Agenda and minutes

Councillor Wendy Smith – personal

Councillor Marcia Watson – work commitments

Councillor Malcolm Wood – personal.

Christine Willetts

Mervin Goring

None.

Last meeting held on 13 September 2017 (for confirmation)

The minutes of the meeting held on 13 September 2017 were agreed as a true record and they were signed by the Chair.

Community Representatives to report

No items were reported to the meeting.

Presentation by Karla Banfield, Market Strategy and Development Manager

Karla Banfield, Market and Business Partnership Manager, gave a presentation on the new Local Information Online Nottingham (LiON) community Directory, highlighting the following:

(a)  LiON was designed to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for finding activities and support in local areas. The City Council workforce will be using the Directory before it is rolled out to the general public;

(b)  LiON replaced 5 separate online directories, and the information on it will build organically over time;

(c)  in the medium term, an ‘app’ product will be developed for use on mobile devices, and information will be increasingly offered through video rather than written word, in keeping with current social media trends;

(d)  in the longer term, LiON will be a citizen hub, helping citizens make healthy life choices and knowledgeable about services on offer.

During the brief discussion which followed, Mrs Banfield explained that the City Council had resource available to assist third sector groups upload, maintain and vet the information available through the network. She also undertook to provide the link to download the LiON app – this is attached below:

https://www.asklion.co.uk/kb5/nottingham/directory/home.page

RESOLVED to thank Mrs Banfield for her presentation.

Verbal Update

Inspector Gordon Fenwick, Nottinghamshire Police, provided an update on policing issues in West Area, highlighting the following issues:

(a)  recent changes to crime reporting have led to a sharp increase in recorded crime. While the statistics are skewed, there are nonetheless increases in thefts from vehicles and sheds, burglary and thefts of bicycles;

(b)  Nottinghamshire Police is working closely with other agencies and the landlord to shut down and evict a household believed to be responsible for significant levels of crime and anti-social behaviour in the area;

(c)  the Police is active in addressing crime hotspots, including Chalfont Drive and St Martin’s Complex, and is hopeful of securing convictions by Christmas 2017;

(d)  anti-social behaviour levels around the November 5 Bonfire celebrations were not significant;

(e)  previous significant anti-social behaviour levels on Bells Lane have also eased.

The following points were made during discussion:

(f)  Inspector Fenwick confirmed that Nottinghamshire Police worked with social landlords, including Nottingham City Homes, to evict those responsible for crime and anti-social behaviour. However, enforcement agencies had to be mindful of outcomes for the dependents of perpetrators;

(g)  a councillor expressed concern about the current shift of balance in resourcing and prioritising between cybercrime and neighbourhood policing. The impact of thefts and burglaries on communities was greater than cybercrime, in his view. He requested that a letter on behalf of the Area Committee be sent to the Chief Constable, Nottinghamshire Police, copied to the Police and Crime Commissioner and City Council Leader, highlighting this issue;

(h)  Inspector Fenwick advised that his Team did get involved with cyber-bullying. However, the Team had neither training nor expertise in cybercrime and that the resources at his disposal were not being diverted to tackle it. Citizens worried about fraud should contact the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau in the first instance.

Note: at the end of the meeting, Maria Summers, Senior Community Protection Officer, provided a brief update on community protection activity in the Area, highlighting the following:

(i)  the Team has achieved 2,000 hours of patrol time, with a cohort of 11 officers (the current establishment is 12 officers);

(j)  the Team is engaged in a variety of prevention and enforcement activity, including providing and installing shed burglary alarms, tackling dog fouling and dispersing nuisance groups gathering in both public and private spaces.

RESOLVED to

(1)  thank Inspector Fenwick for his update;

(2)  request Lylse-Anne Renwick, Neighbourhood Development Officer, to draft a letter on behalf of the Committee, raising concerns about shifting resources and priorities away from neighbourhood policing.

Report of 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 works;

Area regeneration and environmental issues,

key messages from Tenant and Leasehold Congress;

Tenant an Residents Associations updates;

Area performance, and

Good news stories and positive publicity.

The following issues were raised during discussion:

(a)  crime and anti-social behaviour issues continued to be dealt with robustly. The main issue has been overgrown hedges, but NCH was taking a less robust approach given the unseasonally mild weather extending the growth season;

(b)  performance in respect of repairs and voids continued to be strong, and Pocket Park is in line for a Britain in Bloom award;

(c)  Dan Pickard, housing Patch Manager at Aspley, is on secondment to the Bestwood office until March 2019, and Mr Murden is currently recruiting to his post;

(d)  Mr Murden confirmed that the NCH Cladding Team contacted every property in wards where cladding work was being undertaken, offering the services to all home owners. Mr Murden undertook to advise when the Cladding Team was scheduled to conduct installations in the Leen valley ward.

RESOLVED to note the updates and performance information at appendices 1 and 2, and to note that no approvals were requested on this occasion.

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services

The Committee noted the progress on ward priorities. In response to a councillor’s question, Liam Searle, Neighbourhood Development Officer, undertook check whether the free health checks available those aged over 65 under the Healthy Nottingham priority might be available for younger age groups.

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services

RESOLVED to:

(1)  note the Area Capital Funds available to Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley wards at Appendix 1 to the report;

(2)  approve the following scheme, tabled at the meeting:

  Bilborough Public Realm Scheme:

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services

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, detailed in the report.