2227

MONK BRETTON/ROYSTON/ST HELENS AREA FORUM

Held at Royston Parkside Primary, Midland Road, Royston

6th April 2006

74B(1) Present: Councillors Kyte (Chairperson), Richardson, Picken, Newman, Lavender, Butterwood, Bostwick, along with co-opted member S Turton

12 members of the public were also present.

(2) Declarations of Personal Interest

There were no declarations of a personal nature raised by members at the meeting.

(3) Minutes

The minutes of the meeting held on the 9 March 2006 were taken as read and signed by the Chairperson as a correct record.

(4) Safer Neighbourhood Team

Inspector Mark James, from Royston Safer Neighbourhood Team gave a verbal report to the Forum on the future work of the team and introduced Susanne Warton the Tasking Officer for the Royston Safer Neighbourhood Team.

The Forum were advised of:

• Neighbourhood Policing –a new and revolutionary project which is only happening in , which and is seen as a model of best practice throughout the country.

• New developments - some new, radical projects are currently being rolled out in South to address issues of youth nuisance, anti social behaviour and quality of life issues. Residents should see an improvement in quality of life issues in the area.

• Changing and developing themes – there are some new initiatives in community policing, which will be explained in greater detail at a future meeting.

• Susanne Warton the recently appointed Tasking Officer for the Royston Safer Neighbourhood team introduced herself to the Forum, explaining her experience gained from her previous employment and how this would relate to her position as Tasking Officer.

The following questions/comments were then raised: 2228

MONK BRETTON/ROYSTON/ST. HELENS AREA FORUM – 6th April 2006

MINUTE NO. 74B

• How long will it take for changes and new developments to take place? A response was given that it will not take long as most of the new initiatives have been trialled already so it shouldn’t take long for these to be bedded in. The changes are intended to enhance work not replace the work that is currently taking place.

• I have seen the police and the mobile unit on the streets, are these having an effect? The answer was very much so. Over the past 2 Friday’s the full team have been patrolling Royston Park to address the issue of youth nuisance.

• Is the Goldenline still working? And is it still a 24 hour service? I reported an incident 2 months ago and as yet no one has contacted me. A response was given that some time ago the computer system crashed, and data was lost which could explain why no follow up action has been carried out. The Tasking Officer apologised for this and explained that she could give no explanation as to why the report was not followed up, but gave assurances that any incidents reported in the future would be followed up.

• At the last meeting an issues was raised regarding cars parking on the pavement outside public houses. Clarification was sought about whom these issues should be reported to? A reply was given that since parking has been decriminalised these issues should be reported to the Parking and Enforcement Unit at BMBC, but a statement was added that if the SNT witnessed a car parking on the footpath, then they would not ignore this, they would carry out the necessary action. A member of the public disagreed with this statement and said he had witnessed SNT Officers walking past vehicles which were obstructing the pavement.

• A member of the Forum made a statement that parking on the pavement is not illegal unless it affects the flow of pedestrians.

• Is it true that when you deal with issues of Anti Social Behaviour the problem is simply transferred to other areas? A response was given that this is not the intention and that the SNT try to look for sustainable solutions to problems, moving on from enforcement to development, the government agency is driving towards sustainable solutions.

• How long do the SNT keep information on file? The reply was information is kept on file while ever the incident is live.

• A comment was made that there has been a number of difference personnel in the team over the last couple of years; the community have to get to know the team and the team to get to know the community. Officers from the SNT agreed with this statement. 2229

MONK BRETTON/ROYSTON/ST. HELENS AREA FORUM – 6th April 2006

MINUTE NO. 74B

• The Royston Crime and Safety Sub Group will be held at Royston High School on Tuesday 23 April 2006 at 3.15pm. The St Helens Crime and Safety Sub Group will be held at St Helens Primary School on 16 April 2006 at 6.00pm. Members of the public and representatives from community groups were encouraged to attend. The Forum were advised that this was an opportunity for residents and the local community to have an input in setting local policing priorities

• Monk Bretton has never had a permanent Police Officer. A gang of youths have been hanging round the Silverdale Community Centre, causing a nuisance and people feel intimidated. In addition to this a youth club has just started and we don’t want these youngsters to feel intimidated by this gang. A response was given that a Police Officer has been appointed and is due to start work on Monday 10 April. With reference to the gang of youths, members of the SNT attended an incident last Friday evening in this area and confiscated a large amount of alcohol from these youths, ASB contracts were issued and licensees in the area were visited in connection of the supplying of alcohol.

The Chairperson thanked Inspector James and the team for their attendance at the meeting.

(5) Community Sports/Streets Sports Project

Linda Lavelle and Nick Gillot gave a presentation on the new initiative aimed at young people in the Forum area. Information included: • the programme is aimed at 13-19 year old youths who have been referred to the service by the Youth Offending Team or the Education Welfare Service. These youngsters are either involved in crime or at risk of becoming involved in crime. To support these youngsters the team will also offer support to families and friends of these youths.

• funding is available for 2 years with a possibility of this being extended for a 3rd year. The funding will be used to employ 4 support workers. The children who will be targeted first are youths on ABC contracts or Anti Social Behaviour Orders.

• Programmes offered range from short projects to accredited courses including Open College Network and Duke of Edinburgh awards.

• Nick Gillot informed the Forum of his background and skills gained from previous employment and how this can be used in providing activities for youths in this forum area.

2230

MONK BRETTON/ROYSTON/ST. HELENS AREA FORUM – 6th April 2006

MINUTE NO. 74B

• the forum were informed of a session that is currently being delivered on a Thursday evening at Royston high School 7.30pm-9.00pm. This is a free, open access session which is well attended by males and females.

• although a small element of funding is available to support small projects, staffing and venue costs drain most of the resources. The Forum were asked to inform the service of any venues which are cheap to hire.

The following questions/comments were then raised:

I think that it is a wonderful idea, is there any scope for extending the Thursday night to other nights? A response was given that the team would like to provide this service every night but funding is limited. If the scheme is working we need to try to identify additional funding to provide extra provision.

The Forum were advised of a future project which is to be delivered by Lifewise, this project asks youths to suggest ways of how their community can be improved.

Comment was made that this was a welcomed positive programme and Nick appeared to be the type of guy that youths would warm to and find approachable.

You mentioned that funding was only available for 2 years? A response was given that Sport have indicated that they will support the project for 2 years, with a possible third, during which time the Service will be investigating other possible funding sources where money could be obtained from.

Are you actively linking into already established schemes and groups which are currently operating to meet the needs of young people? A response was given that the team works in partnership with other services and teams, it would be pointless providing a service, which is currently being provided in the area from another team.

Are you considering a voucher system to reward good behaviour? There are plans to introduce a Community Credit card that will have clear outcomes and targets.

The key to every project is evaluation, if the project is successful and improvements can be seen then the money needs to be found from within the budget. A comment was made that any funding whether it is revenue funding or “funny money” is subject to scrutiny and close examination but if a body of evidence is built up this should assist with securing funding in the future.

The Chairperson thanked Linda Lavelle and Nick Gillot for their presentation and attendance at the meeting, and looked forward to an update on the work carried out by the team at a future meeting. 2231

MONK BRETTON/ROYSTON/ST. HELENS AREA FORUM – 6th April 2006

MINUTE NO. 74B

(6) Community Support Fund

No applications were submitted for financial support from the Community Support Fund.

The Area Forum Officer advised the forum of the following:

• The Monk Bretton, Royston and St Helens Area Forum was formed after the 2004 local elections. The Community Support Fund allocation is £20,000 per ward, per annum.

• Funding has been allocated in the 3 wards under 5 main headings – Culture, Young People, Environment, Community and Crime.

• Hanging baskets, christmas lights and flowers have been well received throughout the area and the fund has also supported all three community partnerships. Numerous Sports Clubs were funded to pay for equipment, and a number of new neighbourhood water groups were awarded small start up grants.

• The forum has supported 27 groups from the Monk Bretton Ward (£15,189), 18 groups from the Royston Ward (£12,129) and 26 groups from the St Helens Ward (£26,767)

• The council has increased the Community Support Fund over the past 6 years. It started at £3,000 and is currently £20,000 per ward.

Community Support Fund 2006/2008

• Central Government have agreed to fund the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund for a further two years, and the council approved an increase in its Community Support Fund allocation from £20,000 to £36,000 per ward.

• A small grants allocation of £9,000 per ward will be available and details of how to apply will be available shortly.

• The remainder of the fund will be spent on local priorities determined at Area Forum meetings and by Think Local results. Elected Members will allocate funding to reflect local priorities and present details of spend to the Area Forum.

The Chairperson thanked the Area Forum Officer for this report. 2232

MONK BRETTON/ROYSTON/ST. HELENS AREA FORUM – 6th April 2006

MINUTE NO. 74B

(7) Items for future meetings

IT WAS AGREED That items for discussion at the next meeting would be left to the discretion of the chairperson.

(8) Responses to previous questions

There were no responses to previous questions as they had been answered during the meeting.

(9) Questions by the public

3 written questions were submitted.

Carlton Park is regularly used by people exercising their dogs resulting in large amounts of faeces being left on the grass where children play football. Something needs to be done about this. A response was given that there are dog bins in the area, but this issue would be referred to Neighbourhood Pride. A question was asked what days and times owners exercise their dogs? An answer was given constantly throughout the day, 7 days a week.

Could the goal posts be restored on the site adjacent to the Carlton Village Club? A response was given that this request would be referred to Neighbourhood Services.

Although recognised that traffic wardens should predominaritly be based in and around the town centre, it would be helpful if they could visit Royston and Carlton areas of the borough, to address issues of inconsiderate parking. A response was given that representative from the Parking Enforcement Unit be invited to attend a future meeting to discuss this issue and other related parking issues.

(10) Question and Answer session

A question was asked about the proposed motocross site in Royston – do Councillors know if it is going ahead and if so, do members think another site is necessary? A response was given that the application had not been considered by the Planning Regulatory Board. Members were unsure as to whether the applicant had withdrawn the application. In addition to this statement another member of the Forum stated that he did not think it was necessary for the introduction of another motocross site as there are already other tracks in the area, and these sites are extremely intrusive due to the amount of noise and pollution they generate.

The Housing Corporation has confirmed that there will be a £5.5m investment for an extra care unit for the elderly in the area.

2233

MONK BRETTON/ROYSTON/ST. HELENS AREA FORUM – 6th April 2006

MINUTE NO. 74B

A question was raised about the need for a pedestrian crossing at Carlton? A response was given that elected members had applied before to implement a crossing pedestrian but the scheme had been refused as it did not meet the criteria.

(11) Appointment of Chairman for the next meeting

The Chairman, members of the forum and members of the public expressed their best wishes to Councillor Lavender who was attending his last Area Forum prior to retiring from the Council.

IT WAS AGREED that Councillor Richardson would be Chairperson for the next meeting to be held on Thursday 11 May 2006 at 6.30 pm at Priory Campus, .

……………………………………. Chairman.