WENDOVER LOCAL AREA FORUM
DATE: 21 January 2015
TIME: 7.00 pm LOCATION: Halton Village Hall
AGENDA
Item Time Page No
1 Apologies for Absence / Changes in Membership 1900
2 Declarations of Interest To disclose any Personal or Disclosable Pecuniary Interests
3 Action Notes 1905 5 - 8 To confirm the notes of the meeting held on 2 October 2014.
4 Question Time 1910 There will be a 20 minute period for public questions. Members of the public are encouraged to submit their questions in advance of the meeting to facilitate a full answer on the day of the meeting. Questions sent in advance will be dealt with first and verbal questions after.
Items raised include:
• Buckland Parish Clerk raised the point that Members deplore the fact that the culvert under the road at Havering House has still not been repaired /replaced. The work was ‘scheduled’ ages ago and with more stormy weather, houses are bound to get flooded again. • Following over a year of complaints, the trees outside Church Farm, Buckland have still not been cut back. These overhanging trees obscure the sight line for drivers and prevent walkers using only the footway at that point.
5 Petitions None received
6 Neighbourhood Policing Priorities 1930 Verbal Visit democracy.buckscc.gov.uk for councillor information and email alerts for meetings, and decisions affecting your local area.
James Davies will give a presentation. Report
7 Local Area Priorities 1950 9 - 16 Parking and Safer Routes to Schools
• Junction of Brook Street and London Road • Wendover Schools • Hampden Hall • Aston Clinton: Parking and Safer Routes to Schools
Young People’s Priority
8 Prevention Matters 2000 Verbal Cindy McCreary will give a presentation. Report
9 Safer Communities Briefing 2010 17 - 20
10 Active Bucks LAF Briefing 2020 21 - 22 Sarah Mills and /or Tom Burton will give a presentation.
11 TfB Update 2030 23 - 28 Calvin Richardson will present an update.
12 AVDC Update 2040 29 - 34 Alan Evans will present an update.
13 BCC Update 2050 Verbal Martin Dickman will present an update. Report
14 Information Items 35 - 38 Developing an approach to energy and sustainability at a Local Area Forum
15 Date of Next Meeting 2100 21 May 2015 at Buckland Village Hall.
Members
Chris Adams, Bucks County Council Steve Bowles Bill Chapple OBE, Bucks County Council Marion Clayton Michael Foote, Weston Turville Parish Council Nigel Hayward, Buckland Parish Council Claire Hill, Aston Clinton Parish Council Christine Jensen Wilma Kingsbury, RAF Halton Richard Maskell, Aston Clinton Parish Council Meryl Nodes, Drayton Beauchamp Parish Meeting Carole Paternoster, Aylesbury Vale District Council Marguerite Phillips, CHASE Chris Richards, Aylesbury Vale District Council Tom Ross, Drayton Beauchamp Parish Council Deborah Taylor, Bucks PCT Brian Thompson, Halton Parish Council David Thompson, Aylesbury Vale District Council Natalie Thrussell, Thames Valley Police Tom Walsh, Wendover Parish Council Craig White, Buckland Parish Council Jim Wilding, CHASE Jeremy Williams, Fire and Rescue Service Stephen Worth, Wendover Parish Council
Democratic Services Contact : Karen Jones, Tel 01296 383627, Email [email protected] If you would like to attend a meeting, but need extra help to do so, for example because of a disability, please contact us as early as possible, so that we can try to put the right support in place.
Agencies : Buckinghamshire County Council, Aylesbury Vale District Council, Aston Clinton Parish Council, Buckland Parish Council, Drayton Beauchamp Parish Meeting, Halton Parish Council, Wendover Parish Council, Weston Turville Parish Council, Thames Valley Police, Bucks Fire and Rescue, Buckinghamshire PCT, Voluntary Sector representatives
Agenda Item 3
ACTION NOTES
MEETING: Wendover Local Area Forum
DATE: 2 October 2014 7.10 pm to 8.46 pm
LOCATION Stoke Mandeville Combined School
Steve Bowles, Michael Foote (Weston Turville Parish Council), Richard Maskell (Aston Present: Clinton Parish Council), Carole Paternoster (Aylesbury Vale District Council) (Vice- Chairman) and Stephen Worth (Wendover Parish Council) Inspector James Davies, Simon Dudley, Alan Evans, Paul Hodson, Anne James and In Attendance: Karen Jones Apologies: Marion Clayton, Wilma Kingsbury, Meryl Nodes and Tom Ross
Item ISSUES RAISED
1 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE / CHANGES IN MEMBERSHIP
Apologies were received from Marion Clayton, Wilma Kingsbury, Ray Morley, Tom Ross and Meryl Nodes.
2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were no interests declared.
3 ACTION NOTES
The Action Notes of the meeting held on 3 July 2014 were agreed as a correct record.
4 QUESTION TIME
There were no questions raised.
5 PETITIONS
There were no petitions received.
6 TFB UPDATE
Simon Dudley provided an update from TfB and made the following points:
• A meeting will be held at the Oculus on 10 October between 4.30 – 7pm. • The Think Tank part of Transformation will result in a move to area working. • Jet patching was taking place every third week in the following areas – Buckingham, Haddenham and Waddesdon and Northall and Dagnall and will involve one week of work in each area. • Winter officially starts on 17 October and plans were being developed for severe weather resilience planning. • In response to a question it was noted that the grit boxes were scheduled to be full by the end of November. • Members were advised that an open evening had taken place at Griffin Lane on 1 October and that officers were available if required.
5 • Thanks were expressed to TfB for resealing Bates Lane. • The Chairman reported that the moss on the footpath on Manor Farm Close which was making the footpath slippery had been reported to TfB. This was noted and investigated by TfB. • In response to a question members were advised that Property Services were responsible for the building where Wendover Community Library was based (concern was expressed that this was about to collapse). • Simon Dudley explained that there had been problems with weedkilling this year caused by wind and the very wet winter which resulted in the normal die back not occurring. A programme of spraying was in place in the urban areas. • Rob Anderson apologised for the road closures which were occurring in order to allow repair work to take place. Members commended the officers for their work and noted that Churchill Avenue looked great.
7 THAMES VALLEY NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE UPDATE
Inspector James Davies provided an update from Thames Valley Police and made the following points:
• There were 3 officers working at Wendover Police Station and 3 PCSOs in the Wendover area. • Crimes committed had been reduced by 14%. • No robberies had taken place and burglaries were down by 14%, and thefts of motor vehicles were down by 37%. • As the nights were drawing in and Halloween was approaching caution was expressed that it was more obvious if people were not at home and lights were not switched on. • Operation Artic will be taking place between 6 October and 31 January will involve more active patrols in Wendover. • Operation Articulate on 2 September was in relation to child sexual exploitation and resulted in 12 men being charged and remanded. The crimes against 2 victims took place between approximately 2005 and 2012. Members were advised that this was a national issue where girls who were often in care were being exploited and members were urged to be vigilant. • The Vice Chairman thanked Thames Valley Police for removing the car on Weston Road which had been discussed at the last meeting. • It was noted that there was an ongoing issue with parking on London Road. Members were advised that parking on a junction was advisable but not enforceable. Anne James explained that if parking takes place on yellow lines BCC would be able to enforce. • It was noted that the Wendover Society had complained about high speed motorcycles on Saturdays and Sundays on the Wendover bypass. This was noted.
8 PLANNING ISSUES
The Vice Chairman reported that Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) had received some opportunist Planning Applications. A Forum would be taking place at the Oculus on 16 October at 6.30pm which will provide Parish and town councils with the opportunity to explain the technical reports. The deadline for receiving an indication of the number of houses required is February 2015. AVDC hopes to ensure that there is no brownfield land which can be used.
It is anticipated that by mid-October details of what the local needs are will have been obtained.
6 Members were advised that the AVDC timetable will be non-negotiable. The Chairman encouraged parishes to provide information and not to be complacent.
9 RAT RUNNING THROUGH ASTON CLINTON AND WESTON TURVILLE
The Chairman reported that the traffic lights between Bedgrove and the Tescos on Tring Road had been paid for by Arla and the general perception was that fewer people were using the A41. During the construction phase more people started driving through Weston Turville, using New Road in Aston Clinton and there had also been an increase in traffic on Turnfurlong and Brougton Avenue since the new lights had been constructed.
Anne James explained that the issues appeared to have arisen not because of Arla but because of the construction work and resulted in people not returning to use the A41. Members were advised that it will be necessary to look at traffic modelling. Officers had identified the need to put in another relief road and the new Western link road will change the way traffic flows through Aylesbury. It was suggested and agreed that Richard Smith be invited to a future meeting.
It was suggested that the priority on Tring Hill be changed in order to avoid diverting the problem to Wendover.
10 PAVEMENT PARKING IN LONDON ROAD, ASTON CLINTON
This item had been covered earlier in the meeting.
11 UPDATE ON COLLEGE ROAD SOUTH
Paul Hodson reported that the informal consultation had been completed and that 13 responses were for the proposal, 1 against and 2 were neutral. The proposal was to move one of the gates further up the road. It was now proposed that a third gate be added as an experiment for review after 12 months at an estimated cost of approximately £40k. It was agreed that if there were any objections this would be reconsidered and that there had not been any incidents for 6 months. Members agreed to proceed with the proposal.
12 CALVERT AT GREEN PARK
Members were advised that a meeting was being held with the Environment Agency on 10 October 2014.
13 LOCAL PRIORITIES BUDGET
Paul Hodson reported that the cost of the MVAS had reduced because it cannot be used in Drayton Beauchamp. An extra £8k will be required for College Road. Funding was also requested for Wendover Youth Forum following receipt of 3 proposals for a community event which had been match funded to the value of up to 2k by Budgens. It was noted that a decision had not yet been taken on what equipment to buy for example a skatepark
Two schools had submitted plans for Safer Routes to Schools and the contact is Nicky Batkin. The Chairman reported that the proposal was to submit a letter explaining that this was a priority of the LAF and to await a response.
Another proposal had been submitted from the Wendover schools for a barrier at the entrance to the schools. The estimated cost was £26k and a bid for £13k had been submitted. It was noted that the biggest problem was that this would move the parking problem around the corner and they asked for a summary of near misses. It was agreed that this be revisited at a future date.
The LAF agreed the proposals for £5k and an extra £8k for College Road South.
7 14 AVDC UPDATE
Alan Evans reported that as part of the development of Waterside North planning permission had been granted for extra parking. The car park will open in the spring of 2015 and work on a major new development will commence in 2015.
Changes to electoral registration were taking place and just less than 90% of residents were automatically transferred. 17,000 residents will require additional validation. AVDC council meetings were now being webcast.
The Gateway and Oculus offices were now registered as a licensed wedding venue.
15 BCC UPDATE
Anne James reported that the budget consultation had started and she encouraged parishes were encouraged to give their views on what their priorities for spending were.
Another consultation was beginning on parking and the allocation was linked to planning. BCC was currently paying for very expensive parking schemes. The strategy will look at available parking spaces in the development.
The Legal Services department had promoted filming on the Highway because BCC was currently not allowed to apply for a TRO for filming. Film companies use Bucks for filming and were working through a Private Members Bill to enable closing the road for filming. This was unopposed in the Commons.
The Environmental Services Select Committee looked at subsidised public transport and this will be considered next year. This will be very expensive to deliver and options will be considered.
Evidence against HS2 was being collated and the next stage will be to present evidence on February 15 2015.
The Vice Chairman reported that there were problems with the Arriva buses from Tring Hill in Aston Clinton. Passengers had been advised that single decker buses were being used because the trees were breaking the windows. Anne James replied that BCC can discuss this with Arriva and she suggested that Andy Clarke will liaise with the LATs. It was noted that there was a knock on effect for home to school transport. The Chairman noted that when the land was developed very strict guidelines were laid down about the condition of the road.
16 INFORMATION ITEMS
The information item on Community Grants was noted.
17 DATE OF NEXT AND FUTURE MEETINGS
2015
29 January at Halton Village Hall.
21 May at Buckland Village Hall
24 September at The Anthony Hall, Aston Clinton.
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Agenda Item 7
Buckinghamshire County Council Visit www.buckscc.gov.uk/democracy for counc ill or information and email alerts for local meet ings
Report to Wendover Local Area Forum
Title: Local Area Priority Project Proposals 2014-15
Date: 15 January 2015
Author: Phil Dart, Service Director, Communities
Contact officer: Paul Hodson, Localities Manager Tel: 01296 383479 Email: [email protected]
Electoral divisions affected: Aston Clinton & Bierton, Wendover, Halton & Stoke Mandeville
Summary
1. The LAF will be provided with a budget to address the Wendover local area priorities in 2015/16. Three projects are described.
Recommendation
2. The Wendover Local Area Forum is recommended to approve funding for the projects described, conditional on the County Council agreeing sufficient budget at its meeting in February 2015.
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Local Area Projects for 2015/16 3. The budget for 2015/16 has not yet been set, however the arrangements for 2015/16 are that:
4. Funding must be allocated in line with the LAF’s priorities and the County Council’s strategic priorities. A guide to the County Council’s strategic priorities has been provided to LAF members and can also be viewed online or downloaded ( Guide to the Local Priorities Budget ).
5. The Wendover Local Area priorities are:
• Activities and facilities for young people aged 11+ • Parking issues • Speeding/rat-running through the villages • Concern about elderly people/ vulnerable groups unable to meet people • Safer routes to school
Summary of Funding Proposals 6. The following schemes are recommended for funding, provisional on the LAF receiving sufficient budget for 2015/16. The budget will be set by the County Council during February 2015.
Scheme LAF Priority Organisation Requested Match Total Name from the funding scheme LAF value Hampden Hall Traffic Weston Parking issues 12,000 12,000 Calming Turville Activities and Aylesbury facilities for Youth Forum Vale Youth 5,000 5,000 young people For Christ aged 11+ Parking issues Wendover Schools and safer Wendover 7,500 7,500 15,000 Entry Barrier routes to Junior School school Total 24,500 7,500 32,000
Proposals
Youth Forum Funding 7. The Youth Forum are carrying out several projects in 2014/15 with the LAF’s support. It is recommended to ring fence £5,000 for further work by the Forum in 2015/16. The LAF are asked to agree this funding in principle, conditional on the LAF Chairman agreeing a detailed proposal at the end of March when AVYFC are able to provide an assessment of the work carried out in 2014/15 and therefore identify the best focus for 2015/16.
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8. This proposal supports the County Council’s priority to encourage people and communities to be actively involved in their local area and services, specifically the development of Youth Forums/Councils and voluntary youth groups.
9. The LAF are recommended to support this proposal.
Hampden Hall Traffic Calming
10. Weston Turville Parish Council have requested costs for the following measures to address parking issues on the Hampden Hall Estate:
11. Introduction of double yellow lines at entrance to the estate, up to the first properties. This would require consultation for the traffic regulation order.
12. Provision of signs and road lines to mark the first oval in the estate as a roundabout . Formalising the roundabout may require removal of parking (through double yellow lines) on the entry points to the roundabout to ensure adequate visibility of the give way line and clearance on/off the roundabout. This would need to be provided at each entry. The signs on the roundabout would require illumination; the options and cost for arranging power are not yet clear. This would require consultation, albeit not for a traffic regulation order.
13. One way system on Almond Tree Drive and Hornbeam Way. A one-way route is feasible, but further physical measures such as build-outs at either end will probably be required to meet with regulations. Signs will need to be illuminated. This would require consultation for the traffic regulation order.
14. Due to the above issues I am unable to provide a ball park cost for the roundabout and one-way system as it would take significant time to develop the options to provide a robust budget estimate
15. The cost for no waiting at any time restriction (double yellow lines) at the entry to the estate would be £6,000.
16. To determine the initial design and cost of the one-way system and roundabout options, a feasibility study is recommended to be carried out. This would identify all the implications and risks of the layout. It would aim provide the basis to complete the detail design and implementation if the scheme were to be progressed. The estimated cost to complete a study to prepare the layout, cost estimate, road safety audit would be £6,000.
17. This proposal supports the County Council’s priority to improve transport networks within Buckinghamshire and the surrounding areas.
18. The LAF are recommended to support this proposal.
Wendover Schools Entry Barrier 19. There have been long standing issues with parking at and around Wendover CE Junior School, the John Hampden School and Little Acorns Kinderkarten. The schools have 3
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submitted a proposal to help address this installing an automated barrier at the entrance of the single lane entry point.
20. The schools have already taken other recommended measures, including implementing sustainable travel plans resulting in a rate of 75-80% of pupils walking, cycling or scooting. However parking remains a substantial issue.
21. A detailed proposal is attached. Photos of the proposal are provided below:
22. The scheme provides good value for money; it is considerably cheaper than the original quote provided by Buckinghamshire County Council. The LAF is only being asked for half the cost of the scheme.
23. This projects support the County Council’s priority to improve transport networks within Buckinghamshire and the surrounding areas, and the LAF’s priorities of Parking issues and Safer routes to school.
24. The LAF are recommended to support this proposal.
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Agenda Item 7 Appendix 1 Wendover Church of England Junior School Wharf Road, Wendover, Buckinghamshire HP22 6HF
Headteacher : Gareth Mirams Email : [email protected] Assistant Headteachers : Jennifer Bartlett & Jo Cook Website : http://wendover.eschools.co.uk Tel : 01296 696822
1 December 2014
Provisional proposal for a barrier to be installed at the entrance to the Wendover Schools’ Campus, Wharf Road, Wendover HP22 6HF
Background Since 2003 Wendover CE Junior School (WJS) and the John Hampden School Wendover (JHS) have each held a School Travel Plan and have worked tirelessly to encourage sustainable travel on the journey to and from school. Details of sustainable travel can be seen on the table below. In recent years the schools have been joined by Little Acorns Kindergarten (LAK) in a campaign to keep the campus safe for pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders.
The campus was designed to allow only staff and service vehicles access on site with the proviso that the majority of this traffic would not travel through the campus at peak drop-off and pick-up times. Parking areas on campus are intended for staff and there are very few additional spaces. However, despite the careful positioning of prohibitive signs at the entrance to the campus, a determined minority of parents/carers persist in driving on to the site at peak times when approximately 600 children of primary age are walking around the site.
Campus Entrance Blockades For several years WJS, JHS and LAK have supported a programme to limit the number of parents and carers who drive onto the campus at pick-up and drop-off times. The aforesaid parties have endeavoured to educate those drivers who flout the rules by communication in newsletters and by setting up a ‘human blockade’ at the campus entrance to prevent entry by unauthorised vehicles.
Historically these blockades have been run by staff, but over the last year a small group of volunteer parents have joined the team and have blockaded the entrance on a rota covering three days per week. Due to the pressure on these volunteers we have recently focussed this initiative on one week per month.
Perfect Parking Campaign In addition to these blockades, WJS, JHS and LAK have promoted responsible parking. This has included the issue of a Parking Promise, part of the country-wide “Perfect Parking Campaign”. Parents and carers are invited to sign a Perfect Parking Promise, which details our expectations as regards parking in the area. Drivers are encouraged to park outside of the ‘Walking Zone’, ie Wharf Road and Manor Road area, and suitable parking points are suggested. We also suggest other solutions, such as park at a friend’s house and walk or drop child at a friend’s house to walk together. Those who sign up are issued with a Perfect Parking car sticker. Both JHS and WJS have each had over 100 families sign up and this is an ongoing campaign.
15 On average we have a 75-80% sustainable travel to school rate, either walk, cycle or scoot. Last year’s ‘Hands Up survey’ included a ‘Park and Walk’ option – this showed a marked increase. However, we campaign regularly to educate drivers to responsibly Park and Walk.
The Proposal To install an automated barrier at the entrance of the single lane entry point. The system would include an intercom system to all parties on campus and a card/fob system for easy staff entry. Plates would be installed at the end of the single lane exit road to prevent vehicles driving the wrong direction on to campus as has occurred in the past when blockading the entrance. The plan is to install a short barrier which would allow for a cycle lane.
Cost Approximately eighteen months ago the question of a permanent barrier was investigated and an application was made last year for Local Priorities Funding under the Speeding criteria. At the time the cost of a barrier was estimated to be in the region of £24,500 to include mobile phone GSM link to each of the 5 site reception offices (see estimate attached). However, we have recently received a quote of between £14-15,000 by a local contact – Ivor Saunders of Access IT Data. Ivor has suggested an alternative method which is much cheaper (see attached quotation).
Additional Works We are realistic in knowing that a minority of drivers would treat the turning circle as a drop- off/pick-up point and to that end would like to improve the design and safety of this area. The intention would be to add two zebra crossings across the turning circle, so that children dropped on the Colet side of the circle would be able to cross safely to the schools side and walk safely up the campus path. We are currently investigating this option with the County Council.
School Travel Survey 2014/2015
JHS % WJS % Walk 38 43 Cycle 10 7 Scoot 23 10 Park and Walk 13 28 Total Sustainable Travel 84 88 Car/Car Share 16 12 Total 100 100
Evidence of Near Misses Letters received from parents/carers over the past 3 years are attached.
As a campus, we have been trying for many years to make the site a safe place for the children and families using it every day. Although the majority of people adhere to the campus rules, there is a signficant minority who continue to flout the rules. As such, we feel we now have no option but to install a permanent barrier to restrict traffic movement at peak times. We hope that the Parish Council will support our bid for LAF funding under the Safer Routes to School criteria.
16 Agenda Item 9 Buckinghamshire County Council Visit democracy.Buckinghamshirecc.gov.uk for councillor information and email alerts for local meetings
Wendover Local Area Forum
Title: Proposed priorities for the County level Safer Buckinghamshire Plan 2015/16 Date: 9 January 2019
Author: Phil Dart, Service Director, Communities
Contact officer: Cath Marriott, BCC. 01296 383979
Local members affected: Aston Clinton & Bierton, Wendover, Halton & Stoke Mandeville Summary
Safer Buckinghamshire Plan There is a statutory duty in two-tier areas such as Buckinghamshire to produce a Community Safety Agreement . This should identify what the crime & disorder priorities are and how the Safer Communities team in Buckinghamshire County Council will work (with our partners) to address them. In Buckinghamshire, we also include reference to local district priorities as many will complement each other. This document is called the Safer Buckinghamshire Plan.
This document must be evidence based . We look at a minimum of one year of crime and disorder data and information and look at trends, emerging areas, changing nature of crime etc. This evidence base is called the Partnership Strategic Assessment and is carefully written over approximately. 3 months, culminating in a detailed analysis document looking at victims, offenders and locations of crime.
Community Safety Partnerships (CSP) • Funding for Community Safety Partnership work now comes from the elected Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley • The work of the PCC is scrutinised by the Police & Crime Panel • The PCC oversees all of the Thames Valley area • A Thames Valley Police Strategic Assessment is produced to support Thames Valley wide planning • This does not have the level of detail to support planning at a county level • Also, the police work is focused on enforcement and criminal justice whereas the CSP is focused on crime prevention • Thus the results of the Buckinghamshire Strategic Assessment evidence base are used, along with stakeholder consultation, to identify the priorities for focus in the coming year.
Review of Partnership Performance over 2013/14 (compared to 2012/13)
• Total crime decreased in Buckinghamshire by 5% • 11% of all reported crime took place in our town centres: Aylesbury and High Wycombe • Violence was down in Buckinghamshire (-2%) except in Aylesbury Vale (+8%)
17 • Shoplifting increased (+11%) despite a drop in total acquisitive crime (stealing) by 6% • 50% of town centre crime was stealing (esp. shoplifting) • Police recorded anti-social behaviour dropped by 20%
Victimisation • 20% of all crime victims were between 40-49 years and this was primarily property related crime, such as burglary and vehicle crime • Younger people were more likely to be victims of a crime against a person (such as violence, robbery and sexual offences) • 18-26 year olds made up 41% of victims of town centre violence • People over 70 were at greater risk of fraudulent offences, such as scams and bogus callers & traders • Tools (hardware or garden) and jewellery were the top items that stolen. Tools from vehicles and sheds/garages etc and jewellery from people (robbery)
Offending • 18-26 year olds made up 41% of offenders of town centre violence • Repeat offending in adults accounted for 68% of all detected crime and 94 offenders (1.6%) committed more than 10 offences in the 12 months studied • The misuse of drugs remains one of the most significant known contributory factors to volume crime and re-offending • The nature of drug misuse is changing rapidly and is related to changes in offending patterns, most notable mephedrone (illegal) and new psychoactive substances (legal highs).
Proposed Countywide Priority areas (not in a priority order)
1 Acquisitive crime & re-offending : Responding to the change in ‘stealing’ type crimes from burglary to shoplifting, vehicle crime, non-dwelling and other theft, particularly in our repeat and known offenders
2 Substance misuse : Dealing with the increase in dangerous substance misuse and alcohol habits / behaviour such as mixing substances (alcohol & drugs, sharing needles), and the rapidly changing nature of legal highs
3 Protecting children and young adults : Better understanding those things that increase the risk of young people being victims and offenders (e.g. Child Sexual Exploitation, Looked After Children, Gangs, Domestic Abuse, Violence, Cyber-crime and others)
4 Protecting adults who are vulnerable due to who they are or where they live: Identifying mechanisms to protect older people (e.g. from doorstep crime, online/face-to-face/telephone fraud). Protecting those who are targeted or exploited (e.g. race, disability etc); and dealing with vulnerabilities connected with rural isolation and other demographic factors.
5 Dealing with hidden crime : Better understanding the victims, offenders and information that would help earlier identification, intervention and prevention (e.g. Child Sexual Exploitation, Domestic Abuse, Hate Crime, Human Trafficking & Modern Slavery, Cyber-Crime)
6 Targeting resources effectively : Better understanding crimes against our residents (e.g. burglary, violence) vs. crimes against our community locations (e.g. shop-lifting, bilking, business crime) so we can target prevention and re-assurance messages better, more relevantly and direct resources effectively.
7 Being evidence led and nimble : Staying ahead of emerging concerns, changes in crime and other factors that impact the safety and security of Buckinghamshire residents. Ensuring enough time is spent understanding the issues so that time and resource is proportional.
18 Note: there are also priorities that will be identified by local district councils such as anti-social behaviour and town centre safety, which are not duplicated here.
Recommendation
The Safer Buckinghamshire Plan will be the document that contains the County level crime & disorder priorities for 2015-16. The Safer Communities team at Buckinghamshire CC would like to consult on the above 7 proposed priority areas.
The feedback received from the LAF will be brought together with the rest of the stakeholder (including resident) consultation, set to be completed by the end of February.
This report requests feedback on the proposed priorities from the LAF answering the following specific questions: • Are the priorities written in a way that can be understood and, if not, what wording is suggested? • Does the LAF view any of the priorities as more important than others? If so, which? • Are there any crime & disorder issues that the LAF feel should be a priority and is not mentioned here (and is not likely to be covered by district level plans)?
Resource implications
The activities that would sit under the Safer Buckinghamshire Plan have been funded from existing budgets for Buckinghamshire County Council Safer Communities, some contributions from services and partners. Funding for county wide activities and initiatives comes from operational elements of this budget.
The PCC has allocated Community Safety Funding for Buckinghamshire for 2015/2016 of £500,042, a similar level to last year. This funding supports Drugs Intervention programme and Youth Offending Service as well as community safety and crime reduction activity.
During this year, the County Council has, through its budgeting process, invested in Safer Communities. This money provided capacity to respond to community safety issues and priorities in Buckinghamshire. We are waiting for the end of the budget process to confirm what the financial situation will be for 2015/16.
Legal implications
The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (Section 17) established a requirement for all local authorities to have regard to community safety in the planning and delivery of their services. This duty has since been extended to include substance misuse and environmental crime.
The Crime and Disorder Act Regulations include the requirement for the County Community Safety Agreement – this is called the Safer Buckinghamshire Plan locally.
Other implications/issues
Community Safety is a key contributor in supporting the Families First work in Buckinghamshire. Residents’ surveys consistently identify tackling crime and disorder as one of the top priorities in Buckinghamshire.
Feedback from consultation, Local Area Forums and Local Member views (if relevant)
This LAF report is one of the consultation mechanisms being employed for the proposed priorities in the Safer Buckinghamshire Plan. Residents and County Councillors are being consulted during
19 February, alongside the governance process including scrutiny by a Select Committee. It is anticipated that a final report will go to Cabinet in April.
Districts will also be considering their consultation options at this time, with priorities that are local to them, such as anti-social behaviour. It is important to note, then, that this paper refers to the County’s Safer Communities priorities, which should dovetail into those at district level.
20 Agenda Item 10 Active Bucks LAF Briefing January 2015
1. Introduction
• Physical inactivity directly contributes to 1 in 6 deaths in the UK; is the fourth largest cause of disease and disability in the UK; and costs £16.9m in Bucks each year through healthcare costs and lost productivity days • 1 in 4 people in Bucks are inactive, undertaking less than ½ hour of moderate intensity physical activity a week. Many more are not active at optimal levels for their health. • Physical activity was highlighted in your LAFs public health profile as a key preventative priority • Buckinghamshire’s Physical Activity Strategy has been developed to help tackle this situation through action by organisations and local communities.
2. Challenges
• There are significant challenges to encouraging people to become more active with barriers such as lack of time, financial costs, personal attitudes and behaviours, transport issues, and restrictions in the physical environment. • Key approaches to increasing physical activity include: − Building activity into everyday life − Making being physically active the social norm − Facilitating community engagement in physical activity − Inspiring those who are inactive to engage in physical activity
3. The Project
• Aims: − To support Bucks residents to increase their physical activity levels − To increase the number of Bucks residents participating in a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity each week − To reduce the number of Bucks residents undertaking less than 30 minutes moderate intensity physical activity each week
• The project seeks to deliver large scale promotion and adoption of physical activity through: − Utilising the role of members as community leaders − Engaging communities by exploring what physical activity communities want to engage with − Providing evidence based and best practice physical activity interventions which deliver the Bucks Physical Activity Strategy
• The project will offer each LAF a physical activity package over 2 years to promote physical activity in their area, stimulating ideas and action from within the community.
• The package will include: − elements that are centrally commissioned including: o physical activity focussed asset based community development, o physical activity asset mapping o some physical activity provision that will benefit from economies of scale and meets common recommendations across the county o independent evaluation to demonstrate impact − locally determined LAF level physical activity provision o using an allocation provided to each LAF o based on the recommendations that are produced from the asset mapping process o opportunity for LAF to bid for additional resource for provision which meets the recommendations presented
21 • Central project co-ordination will be commissioned which will include providing support for each LAF to enable the delivery of local physical activity provision and the overall successful delivery of the project.
4. Physical Activity Community Development
4.1 Physical Activity Asset Mapping • Residents from each LAF will be invited to be part of the physical activity asset mapping in their community. It is important that a wide spread of residents are engaged, particularly those who are currently inactive. • At least one asset mapping event will take place in each LAF area • The mapping and engagement with communities will result in recommendations for each LAF, to enable informed decisions to be made regarding the most appropriate physical activity projects to commission for each local area • A menu of ideas related to those recommendations will be provided to each LAF to support them to use their allocation effectively
4.2 Physical Activity Community Champions • The project will also include the development of physical activity community champions (volunteers) which will strongly support the sustainability of increased physical activity levels after funding finishes • A minimum of 2 community champions will be identified in each LAF who will support both the asset mapping process and the ongoing engagement and motivation of local residents to be more active • Sustainability is key to the success of the project overall and a key requirement of any proposed LAF activity
5. What could the physical activity provision look like?
This will be determined by the community asset mapping process, as outlined above. Allocations can be used to enhance existing provision or develop new provision, however they cannot be used to replace already funded provision. The following gives an indication of the range of provision that may be recommended: • Park/open space activity • Gardening project/Structured activity classes/Buggy walks for parents • Building on existing physical activity provision e.g. Simply Walks programme • Bike racks at a local community centre to encourage active travel or signage to encourage more walking
6. Expected Timescales (to be confirmed)
Jan- Mar 2015 Public Health attending LAF meetings to introduce project and build community contacts to start community development work rd 23 April 2015 Stakeholder launch of the project May 2015 Community development work and asset mapping process will begin Sept 2015 LAF presented with recommendations and menu of options, for LAF to decide which projects to spend allocation on Sept 2015 Deadline for LAF decision on use of allocation for year 1 provision Sept/Oct 2015 Launch of project to the public Sept-Nov 2015 Year 1 physical activity provision commences March 2016 Deadline for bids from LAFs for additional resource for year 1 July 2016 Deadline for LAF decision on use of allocation for year 2 provision Sept 2016 Year 2 physical activity provision commences March 2017 Deadline for bids from LAFs for additional resource for year 2
7. Next steps
LAF members know their communities best, we request that LAFs help to engage and identify those in their communities that will be good contact points to support engaging the right members of the community in the physical activity asset mapping, and those community members who would be interested in volunteering to support this project. We also invite LAF members to get directly involved in the asset mapping.
Please contact Sarah Mills [email protected] or Tom Burton [email protected] with your contacts and/or to express an interest in getting involved. 22 Agenda Item 11 Buckinghamshire County Council Visit www.buckscc.gov.uk/democracy for councillor information and email alerts for local meetings
Wendover Local Area Forum
Title: Update report from Transport for Buckinghamshire
Date: 21 January 2015
Author: Calvin Richardson Area Manager Aylesbury Vale District Contact officer: Simon Dudley Team Leader (Safety Inspections) Electoral divisions affected: Parishes within the LAF
Summary
1. From 2010 this standard report will be issued to each Local Area Forum (LAF) / Local Community Partnership (LCP) from Transport for Buckinghamshire.
2. It will aim to provide a comprehensive update on current and relevant Transportation issues which are tailored to each individual LAF / LCP.
3. Standard topics to be covered will be:
- Dates of when Local Community Gangs will visit parishes - Major issues likely to affect parishes within the LAF / LCP - Update on ongoing local issues - Policy Development - Any other information
4. In addition, it will cover any emerging issues which could or will affect Local Area Forum / Local Community Partnership areas.
23 Capital Maintenance Programme Update
A list of all planned Capital Carriageway, Footway and Severe Weather sites for 2014-15 for the Wendover LAF with approximate dates of working.
Although these dates are currently correct, these works are all part of rolling and extremely weather dependent programmes. Therefore work starting on site is dependent on progress on the previous sites on the programme - this means these dates are still subject to change and often at short notice.
Road Name Location Treatment Scheme Anticipated Type Choice Start Date Upper Icknield Tring Hill to Surface Dressing Predict & Prevent Completed Way, Aston Clinton Stablebridge Road Bates Lane, Main Street to Footways Member Choice Completed Weston Turville Church Lane Church Lane, Worlds End Lane Surfacing Severe Weather Completed Weston Turville to Bakers Walk Site Marroway, Weston A413 to Worlds Surfacing Severe Weather Completed Turville End Lane Site Puttenham Road, B489 to Bridge Surfacing Severe Weather Completed Drayton Site Beauchamp The Holloway, B488 to Churchill Surfacing Severe Weather Completed Drayton Farm Site Beauchamp Upper Icknield Mansion Hill to Surfacing Severe Weather Completed Way, Aston Clinton Aston Hill site London Road, East of Firecrest Surface Dressing Route Strategy Completed Wendover Public House to Bowood Lane Junction Halton Lane, High Moors to Surfacing Severe Weather Completed Wendover Chestnut Avenue Site Church Lane, Hale Road to Surfacing Severe Weather Completed Wendover South Street Site
TfB Comms - Update
TfB started its patching programme during December, using the money granted to us by the Department for Transport. This programme will run until March, and covers sites across the county. Over 230 sites were assessed and 132 chosen for treatment. Each week the website will be updated with a list of sites and road closures will be posted daily on Twitter. www.buckscc.gov.uk/roadpatching .
Earlier this season, TfB held a competition to design their social media logos, and the winners were rewarded with a tour of our depots. Four primary school pupils were lucky enough to visit our Handy Cross depot in High Wycombe, and three pupils visited the Amersham depot. All the small visitors were provided with correct PPE and learnt how a gritter works, when and where salting treatment takes place, and how the decision is
24 made to send the gritters out. They also saw how a gritter is loaded with salt, as well as the other different vehicles that carry out road maintenance and were able to walk into the salt barn and see the huge mound of salt, ready for spreading on the roads. Pupils loved the experience and were very grateful to be invited.
As always, winter gritting is a hot topic, and we are using Twitter again to inform of our daily decision on whether or not to grit the roads. We receive five forecasts each day, which we monitor and from which we make a decision on whether treating the roads is required. This season we have carried out 20 treatment runs so far, and our drivers remain on call 24 hours a day.
We have also launched a new app for people to report defects on the roads. This can be downloaded from relevant app stores.
You can still follow us on Twitter - @tfbalerts – find us on Facebook – www.facebook.com/transportforbucks - and check our website for all the latest news and information – www.buckscc.gov.uk/transport .
Road Safety Safe Drive Stay Alive (SDSA) took place during November . SDSA is a multi-Agency event for 16-24 year olds and aims to reduce the number of young driver casualties on the roads in the Thames Valley. Secondary schools from all over Bucks are bussed to the show at local venues, such as Milton Keynes, High Wycombe and Oxford. The one hour shows are a hard hitting mix of film and personal testimonies from those involved in crashes, either as a victim, parent or in a professional capacity, such as Police, Fire and Ambulance services.
First Gear , pre driver event held at Aylesbury Vale Academy. 16 drivers attended the full day event and feedback had been very positive. Supported by local driving instructors, Thames valley Police, The Fire Service and local businesses.
Roadside checks – Countywide in partnership with Thames Valley Police. These take place early morning and evening. Drivers are stopped if lights not working and advised by Road Safety on the importance of making sure all lights are working at all times, but especially during the winter. The advice is given rather than prosecution. Drivers that are stopped will also be breathalysed.
Make the Commitment – promoted at the Junior Road Safety Conference. 150 ‘pledge*’ forms sent out to Broughton Junior School following conference. They wish to promote to all their parents. (*Pledge to drive within the speed limit)
Rights of Way – Operations Update Members of the Forum will no doubt be aware that funding has been made available by the County Council to enable parish councils to benefit from being able to undertake and manage rights of way clearance work over the summer. The money was in the form of a
25 grant to parish councils wishing to employ their contractors to undertake the work.
Over 20 parishes have taken part in the scheme and this has amounted to 80 kilometres of clearance in those parishes over the summer months. Additionally, Transport for Bucks carried out rights of way clearance in a number of other parishes, which added up to a further 120 kilometres of clearance, bringing the total of summer clearance 2014 to 200 kilometres. In previous years, summer clearance was undertaken on 330 kilometres of path, but as the group will be aware the Rights of Way budget received a significant cut from 2014 that necessitated a reduction in maintenance that could be carried out.
The Rights of Way Operations team work with the Chiltern Society Path Maintenance Volunteers to improve public access, particularly for less mobile users, and we are always looking to improve public access by removing stile structures and installing kissing gate or pedestrian gates. So far this year over 80 new gate structures have been installed to improve access to the network for all users, and overall the Chiltern Society volunteers have worked over 800 hours on rights of way in Buckinghamshire.
Delegated Budge Schemes 2014-2015 Proposed Schemes
Scheme Title Value Project Lead Status Update College Road South £10,700 Adrian Lane Ongoing scheme from last year. Improvements Prohibition of motor vehicles to be implemented as an experimental TRO (consultation will be undertaken during first 6 months). Programme to be confirmed. Early warning notice to be submitted to Localities to ensure funding is carried forward to allow Experimental TRO to be concluded.
Current progress on the scheme, as follows ;
Installation of the HGV signage (4) and yellow signs (2) at Brook St., - Details currently in preparation for the cost quotations from the TFB Sign Installation Contractors, - to be issued this week and installation dates to be confirmed following
26 quotation process.
Following directly on from above are preparation works for the Gate installation works, including inputs to the consultation decision report and preparation work on the Traffic Regulation Order Documentation , and in tandem with this; issue of the details and drawings for the Gate and ancillary carriageway works for cost quotations from TfB Supply Chain Approved Contractors
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Agenda Item 12
Aylesbury Vale District Council
Briefing note for W e n d o v e r Local Forum Area
January 2015
1. Investigation of the shape of Local Government in Aylesbury Vale 2. Update on major projects across the Vale 3. Broadband 4. Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan 5. AVDC budget 6. Transforming service delivery through technology 7. Grants
8. 9. 1. Investigation10. of the shape of Local Government in Aylesbury Vale 11.
In December AVDC announced it’s intention to explore the options for a Unitary Council in the Aylesbury Vale area. Cllr Neil Blake the Leader of the Council issued a statement.
“There have been a number of news articles and letters in the local media following our announcement that we intend to explore the option of a unitary council for Aylesbury Vale. This would mean creating a new authority to replace the existing county and district council to provide all essential council services in the area.
AVDC have been changing the way we work and deliver services for some time now, in order to balance our budget, but there are still more savings to make. We believe a major shake-up of local government is required if we are going to manage the cuts from central government and continue to deliver the services valued by the local community.
A unitary authority based on the current district boundary could be a more financially viable and customer-focused alternative to the current county and district council structure.
There are many future challenges that are specific to Aylesbury Vale. The vast majority of future housing and employment growth across the county area will be in the Vale and we want to be sure that growth can be managed to achieve the maximum benefit for local residents and businesses. We believe that’s going to be more difficult to achieve within the current structure of local government where resources (and decision making) of the county council have to be spread further afield.
In February AVDC’s full council will be asked to approve the idea of fully exploring the case for having one authority to deliver all essential services in Aylesbury Vale.
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29 If full council gives its approval to pursue this option, we would need to build up a detailed business case that looks into every aspect of service provision across the district. Only if that business case stacks up would we consider the unitary approach.
It is far too early to go into detail about what will happen to council services, especially when we haven’t yet gained formal approval to begin investigating the case for a unitary authority. A unitary authority would be a whole new entity in itself and we would be open-minded about how it would evolve. The important thing is that we start having the debate and investigating the possibilities.”
2. Major projects across the Vale
Waterside North, Aylesbury A joint outline planning application by Aylesbury Vale District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council for the redevelopment of part of the current Exchange Street car park and some of the adjacent land has been agreed in principle by AVDC’s Strategic Development Management Committee. A decision on application, which is for a number of new restaurants, residential space, public realm and community space, has been deferred and delegated to planning officers. If the full plans are approved, it is hoped that work will start on site in autumn 2015. A longer-term masterplan showing how the whole site could be developed over time is also available at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/watersidenorth
University Campus, Aylesbury Vale
Good progress is being made on building Aylesbury’s new education centre, which will be known as University Campus Aylesbury Vale (UCAV).
The groundwork for the three-storey building has been completed and the concrete frame is nearing completion. The next visible construction activity will be the erection of the roof, which will begin in the next few weeks.
The Campus should open in September 2015.
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3. Broadband
Phase two of the project is progressing and on 3 December AVDC’s full council meeting will consider a recommendation to set aside up to £1.5m to support further rollout of Broadband to the Vale. We will be looking to maximise the benefit we can get for the Vale for this investment and as well as using the connected counties route have also agreed to fund a pilot scheme covering North Marston, Granborough and Oving using a locally procured approach and we hope that we will learn from the pilot and be able to apply this elsewhere.
4. Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan
On 11 November 2014 Cabinet considered a progress report on the Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan. The report included the initial findings of the Housing & Employment Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA) being prepared for the Council by GL Hearn, and can be downloaded from our website at http://committees.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/committees/committees.aspx?commid=74&me etid=1665
The HEDNA will establish the amount of housing and employment that will need to be provided to meet Aylesbury Vale’s needs over the next 20 years. Its methodology is set out in Government guidance and is based on DCLG housing projections which are then modified to take account of local circumstances and expected economic development. The final report will also deal with retail development and is expected in March 2015.
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5. AVDC Budget
The main issue facing the Council in dealing with its budget plans for 2015/16 is again the cuts to Government funding. The Council already knows that its grant will be reduced by a further £1.2 million next year. This will mean that it has seen a reduction in its grant support from £13 million in 2010/11 to £6 million over 5 years. Government grant accounted for nearly 60% of the Council’s funding 5 years ago and so this reduction has meant we have had to do some things differently and stop doing others altogether. Despite the scale of the reductions the Council has coped well with the pressures placed upon it and has found in excess of £10 million in order to balance its budgets, through efficiencies, additional income streams and, in some cases, reductions to services. Whilst the Council continues to try and protect services to customers, including parishes, it is not always possible given the size of the reductions in funding. However, in any service redesign the needs of customers will always remain paramount. All of the indications are that the Council will continue to face further severe reductions in its grant over the next 5 years up until the point where it receives no Government support towards the cost of services. The Council is prepared for this and continues to work towards finding new budgetary solutions and savings. We are currently working to develop detailed budget proposals for 2015/16 and the first draft proposals will be presented to Cabinet in December. As part of the preparation for this, the Cabinet considered the issue of Parish Grants at its meeting in November (the papers for which can be found on-line). The Cabinet recommended a further reducing allocation of Grant to parishes in 2015/16 and 2016/17 in line with the undertaking given last year. We will be writing to parishes shortly to advise them of their allocations. Parishes will have already received their Taxbase numbers for 2015/16 and the timetable for returning their precept requirements.
6 Transforming service delivery through technology
AVDC’s full council is being recommended to approve a significant investment in a new website and the integration of its back office systems to give customers much better to services and information available online. People will only have to sign on once if they want to pay their bills and the web pages will be user friendly using any tablet or mobile phone. The first phase of the new website will be introduced in summer 2015 after testing by residents.
7. Grants April – Dec 14
Community Chest Organisation Grant Project Date of Purpose Total Award Cost 4
32 Artfully Reliable Theatre 1,000 1059 Sep-14 Keyboard for rehearsals and Society performances Aston Clinton Buckland and Aston 700 764 Replacement netting for existing Clinton Cricket Club practice net frames Aston Clinton Jun ‐14
Canal and River Trust 3000 11248 May-14
Weston Turville Reservoir ‐
circular walk Aston Clinton
Chilterns MS Centre 16,00 252,697 Physiotherapy provision for 0 people with MS Wendover ‐ Apr 14
Lindengate 15000 105120 May-14 horticultural training/therapy mental health project Wendover Wendover Parish Council 1,000 6,375 Heritage fruit trees for a community orchard Wendover ‐ Oct 14
36700
The last round of project grants closed in December, and eight applications will be considered th by the Grants Panel on 28 January. (None received from Wendover LAF area organisations)
th The next round of project grants (up to £25,000) closes on 6 March.
Microgrants up to £1,000 continue to be reviewed on a monthly basis.
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Agenda Item 14
Buckinghamshire County Council Visit www.buckscc.gov.uk/democracy for counc ill or information and email alerts for local meet ings
Report to Wendover Local Area Forum
Title: Developing an approach to Energy and sustainability at a Local Area Forum Level
Date: October 2014
Author: Rachel Toresen-Owuor, BCC Energy Manager Paul Hodson, Locality and Communities Manager Contact officer: Rachel Toresen-Owuor, BCC Energy Manager Email: [email protected]
Summary
1. Fuel poverty is a concern for a significant number of residents. Two Local Area Forums recently set fuel poverty as a local area priority. As a result BCC is launching an energy switching scheme in partnership with iChoosr. The scheme will be available to all residents. There is no cost for registering with the scheme. Where iChoosr have carried out the project elsewhere in the country, an average of 60% of respondents have been able to save money, with an average saving of £112 for the year.
Recommendation
2. To support and promote the Buckinghamshire iChoosr collective energy purchasing scheme.
Background
3. Although the UK energy market was deregulated a number of years ago, and was followed by an increased level of switching, there are still many people who paying far too much for their gas and electricity and haven’t changed suppliers in many years, if ever.
4. Buckinghamshire County Council is launching a switching scheme in partnership with iChoosr. We are encouraging all residents to sign up to take part in an energy auction in February 2015.
How does it work? 5. Suppliers engage in a reverse auction process, which takes place on a single day and should lead to lower prices. The supplier who offers the cheapest tariffs gets to offer registrants a new contract. After the auction iChoosr will contact everyone who registered to inform them how much they could save if they switched. Residents are under no obligation to switch, however if they decide to switch the whole process will be managed within the scheme.
6. Using a set day allows iChoosr to combine with other areas who take part to deliver the best energy price. There is no cost to the local residents participating as the energy companies pay iChoosr, however, promotion/communication of the scheme is the local authority’s responsibility. For every switch for gas or electricity the local authority 35 receives a small fee. It is estimated that this income will cover the cost of promoting the scheme. If any additional income is achieved, it will go towards supporting the work of the County Council’s volunteer Energy Champions.
7. iChoosr plan to hold 3 auctions a year with the next auction available to BCC planned for February 2015. iChoosr estimate that there will be circa 20,000 registrations nationally.
8. The council will promote and facilitate registrations to the scheme through a web site. This is simplest way for residents who are able to use the website, and involves the least administrative cost.
9. For those who cannot use the website, the Council will provide a dedicated phone line for people to register.
Is it successful? 10. iChoosr have successfully run the scheme in 160 local authorities. 6 auctions have taken place over the last 12 months. 325,000 households have registered for the collective switching schemes. 60% of registrants could make a saving by switching (average across all auctions). £179 was the average annual saving to be made over all categories by switching in last November’s auction (this was calculated including those on prepayment meters). 60% of registrants have not switched energy supplier in the last 3 years. On average 30% of registrants switch supplier (varying for each scheme and auction). 79% of people say they would switch if they could save up to £150. 92% of participants would take part again.
Prepayment meters
11. All residents are eligible to apply for the scheme, including those with pre-payment meters. People with a pre-payment meter can apply even if they have an existing debt, as long as it’s not more than £500. Residents can’t ‘come off’ prepayment meters and their debt won’t be written off. However, with average savings of £112 in the most recent scheme, it will help them reduced their costs meaning they have more money for food or clothes or even to have their heating on for longer in the winter or to help them pay off their debt more quickly.
How will the scheme be promoted?
12. The County Council is promoting the scheme through all our communications channels, including our website, Facebook and Twitter, but also through front line staff from carers to librarians.
13. However we are asking all our partners, particularly town and parish councils, to promote the scheme to residents. The more people who sign up, the greater the reductions that are likely to be included.
14. The County Council and four District Councils are working together to promote the scheme, which is supported by the Energy and Resource management officer group. The scheme will be advertised in District Council magazines. Parish Councils are asked to consider promoting the scheme locally, including in parish magazines where possible.
15. The Council are currently developing a publicity and registration timetable which will be circulated once it is agreed.
36 Why iChoosr?
16. iChoosr have a unique agreement with the Local Government Association to run the scheme. The Framework for Collective Energy Switching Schemes has been established in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 and was led by the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO), acting on behalf of the Local Government Association (LGA). A Framework Agreement allows Contracting Authorities to order works or services under the terms and conditions specified in that Framework Agreement (i.e. it provides a mechanism for calling off orders as and when required). NEPO has established this framework with iChoosr to provide collective energy switching schemes for public sector organisations on behalf of their residents.
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