Leasowe, Moreton and Saughall Massie Area Forum Area Co-ordinator’s Report Wednesday 21st February 2007 Tracey Smith Community Engagement Officer Tel: 0151 691 8026 Fax: 0151 691 8159 Email: [email protected] www.wirral.gov.uk 1 Section One Page No Minutes from the last meeting and matters arising 3 - 11 Section Two - Local Updates Safer & Stronger Communities 12 - 18 • United Utilities Liaison meeting • Volunteers, Special Constables & Police Community Support & Traffic Officers, Required • Council to enforce new street trading powers • The phones are red hot for Wirral’s Empty Homes Team • Merseyside Fire Rescue Service Healthier Communities & Older People 19 - 26 • Wirral Primary Care Trust Update • Wirral Hospital Trust NHS Trust – Engagement Strategy • Government inspectors recognise improving services • Older Peoples Parliament Update • Involvement in Wirral’s Dept of adult Social Services Children & Young People 26 • Young people benefit from joined up thinking Economic Development & Enterprise 27 - 31 • Half a million pounds boost to employment, education and training in Wirral • Free funding info site expands • Wirral’s Open Championship, positive media attention • WirralBiz Celebrates 350 Business Start-ups Cross Cutting 31 - 33 • Wirral receives major American honour as new Heritage Trail is announced • Wirral to get share of £36.5 million Government funding Section Three Forum Funding & Progress Reports 34 - 39 Section Four Local Area Plan Update 40 Section Five Youth Update 41 - 45 Section Six Streetscene & Waste Update 46 – 50 Integrated Transport Block Progress Report 50 - 51 2 Section One Minutes - Area Forum (Leasowe, Moreton and Saughall Massie) 24 October 2006 Present Chair ED Prout Ward Councillors RL Abbey , C Blakeley , IO Coates , SD Moseley , SR Mountney Community Bruce Martin (Faith Representative) Representatives Lead Officer Russell Glennon (Head of Corporate Policy) Area Service Co-ordinator Tracey Smith Street Scene Manager Chris Jones (Area Streetscene Manager) Merseyside Police Inspector Peter Kolokotroni Merseyside Fire & Rescue Keith LePoidevin Service Council Officers Tara Dumas (Recycling Officer) , Bob Little (Community Safety Team) , Carol Sharratt (Community Planning Assistant) Apologies Barbara Epstein , Dr Abhi Mantgani (Medical Director) , J South (Director Primary Care and Modernization) Index to Minutes Minute 1 - Welcome and introductions Minute 2 - Apologies Minute 3 - Area co-ordinators report - minutes of last meeting and matters arising Minute 4 - Public question time Minute 5 - Presentation on Recycling Minute 6 - Community Safety Update - Police - Fire Service - Community Safety Team Minute 7 - Primary Care Trust Update Minute 8 - Older Peoples Parliament Minute 9 - Dates of future meetings / Presentations Minute 10 - Any other business Minute 1 - Welcome and introductions The Chair opened the meeting and requested that the forum members introduce themselves. There were 15 members of the public in attendance. Minute 2 - Apologies The Area Co-ordinator informed the forum that apologies had been received from Barbara Epstein (Community Representative) and John South and Dr Abhi Mantgani form the Primary Care Trust. Minute 3 - Area co-ordinators report - minutes of last meeting and matters arising The Area Co-ordinator gave an overview of her report, copies of which were available at the meeting, covering the following: - minutes of last meeting and matters arising, the minutes were agreed as a true record - local updates - Primary Care Trust update, including details of activities in the area and local pharmacies - Area Forum consultation results - Area forum Funding, there is still £14,250 still left in the fund and there are funding application packs available at the meeting, the closing date for application is 8th November 2006 3 - Local Area Plan, copies of which were available at the meeting - Youth update - Streetscene update, including draft cabinet report on the integrated Transport Block - this will be discussed in more detail at the next meeting The Area Co-ordinator informed the forum that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service update and Community Safety update will be given verbally at this meeting. Councillor Abbey informed the forum that Leasowe Road / Gardenside roundabout has now been completed and the traffic calming scheme at Twickenham Drive will be completed shortly (page 52 of report). Minute Decision : Resolved that: (i) the Area Co-ordinator be thanked for her report (ii) the minutes of the last meeting be agreed as a true record Minute 4 - Public question time Mr Sedgewick (Kensington Gardens) 1. Raised traffic issues at the Gardens, caused by double parking on this narrow road. Atlantic Garage now use this as their address, following the relocation of lamp to create access to the garage. This was done without consultation with the residents of Kensington Gardens. Visitors to nearby shops also park here. There are access problems for ambulances and refuse collectors. A notice was put up requesting that space be left between 2.30 and 3.30 on Wednesdays to allow for refuse collection, but the collection day is actually Monday and is affected by Bank Holidays. The Highways and Refuse services have been contacted about these issues but the problem has not been resolved. Are there any plans for Kensington Gardens? Chris Jones - there are numerous problems that need to be addressed by several agencies. Will take more details on this at the end of the meeting and get the right people to come and talk to you about the issues. Tara Dumas - under the new contract Biffa cannot use access as an excuse not to empty the bins. Once the pay negotiations and the contract is settled the service should get better. Will take a note of this and try and resolve this in the meantime. In the future Monday collections will be made on the Bank Holidays, except for Christmas Day / Boxing Day / New Years Day and collections will be knocked on to take account of these. Councillor Abbey - confirmed that would also take more details on this and look into issue of the cars from the garage being parked on the road. John Robinson (Meadfoot Road) - there are not enough parking spaces in Meadfoot Road resulting in cars being parked on the grass verges. Could this be reviewed? Chris Jones - Parking on grass verges is an offence under the Highways Act and we do enforce this. We can contact the owners of the cars damaging the verges and ask them to stop, if they continue we can take action or fix the verge and charge them for this. Providing additional parking bays may not be possible as funding may not be available. Will take more details on this at the end of the meeting and will try to resolve this. Jim Edwards - Why are there no dedicated disabled parking spaces at Moreton public library / youth club? Chris Jones - will take more details on this at the end of the meeting and look into this 4 issue. Frank Wilson (Twickenham Drive) - raised concern over purchase of land by Barratts as there is no disabled parking provision at the bottom of the Cul-de-Sac at Cameron Road. Councillor Abbey - an application put in by Barratts was approved, despite objections by local residents and councillors. The road was put in as a Police and Ambulance turning area / access and the public footpath has been closed. Barratts are under no obligation regarding this and are not receptive. The only way forward is to ask Leasowe Community Homes to look at the issue of parking, will raise this at their board meeting and report back on this. Member of the Public - raised issue of cars being parked on the pavement at the end of Sandbrook Lane and problems with buses getting through. Concerned that emergency vehicles would not be able to get through. Inspector Kolokotroni - the Police can prosecute owners of vehicles that cause an obstruction and can prove this is the case, so would need a statement to confirm the obstruction. Enforcement action can be taken if parking causes a danger to other road users or emergency access is blocked. Mrs Blakemore (Twickenham Drive) - Brown wheelie bins have not been delivered to 224 - 234 Twickenham Drive. Tara Dumas - priority is been given to the provision of grey bins and these should all be delivered by the end of the week. I will take your details at the end of the meeting and give you a delivery date for the brown bins. Councillor Moseley - informed the forum that a proposal is being put to Council to allow fixed penalties to owners of vehicles causing obstructions. Member of the Public - raised concern over issue of strangers parking in a road causing visitors to residents in that road to park on pavements and risking being fined. Chris Jones - the roads chosen will be wide roads where people can park legally but chose not to. Minute Decision : Resolved that: (i) Streetscene Manager to arrange for relevant officers to contact Mr Sedgewick re: traffic issues at Kensington Gardens (ii) Tara Dumas to look at refuse collection issue at Kensington Gardens and arrange a delivery date for brown bins to properties in Twickenham Drive (iii) Councillor Abbey to look at issue of cars form garage being parked in Kensington Gardens (iv) Streetscene Manager to discuss parking problems at Meadfoot Road with Mr Robinson (v) Streetscene Manager to discuss disabled parking provision at Moreton Library with Mr Edwards. (vi) Councillor Abbey to raise issue re: parking at Cameron Road with Leasowe Community Homes and report back on this Minute 5 - Presentation on Recycling Tara Dumas (Recycling Officer) briefed the forum on new recycling system being introduced. 5 The new recycling system is being rolled out in Moreton at the moment, and is being introduced to meet targets re: landfill, improve recycling levels and save natural resources. There will be three bins per household: - Brown for garden waste (for all households with gardens) replacing the white sacks - Grey for paper and packaging (including cardboard, glass, tins, foil and plastic) - Green for general household rubbish collection.