Agenda and minutes

Councillor Alex Ball (other Council business)

Councillor Mohammed Ibrahim (health reasons)

Councillor Toby Neal

John Marsh

None.

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting held 29 May 2014

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 29 May 2014 as a correct record and they were signed by the Chair.

Report of Strategic Director of Commercial and Neighbourhood Services

Debbie Royle and Leigh White, Neighbourhood Development Officers, presented the report of the Strategic Director of Commercial and Neighbourhood Services. As well as the representatives listed in appendix 2 of the report, Anita Wakefield from Sherwood Art Week and Farooq Mir from the Seeds Foundation were added as Community Representatives.

RESOLVED to appoint the following Community Representatives to the Berridge and Sherwood Area Committee:

(1)  Robin Stalvies – Carrington Tenants and Residents Group

(2)  Safdar Azam – Punjabi Community Group

(3)  Ruth Greenburg – Partnership Council

(4)  Melanie Kidd – New Arts Exchange

(5)  Anita Wakefield – Sherwood Art Week

(6)  Farooq Mir – The Seeds Foundation

(Verbal Update)

Bill Husband, Project Manager of the Lead Organisation for Berridge and Sherwood (NG7), presented a verbal progress update to the Committee, highlighting the following points:

(a)  A Cabinet funded youth contract has been undertaken, to get young people into work. It focuses on engagement, training, and motivation, and young people are referred from the Job Centre after 13 – 39 weeks of unemployment. Often young people do not attend their appointments, and the next stage will be introducing sanctions for non-attendance. A better relationship has been developing with the Job centre, with more integrated working, and it is hoped that more young people will continue to be referred.

(b)  Another project involves digital inclusion, which also has cross-support for the long term unemployed. 15 learners attend each week, and are taught basic IT skills. This is attracting new funding and it is anticipated that the training will have an impact on joblessness.

(c)  The European Social Fund is funding towards training and finding people jobs. Every area has a jobs plan, and a skills analysis was recently approved.

RESOLVED to thank Bill Husband for his informative update and to note its content.

Report of the Director of Nottingham City Homes

Lynn Standen and Paul Howard, Tenancy and Estate Managers at Nottingham City Homes (NCH), presented the report of the Director of Nottingham City Homes to the Committee, highlighting the following points:

(a)  There used to be separate NCH Area Panels, which have now been combined with Area Committees. NCH are actively looking for a tenant representative for the Berridge and Sherwood Area Committee. There has never been a Berridge representative before, as there are very few NCH properties in the area. Any suggestions for NCH reps should be made to Lynn or Paul, and full training and support will be provided.

(b)  Upcoming programmes include door replacement, slate roof repair, fencing and guttering replacement, and lift replacement.

Following questions from the Committee, the following additional information was provided:

(c)  The long term trend for void re-lets in Sherwood is quite high, but this may be due to restrictions in place on certain properties (such as residential complexes designed for older residents with age restrictions). Restrictions are currently being reviewed. In context the number of voids and length of voids is not high, and some properties are void for longer periods intentionally so that they can be refurbished or modernised.

(d)  When properties become vacant they are flagged for review to see if they may be suitable for sale. Suitability depends upon the house condition and financial viability.

RESOLVED to thank Lynn Standen and Paul Howard for their informative update and to note its content.

(Verbal update)

Debbie Royle, Neighbourhood Development Officer, delivered an update on the relocation of the Hyson Green Library building, highlighting the following points:

(a)  The business case for the Hyson Green library relocation was approved by Executive Board on 22 July, with construction due to start on 12 January 2015 for a 15 week period. The opening ceremony is planned for May or June 2015.

(b)  The next design consultation event is taking place on 29 September 2014.

The Committee raised concerns regarding the previous consultation events, and the following points were raised:

(c)  The feedback from the first consultation event was not positive, and local residents expressed concern that there was not enough notice. Attendees at the first consultation expressed concerns about children’s safety given the open plan nature. The architects were due to email updated plans to those residents who raised concerns, but these haven’t been sent.

(d)  Children need to be able to use the bathroom without leaving the library area, as there are multiple facilities on-site, including a methadone clinic. It is not clear whether these suggestions have been taken on board since the first consultation.

(e)  Several other joint service centres already exist in Nottingham City, and lessons can be learned from how these operate and any issues they may have experienced.

(f)  Ward Councillor will feed back the issues mentioned above at the next consultation event.

RESOLVED to thank Debbie Royle for the update, the contents of which were noted.

Report of Strategic Director of Commercial and Neighbourhood Services

Debbie Royle and Leigh White, Neighbourhood Development Officers, and Inspector Annie Yates of Nottinghamshire Police, presented the report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, highlighting the following points regarding the Berridge ward:

(a)  Op Graduate is a crime prevention project, operating in student property areas where there are often high levels of burglaries, involving increased high visibility patrols. Analysis reveals that this project has been successful in previous years, and this year it is being introduced in the Forest Fields area. Streets to target have been identified, and the security of properties in the area will be assessed.

(b)  There has been a spike of thefts from vehicles, with windows smashed to obtain visible valuables. An offender has been identified, so it is expected that these figures will reduce again shortly.

(c)  There has also been an increase in robberies in the Forest Fields area, but 3 group arrests were recently made, which has reduced the number of robberies in the area.

(d)  A new noise control anti-social behaviour car is in operation, which patrols between 5pm and 1am, 7 days per week, dealing with low level noise complaints. The team who operate the vehicle can be contacted by calling 101.

The following information was also provided about the Sherwood ward:

(e)  2013 was a challenging year, with a large spike in crime. Figures have improved in 2014 and crime has not continued to spiral.

(f)  There has been a spike in shed burglaries, but an arrest has been made. Funding from the Crime and Drugs Partnership has also helped to provide solar lights, which are easy to install and an effective deterrent.

(g)  Another problem experienced in Sherwood is “throw overs”, where items are thrown into or out of Nottingham prison, where prisoners exercise. The Police have been working with Nottingham prison to reduce this problem, by increasing visible patrols in the area.

(h)  Shop thefts in Sherwood have reduced, and Police are now effectively working with local shop owners to quickly identify any suspects from CCTV footage and circulate information.

The following comments were made by citizens and members of the Committee:

(i)  The prison “throw over” issue is being dealt with exceedingly quickly and proactively, and the Councillors thanked the Police for their hard work in dealing with this problem so effectively.

(j)  The local events held recently in both wards have been very successful. Lots of hard work went into the organisation and they were enjoyed by all. The Committee extended their thanks to the Berridge and Sherwood Locality Management Teams, especially for the event in Forest Fields. 

RESOLVED to thank Debbie Royle, Leigh White and Inspector Annie Yates for the informative performance update, the contents of which were noted.

Report of Corporate Director of Community Services

Debbie Royle and Leigh White, Neighbourhood Development Officers, presented the report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, detailing decisions made under delegated authority within Berridge and Sherwood.

RESOLVED to note the actions taken under delegated authority, as follows:

Berridge Ward  Cost

Sumac youth group  £1,000.00

Berridge Road hanging baskets  £640.00

Planter  £294.00

Berridge community funding chest  £1,000.00

Parking signs  £320.00

Berridge community festival  £600.00

Items for setting up project  £250.00

Environmental actions  £500.00

Soft balls police project  £100.00

Cook and eat sessions  £1,000.00

Sherwood Ward  Cost

News sheds  £1,300.00

Contributions towards a Bothy  £500.00

Christmas Lights Switch on 2014  £500.00

Report of Strategic Director of Commercial and Neighbourhood Services

Debbie Royle and Leigh White, Neighbourhood development Officers, presented the report of the Director for Neighbourhood Services, detailing the Area Capital Fund programme of schemes for Berridge and Sherwood.

RESOLVED to note the commitment of funds and approve the Area Capital Fund programme of schemes, as detailed below:

(1)  £800.00 for monitoring of vehicle speed on Retford Road and Valmont Road;

(2)  £38,745.00 for further footpath patching work on Glendon Drive;

(3)  £2,790.00 for the refurbishment and replacement of handrails on Hood Street and Fairbank Crescent;

(4)  £16,750.00 to introduce parking restrictions in Sherwood shopping areas.