Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Carole McCulloch as Chair of West Area Committee for the 2017/18 municipal year.

RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Mohammed Saghir as Vice-Chair of West Area Committee for the 2017/18 municipal year.

Inspector Fenwick

Kay Francis

Rob Gabbitas

Jenny Smith

None.

Last meeting held on 15 February 2017 (for confirmation)

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 February 2017 were agreed as a true record and they were signed by the Chair.

Community representatives to report

Christine Willetts, Nottingham Tartanaires/Aspley Partnership, thanked the Committee for its contribution to securing a new minibus. She also advised that the Tartanaires were available to attend local weekend events held on Saturdays, but had competitions and other commitments on Sundays.

Verbal update on local policing issues

Sergeant Ian Johnson, Nottinghamshire Police, provided an update on policing issues in West Area, highlighting the following issues:

(a)  Nottinghamshire Police is starting a round of recruitment, and the Area may temporarily lose a PCSO if they are successful in being appointed as a Police Officer;

(b)  Her Majesty Inspectorate of Constabulary has changed crime reporting procedures, making comparisons with historical data less easy. However, anti-social behaviour is down considerably in all 3 wards, in part as a result of good partnership and youth working;

(c)  targeted interventions at Tenbury Crescent (letter drop) and Broxtowe Country Park (CCTV) have had positive outcomes, and officers will respond to local intelligence to disrupt anti-social activity through disrupting gathering points of those involved;

(d)  there is a an ongoing issue with the misuse of off-road bikes, but there is a difficulty in identifying individuals involved.

During discussion, it was explained that bikes bought by Area Committee on behalf of Nottinghamshire Police had been disposed of some years ago. It was also confirmed that there were no identified pattern to reported hate crime in West Area, and that monitoring was ongoing.

RESOLVED to note the update.

Report of Corporate Director, Commercial and Operations

James Tilford, Park Development Officer and Alastair Glenn, Green Space Activation Ranger (GSAR), introduced a report and presentation on work at Broxtowe Country Park since Alastair’s recruitment to his post in the summer of 2016, highlighting the following points:

(a)  the GSAR has worked with over 1,100 pupils from local schools, including Glenbrook, Horsendale, Bluecoat Academy and Djanogly Strelley Academy, as well as working with local community and youth groups;

(b)  there has been a lot of effort in establishing and building a variety of volunteers groups, engaging with Experian an the Prince’s Trust, among others, to support a volunteer network. A Melbourne Friends group is established, and a Friends group for the Country Park is in progress;

(c)  a wide range of activities in addition to core summer events have been delivered, including den-building, bat walks, scavenger hunts, bird box making, cook-outs and lantern making. Upcoming events include dog agility, Parkour and the possibility of bike trails and exercise equipment;

(d)  motorbike misuse, fly-tipping and vandalism remain significant issues for the Park, and will require significant and ongoing input by a range of partners to improve matters.

The Committee commended Mr Glenn for his very positive impact during his first year in post, and especially welcomed the expansion of the ‘offer’ at the Country Park and other open spaces in West Area.

RESOLVED to note the report and presentation, and to thank Mr Tilford and Mr Glenn for their attendance.

Report of Corporate Director, Children and Adults

RESOLVED to defer the item until the Committee’s September 2017 meeting.

Report of the Chief Executive, Nottingham City Homes

Kristian Murden, Tenancy and Estates Manager, Nottingham City Homes, introduced a report of the Chief Executive, Nottingham City Homes, requesting approval for Area Capital funding, and providing updates on the following key themes:

·  Capital programme and major work;

·  Area regeneration and environmental issues;

·  Key messages from the Tenant and Leasehold Congress;

·  Tenant and Residents Associations updates;

·  Area performance; and

·  Good news stories and positive publicity.

The following issues were raised during discussion:

(a)  Mr Murden undertook to provide information on procedures for ‘sell-back’ of homes to the City Council, though he advised that historically NCH tended to value at less than the value on the open market;

(b)  Mr Murden explained that demand for independent living schemes ebbed and flowed, meaning that it was not always possible to meet void re-let times for this type of property;

(c)  several councillors expressed concern that the current NCH tenancy office presence on Harvey Road was under-advertised and difficult to get to on public transport from other parts of West Area, especially for the elderly. The Chair undertook to contact Mr Nick Murphy, NCH Chief Executive, about the issue.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  note the updates and performance information at appendices 1 and 2 of the report;

(2)  note the allocation of funds as follows:

(3)  to approve the following request:

Report of Corporate Director, Commercial and Operations

Liam Searle, Neighbourhood Development Officer, introduced the report detailing the current priorities and issues facing the three wards within the West Area, providing details of forthcoming events and activities, and highlighting the latest issues being addressed through the Neighbourhood Action Team meetings.

RESOLVED to note:

(1)  the progress on ward priorities and other supporting information, including the issues being addressed through Neighbourhood Action Team meetings, as detailed in appendices 1-3 of the report;

(2)  the current performance data, as detailed at Appendix 4 to the report.

Report of Corporate Director, Commercial and Operations

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the Area Capital Fund schemes for 2016/17 and allocations for 2017/18, as detailed at Appendix 1 to the report;

(2)  approve the following schemes:

Aspley LTP Scheme:

Aspley Public Realm Scheme:

Bilborough LTP Scheme:

Leen Valley LTP Schemes:

Leen Valley Public Realm Schemes:

Report of Corporate Director, Commercial and Operations

RESOLVED to note the actions agreed by the Director of Neighbourhood Services in respect of projects and schemes within the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley wards for 2016/17 and 2017/18 as follows:

(1)  Aspley 2016/17:(Councillors Graham Chapman, Patience Uloma Ifediora, and Carole McCulloch):

Aspley 2017/18: (Councillors Graham Chapman, Patience Uloma Ifediors, and Carole McCulloch):

(2)  Bilborough 2016/17: (Councillors Wendy Smith, Marcia Watson, and Malcolm Wood:

Bilborough 2017/18: (Councillors Wendy Smith, Marcia Watson, and Malcolm Wood:

(3)  Leen Valley 2016/17:(Councillors Glyn Jenkins and Mohammed Saghir):

Leen Valley 2017/18 (Councillors Glyn Jenkins and Mohammed Saghir):

 (4)  note the allocation of £5,000 for each ward councillor for the 2017/18 municipal year.

To agree to meet on the following dates:

2017:  2018:

13 September   14 February

15 November

RESOLVED to meet on the following dates at 5.30pm in Loxley House:

2017:  2018:

13 September  14 February

15 November