Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED to:

(1)  appoint Councillor Graham Chapman as Chair of the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Area Committee for the current municipal year (May 2019 to April 2020);

(2)  appoint Councillor Audrey Dinnall as Vice Chair of the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Area Committee for the current municipal year (May 2019 to April 2020).

None.

In relation to item 8, in the interests of transparency, Councillor Carole McCulloch stated that she is an employee of the Aspley Partnership, which is one of the 2019/2020 Partnership Members.

Minutes of the meeting held on 13 March 2019, for confirmation

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 13 March 2019 as a correct record and they were signed by the Chair.

Area update

Inspector Gordon Fenwick, of Nottinghamshire Police, gave a verbal report on Policing issues and the crime statistics in the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Wards. The following points were discussed:

(a)  within the policing area covering the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Wards, the latest figures showed a 14% reduction in crime, with 212 crimes recorded. This represents the greatest decrease in crime across all of the City policing areas for the period. However, some firearms discharges occurred, with two notable incidents in Bilborough, which were responded to swiftly. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. These cases are being investigated and arrests have been made;

(b)  crime has decreased by 23% in the Aspley Ward, with reductions in the number of robberies, burglaries, thefts, vehicle offences and criminal damage recorded. However, six further hate incidents were reported – primarily from one individual – and these are being investigated. A budget is being sought to bring the CCTV at Broxtowe Country Park back into operation;

(c)  crime has decreased by 2% in the Bilborough Ward, with reductions in the number of robberies, burglaries, thefts, vehicle offences and criminal damage recorded, and a 33% reduction in anti-social behaviour;

(d)  crime has decreased by 33% in the Leen Valley Ward, with no robberies and 73% fewer burglaries, and additional reductions in thefts, vehicle offences and criminal damage recorded. Unfortunately, there have been 24 more incidents of anti-social behaviour, which were mainly noise complaints and neighbour disputes. Community Protection is now engaging with the people involved to achieve a resolution;

(e)  a Schools Liaison Officer is starting in September to engage with secondary schools to carry out intervention and criminal justice work, to help children avoid being drawn into gangs and associated crime;

(f)  the Nottinghamshire Mini Police pilot scheme was established at three schools, aimed at 9 to 11-year-old primary school children, with a focus on the contribution young people can make to their communities, and how to improve the relationship between the police and these communities. The scheme will be rolled out further from September. Police visitors will work with twenty children on topics such as water safety, healthy relationships, online safety and bullying, cybercrime and investigating crimes. The children will be able to join police at community events and traffic enforcement outside of their school, and visit police departments, including the control room and the police dog team.

Area update

Maria Summers, Senior Community Protection Officer, gave a verbal report on the latest Community Protection priorities and issues for the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Wards. The following points were discussed:

(a)  the main priorities in the Aspley Ward are addressing rubbish, littering, fly tipping, youth anti-social behaviour and dog fouling. Recent investigations into incidents of fly tipping have resulted in two prosecutions. Community Protection is working with the police to tackle instances of off-road motorbiking in Broxtowe Country Park. Twelve Community Protection notices have been issued, relating to noise, barking dogs and overgrown gardens, and work is underway to address these issues with Community Engagement;

(b)  in the Bilborough Ward, two Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for dogs off leads, while nineteen Notices were issued for fly tipping. Community Protection is assisting the Police with high-visibility patrols. A ‘Big Spring Clean’ and litter-picking scheme took place on 5 June with Councillors, the Neighbourhood Development Officer and Operations Manager, and two local schools. Community Protection is working with other Council teams on parking issues and hosted a successful Easter event at the local library;

(c)  in the Leen Valley Ward, the focus has been on rubbish, littering and youth anti-social behaviour. A recently appointed Community Protection Officer covers the ward and has investigated 44 fly-tipping incidents, issuing eight Fixed Penalty Notices. Work is underway with businesses along the Nuthall Road to address issues relating to trade waste and parking complaints. Visible anti-social behaviour patrols are also in place;

(d)  where appropriate, any Community Protection issues concerning Council tenants are referred to Nottingham City Homes.

Project update

Mark Jenkins, Team Leader for Highway Asset Management, and Robert Adkin, Senior Project Manager for Major Projects, gave a presentation on the Blue Green Infrastructure Project Proposals for the River Leen and Day Brook, as an update to a previous report presented to the Committee in December 2018. The following points were discussed:

(a)  the last major flooding of these rivers was in 2013 and the current project is designed to protect against large storm events. Further detail design work has been carried out to ensure that the Day Brook scheme can be delivered in a cost-effective way. The privately-owned Jubilee Ponds will be refurbished to create extra water storage. At the Valley Road Park and Jason Spencer Sports Ground, the proposals are to re-naturalise the watercourse to reconnect it to the floodplain, with a football pitch at the Park relocated to the Sports Ground. The re-introduction of meanders and improvements to pumping stations and weirs should slow down the flow of the river and reduce the risk of flooding. The design stage is progressing well for a cost-effective delivery by December;

(b)  analysis has been carried out for the River Leen area, which needs a more heavily engineered solution with restricted space for floodwater storage, and requires the buy-in of three different landowners. At present, the project would require an additional £10million, so it is not deliverable, currently. In addition, the extent of contamination on the PZ Cussons and Bobbers Mill site is unknown and the extent of landowner compensation has not been calculated. Given that the River Leen catchment is larger than the City boundaries, a strategic partnership is being explored with Nottinghamshire County Council, Severn Trent and the Environment Agency;

(c)  it was noted that, due to the ward boundary changes that came into effect on 2 May, the Cussons site is now located in the Hyson Green & Arboretum Ward. Given the contaminated nature of the site (due to industrial activity) and the risk from flooding, consideration is needed on how a viable future development of the site can be facilitated.

Area update

Amy Palmer and Jo Phelan, of Groundwork Greater Nottingham, gave a presentation on the community grants delivered. The following points were discussed:

(a)  the grants are delivered through four streams: Youth & Play (to provide universal, year round activities and services), Employment & Skills (prioritising support for female returners to work and unemployed people over 30), Support for Older People (to reduce isolation and loneliness in citizens aged over 55), and Voluntary and Community Sector Support (to offer advice and support to smaller voluntary and community support organisations and groups to enable them to offer good quality service and activities to citizens);

(b)  a wide range of activities are offered across the wards and venues are chosen to make sure that people do not need to travel far to attend them, and travel support is offered to older and less mobile citizens. Additional operational and funding support to smaller voluntary and community sector support organisations is provided through Evolve Nottingham and NCVS.

The Chair encouraged the Lead Organisation to provide advertisement flyers to councillors, so that they could circulate them within their wards. He felt that it was important for the Committee to know how events were advertised and how many people attended them, and he hoped that Groundwork Greater Nottingham would attend future Area Committee meetings to present its quarterly reports.

Report of the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes

Kristian Murden, Tenancy and Estate Manager at Nottingham City Homes (NCH), presented an update on the key issues and themes related to the local priorities and wider housing strategy for the area. The following points were discussed:

(a)  a number of properties are being upgraded and a Citywide ‘Big Spring Clean’ will take place from 14 June, with a focus on prime areas for fly tipping and rubbish dumping. Previous instances of this scheme have been very successful. Recent performance has been strong and there are close relationships with Community Protection and the Police on acting upon any issues that are enforceable relating to NCH tenancies;

(b)  the current funding allocations are lower than the previous figures due to less funding being carried over from one year to the next. A breakdown of spending on each area for the second quarter will be available, shortly;

(c)  the ongoing street/block champions scheme has been positive, with participants able to engage with NCH and their communities to enable swift and effective responses to issues. It was felt by the Committee that there is an opportunity to raise the profile of this scheme and those like it to help more people engage with their communities. In addition, the Tenant Academy offers a wide range of practical courses for tenants, including support to first-time tenants on managing their first tenancy.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  note the Nottingham City Homes update and performance information, and the allocation of funds for 2018/19;

(2)  approve the Nottingham City Homes environmental funding amounts.

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Liam Searle, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented a report on the appointment of five Community Representatives for the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Wards.

RESOLVED to note the appointment of one Community Representative for the Aspley Ward, two Community Representatives for the Bilborough Ward and two Community Representatives for the Leen Valley Ward.

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Debbie Royle, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented a report on the priorities and issues facing the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Wards at the end of the 2018/19 municipal year, and on upcoming events and activities in the wards.  These reports will be updated for the next Committee meeting with the Ward Pledges, Respect priorities and other issues.

RESOLVED to note the progress on meeting the Ward Priorities, including the issues being addressed by each Neighbourhood Action Team, and the upcoming opportunities for citizens to engage.

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Iffat Iqbal, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented a report on the use of delegated authority by the Director of Neighbourhood Services for projects funded by Ward Councillor Budgets for the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Wards in the final quarter of the 2018/19 municipal year. The Chair encouraged councillors to manage the new ward budgets actively, as they are important assets for local communities.

RESOLVED to note the spending agreed by the Director of Neighbourhood Services for projects and schemes in the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Wards.

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Iffat Iqbal, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented a summary report of the spending proposals under the Area Capital Fund in the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Wards for the 2018/19 municipal year.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  note the Area Capital funds available to the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Wards;

(2)  approve two Public Realm schemes in the Aspley Ward (affecting Lindfield Road and Minver Crescent) at a total cost of £34,935.

For discussion

RESOLVED to meet on the following dates:

·  Wednesday 2 October at 5:30pm

·  Wednesday 8 January at 5:30pm

·  Wednesday 1 April at 5:30pm