Agenda and minutes

Councillor Ian Malcolm  (other Council business)

Colin Mackie     (Silverdale Community Association)

Robert Mosley    (Clifton Community Association)

Dierdre Whitworth    (Arkwright Meadows Community Gardens)

None

Last meeting held on 14 May 2014 (for confirmation)

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the of the meeting held on 14 May 2014 as a correct record and they were signed by the Chair.

Dorothy Holmes, South Locality Manager, introduced the Strategic Director for Commercial and Neighbourhood Services’ report detailing the process for appointing community representatives as required by the Terms of Reference for the Role of Area Committee Community Representatives. A list of the representatives was circulated at the meeting.

Dorothy clarified for the Committee that Community Representatives could nominate substitutes providing they must be a member of the same group, and live in the area.

RESOLVED to note the appointments of Area Committee Community Representatives from the Bridge, Clifton North and Clifton South wards to the Area Committee for the 2014/15 municipal year:

Abdul Ghaffar, Prairie Bryant and Parbinder Singh, Neighbourhood Development Officers, introduced the Strategic Director for Commercial and Neighbourhood Services’ report providing updates for each ward on key issues and themes which link to local priorities and the strategic themes in the Nottingham Plan 2020.

The Committee and others in attendance made the following comments:

(a)  there is speeding taking place on Robin Hood Way now that the work has been completed;

(b)  the 20mph signs have been removed from Embankment Road and need to be   replaced. The speed limit also needs to be painted on the road surface;

(c)  the use of motorcycles on pedestrian street and cars on Arkwright Walk needs to be addressed;

(d)  due to resources, speeding is not a priority for the Police. The road policing team are aware of the issues but more information is required before the situation can be monitored;

(e)  the new houses being built as part of the Meadows regeneration scheme should be going to Planning Committee in October for approval;

(f)  the Carters Educational Foundation covers the old parish of Wilford so some of the young people living in the new houses may be eligible for grants;

(g)  the issue with the inability to drop people off at Clifton Cornerstone due to the tram stop location has been resolved as taxis and people with mobility issues can be dropped off at the rear entrance. This needs to be communicated to taxi companies and the Centre need to establish a way of knowing when people are dropped off;

(h)  the increase in crime and anti-social behaviour only seems to affect Clifton South so it is important to ensure there is regular dialogue with ward councillors;

(i)  there are several property issues in Clifton Village that have been raised at a senior level but will take time to resolve;

(j)  in some areas of Clifton the roads have been narrowed due to tram works and the A453 widening which make the difficult to navigate in the dark and require some reflective bollards to make it clearer;

(k)  Lang O’Rourke have just started holding monthly meetings to keep people up to date on work on the A453 in the area.

RESOLVED to note the ward performance reports.

Report of Chief Executive, Nottingham City Homes

Wade Adams, Tenancy and Estate Manager, introduced the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes (NCH) report updating the Committee on NCH performance on the following key themes:

·  Capital Programme and major works;

·  area regeneration and environmental issues;

·  key messages from the Tenant and Leasehold Congress;

·  tenants and residents associations updates;

·  area performance figures.

The Committee and others in attendance made the following comments:

(a)  the average relet times have been affected by a reduced demand for 3 bedroom properties due to under-occupancy;

(b)  refuse has not been cleared from the decommissioned properties on Bosworth and Saffron Close and it is important to be vigilant when properties are empty to ensure they don’t get used for fly-tipping.

RESOLVED to note the NCH update reports.

Inspector Nick Waldron, Nottinghamshire Police, provided the following verbal updates:

In the Meadows:

(a)  overall there is an increase in crime of 162 incidents year to date;

(b)  dwelling burglary is down 20 incidents year to date and robberies have also decreased;

(c)  burglary of sheds is still an issue with power tools and bikes being the main focus;

(d)  theft from vehicles is up by 25 incidents and it is mainly work vehicles that are being targeted;

(e)  there have been thefts of dumper trucks in the area;

(f)  criminal damage was a major issue last year but has reduced this year.

In Clifton South:

(g)  there have been lots of phone calls reporting anti-social behaviour. Neighbourhood disputes cause numerous calls about the same issue, as do ball games and loud music;

(h)  most incidents in the area are caused by the same group of young people and their offences vary from minor to serious offences. The Police are working with them and their families to try and prevent further disruption by them;

(i)  there has been an increase in criminal damage, dwelling burglary and other burglaries so work is being done on home security;

(j)  violence against the person has been reduced through work on domestic violence.

In Bridge:

(k)  there has been a 20% increase in crime, which relates mainly to violence and domestic violence so work is being focussed on these issues.

The Committee and others in attendance made the following comments:

(l)  the Police are doing a lot of good work across all areas but it is important to keep ward councillors informed so that they can support the work already being done;

(m)  there is need to advertise what activities are available in the area for young  people to try and stop them from hanging around on the streets and causing anti-social behaviour. There will be a directory of services for young people available as a hard copy as well as online;

(n)  it is a small group of people in the Clifton area causing problems;

(o)  stabbing has not previously been a culture experienced in Clifton and work is being done to educate young people on the dangers of carrying knives, although knife crime also features in domestic violence;

(p)  offences in Clifton tend to be carried out by local people;

(q)  there isn’t the same issue with young people in the Meadows as there is in Clifton;

(r)  it is important to ensure that decommissioned properties don’t become a target for crime and anti-social behaviour.

RESOLVED to note the updates.

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services

Abdul Ghaffar, Neighbourhood Development Officer, introduced the Strategic Director for Commercial and Neighbourhood Services’ report detailing the use of delegated authority and the Ward Councillors Revenue Budget allocation for the 2014/15 financial year.

RESOLVED

(1)  to note the actions agreed by the Strategic Director for Commercial and Neighbourhood Services:

  Bridge Ward:

  Clifton North Ward:

  Clifton South Ward:

(2)  to note the individual Ward Councillors Budget revenue allocation of £5,000 for 2014/15.

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services

Prairie Bryant, Neighbourhood Development Officer, introduced the Strategic Director for Commercial and Neighbourhood Services’ report detailing the latest spend proposals under the Area Capital Fund, including highways, traffic and safety, public realm, and Nottingham City Homes environmental schemes.

RESOLVED to approve the following schemes and note the money available:

Bridge Ward:

Clifton North Ward:

Clifton South Ward:

Report of Head of Democratic Services

Councillor Mike Edwards, Chair of the Committee, introduced a discussion on the merger of the Meadows Health Centre and Wilford Grove Surgery GP practices in the Bridge ward.

The Committee and others in attendance made the following comments:

(a)  the Wilford Grove surgery has ran for 110 years in the ward and will no longer be there from the end of September;

(b)  the merger could be driven by changes in financing and expectations to run larger practices;

(c)  patients feel that they have been let down by the GP and that they haven’t been consulted on the merger;

(d)  patients have previously left the Health Centre due to poor treatment so do not want to be forced to go back, but practices outside of the area are saying they can’t take on any more patients from the Meadows. The merger has taken away patients choices as to where they see a GP;

(e)  the Wilford Grove surgery scored highly but the Health Centre scored 0;

(f)  patients already queue outside the Health Centre from 8 am so by 8.30 am there are no appointments left and the situation will get worse once the practices are merged;

(g)  a report was due to be submitted to the Health Scrutiny Panel to say that there had been no objections to the merger before the Chair of the Patients Panel knew about the proposals;

(h)  there are 3 GP practices in Clifton but many people are registered outside of the area as there are issues with accessibility and getting appointments;

(i)  there is concern about the possible closure of the Nurse Access Point in Clifton which is used by people all over the city. If the service is closed it will put greater pressure on the Walk-in Centre and A&E.

Councillor Mike Edwards closed the discussion and commented that it could be appropriate for the Council to develop a planning protocol on the consultation required over closures, mergers or any major changes to health services.

Discussion item – Introduction by the Committee Chair

Councillor Mike Edwards, Chair of the Committee, introduced a discussion on parking issues in the area.

The Committee and others in attendance made the following comments:

(a)  streets around the sports ground will have pay by mobile parking arrangements put in place which may encourage some drivers to park on residential streets;

(b)  construction workers for the tram works are parking on residential streets in the Meadows;

(c)  when phase 2 of the tram opens it is hoped that people will use the park and ride sites;

(d)  there are problems in Clifton North with construction workers for the tram and university staff and students parking in residential streets so it may be appropriate to introduce residents only parking schemes in some streets;

(e)  where parking restrictions are imposed it can cause displacement.

RESOLVED to request a report for the next meeting on a general strategy for parking issues in each ward.