Agenda for Dales, Mapperley and St Ann's Area Committee on Tuesday, 3rd September, 2019, 6.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: St Ann's Joint Service Centre - St Anns Valley Centre. View directions

Contact: Kate Morris, Governance Officer  Email: kate.morris2@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

14.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Councillor Sue Johnson  -  unwell

15.

Declarations of Interests

Minutes:

None.

16.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 397 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held 18 June 2019

Minutes:

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 18 June 2019 as a correct record and they were signed by the Chair, subject to the following amendments:

 

(a)  under ‘Membership’, Councillor Rosemary Healy is recorded as ‘Absent’;

 

(b)  under item 2, the resolution “RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Neghat Khan as Vice Chair for the municipal year 2019/20” is added.

17.

Issues and Good News

Verbal updates from Community Representatives

Minutes:

Community Representatives gave a verbal report on recent news from the Dales, Mapperley and St Ann’s Wards. The following points were discussed:

 

(a)  the Sneinton Tenants Outreach Programme’s community garden has won a Green Flag Award, in addition to the best community group award given earlier in the year, while the Backlit Gallery is working on various applications to secure funding for community education initiatives;

 

(b)  the Committee felt that it would be beneficial for communities to have their good news stores shared more widely by the Council’s Communications team. It encouraged councillors and officers to seek further Community Representatives were possible, as only half of the available positions are filled, currently.

18.

Ward Performance Reports pdf icon PDF 213 KB

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Greg Foister, Michelle Graley and Lysle-Anne Renwick, Neighbourhood Development Officers, presented a report on the current priorities and issues facing the Dales, Mapperley and St Ann’s Wards, the upcoming ward events and activities, and the latest issues being addressed at the regular Neighbourhood Action Team (NAT) meetings. The following points were discussed:

 

(a)  the Dales Ward councillors and officers have an ongoing commitment to be available to citizens, and a number of meetings are held in the community. The second phase of the Greenway Park improvement is moving forward and a scheme of bulb-planting has been planned. Following the death of Ken Williams – a previous ward councillor – a memorial bench will be installed in Windmill Park. A Christmas fair is being planned and the Christmas lights will be switched on at an event on 4 December;

 

(b)  the NAT has agreed hotspots for the targeting of parking and speeding issues by enforcement teams. £34,000 is to be invested in preventing bad parking at junctions and for the introduction of resident parking schemes, and £60,000 is being invested in the Phase 2 road improvement works on Lancaster Road;

 

(c)  there are current issues with littering in the area and discussions are underway with the relevant Council team, while a community litter-pick has been planned. Littering from cars that have visited food takeaways is a significant issue and some local councils have introduced by-laws so that fines can be levied against the car owner, to avoid the need to prove littering on the part of a given occupant of the car. The NAT continues to focus on tackling fly-tipping and dog-fouling, and is focusing on engagement with persistent offenders;

 

(d)  the Committee felt that weed growth has been a problem in the area for a number of years and, as the treatment of weeds has been brought in-house, a report should be produced to set out the lessons learned and how the weed treatment regime will be improved, going forward. It also recommended that the use of glyphosate weed-killer by the Council was reviewed and possible alternatives considered if appropriate, due to the banning of the substance for use in some countries;

 

(e)  work is continuing with the emerging communities along Westwood Road. Councillor Neghat Khan is exploring vocational skills and training with the community as Portfolio Holder for Early Years, Education and Employment, and an educational campaign to address fly-tipping and littering is underway;

 

(f)  the Police have been carrying out an operation over the last three months to combat street drinking in the Mapperley Ward, though may offenders appear to be passing through the ward, travelling from one part of the City to another. Nottingham City Homes has designed a new build for the Wells Community Centre within budget, where the existing foundations will be re-used for a more lightweight structure. The project is proceeding on the basis of a 19-week build period, but the timetable could be subject to change. There will be a focus  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

19.

Area Policing Update

Inspector James Walker, Nottinghamshire Police

Minutes:

Inspector James Walker, of Nottingham Police, gave a verbal report on Policing issues and the crime statistics in the Dales, Mapperley and St Ann’s Wards. The following points were discussed:

 

(a)  the current statistics are based on the figures for the period from 1 April to 26 August 2019, compared against the same period in the previous year. On these terms, overall crime figures increased by 14.3% in the St Ann’s Ward, decreased by 11.7% in the Mapperley Ward, and remained level in the Dales Ward, in relation to a very slight decline of 1.9% in crime overall across the city;

 

(b)  the Committee noted that as the percentage change in crime levels is measured against the same period of the previous year, rather than relative to crime levels during the year to date, this can sometimes produce unusual results that appear alarming if viewed out of context. It asked whether the statistics could be presented to show trends in crime during the current year, rather than as a comparison to the same period in the previous year;

 

(c)  St Ann’s Ward has seen an increase in non-residential burglary relative to the same period last year, and two arrests have been made. Two warrants were issued and six arrests made in relation to serious drugs offences. Although shop and bicycle thefts have also increased in the ward, the overall picture for tackling crime is good. Police Cadets will be meeting at the St Ann’s Police Station for a community engagement day and work is underway to find them a permanent base within the ward;

 

(d)  the Committee noted that Victoria Centre is part of the St Ann’s Ward and more people are now living in the area but, in policing terms, its falls within the City Centre area, so its statistics are not included within the report. It requested that the crime statistics for the full extent of the St Ann’s Ward is be included in future updates if possible, even though the ward is covered by two policing areas;

 

(e)  burglaries increased in the Dales Ward by 27%, which represents nine more non-residential offences than in the 2018 period, but an offender has been charged and sentenced. Burglaries in the Mapperley Ward have decreased. Vehicles offences have reduced in general, but there has been a spike in the theft of catalytic converters from vehicles in the Dales Ward, particularly around Colwick Park;

 

(f)  funding from Operation Scorpion is being allocated to the Dales Ward to combat instances of knife-related crime, with increased patrols and policing strategies in place to identify and catch perpetrators, and to offer reassurance and protection to local communities.

20.

Area Committee Review

Portfolio Holder for Communities

Minutes:

The Committee noted that the Area Committee Review update had been deferred until the next meeting, on 3 December 2019.

21.

Nottingham City Homes Report pdf icon PDF 229 KB

Report of the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Luke Walters, Area Housing 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)  NCH is reviewing how its statistics are presented currently in the area report to Area Committees and how this information could be shown in a more digestible way. Following good work with the Police and Community Protection, the recent resident survey on tackling anti-social behaviour showed satisfaction at 92.3%, which is above target;

 

(b)  the fencing schemes at Bellevue Court and Shelford Rise are now complete and new house building is ongoing at West Walk, with planning permission now being sought for the next phases. The passenger lift replacement programme at the Victorian Centre should be completed by March 2020, though repairs to the bin chute are proving problematic due to access issues. Discussions are underway with Intu on ways to reduce unauthorised access to the residents’ roof garden;

 

(c)  following evaluation of the tender returns, a contractor has been appointed as to replace kitchens, bathrooms and roofs for the NCH housing stock, where required. Work will start during September and pre-work meetings are being with residents – particular care will be taken in establishing access arrangements with vulnerable tenants;

 

(d)  the new Tenant Academy prospectus for July to December 2019 is now available, providing a programme of free training for NCH residents, and take-up is strong. The annual NCH Fun Day will be held on 14 September and will celebrate 100 years of Social Housing in the city. Nominations for the Tenant and Leaseholder Awards 2019 are now open and further information will be circulated, shortly;

 

(e)  the Committee queried why the average re-let time for void properties was relatively high in the Dales Ward.

 

RESOLVED to:

 

(1)  approve the six Nottingham City Homes Area Capital Programme funding requests;

 

(2)  grant retrospective approval for the work carried out at Shelford Rise;

 

(3)  approve a tabled Area Capital Programme funding request for the installation of a CCTV unit at Alison Walk at a cost of £4,000;

 

(4)  request further information on why the average re-let time for void properties is relatively higher in the Dales Ward.

22.

Area Capital Fund - 2019/20 Programme pdf icon PDF 219 KB

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Greg Foister, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented a report on the latest spending proposals under the Area Capital Fund, including work to highways and footways.

 

RESOLVED to approve spending on five new prioritised schemes in the Dales Ward, at a total cost of £102,050.

23.

Ward Councillor Budget Report pdf icon PDF 211 KB

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Greg Foister, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented a report on the use of delegated authority by the Director of Community Protection for projects funded by Ward Councillor Budgets.

 

The Committee felt that it would be positive to hear about projects and developments that brought benefits to all three wards in the area, and hoped that information on this could be extracted from existing reports on the major developments across the city.