Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Mohammed Ibrahim as Chair of the Committee for the municipal year 2014/15.

RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Brian Parbutt as Vice-Chair of the Committee for the municipal year 2014/15.

Councillor Toby Neal – other Council business

Councillor Brian Parbutt – non Council business

None.

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting held 20 February 2014.

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 20 February 2014 as a correct record and they were signed by the Chair.

Update from Clare Sutton, SSE.

Dan Blake from SSE Contracting, delivered a presentation informing the Committee of the consultation process within the street lighting PFI for improvements in Nottingham. The following information was highlighted:

(a)  improvements to the lighting provision in Nottingham began in Dunkirk and Lenton in September 2010 and will include the replacement of approximately 24,000 lamp posts and 11,000 lanterns. The partnership with SSE represents 25 years of capital investment;

(b)  the contract with SSE represents major long term investment and employment in Nottingham and will improve the quality of lighting, road safety, support the Council’s initiatives to reduce crime and corporate carbon emissions in the city;

(c)  the design preparation stage includes consultation with trained designers and the lighting has been designed to meet the requirements of the latest British and European Standards and the Council’s specification. As a result columns will not always be placed in their original position. In some cases, citizens may have been benefiting from the existing lighting provision on their property, but in ensuring the overall quality of the provision this benefit cannot always be retained. Where columns are relocated, citizens will be able to discuss concerns with designers to ensure that their views are taken into account;

(d)  letters will be dropped to all of those affected advising citizens of what will happen during the construction phase which will include all the relevant contact details. Leaflets are delivered to each property approximately 20 days before work starts on-site with the aim of causing as little disruption as possible;

(e)  citizens are consulted where columns are relocated and given the opportunity to discuss issues with designers. It will be the case that a number of citizens will experience less light exposure to parts of their garden for example but the overall lighting provision will be appropriate and to the Council’s specification. Where columns are being altered designers will plan in advance to ensure minimum disruption to bus routes and busy highways;

(f)  the maintenance contract with SSE includes periodic checks of every lighting column every 6 months.

RESOLVED to note the presentation on the consultation process within the Street Lighting PFI.

Verbal update

Sue Foster, Project Manager (Major Programmes) at Nottingham City Council delivered an update on the relocation of the Hyson Green Library building, highlighting the following information:

(a)  the proposal to relocate the facility to the Mary Potter Centre on Gregory Boulevard is currently under public consultation and will allow for longer opening hours and a reception service;

(b)  three wards have been identified as being affected by proposals and leaflets on the proposals have been dropped in Berridge schools and youth centres. The other wards affected by proposals include Arboretum and Radford. By 9 May 2014, 244 responses had been received which indicated that 49% strongly agreed with proposals and 40% disagreed. The discontent is focussed on the impact upon day centre users and those who prefer to historic building currently in use;

(c)  it is planned that proposals will be considered by Executive Board in July 2014 to relocate the library to the Mary Potter Joint Service Centre. It is expected that this will improve the customer experience with modern facilities and provide a single access point for all Council services;

(d)  a number of community organisations have expressed an interest in the current library building but this cannot be pursued until surplus to requirements. The structural integrity of the building is currently being assessed before any decision is made on whether the building can be used again.

RESOLVED to thank Sue Foster for her informative update on the proposed relocation of Hyson Green Library to Mary Potter Joint Service Centre and to request a further update at the next Committee meeting in September 2014.

Report of the Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership.

RESOLVED to note the content of the Respect Survey and to invite colleagues from Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership to the next Committee in September 2014 to answer any further questions.

Verbal update

Bill Husband, Project Manager at NG7 presented information on the progress of the lead organisation in supporting grant funding in the area, highlighting the following points:

(a)  a needs assessment was conducted towards the end of the financial year and submitted to the Commissioning Team at Nottingham City Council, although formal feedback on the submission is still outstanding, informal feedback thus far has been positive. There does not appear to be any compelling argument to change priorities at this stage;

(b)  additional funding has been sourced through youth contracts for 18-24 year olds across the city which has had a big impact for those unemployed. This has been progressed in partnership with Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Futures, Nottingham City Council and Jobs Centre Plus;

(c)  work is ongoing to progress the digital inclusion and to develop internet access in a number of areas within community centres. This will enable citizens to apply online for vacancies, benefits and funding.

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

Report of the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes.

John Marsh, Locality Manager at Nottingham City Council, provided information on environmental submissions from Nottingham City Homes (NCH) which included the installation of a new metal fence within the car park area at Springfield Street, New Basford for £1,374.16.

RESOLVED to approve the cost of a new metal fence with the car park area at Springfield Street, New Basford, to prevent fly-tipping and unauthorised access for local residents, at a cost of £1,374.16.

Reports of the Director of Neighbourhood Services.

John Marsh, Locality Manager at Nottingham City Council, presented the item updating the Committee on key issues and themes across both Berridge and Sherwood, highlighting the following information:

(a)  crime is up overall by 1% in Berridge for the year to date and up 24% in Sherwood year to date. During quarter 4 there was an increase of 41 crimes compared to quarter 4 2013;

(b)  the cleanliness index score for Berridge for quarter 4 is 93% compared to the target of 86%. Year to date, there has been an improvement of 4% compared to the same period last year;

(c)  for April 2014, the cleanliness index for Berridge was 96% compared to 94% for Sherwood. In April 2014, there were 76 fly-tipping incidents in Berridge compared to 22 in Sherwood. Of the incidents in Berridge, 86% were removed within 48 hours and 74% of the incidents in Sherwood were removed within 48 hours. Throughout April 2014, there were 21 graffiti incidents on Berridge and 3 in Sherwood, which included one offensive incident.

RESOLVED to thank John Marsh for the informative update and note the content of the ward reports.

Report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the new Councillor ward allocation for 2014-15;

(2)  note the actions taken under delegated authority, as follows:

Report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the available remaining balances of £46,243 (Berridge) and £95,583 (Sherwood);

(2)  approve the following schemes for the Berridge ward:

(3)  approve the following schemes for the Sherwood ward:

To consider the following meeting dates for the 2014/15 municipal year:

21 August 2014

20 November 2014

19 February 2015

RESOLVED to meet at 6.00 pm on the following Thursdays: