Minutes Template

THE “CALL IN” PERIOD FOR THIS SET OF MINUTES ENDS AT 12 NOON ON MONDAY 4 JULY, 2016. MINUTE NO.S 1 TO 3, 5 TO 18, 20 AND 22 ARE NOT SUBJECT TO “CALL-IN”

SOUTHPORT AREA COMMITTEE

MEETING HELD AT THE TOWN HALL, SOUTHPORT ON WEDNESDAY 15TH JUNE, 2016

PRESENT: Councillor Hands (in the Chair) Councillors Ashton, David Barton, Jo Barton, Bliss, Booth, Dawson, Dodd, Jones, McGuire, Preece, Pullin, Shaw, Lynne Thompson, Weavers, Bill Welsh and Marianne Welsh Local Advisory Group Members: Mrs S Cain, Ms. A. Egerton-White and Ms. M. Gowers

ALSO PRESENT: Inspector Jim Atherton and Inspector Graham Fisher, Merseyside Police and 11 members of the public

1. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR OF THE AREA COMMITTEE FOR THE 2016/17 MUNICIPAL YEAR

RESOLVED: That

(1) Councillor Hands be appointed Chair of the Area Committee for 2016/17; and

(2) Councillor Booth be appointed Vice-Chair of the Area Committee for 2016/17.

2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ball, Keith and Daniel Lewis and Local Advisory Group Members Mary Pointon and Sir Ron Watson.

3. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

No declarations of any disclosable pecuniary interest were received.

4. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meetings held on 23 March 2016 be confirmed as a correct record.

5. POLICE ISSUES

The Chair welcomed Inspectors Jim Atherton and Graham Fisher, Merseyside Police to the meeting.

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The Area Committee received updates on the following matters affecting the Southport area:

 Operation Colme – an ongoing reassurance and disruption plan in relation to Burglary dwelling offences. This had included additional resources from the neighbourhood disruption team and matrix Roads Policing units. Every Burglary victim received a follow up reassurance visit and the Police conducted extensive house to house enquiries in the immediate vicinity. In the last 3 months there had only been 4 reported house burglaries in the Ainsdale area and there was no obvious pattern to the burglaries  Operation Dragonfly – the crime prevention and property registration initiative. The Police had now completed property registration sessions at Birkdale High school and ran special events at MeCycle where free property registration of phones and Bikes was offered and the free fitting of immobitags that were funded kindly by the Ward Councillors from their devolved budget. Over 300 items of property this year alone across the area had been registered and it was hoped to do another special event in the Summer School holidays. Residents were reminded to lock their bikes even for a quick visit into shops and use the best lock you they could afford, ideally a gold standard one. The Police were working in close partnership with British Transport Police in tackling this cycle theft joint Bike registration sessions had been run  Operation School Gate - Parking around schools was a continual problem at certain locations across Sefton and work was undertaken with the local schools and hopefully parents to keeping these areas as safe as possible  Operation Brookdale - this was an annual operation to tackle the menace of Anti-social use of off road vehicles  Twitter / Social Media – The local Police now had 716 followers on Twitter and this was used to let the community know of parts of daily operational duties  Mersey Now - the community messaging system had now gone live and residents were encouraged to sign up for it to enable updates to be provided for where they or their family lived and worked  Sefton Crime Alert - this was a collaboration between Merseyside Police and Home watch. Margaret Jepson was the Police volunteer co-ordinator who sent out occasional and very informative e mails about current crime patterns and emerging trends especially in relation to fraud. To receive these emails residents needed to sign up by simply sending an e mail to [email protected] with their contact details  Newsletter - the spring newsletter was free to download from the Merseyside Police website  Beachsafe 2016 – the Police were continuing to work in an established partnership approach to promote safety and prevent crime and ASB in the coastal areas, often using specialist vehicles i.e. Land Rover and Quadbikes for patrolling purposes and that this

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was done with the permission of National Trust, Natural England and Sefton Council's Coast and Countryside Service. Other partners included British Transport Police, HM Coastguard, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, RNLI, Sefton Council and Ward Councillors and Parish Councils. The 2016 Beachsafe media launch was on 19th May 2016 just prior to the Bank Holiday and half term and extra staffing was in place over this period. Visitor numbers to the area were very high due to the school holidays and a sustained period of good weather. Reported crime was very low and a lot of time and resource was used on Sunday 6th June looking for a missing child who thankfully had simply wandered off and was found safe and well. Information was provided on the major congestion on the Coastal Road, due to a number of events being held in Southport combined with the glorious weather and High Tide at Ainsdale. Mr Dave McAleavy and Gordon White from Sefton Coast and Countryside Service did everything possible to open the car parks without compromising safety and Police also assisted with this. So far 8 warnings had been issued under section 59 of the Police Reform Act as a result of anti -social use of vehicles  Burglaries - only 1 this month and the offender was the victim’s partner and was arrested. Currently there were very low levels, though now we were entering summer and the advice was not to increase opportunity for burglars by locking doors and windows at night or when leaving home. After a spike in reported Burglaries from businesses in the town centre and garages and sheds in the Birkdale, Greg Hawkshaw (45) from Southport had been charged with 1 offence with others also being looked at. He has also been recalled to prison. A 22 year old male had also admitted to a string of offences (burglary and theft of motor vehicles) across Sefton and Manchester. John Graham (32) had been charged and remanded for a Burglary in Kew and property was recovered. Two males, One 23 from the Formby area and another 25 from Manchester were awaiting charge for burglary in the Marine Lake Café. Officers attended within 90 seconds of the alarm activation in respect of this crime  Cycle thefts - bike theft numbers were very low  Drugs - many offences and locations were reported and submitted to intelligence. Work was on-going as sometimes initial actions didn’t have the desired effect. As a result the Police were working with the Council and other partners regarding more permanent solutions  A S B – There had been a significant reduction in ASB incidents though they were still an issue and as it had been highlighted previously the profile had been raised and all incidents were reported and attracted media coverage. A prominent group of males had been interviewed regarding some of the incidents and referrals had been made to the Youth Offending Team and obviously their parents were now aware. Other youths had been identified in lower level nuisance and the Police would be working with parents and Schools to speak to these individuals and take appropriate action.

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There had been an increase of patrolling in the Town Centre and Kings Gardens areas using the assistance of patrol Officers and also Officers in plain clothes. This had enabled the identification of groups hanging around the areas and had led to seizures of motorbikes used in an anti-social manner. A group of 7 youths causing ASB had had letters sent to parents this week  Theft from a motor vehicle - this was an area that where incidents were up from last year, though not drastically. It was expected to see an increase due to the recent hot weather as it attracted significant amount of additional vehicles to the area including Formby; and whilst the local economy would undoubtedly welcome visitors, unfortunately it also attracted opportunists and those intent on crime. The message was to secure vehicles and not to leave items in sight and also be aware of where you parked. There were limited parking spaces and people tended to park in secluded areas where there was no deterrent from passers-by  Local male, Christopher Jackson was arrested in the Town Centre last week on a recall to prison. When arrested he was found to be in possession of £260 worth of fake £20 notes. Theses had obviously been prevented from entering local business tills and the police had also been able to raise awareness and circulate the relevant serial numbers  Marching Season - we were now entering the marching season. Appentice Boys of Derry marched last Saturday, 11 June and there were no incidents of disorder. The Orange Lodge march this year fell on Tuesday 12th July.

Elected Members, Local Advisory Group Members and members of the public raised the following issues/commented as follows:-

 Why were parking tickets not issued on buses (used as part of Marching Season events) parked on double yellow lines – The enforcement responsibility rested with Sefton Council. Dave Marrin, Manager – Highways Management indicated that the Council worked closely with the Police on such issues and that a pragmatic approach had to be taken. If for instance coaches were directed to park in a particular location by the police then tickets would not be issued. Mr. Marrin concluded that this matter would be considered further with the Police  Information was requested on the recent speed monitoring exercise undertaken in Shore Road Ainsdale. – The guidelines associated with the use of “speed gun” equipment was explained and information provided on notification letters sent to offenders  Vandalism issues in Birkdale were raised – Investigations were on- going  A comment was made that it would be a good idea to place signage in appropriate areas indicating when Ainsdale Beach was closed due to high tides. It was also suggested that the variable message signs at Woodvale and the Plough roundabout could be used to alert visitors of such beach closures

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 Complaints had been received from residents of Ball’s Place because youths were throwing tiles from the roof of a nearby retail premises  Complaints had been received from residents due to HGV’s, transporting hardcore to the David Wilson Homes site in Kew, not using designated routes and thereby causing disruption to residential amenity and highway safety – Inspector Fisher indicated that he would investigate this matter  Information was sought on whether hackney carriage/private hire drivers needed to wear seat belts when they at work – Inspector Fisher stated that there were some exemptions regarding the use of seat belts and indicated that he would look into this matter.

RESOLVED:

That Inspectors Atherton and Fisher be thanked for their attendance and presentations.

6. PUBLIC FORUM

The following nine matters had been submitted for consideration during the Public Forum:

7. QUESTION BY RUELUL HAQUE - SEFTON STREET WAITING RESTRICTIONS

Mr. Ruelul Haque, who was not present at the meeting, complained about the introduction of waiting restrictions outside his home in Sefton Street; and indicated that such waiting restrictions caused him problems as he could no longer park outside his house and required him to park further up the street. This caused him difficulties when getting his young children out of the car. Mr. Ruelul requested that the waiting restrictions be removed.

The Manager – Highways Management had responded in writing to Mr. Haque

8. QUESTION BY JOHN COWELL - EU REFERENDUM

Mr. John Cowell, who was present at the meeting, asked what was the view of the Southport Area Committee on whether the United Kingdom should remain in or leave the European Union.

Two Members advocated that it would, in their opinion, be better if the UK remained in the European Union; and cited issues associated with the following to support their case:-

 Southport had received Objective 1 funding for Southport Pier, the sea wall and Kew Woods projects  That the UK would be stronger, safer and better off within the EU especially in terms of the number of jobs related to trade. The UK

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had access to a trade block of 500 million people and 44% of UK trade was with the EU  To leave was a gamble and would be taking a chance on the prospects of future generations  Migration – there were the same number of UK residents abroad as there were migrants living in the UK – we should not be extremist to migrants. Furthermore, 25% of NHS staff were migrants  Leave campaign leaders were expressing falsehoods and were critical of experts setting out facts about the benefits of remaining in the EU  Horizon 2020, the EU Research and Innovation programme, with £40 million funding pledged to the UK and increasing to £320 million by 2020. In addition to the private investment that this money would attract it promised more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking ideas from the lab to the market

The Chair asked Members to indicate, by a show of hands, if they were in favour of remaining in the EU; and a majority of those who voted agreed that it would be better to remain in the EU.

9. QUESTION BY MARY POINTON - LISTED BUILDINGS IN SOUTHPORT

Local Advisory Group Member Mrs. Mary Pointon, who was not present at the meeting, asked whether Councillors were satisfied with the state of Southport’s listed buildings and whether the report on the agenda (Item No. 10) assisted them to understand the true state of the Town’s buildings; and whether Councillors were happy with the reports that were requested by them. Mrs. Pointon concluded by stating that whilst we remained a member of Sefton we would have a democracy ruled by dictatorship.

The Chair indicated that the points raised by Mrs. Pointon would be taken into account as part of the Committee’s consideration of the report on the agenda relating to Listed Buildings in Southport.

10. QUESTION BY DAVID KAY - AINSDALE BEACH PARKING

Mr. David Kay, who was not present at the meeting, indicated that whilst appreciating that cutbacks were happening everywhere, what was happening to cause the decline at Ainsdale Beach. He indicated that the approach was now getting narrower and harder for vehicles to access or leave the beach; that large queues formed at popular times, partly caused by the state of the beach, and that once past the pay station drivers had to drive carefully on the uneven sand, looking out for the big holes. He continued that if the sand around the entrance, both sides of the pay booth, was taken back to the level of a couple of years ago, it would be easier to access and leave the beach, resulting in fewer traffic problems. He concluded that it appeared to him that

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the current beach parking area was only about a quarter of the size it was a couple of years ago; and that if you turned right as you entered the beach, what had happened to the beach as it was all no parking.

Mr. Dave McAleavy, Service Manager – Coast and Countryside had responded in writing to Mr. Kay.

11. QUESTION BY VICTORIA COPPOCK - AINSDALE BEACH PARKING

Ms. Victoria Coppock, who was not present at the meeting, asked why had the Council totally ignored the petition from Ainsdale Civic Society, on behalf of its residents, asking for open, public consultation and democratic accountability in relation to the management of and parking arrangements for Ainsdale beach.

Mr. Dave McAleavy, Service Manager – Coast and Countryside had responded in writing to Ms. Coppock.

12. QUESTION BY SUSAN CLARIDGE - AINSDALE BEACH PARKING

Ms. Susan Claridge, who was not present at the meeting, wanted to know the future parking strategies which the council intended to employ to ensure that Ainsdale residents and visitors were not subjected to a repeat of the events of Sunday 5 June 2016. Ms. Claridge suggested that on this day, a combination of hot weather, beach high-tide closures and multiple local tourist events meant roads were totally gridlocked and large numbers of cars were parked on pavements, grass verges and over house drives. Ms. Claridge noted the Council's response, as reported in the press, that visitors should use public transport to access beaches but she suggested that this was not practical for all. Ms. Claridge concluded that when the beach parking opened after the high tide had passed, there appeared to be fewer available parking spaces than last year.

Mr. Dave McAleavy, Service Manager – Coast and Countryside had responded in writing to Ms. Claridge.

13. QUESTION BY LINDA HEAP - COUNCILLOR'S SURGERIES IN KEW WARD

Ms. Linda Heap, who was present at the meeting, indicated that she lived In Kew Ward and asked why did her local Councillors not hold advice surgeries for local residents; and asked did they not think Kew Ward residents had problems.

In response, Councillors Booth, Pullin and Weavers (Kew Ward Councillors) made the following comments:-

 Holding advice surgeries was not the best time management way of elected Members engaging with their constituents

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 Elected Members’ details were published on the Council’s website and this allowed constituents to contact Members by phone, email, twitter at a time of choosing by the constituent - there was no reason why a constituent should have to wait for a week to attend a surgery when contact could be made much sooner  Contact details were also always provided on Focus leaflets delivered in the Ward  Ward Councillors could also be contacted via the M.P.s’ office in Shakespeare Street  Notwithstanding the points raised above, Councillors Booth and Pullin indicated that surgeries would soon be held at the Salvation Army premises in Shakespeare Street on an ad hoc basis and that the success of the surgeries would be closely monitored.

14. QUESTION BY REBECCA ROWLAND - COUNCILLOR'S SURGERIES IN KEW AND NORWOOD WARDS

Ms. Rebecca Rowland, who was present at the meeting, asked why did the Liberal Democrat Councillors in her Ward, Norwood, and in the neighbouring Kew Ward not hold advice surgeries for their residents. She asked was Is it not the duty of Councillors to listen to their residents’ concerns and be visible in our communities.

In response, Councillors Booth, Pullin and Weavers (Kew Ward Councillors) made the following comments:-

 Holding advice surgeries was not the best time management way of elected Members engaging with their constituents  Elected Members’ details were published on the Council’s website and this allowed constituents to contact Members by phone, email, twitter at a time of choosing by the constituent - there was no reason why a constituent should have to wait for a week to attend a surgery when contact could be made much sooner  Contact details were also always provided on Focus leaflets delivered in the Ward  Ward Councillors could also be contacted via the M.P.s’ office in Shakespeare Street  Notwithstanding the points raised above, Councillors Booth and Pullin indicated that surgeries would soon be held at the Salvation Army premises in Shakespeare Street on an ad hoc basis and that the success of the surgeries would be closely monitored.

15. QUESTION BY PATRICIA HORNBY ATKINSON - COUNCILLOR'S SURGERIES IN KEW WARD

Ms. Patricia Hornby Atkinson, who was present at the meeting, asked why did Kew Ward Councillors not hold surgeries.

In response, Councillors Booth, Pullin and Weavers (Kew Ward Councillors) made the following comments:-

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16. SOUTHPORT BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT UPDATE - PRESENTATION

The Committee received a presentation from Andrew Sloman, Manager of the Southport Business Improvement District (BID) that updated on the BID.

Mr. Sloman indicated/updated on the following issues:-

 Investment from the business community in the BID  That the BID’s main focus was to support and improve the vibrancy and vitality of the town centre by investing monies, raised from a levy, sponsorship and other funding sources into a programme of events, environmental improvements and safety projects, as well as enhancing the marketing of the town centre as a premier coastal tourist resort  The installation of lights on Lord Street’s trees  The commissioning and funding of 19 three tier floral planters to create eye catching, vivid centre pieces that were complemented by a series of hanging baskets on key roundabouts and flowering planters on the railings up and down town centre streets. This had been undertaken to hopefully help Southport achieve the national RHS Britain in Bloom award for 2016  Following several conversations and meetings with Merseyside Police Inspectors, they had promised an immediate increase in patrols throughout Southport town centre to combat the recent spate of vandalism and anti-social behaviour  Coordinating the Businesses Against Crime Network, which allows for sharing of information on incidents and repeat offenders between local businesses in liaison with the police

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 Events in the town relating to Halloween and Christmas and the first Southport Festival that encompassed the whole of the town centre, with acts performing in dozens of venues. The festival was committed to bringing together a range of cultural activity for every generation, and was proud to support local talent. The Southport Festival events team pulled together some superb acts from the worlds of comedy, theatre and literature to perform in a wide range of venues from the Atkinson to the Wayfarer’s arcade to various pubs, restaurants, hotels and bars around the town. Performances and activities included such diversity as watercolour demonstrations, Youth drama workshops, to jazz quartets, poetry, live comedy and book readings  The BID’s involvement in the Heritage Lottery bid that was being developed to improve some of the worst buildings affecting the townscape of the Lord Street Conservation Area  The engagement of consultants to market the retail development opportunities in the town

Elected Members raised the following issues/commented as follows:-

 What arrangements are in place for the Lancashire – Durham cricket match to be held at Southport in July – The BID can support the promotion of sponsorship packages; the Cricket Club is outside of the BID area.  What can be done to improve the look of vacant shops in the town – the BID is investigating the introduction of a project to install vinyls on vacant shop windows to enhance their appearance  Have the BID considered letting local artists display their work in vacant shop windows – this has been done before and we do work with local art associations on this  Has the BID considered trying to encourage other events to the town such as the Pride March – regarding Pride we are trying to work in conjunction with the Liverpool festival  Could the BID provide an update on the Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) bid – an update could certainly be provided to a future meeting but at the present time formulation of the CCF bid was on- going and we are not in a position to advise of the details  What consultation arrangements were in place with the BID regarding CCF – quarterly meetings were held with BID members and there were other channels of communication  There are many vacant properties in the town. Do you consider landlords are demanding too high rents and this is adding to the problem – there are many factors to this. Southport’s vacancy levels were in line with the national average; Southport was also affected

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by the Liverpool City Centre offer; but it was acknowledged that high rental costs could play a part in whether retailers would invest in a property  Had the concept of pop-up shops on Lord Street been considered – yes, and we had an on-going project with Southport College to use vacant shops creatively but this had the problem of being resource intensive  What plans were in place to improve PR associated with the BID’s two main themes of visitor and retail economy – the BID’s staffing structure was explained and that a Marketing and Communications Manager was now in place to market and promote the BID’s business

RESOLVED:

That Mr. Sloman be thanked for his informative presentation.

17. ADVISORY GROUP REPRESENTATIVES

Further to Minute No. 68 (2) of 2 December 2015 the Committee considered the report of the Head of Communities on the appointment of Advisory Group representatives to the Southport Area Committee.

The report indicated that that an Advisory Group Selection Panel had met to consider applications received and that the Panel had agreed to appoint Sir Ron Watson CBE and a representative of Sefton Young Advisors; and that following a period of non-attendance by the Meols Cop Youth and Community Partnership, the Panel had agreed to remove such organisation from the Committee’s Local Advisory Group.

It was noted that a number of representatives of Sefton Young Advisors would attend meetings on a cyclical basis; and the Chair welcomed Ellie Egerton-White and Maria Gowers to their first meeting.

RESOLVED: That

(1) the appointment of Sir Ron Watson CBE and a representative of Sefton Young Advisors to the Committee’s Local Advisory Group be noted;

(2) the Head of Communities be requested to write, on behalf of the Area Committee, to those unsuccessful applicants thanking them for showing an interest in the position of Local Advisory Group Member; and

(3) the Head of Communities be requested to write, on behalf of the Area Committee, to the Meols Cop Youth and Community Partnership thanking them for their service on the Committee’s Local Advisory Group.

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18. VEHICLES PARKING ON GRASS VERGES - PRESTON NEW ROAD

Further to Minute No. 94 of the meeting held on 23 March 2016 the Committee considered a response of the Manager – Highways Management to a question raised by Mr. Jackson, a local resident during the Public Forum.

Mr. Jackson had complained about the damage being caused by vehicles parking on the grass verges on Preston New Road which he considered was the premier access to Southport from the Preston direction; and stated that it was about time that the Local Authority dealt with this issue for the full length of the road, rather than at a couple of points, namely concrete bollards near the Marshside Road junction service road and by shrubs at the Fairhaven Road junction outside the Post Office.

Mr. Jackson concluded by requesting that action be taken, including the introduction of traffic regulation orders, to protect the verges on Preston New Road and reinstate them, to provide a positive image welcoming people to Southport.

Mr. Marrin had responded to Mr. Jackson as follows:-

Whilst the question related specifically to Preston New Road, verge parking is an issue which concerns a significant number of highways throughout Sefton. In responding to the issues around Preston New Road the Council have to be aware of the precedent that this sets and that anything which is progressed also enables us to address issues elsewhere in the Borough.

Whilst using planting / wooden posts to prevent access could be considered, this would be at considerable cost and would have to be located to completely surround each grassed area between driveways to prevent access from the driveways and / or rear of footway. Any costs for such works would have to be met from Area Committee devolved ward budgets.

Regarding the suggestion for a Traffic Regulation Order to prevent parking on the grass verges, this again would be a costly thing to introduce as a pole and sign would have to be placed on each grassed area and it was estimated that there were over a hundred such separate areas along the section of Preston New Road from the Plough to Marshside Road. Consequently the cost of such a scheme would be several thousands of pounds which could not be justified from the TRO budget, so would again have to be funded through devolved ward budgets.

Either of the above two proposals would result in vehicles then being parked fully on the carriageway of Preston New Road, obstructing the cycle lane. Consequently, the preferred option and more cost effective solution would be to place a double yellow line along the full length of Preston New Road, either side of the road as such a restriction only requires the introduction of lines and no associated plates and would apply

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to the full width of the highway back to the property garden walls. However, such a restriction would, no doubt, be unwelcome by the residents of Preston New Road.

In view of Mr. Jackson’s concerns Mr. Marrin indicated that he would write to the Ward Councillors for Preston New Road to seek their views on this particular issue.

RESOLVED:

That the Manager – Highways Management’s response to the question from Mr. Jackson be noted.

19. LISTED BUILDINGS IN SOUTHPORT

Further to Minute No. 100 of the meeting held on 23 March 2016 of the Committee considered the report of the Head of Corporate Resources that provided an update on the Council’s approach to the management of Listed Properties and, with reference to properties in the Southport Area, provided details of any identified work requirements.

The report indicated that within the Council’s property portfolio for the Southport Area there were a number of listed properties, all Grade 2 listed, as follows:-

• Botanic Gardens Fern House • Botanic Gardens Lock-up • Botanic Gardens Former Museum • Botanic Gardens Lodge 1 • Botanic Gardens Lodge 2 • Duke Street Cemetery Catholic Chapel • Duke Street Cemetery Anglican Chapel • Hesketh Park Conservatory • Hesketh Park Astronomical Observatory • Southport Town Hall • The Atkinson (comprising group of 3 listed buildings) • Victoria Baths and Former Club Premises • King’s Gardens; cast iron shelters (9 no.) and monuments (2 no.)

The report also detailed the property management aspects of the portfolio and that a number of properties were currently vacant and that new purposes were being sought for such properties which may entail redevelopment, refurbishment or disposal/letting; the maintenance management arrangements in place whereby all Council operated properties were the subject of a detailed condition survey on a two year cycle and that in addition, a Maintenance Officer was identified as having responsibility for each property which was then visited regularly; that with regard to the condition of the Council owned listed properties, all were structurally sound and watertight and that Historic England, who advised Central Government on the management of the historic environment and compiled a register of historic buildings which were classified as being ‘at

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risk’, had indicated that none of the Council-owned listed properties were included on this register.

The report concluded that the Council recognised the challenges inherent in the ownership of listed buildings, but also that they presented an opportunity to enhance the local environment provided a sustainable use could be established in them; and that the Council intended to be pro- active in its management of listed assets and continue to explore opportunities for investment into the fabric of the buildings.

RESOLVED: That

(1) the report on the Council’s approach to the management of Listed Properties in Southport be noted;

(2) the Head of Corporate Resources be requested to advise all Area Committee Members of the potential inclusion within the list of Grade 2 listed properties, as set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report, of the cast iron shelters in Albany Road and on Park Road (near to the Municipal Golf Course); and

(3) the Head of Regeneration and Housing be requested to submit a report to the next meeting of the Committee providing an update on:-

(a) the Stage 1 Heritage Lottery Bid to improve the townscape of the Lord Street Conservation Area; and

(b) Lord Street being put on the Heritage at Risk Register. 20. BUDGET MONITORING

Further to Minute No. 98 of 23 March 2016, the Committee considered the report of the Head of Communities detailing that the balance of the budget available for allocation during 2016/17 was as follows:

Ward Available Funds £ Ainsdale 5,469.40 Birkdale 15,701.45 Cambridge 13,941.85 Dukes 19,405.57 Kew 25,102.66 Meols 13,918.09 Norwood 8,248.37 Town-wide 3,543.78 Total: 105,331.17

Details of the allocations made by each Ward against the general provision in the previous year were set out in the report.

RESOLVED: That

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(1) the remaining balance of £105,331.17 of the budget available for further allocation for the rest of the year be noted; and (2) the allocations from the 2016/2017 Ward budgets agreed to date, and the on-going issues from 2014/15 and 2015/16 as indicated in paragraph 2 of the report be noted.

21. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

RESOLVED: That

(1) the Head of Locality Services – Commissioned be requested to submit a report to the next meeting of the Committee providing an update on Ainsdale Beach relating to:-

(a) summer and winter car parking;

(b) the Council’s relationship with the Ainsdale Civic Society;

(c) (in consultation with the Head of Strategic Support) media communications associated with high tides at the beach; and

(d) the use of the variable message signs at Woodvale and the Plough roundabout to alert visitors of beach closures; and

(2) the Head of Regeneration and Housing be requested to submit a report to the next meeting of the Committee providing an update on the Southport Development Strategy.

22. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

It was noted that in accordance with the approved programme of meetings the next meeting of the Area Committee would be held on Wednesday 21 September 2016, at 6.30 pm, in the Council Chamber, Southport Town Hall.