LITTLE LEVER AND DARCY LEVER AREA FORUM

MEETING, 18TH FEBRUARY 2013

Present – 22 members of the public attended the meeting.

Councillor Anthony Connell - and Darcy Lever Ward Councillor Maureen Connell - Little Lever and Darcy Lever Ward Councillor David Evans - Little Lever and Darcy Lever Ward

Also in attendance

Idris Jeewa - Area Co-ordinator Stephen Rowson - Business Support Officer John Rowlands - Forum Chief Officer Chris Lloyd - Environmental Services Gaynor Cox - at Home Marie Grady - Bolton at Home Carl Byrne - Groundwork Trust Chris Berry - Ring and Ride, Bolton Alison Mulvaney - Ring and Ride, Bolton Tracy Robinson - Symphony Housing Group CBM Gary Howard - Greater Police PCSO Maurice - Police Pennington

Apologies were received from Yasmin Qureshi MP.

Councillor Anthony Connell in the Chair.

21. INTRODUCTIONS

Councillor Anthony Connell welcomed everyone to the meeting and then introduced the other Councillors and Officers.

22. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST FROM COUNCILLORS AND OFFICERS

Councillor Maureen Connell declared an interest in Minute 28, Grant awarded to Bowness Primary School in that she was a member of the board of governors at that school and also a member of the Little Lever Over 60s group.

23. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 1 October 2012 were submitted and approved as a correct record.

24. PRESENTATION – RING AND RIDE

Councillor Anthony Connell introduced Chris Berry and Alison Mulvaney from Ring and Ride who gave a presentation on the services they provided.

The main points were:

They operated within Bolton The service was open to all who had difficulty using normal public transport, old and young alike Hours of operation were 8.30am – 11pm A door to door service was provided, where accessible Members needed to book the day before Used for shopping, hospital appointments, bingo among many other things, they try to accommodate all requests A small charge was made per journey

A number of questions followed the presentation and were answered at the meeting.

Resolved – That the presentation be noted

25. PRESENTATION – GROUNDWORK TRUST

Councillor Anthony Connell introduced Carl Byrne from the Ground work Trust who gave a presentation on the work of the organisation.

The main points were:

Contractual obligations Targets Plans going forward Youth litter awareness Bolton AGES project (Active Gardening Exchange Scheme) Princes Trust Horticulture

A number of questions followed the presentation and were answered at the meeting.

Resolved – That the presentation be noted

26. UPDATE – MECCANO BRIDGE

Councillor Anthony Connell introduced Gaynor Cox from Bolton at Home who gave an update on the Meccano Bridge.

The main points were:

August 2010 an artist was commissioned to work on plans for a bridge at the site on the canal The plan to build it from large scale meccano style pieces was agreed It was built with the aid of enthusiastic volunteers The scaffolding had been removed and work was underway on the footpaths around the site A picnic area including meccano bench was to be included with a new mile stone near by the picnic site

Designs had been produced by local children, young people and residents, these were now on display at the library The Official Opening was due to take place on Saturday 6 April 2013 at 11.30am by the Mayor and Mayoress of Bolton. More information was available from Gaynor Cox, Arts Officer, Bolton at Home, 01204 333632 [email protected]

A number of questions followed the update and were answered at the meeting.

Resolved – That the presentation be noted

27. PRESENTATION – GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE

Councillor Anthony Connell introduced CBM Gary Howard and PCSO Maurice Pennington from Greater Manchester Police who gave a presentation on how to report crime & anti-social behaviour.

The main points were:

999 was the number to use for immediate threats to life or property 101 was for all other purposes There were many other ways to contact the police: direct to officers on the street, via mobile phone or email, via regularly held police surgeries, via Elected Members, via the website, twitter etc. Surgeries were held monthly at the library or the children’s centre on Herbert Street, details were posted on the library’s notice board Residents were reminded to ensure valuables were out of sight and security of cars and properties were maintained

A number of questions followed the presentation and were answered at the meeting.

Resolved – That the presentation be noted

28. UPDATE ON BUDGETS AND PROJECTS

Councillor Anthony Connell introduced Area Co-ordinator Idris Jeewa who gave an update on current balances for budgets and grants devolved to the Area Forum for 2011-13 financial years as follows:

Highways Maintenance Budget (HMB) £0.00 Neighbourhood Management Budget (NMB) £1,902.00 Area Forum Flat Rate Budget (AFB) £5,573.00

Resolved –

i. That the report be noted;

ii. That it be noted that the following schemes have been awarded a grant under the Council’s Scheme of Delegation from the 2011-13 budget:

Scheme Award

(NMB) – Schools Environmental Project and £2,200.00 Clean-up day. (AFB) – Darcy Lever Cricket Club £750.00 (AFB) – Bowness Primary School, Hi-vis £391.00 waistcoats (AFB) – Contribution to Little Lever over 60’s £500.00 Party (AFB) – 18th St Matthews Scout Group £500.00 (AFB) – Re-installment of handrail at Marsh £400.00 Road/Ainsworth Road.

29. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SESSION

Councillor Anthony Connell introduced this item on the agenda and invited residents to ask any questions or put forward any comments they had regarding issues and concerns in the ward.

Q1 Was the CCTV equipment purchased through the forum for Little Lever Centre still working and being used? A This would be checked and reported back to the next meeting. The Chair did state that the five year maintenance contract had now expired and a quote had been received for future maintenance but this was very high.

Q2 A number of children from Mytham Road Primary School attended and enquired about the possibility of introducing a ‘cycle to school’ scheme but had concerns in relation to road safety. A An officer from Environmental Services will visit the school to discuss in more detail.

Q3 The park areas in Little Lever are in such a state with the grass only getting a quick trim and dog fouling prolific. Most signs were also either missing or, like the one near Suffolk Close, worn away so no writing remained? A With the current financial situation the council had a lot less money to maintain parks and open spaces but endeavoured to do the best it could with the funds available. The query regarding signs will be passed on to colleagues in Environmental Services.

Q4 What did the Members think about the Highways Department’s proposals for a new roundabout and pedestrian crossing at the Loxham Street and Manchester Road junction? A The ward Councillors were unaware of any such proposal but Councillor Connell suggested he would speak with both the Members and Councillor Nick Peel.

Q5 What was the latest with the Tesco development? A Cllr Connell stated that Tesco had three years to develop the site, so it was up to them when they wanted to start.

Q6 Were Community Payback still doing any work in Little Lever? They used to pick litter around York Avenue. A Community Payback worked across Bolton on a referral basis only and did not have dedicated teams to particular areas. A referral for a litter pick around York Avenue

would be submitted.

Q7 A number of questions and comments were raised regarding potholes and road resurfacing, specifically in relation to the end of the drive at 14 Windermere Ave, Wilby Ave, Duxbury Ave, Tonge Rd and Lancaster Rd. A All these locations noted would be passed on to Highways Services for investigation

Q8 Why does the road sweeper on Saturday and Sunday turn back at Masefield Road, despite Little Lever continuing beyond this point? A This would be taken back and a response reported to the next meeting

Resolved – That the questions be noted and the questions which were not answered be directed to the appropriate departments or partner agencies.

30. CLOSE OF MEETING

Councillor Anthony Connell thanked everyone for attending and advised that the next meeting of the Little Lever and Darcy Lever Area Forum had not yet been set but residents would be notified in the usual way.

The meeting started at 7.00pm and finished at 8.20pm