Agenda for West Area Committee on Wednesday, 11th February, 2015, 5.30 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: LB 31-32 - Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham, NG2 3NG. View directions

Contact: Mark Leavesley 

Items
No. Item

34.

apologies for absence

Minutes:

Councillor Chapman  -  annual leave

Councillor Unczur  -  other Council business

Councillor Watson  -  personal

John Day    -  Nottingham City Homes (tenant representative)

Jeni Smith  -  Aspley / Bells Lane Partnership

35.

declarations of interests

If you need advice on declaring an interest, please contact the Governance Officer shown above, if possible before the day of the meeting

Minutes:

Councillor McCulloch declared an interest in agenda item 5 (minute 41), Area Jobs Plan, as a member of the Aspley / Bells Lane Partnership, which has received funding to provide services in the community. She stated that she did not consider this prevented her from taking part in discussion or from voting on the item.

36.

minutes pdf icon PDF 299 KB

Last meeting held on 3 December 2014 (for confirmation)

Minutes:

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 3 December 2014 as a correct record and they were signed by the Chair.

 

At this point, Mr Plant requested that his email to the Neighbourhood Development Officers, regarding the meeting held on 3 December 2014, received on 6 December 2014, be included in the minutes. The Chair agreed to record the emailed comments (as follows):

 

‘Can you please pass the following on to Councillor Carole McCulloch (Chair of the Committee) and Mark Leavesley (Governance Officer), as I have not got their contact details:

 

1.  I found the above meeting got very rushed at the back end as I believe too many people had been booked to speak, therefore the agenda for future meetings needs to be looked at in relationship to the times allotted for each subject / speaker, as it is not very fair to the speakers at the end.

 

2.  I believe the ‘estimated start date’ section in the LTP schemes report should either have a date shown or deleted as most are shown with ‘tbc’. I also feel there should be a column showing the completed costs so you can see any surplus or any additional costs required.

 

3.  I would also like to see a ‘future proposed spend’ for the ‘Delegated Authority Spend’ (by Councillors) as there seems to be a lot of ‘balance remaining’ which is to be ‘brought forward’ each year.

 

Regards

 

Vic Plant’

37.

Ward performance pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Minutes:

Sioban Campbell, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented a report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, which provided an update on key issues and themes in the wards, linked to local priorities and strategic themes in the Nottingham Plan 2020. The report provided summary updates on the following key themes:

 

·  Ward priorities;

·  Community engagement;

·  Finance;

·  Safer Nottingham - crime and anti-social behaviour;

·  Neighbourhood Nottingham – cleansing and Environmental issues;

·  Working Nottingham - unemployment rates;

·  Healthy Nottingham – local health priorities;

·  Housing;

·  Community Protection;

·  Fire.

 

Further to the report, Ms Campbell amended the following:

 

Page 18: Aspley Ward Finance - Ward Councillor Budget remaining should read £25,788.87.

 

Page 32: Bilborough Ward Finance – Ward Councillor Budget remaining should read £62,214.80.

 

RESOLVED to note the latest position in regard to ward performance against local priorities and strategic themes of the Nottingham Plan 2020.

38.

Area Capital Fund 2013-15 pdf icon PDF 250 KB

Minutes:

Sioban Campbell, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented a report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, detailing the latest spend proposals under the Area Capital Fund 2013-15, including highways and footpaths, and Nottingham City Homes (NCH) Environmental Improvement funding.

 

RESOLVED

 

(1)  to approve the following schemes:

 

Location

 

Scheme

 

Cost (£)

 

 

 

 

 

Aspley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amesbury Circus Wareham Close

)

)

TRO (parking)

)

)

6,000

Bells Lane 2

-

TRO (safety)

-

6,000

 

 

 

 

 

Bilborough

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staverton Road 2

-

crossings

-

10,000

 

 

 

 

 

Leen Valley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robins Wood Road

-

dropped kerbs

-

5,000

Southwold Drive 2

-

cycle route

-

17,000

St Margaret’s Avenue

-

foot path

-

42,342

Cheslyn Drive  Oakwood Drive

)

)

lining

)

)

1,000

 

(2)  to note the remaining unallocated Area Capital Fund 2013-15 and NCH Environmental Improvement monies of Aspley (£3,000), Bilborough (£643) and Leen Valley (£5,746).

39.

Delegated authority spend pdf icon PDF 262 KB

Reports of Director of Neighbourhood Services

Minutes:

Sioban Campbell, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented a report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, detailing completed and ongoing projects and schemes in the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley wards funded from Councillors’ individual delegated ward allocations.

 

RESOLVED to note the projects and schemes funded from ward Councillor delegated budgets, and the latest funding position, as follows:

 

Aspley Ward

?   

  (£)

 

 

 

Minver Crescent Sports Centre

-

3,376.16

TravelRight Halloween

-

400.00

Aspley Ward Tree Maintenance

-

5,000.00

 

 

 

Balance brought forward 2013/14

-

31,252.63

Allocation 2014/15

-

33,195.00

Total available 2014/15

-

64,447.63

Total allocated (at 30/09/15)

-

38,658.76

Total available (at 30/09/15)

-

25,788.87

 

 

 

Bilborough Ward

 

 

 

 

 

Trees Firbeck Park

-

3,000.00

Computer classes Bilborough Library

-

10,000.00

Bilborough Ward Tree Maintenance

-

5,000.00

2015 Bracebridge Drive Christmas lights and Event

-

30,000.00

 

 

 

Balance Brought forward 2013/14

-

155,041.00

Allocation 2014/15

-

30,336.00

Total available 2014/15

-

185,377.00

Total allocated (at 30/09/15)

-

123,162.20

Total available (at 30/09/15)

-

62,214.80

 

 

 

Leen Valley Ward

 

 

 

 

 

Youth and play Christmas activities

-

495.00

Local Issues Fund

-

1,500.00

Environmental Issues Fund

-

1,500.00

Venue for English classes for Roma community

-

297.00

 

 

 

Balance Brought forward 2013/14

-

53,761.00

Allocation 2014/15

-

10,000.00

Total available 2014/15

-

63,741.00

Total allocated (at 30/09/15)

-

15,454.24

Total available (at 30/09/15)

-

48,286.76

 

40.

Nottingham City Homes pdf icon PDF 377 KB

Chris Holloway, Tenancy and Estates Manager, to report

Minutes:

Further to minute 30 dated 3 December 2014, Chris Holloway, Nottingham City Homes, presented the report, detailing the latest position in West Area in regard to the Decent Homes Standard, the door and slate roof replacement programmes, regeneration and environmental schemes, key messages from the Tenant and Leasehold Congress and updates from Tenant’s and Resident’s Associations. The main points were as follows:

 

·  Denton Green, Broxtowe

 

The new build of 4 x one-bed bungalows is well under way and a completion date of April 2015 is expected.

 

·  Cranwell Road, Strelley

 

Project delayed due to a bat survey.

 

·  Keverne Court

 

Passenger lift replacement to commence by end of financial year.

 

·  Lindfield Road, Broxtowe


Work is ongoing for the creation of brick walls with a low level railing to sit on top, installing a single and double gate where necessary between numbers 177 and 252.

 

During discussion, Ward Councillors stated that NCH need to realise that 3-bed properties are not required in the Aspley area and more emphasis should be given to 1 and 2-bed dwellings instead.

 

RESOLVED to note the latest position in regard to Nottingham City Homes’ works and performance.

41.

area jobs plan pdf icon PDF 190 KB

Presentation by Danny Goodwin, Employment and Skills Officer

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report was presented by Nigel Jackson, Employment and Skills Manager, and Audrey Leach, Groundwork. The main points were as follows:

 

·  Nottingham City Council is committed to reducing unemployment and Groundwork is funded to co-ordinate employment and skills activity in West Area Wards. They engage with the local community to attempt to remove barriers which are causing unemployment;

 

·  there are 5 key priorities:

 

-  increase the employment rate of the working age population;

-  increase the number of adults with Level 2 Skills;

-  lead and deliver a community coordination strategy for employment and training;

-  incorporate financial inclusion, benefit and debt advice in provision;

-  deliver a programme of community recruitment and information events;

 

·  Groundwork work with partners to engage those in the community who are the hardest to reach. They work on 3 key areas - work ethics, English and maths skills and work experience;

 

·  West Area has a diverse range of residents and is one of the most deprived areas in the city;

 

·  work is ongoing with local schools to ensure that support is being offered to young people and that employability is on the school’s agenda;

 

·  help is being provided to local smaller communities (such as to the Kurdish community in Area 5) to assist in increasing their employability;

 

·  self-referral is now permitted to allow more people to enter the programme, with 21 new starters in the last 6 months;

 

·  the programme is placing a high focus on literacy and numeracy skills as those are considered most important by prospective employers;

 

·  the Jobs Plan is area-focussed so includes all agencies, not just Groundwork..

 

RESOLVED to note the actions in the plan and thank Mr Jackson and Ms Leach for the informative presentation.

42.

'fit in the community' project pdf icon PDF 8 MB

Presentation by Martin Barradell, Community Sport Officer

Minutes:

Siobhan Reilly (Project Development Officer) presented the report. The main points were as follows:

 

·  Fit in the Community is a three year sports project which is being run between Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Homes (NCH);

 

·  the aim of the project is to get 5,500 social housing tenants more active. This has been broken down into 3 age groups - 14-24, 25-59 and 60+;

 

·  the project is looking at making sports in the community more accessible and to provide potential users with training and support;

 

·  NCH staff, neighbourhood police, community groups and champions all help to engage and identify potential users. The sessions which are offered are free and NCH tenants can also access volunteering opportunities in a wide range of training, including first aid, disability awareness and safeguarding;

 

·  to date, almost 1,000 tenants and city residents have taken part in the project;

 

·  the next steps are to:

 

-  increase participation by women and girls, linking to the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign;

-  continue to build the community workforce and to develop casual community coaches and community volunteers;

-  work with Activity Co-ordinators to develop the offer within independent living schemes;

-  continue effective working with existing partners and continue to develop relationships with new ones.

 

In response to questions from the committee, the following additional information was provided:

 

·  NCH provide the statistics, including residency details, so monitoring of where users live can be undertaken;

 

·  the project was trialled in Aspley and St Ann’s and work is undertaken in each ward for 4 weeks at a time. Officers are looking at extending the scheme across the whole city;

 

·  residents who do not live in an NCH property are also targeted by officers;

 

·  Community Champions are used to promote local activities and sessions and details are included in the NCH newsletter;

 

·  groups that already exist and meet are approached, in order for members to be signposted to relevant activities;

 

·  a webpage is available for ‘Fit in the Community’, through the NCH website, which allows users to find activities local to them;

 

·  TV adverts are helping to promote sports. However, advertising needs to be more ‘local level’ and it needs to be relevant for the audience it is aimed at.

 

RESOLVED to note the report and thank Ms Reilly for the informative presentation.

43.

Nottingham City Services pdf icon PDF 731 KB

ChidiEgenti, Neighbourhood Operations Manager

Minutes:

The Committee received a presentation by Heidi May, North Locality Manager (Neighbourhood Services), regarding the work of City Services, which includes services such as street cleaning, bin collections and graffiti removal. The main points were as follows:

 

·  90% of reported fly tipping, graffiti and dog fouling was cleared within 48 hours and every street in the city is included in a 12-month cycle of inspection;

 

·  the cleansing index scores for January 2015 were - Aspley 87%, Bilborough 88% and Leen Valley 88%;

 

·  there was now a more flexible workforce, which meant that issues got resolved quicker. Partnership working has also led to quicker resolutions;

 

·  challenges to productivity are bins wrongly presented, dog fouling, fly tipping etc and the public need educating to change behaviours;

 

·  proposals for 2015 include a bin sensor pilot for Aspley, new ways of working to improve productivity, moving apprentices into full time vacancies and income generation.

 

RESOLVEDthat the thanks of the Committee to Ms May for the informative presentation be recorded.

44.

Bulky waste services pdf icon PDF 3 MB

Ryan Oliff, Waste and Recycling Team Leader

Minutes:

The Committee received a presentation by Ryan Oliff, Waste and Recycling Team Leader, regarding the work of the Bulky Waste Service, which includes bin and skip collections. The main points were as follows:

 

·  in 2014, the service emptied over 7 million bins, collected 50,000+ bulky waste jobs, delivered 7,500 new or replacement bins and removed 1,500 abandoned bins;

 

·  ‘bulky waste’ is classed as household items that are too big for the normal bin, and the service will also collect ‘white goods’ and electrical items (by appointment only);

 

·  the service is in different areas of the city each day, with West area being on a Wednesday, and is free for city residents;

 

·  the waste collected is taken to Wastecycle, Colwick, where it gets sorted and recycled etc.

 

RESOLVEDthat the thanks of the Committee to Mr Oliff for the informative presentation be recorded.

45.

Nottingham City Homes pdf icon PDF 43 KB

Chris Holloway, Tenancy and Estates Manager

Minutes:

The Committee received a presentation by Chris Holloway, Nottingham City Homes (NCH), regarding the work they undertook to meet the ‘Neighbourhood Nottingham’ theme of the Nottingham Plan 2020. The main points were as follows:

 

·  what is working well:

 

-  partnership arrangements;

-  strict enforcement (fly tipping, graffiti etc);

-  Responsible Tenant Reward;

-  skips (hire, collection etc);

 

·  challenges:

 

-  Welfare Reform and the current economic downturn;

-  disputed ownership;

-  available resources;

-  staff turnover and vacancies;

 

·  plans for 2015 include:

 

-  a move from the ‘Decent Homes Standard’ to a ‘Decent Neighbourhoods’ programme;

-  improving Green Spaces (such as Munford Circus);

-  creating dementia-friendly gardens and public spaces;

-  creating new allotments and ‘grow your own’ opportunities.

 

RESOLVEDthat the thanks of the Committee to Mr Holloway for the informative presentation be recorded.

46.

Community Protection Services pdf icon PDF 475 KB

John Davis, North Operations Manager

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a presentation by John Davis, North Locality Manager (Community Protection), regarding the service. The main points were as follows:

 

·  Community Protection is a nationally unique service created to tackle ASB and enviro-crime;

 

·  the service includes:

 

o  100 Community Protection Officers and 30 auxiliary CPOs - providing a visible presence in neighbourhoods;

o  Enforcement Officers – investigate serious ASB and enviro-crime, provide witness care and compile court cases (and attend as a professional witness if required);

o  Environmental Health – deal with issues such as housing standards, pest control, dog wardens and pollution control;

o  Trading Standards – customer protection providers;

o  Food Safety – ensure all food sold in the City is safe to eat and provide a food hygiene rating of businesses;

o  Parking Services – Civil Enforcement Officers (parking wardens) enforce yellow lines, zig-zags, parking meters etc;

o  CCTV - monitoring of 203 street cameras and 1,000 high-rise flats cameras (also monitor flats’ fire alarms and door-entry systems);

o  taxi licensing for all hackney carriage and private hire taxis in the City (including enforcement and customer complaints).

 

RESOLVEDthat the thanks of the Committee to Mr Davis for the informative presentation be recorded.