Agenda for Bulwell and Bulwell Forest Area Committee on Wednesday, 28th February, 2018, 5.30 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Bulwell Riverside Joint Service Centre, Main Street, Bulwell, NG6 8QJ. View directions

Contact: Catherine Ziane-Pryor  Email: catherine.pryor@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

44.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Colin Bones

Doreen Carruthers

Robin Goodwin

Nick Parr

Dennis Robinson

Gillian Slack

 

Councillor Ginny Klein – personal

Councillor Nick McDonald – personal

Councillor Jackie Morris – personal

45.

DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS

Minutes:

None.

46.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 323 KB

Of the meeting held on 22 November 2017 (for confirmation)

Minutes:

The minutes were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

47.

RIGHT TRACK SOCIAL ENTERPRISE - UPDATE pdf icon PDF 470 KB

Activity update from Lead Organisation Right Track Social Enterprise.

Minutes:

Representatives from Right Track were unable to attend the Area Committee due to the weather conditions. Therefore this item was withdrawn from the agenda.

48.

NOTTINGHAM CITY HOMES UPDATE pdf icon PDF 227 KB

Report of the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Elira Mano, Nottingham City Homes (NCH) Area Housing Manager, presented a report to the Committee, highlighting the following points:

 

(a)  NCH has been nominated for 4 categories in the 2018 UK Housing Awards: Outstanding approach to tenant involvement, Development programme of the year (over 12,000 homes), Innovation of the year (over 12,000 homes) and Landlord of the year. The awards ceremony will take place in May 2018;

 

(b)  NCH will hold its annual Tenants awards on 22 March 2018, which will recognise tenants and leaseholders;

 

(c)  a change to the format of Nottingham City Homes reports to Area Committees is planned, any feedback or suggestion should be emailed to Elira: elira.mano@nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk;

 

(d)  there is one Area Capital Programme scheme for approval, as detailed in appendix 3 to the report.

 

There followed a number of questions and comments from the Committee, and further information was provided:

 

(e)  there are currently a large number of vacant NCH garages, mostly due to size restrictions, as the garages were built when cars were smaller. A review of the garages is taking place to see which sites could benefit from some repair work, which can be demolished, and which are fine as they are;

 

(f)  the preferred supplier to give value for money on energy costs is Robin Hood Energy, but there is nothing stopping new tenants from purchasing their energy elsewhere after the first month. Any issues should be forwarded to NCH;

 

RESOLVED to:

 

(1)  note the performance information as detailed in appendices 1 and 2 to the report;

 

(2)  note the allocation of funds as detailed in appendix 3;

 

(3)  approve one Area Capital Programme funding request - £6,200.00 to improve security at the Austin Roads flats by installing 3 new aluminium doors at the entrance.

49.

BULWELL AND BULWELL FOREST AREA CAPITAL FUND pdf icon PDF 302 KB

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Suki Shergill and Celia Knight, Neighbourhood Development Officers, requested approval for various Area Capital Fund schemes.

 

RESOLVED to approve the following Area Capital Fund schemes:

 

(1)  Bulwell LTP schemes:

none;

 

(2)  Bulwell Public Realm schemes:

  residential parking scheme in the Newmarket Road area, at an estimated cost of £15,000.00;

  a further contribution to a previously approved scheme for a crossing at Quarry Avenue / Bromley Close, at an estimated cost of £1,100.00;

  a contribution to an NCH scheme for area improvements to Courtfleet Way, at an estimated cost of £3628.93;

 

(3)  Bulwell Forest LTP schemes:

  a further LTP contribution to the installation of a zebra crossing outside Top Valley Academy on Top Valley Drive at an estimated costs of £3,250.00;

 

(4)  Bulwell Forest Public Realm schemes:

  a further Public Realm contribution to the installation of a zebra crossing outside Top Valley Academy on Top Valley Drive at an estimated costs of £27,688.00.

 

50.

ISSUES RAISED BY COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES

Head of Highway and Energy Infrastructure to Respond.

Minutes:

Concerns were raised at a previous meeting of the Bulwell and Bulwell Forest Area Committee regarding the cost estimates of the Top Valley crossing. Community Representatives requested further information regarding the cost breakdown, how companies bid for such projects, and if there was any way to reduce the cost of this project. Chris Keane, Head of Highway and Energy Infrastructure, attended the meeting to briefly outline the costs of the project and answer questions from Committee members and Community Representatives.

 

(a)  the construction cost of the crossing is estimated to be significantly less than £70,000.00. The total figure also includes legal and statutory costs. The construction estimate is up to £40,000.00, which includes resurfacing, electrics, re-establishing verges, installing traffic calming measures leading up to the crossing to naturally slow traffic, and painting;

 

(b)  a high estimate is used, to ensure sufficient budget is available for potentially unforeseen costs, however after a detailed review of this particular project, it is highly likely that the actual construction costs will come in significantly less;

 

(c)  ongoing review can take place between Councillors and the Highways Team to ensure proper scrutiny of the spend on the project.

 

There followed a number of questions and comments from the Committee, and some further information was provided:

 

(d)  there are two nearby schools which will benefit from this crossing, and Councillors are happy to allocate funds to see it completed. Councillors regularly meet with colleagues and go through project costings in detail, as Councillors are ultimately accountable for the monies spent. Value for money will be assured;

 

(e)  recent media coverage has reported that some traffic calming measures can lead to increased pollution levels, and that the government is discussing banning and removing such measures. However, this applies to measures which alter the road surface, such as speed bumps, speed humps, speed cushions or speed tables, rather than buildouts – physical changes to the kerb line in order to make drivers consider the road more carefully before approaching a junction or crossing;

 

(f)  the estimated cost has reduced in this instance merely because increased scrutiny has taken place in advance of the project, at the request of the Committee. All projects receive a similar level of scrutiny, and most projects costs are reduced significantly, with funds decommitted accordingly, throughout each project;

 

(g)  contractors are selected from a pre-existing list called a framework. Having contractors ready on a framework agreement means that the Council can ensure contractors have appropriate insurance for working on the highway, and by tying ourselves in to a limited group of suppliers, the Council can ensure lower costs and greater value for money;

 

(h)  Chris Keane will discuss issues raised regarding the road layout near Lidl with Suki Shergill, to feed back to Councillors at a later date.

 

RESOLVED to thank Chris Keane for his update and note the contents.

51.

LOCAL POLICING UPDATE

Verbal update of crime statistics and Policing issues in the Area.

 

Minutes:

Sergeant Nev McGeehan of Nottinghamshire Police provided an update to the Committee of crime for the last 3 months versus the same 3 month period from the previous year, highlighting the following points:

 

(a)  total recorded crime are up by 8.24% and violent crime incidents have increased from 208 to 266, an increase of 27%;

 

(b)  burglaries are down from 50 to 45, a reduction of 10%, whilst robberies have increased from 11 to 18;

 

(c)  vehicle offences (mostly thefts from work vans and theft of motorcycles) is up considerably, from 48 to 101. This increase is reflected citywide and is a growing trend;

 

(d)  shoplifting is down by 32%, and criminal damage has increased from 103 to 112, an increase of 8%, which is reflective of the citywide picture;

 

(e)  there were 6 hate crime incidents, however no comparison can be made to previous years as figures are not available. One incident was a multiple-report incident.

 

There followed a number of questions and comments from the Committee, and Sergeant Nev McGeehan provided some further information:

 

(f)  knife crime is a very high profile issue and there are various schemes in local schools to discourage people from carrying knives. The chances of a random attack have not increased; recent incidents have been targeted or planned attacks. Education institutions all have their own policies on education, and they work with Nottinghamshire Police to educate and/or take further action such as prosecution. Unfortunately there has also been a need to include primary schools in the educational outreach on carrying weapons;

 

(g)  nuisance or scam calls are becoming more sophisticated and more difficult to avoid and detect. Nottinghamshire Police can investigate any particular phone numbers, and can also share alerts on social media if information on these calls is shared with them

 

RESOLVED to thank Sergeant Nev McGeehan for his update and note the contents.

52.

PARKS AND OPEN SPACES AREA INVESTMENT PLANS pdf icon PDF 211 KB

Report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Eddie Curry, Head of Parks and Open Spaces, presented a report to the Committee regarding the parks and open spaces area investments plans, highlighting the following points:

 

(a)  a framework was first produced in 2008, with a number of investment plans following over the years, with a citywide value of over £40,000,000. In the Bulwell and Bulwell Forest area, the plans included work to the water park, playgrounds, and flower meadows, removing the old pavilion in the Bulwell park playground, and the Ridge Adventure Playground;

 

(b)  the appendices to the report contains the new investment plan, which identifies priorities in the ward over the next 3 years. It is not a fixed list, but an aspirational project list, or a ward “wish list”. It will enable the Council to set out a clear work programme and help with seeking external funding. It will also serve as a starting point for the allocation of section 106 funds.

 

There followed some questions and comments from the Committee, and further information was provided:

 

(c)  although the costs seem low, the work cannot be completed internally within existing budgets. Historically, for every £1 from the Council spent on parks and open spaces, £11 has come from external funding.

 

RESOLVED to endorse the investment plan and thank Eddie Curry for the information.

53.

NOTTINGHAM OPEN SPACES FORUM (NOSF) pdf icon PDF 224 KB

Report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Martin Willis, Chair and Trustee of the Nottingham Open Spaces Forum (the Forum) and Tom Huggon, Trustee of the Forum, presented a report, highlighting the following points:

 

(a)  Nottingham City Council has become very successful at applying for grants and writing bids, but the funds are getting tighter and the competition is getting stiffer. For some funding streams the council is not allowed to bid, so the Nottingham Open Spaces Forum has been formed to help to develop and deliver more projects;

 

(b)  an upcoming issue will be the sustainable management of Nottingham’s open spaces, the Forum can support community groups and encourage new groups, and help them to apply for funding. It will act as a forum so that ideas can be shared and groups can learn from each other;

 

(c)  it has become necessary in light of increasing cuts to funding. It mobilises the community to help. The Forum needs to know from the local community how it can help to bring together all the community support, and how it can bring in volunteers for practical help.

 

There followed a number of questions and comments from the Committee, and some additional information was provided:

 

(d)  friends groups attached to some open spaces have gradually fallen away in recent years as they do not feel they have had support. Some groups have set objectives which once achieved the group disbands, some have difficulty attracting sufficient members. The Forum is a conscious effort to try and support friends groups and work alongside neighbourhood management teams and tenants associations to move forward;

 

(e)  the focus of the Forum is often driven by local residents and Councillors, there is no park or area that the Forum would not consider improvements or support for;

 

(f)  there may be the potential to form a link with careers or jobs services, for young people looking to gain some volunteer experience;

 

(g)  discussions will take place with Councillors regarding a possible commemorative plaque at Bulwell Forest as part of marking the centenary of the end of the First World War.

 

RESOLVED to note the contents of the report and endorse the work of the Nottingham Open Spaces Forum.

54.

NOTTINGHAM CITY HOMES AREA CLUSTER REPORT pdf icon PDF 293 KB

Report of the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cath Stocks, City Housing Manager for Nottingham City Homes (NCH), presented a report on feedback from Area Cluster reviews. The reviews present an opportunity for Councillors to have a bit more of an in-depth review of certain service areas, and the latest review focused on housing:

 

(a)  the review was carried out between September and October 2017 with all Councillors. For Bulwell and Bulwell Forest, NCH met with Councillors Eunice Campbell and Ginny Klein. A number of representatives from teams across NCH attended, in order to be able to answer the Councillors’ questions on a wide range of housing issues. The meeting was also beneficial to NCH colleagues, to meet the Councillors and feedback first hand;

 

(b)  the main concerns and queries related to repairs, universal credit rollout, and the management of estates (such as untidy gardens and alleyways). These concerns were fed into the NCH corporate plan, which will be coming into place in April 2017;

 

(c)  specific questions relating to Bulwell concerned a lack of provision of advice.

 

There followed a number of questions and comments from the Committee, and some additional information was provided:

 

(d)  some positive improvements are in progress, which will hopefully result in more joined up working between different teams, particularly repairs and maintenance, with an aim to roll-out multi-skilled colleagues so that issues can be fixed in a single visit;

 

(e)  internal systems are being developed, to minimise the number of issues seemingly “lost” in the system at present. Calls will be better documented and tracked to meet service standards;

 

(f)  integrated working between NCH and NCH tenants / owner occupiers / private tenants has been suggested, and resulted in the new Streetwatch Champions. This is a tangible positive step to come out of the review process. Any local residents can be involved, not just NCH tenants;

 

(g)  feedback from the Director of Construction, Repairs and Maintenance can be included in the NCH reports coming to Area Committees in future;

 

(h)  NCH is very pleased with the quality and number of some recent housing developments, and are the ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation) building the most new homes in the country.

 

RESOLVED to thank Cath Stocks for the report and note its contents.

55.

WARD PERFORMANCE REPORT pdf icon PDF 783 KB

Report of Director of Community Protection

Minutes:

Suki Shergill and Celia Knight, Neighbourhood Development Officers, presented a report on performance within the ward, with no discussion.

 

RESOLVED to note the contents of the report.

56.

BULWELL AND BULWELL FOREST WARD COUNCILLOR BUDGET REPORT pdf icon PDF 224 KB

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Minutes:

Suki Shergill and Celia Knight, Neighbourhood Development Officers, presented a report on ward Councillor budgets, with no discussion.

 

RESOLVED to note the actions agreed by the Director of Neighbourhood Services in respect of the following projects and schemes:

 

(1)  Bulwell ward schemes funded from the ward councillor budgets of Councillors John Hartshorne and Ginny Klein:

Carey road/St Albans feasibility study - £5,500.00;

 

(2)  Bulwell ward schemes funded from the ward councillor budgets of Councillors John Hartshorne, Ginny Klein and Jackie Morris:

  Nottingham Music Hub - £1,080.00;

Indoor Scouts group - £200.00;

Crabtree elderly Christmas dinner - £250.00;

 

(3)  Bulwell Forest ward schemes funded from the ward councillor budgets of councillors Cheryl Barnard, Eunice Campbell and Nick McDonald;

  Fun on Bulwell Forest - £990.00;

  Scout Group - £600.00;

  Army Cadets - £459.00;

  New Litter Bins - £1,870.00;

  Flymo for use on the Bowls Club - £365.00;

  Highbury Hospital Advent Calendar - £200.00;

  Chatham Court Christmas Tree - £200.00;

SouthgladeParkLive 2018 - £1,500.00.

57.

ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDA

The opportunity for Community Group Representatives to suggest topics for future agenda.

 

Minutes:

The Hate Crime Project Officer from Community Protection would like to talk at the next meeting of the Committee about hate crime and cohesion issues.

58.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

The opportunity for Community Groups and City Council Colleagues to inform the Committee of forthcoming events.

 

Minutes:

Community representatives, Nottingham City Council colleagues and area Councillors shared information on the following upcoming community events:

·  a quiz will be held 16 March at the Rise Park Community Centre to raise funds for Nottinghamshire Hospice. Call 01159550134 to enter a team;

·  8 March is International Women’s Day, and the students from Bulwell Academy will be holding an information event on Bulwell Market, with free tea, coffee and cake;

·  Churches Together in Bulwell will be holding an open air Easter service in Bulwell Market on Good Friday;

·  a production on dementia entitled “Lost in Memories” will be held on 7 April at Bulwell Academy;

·  the annual Jobs Fair is being held on Friday 9 March at Bulwell Riverside. Anyone is welcome to attend, regardless of their employment status;

·  on the first Saturday of each month, RideWise hold cycling lessons and “Dr Bike” will be in attendance to offer maintenance and repair services for people’s bikes;

·  the City Council’s budget consultation ends on 5 March. Comments are welcome online. £27m needs to be saved, with some difficult issues and difficult decisions to be made.

59.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

To note that the next meeting is provisionally scheduled for 20 June 2018 (subject to Annual Council Approval) at 5.30pm in Bulwell Riverside.

Minutes:

RESOLVED to note that the next meeting of the Bulwell and Bulwell Forest Area Committee is provisionally scheduled for 20 June 2018 (subject to Annual Council Approval) at 5.30pm in Bulwell Riverside.