tim Waudby, Community and Partnerships Officer, Local Area Team West (LAT) explained about his and the LAT work with vulnerable families and young people and work to help to develop and grow capacity for young people.

Mr Waudby further added that he works closely with the Police on some projects in Westfield ward i.e. tackling ASB on Chapelfields estate and that the same approach could be implemented in Acomb ward should a need arise.

5)              Have Your Say

No further questions were raised. Ward Councillors thanked everyone and the meeting moved to join with the Community Cafe for conversations in an informal manner.