MINUTES OF THE PARISH ASSEMBLY HELD ON

THURSDAY 18TH MARCH 2010 7 PM

IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, CIVIC OFFICES

PRESENT:

Cllr Vanessa McPake Council (Chair) Cllr Ivor Bradbury Bradwell Parish Council Dai Evans Calverton Parish Meeting Cllr Tom Fraser Parish Council Cllr John Keane Parish Council Cllr Phil Ayles Castlethorpe Parish Council Cllr Michael Horton Parish Council Cllr Charles Allum Parish Council Cllr David Stabler Great Linford Parish Council Cllr Ken Maudsley Kents Hill & Monkston Parish Council Cllr Robin Garrett Simpson Parish Council Cllr David Rumens Olney Town Council Cllr David Livingstone & Tattenhoe Parish Council Cllr Jean Nicholas Shenley Brook End & Tattenhoe Parish Council Cllr Bethan Norfor Cllr James Buxton Parish Council Cllr Adrian Dneš Town Council Cllr Jeannette Green Walton Parish Council Cllr Esther Long Wolverton & Greenleys Town Council Cllr Hilary Saunders Wolverton & Greenleys Town Council Cllr Tina El-Shabrawy Community Council Cllr Margaret Roberts Woughton Community Council

Officers: Caroline Godfrey (Community Liaison Manager), John Moffoot (Assistant Director Democratic Services), Shelagh Muir (Senior Community Liaison Officer), Ken Braima (Business Support Assistant – Community Liaison), Benedict Cordy (Safer MK), Roberts Dodds (Safer MK), Geoff Snelson (Corporate Director Strategy and Partnerships), Bob Wilson (Development Plans Manager), Michael Moore (Senior Planning Officer), Deborah Cooper (Libraries, Learning & Heritage Manager), Sara Botham (MKP) Gerri Smith (MKP), Richard Solly(Community Safety Manager).

Also in Attendance: Anne Wilson (Team Clerk - Shenley Brook End & Tattenhoe Parish Council), Cllr. Darron Kendrick, Cllr. Jenni Ferrans.

ITEM 1. APOLOGIES & SUBSTITUTIONS Cllr. Chris Mottram (Shenley Church End), Cllr. Alex Kidd (Broughton and Milton Keynes), Cllr. Ian Mitchell (Broughton and Milton Keynes), Cllr. Charles Mitchell (Astwood and ) Cllr Norman Wilkes ( PC), Cllr David Hunt (), Cllr Rosemary O’Sullivan (Stony Stratford), Cllr Satinder Gill (Bradwell) Cllr Mandy Kingham (), Cllr Nigel Richards (Moulsoe), Cllr Keith Ely ( & Fenny Stratford), Cllr Mike Hughes (Olney) Cllr. Joe Geary () Cllr. Kate Porter () Cllr. Victoria Walley (Loughton) Cllr Alan Francis (), Cllr Janet Irons (New Bradwell) Phil McCourt (MKC – A D Legal Services), David Hill (MKC Chief Executive), Cllr David Hopkins.

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The Chair announced the recent death of Cllr George Byfield and following a tribute from Cllr David Stabler, the Assembly held a one minute silence in memory of Cllr Byfield.

ITEM 2 MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING AND MATTERS ARISING The Meeting agreed minutes. No amendments raised.

Matters arising Cllr Vanessa McPake advised Cllr. David Rumens that she has now sent 2 emails to him reference MKC strategy in rural areas. Cllr DR acknowledged receipt from Cllr VMcP.

Cllr VMcP stated that there would be a Playbuilder Project Board set up for the Playbuilder 2010-2011 schemes and there would be a request for Urban and Rural representatives(s) in due course, which will be circulated to the parish councils. An invitation to the various Playbuilder events has been circulated to the parishes concerned.

Cllr Adrian Dneš raised reports of the lack of reliability of the X9 Bus and the fact that the bus service is being run by a private company. Cllr. VMcP advised Cllr.AD to contact the Passenger Transport Officer with his comments. Action – Cllr AD.

CG confirmed that the name change request from Simpson and Ashland Parish has been added to the recommendations to Council from the Parish Boundary Review Group.

Cllr.David Livingstone asked that he could make a statement following the debate regarding the Parish and Town Council Charter raised that at the 28 January. Cllr Livingstone’s statement is attached at Annex A.

Cllr VMcP reminded members that at the 28 January Parishes Assembly it was suggested that there could be a Special Cabinet meeting, on 17th March 2010 and this would have allowed all Ward Members and Parish Councils to have their say. However at the meeting the Assembly voted to delay the Cabinet meeting until June, which was later agreed by the Leader of the Council and the new date for the Special Cabinet is now confirmed as the 29th June 2010.

Cllr VMcP confirmed the draft revised Milton Keynes and Parish and Town Council Charter 2010 will be circulated to all Ward Members and Parish Councils for comment for a consultation period of 12 weeks. Cllr VMcP asked Cllr DL to liaise with CG on ensuring continued dialogue occurs. Action - Cllr. DL

Post meeting note: The Charter Consultation documents were distributed on 6th April for a 12 week consultation period.

ITEM 3 MILTON KEYNES PARTNERSHIP COMMITTEE Cllr VMcP welcomed Sara Botham and advised that Cheryl Montgomery has left MKP and SB has taken over some of her duties. SB advised that copies of her report highlighting the last MKPC meeting and a new brochure relating to MK were available on the Documents table. She advised a good response to Planning Aid Seminars and confirmed a 3 hour programme has been decided. Following a vote, councillors agreed that a Thursday evening at 6pm (with refreshments) would be preferable. SB confirmed she will contact councillors with dates in due course and those interested should contact her. Planning Aid brochures were available on the documents table. Questions: Cllr AD asked if SB was aware that Lesley Blue from (BALC) is planning to organise Planning Workshops in MK following a request from TC. SB confirmed LB passed these details on and agreed this was an excellent opportunity for partners to work together to ensure all parish and town councils are included in all training opportunities. Cllr Tom Fraser raised “The Health of Milton Keynes” issue; he has reservations this isn’t 2

being addressed in the core planning documents as requested by Central Government. Cllr.VMcP asked SB to ensure that all issues are included in the Planning Aid Seminars. Action – SB Cllr VMcP suggested an item for the next Parishes Assembly “The Health of Milton Keynes” lead by a senior health representative e.g. Nicholas Hicks (Director of Public Health). Action – CG. Cllr DR highlighted Senior Voice MK have raised with the NHS involvement at the early stages of planning and developing facilities e.g. Willen ExtraCare Village has no bus accessibility. Cllr DR reinforced that Senior Voice MK would like more input and ability to influence decisions. SB advised that the next MKP quarterly meeting in June will focus on Health. Cllr Esther Long asked if there are structures in place to consult with younger people about planning issues. Cllr VMcP suggested she contact the MK Youth Cabinet. Action – Cllr EL Gerri Smith (MKP) advised that the presenters at the Planning Aid seminars will include an MK based professional planner who is familiar with the unique issues of MK; the seminar will include feedback from Parishes to local authorities. GS continued that the Planning Aid seminars will assist attendees in communicating comments about development proposals to Local Authorities, e.g.MKC or MKP. These may include Health, community safety, designing out crime; all issues can be addressed through the planning application process.

ITEM 4 SAFERMK Cllr VMcP introduced the Community Safety Mapping “Zubed” project with Robert Dodds (Project Manager SaferMK) and Benni Cordy (Communications Manager SaferMK). Cllrs Phil Ayles and DL (Responsible Authorities Group (RAG) reps) advised that BC produces the SaferMK newsletter with their support. Cllr PA advised the new mapping system replaces the former system and that both he and Cllr DL had an input to this. BC thanked Councillors PA and DL before introducing the Safer MK website which is a signposting facility, providing links to other sites and partners’ sites such as Thames Valley Police, Fire & Rescue Service and MKC. The website is owned by Safer MK and is updated daily. RD asked members if they had used the site and their comments. Councillors responded that it was very slow; RD felt this was due to the volume of site users to a mapping system that uses a lot of resources; however during testing periods, the site was fine. RD explained how the data is put into perspective, how it is received from all partners but to its nature the data is always one month behind.

Questions: Cllr DS agreed that the site is still too slow for most people viewing websites. RD and BC responded that it is normally faster and that statistics show up instantly. Cllr. Cllr VMcP commented that MK (the Bradwell exchange) is one of three pilot areas in the UK for faster broadband and this should improve the speed. Cllr.TF stated that in the old system a sector sometimes covered three parishes which this made it difficult to highlight which areas were causing a problem; he then asked how will SaferMK reassure residents who are living in the highlighted estates so that they will not move elsewhere and the standard of area worsens ? Richard Solly (SaferMK Manager) responded that information is power and residents may find that their estate is relatively high in crime as compared to other estates in MK; but knowing that it will hopefully enhance community engagement to take action. Cllr.EL advised she is Chair of a Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG), a resident and a cllr and is very thankful for the SaferMK Website as it helps all to know about the area they live in. She asked is there a facility on the website for people to join a NAG? and is there a victim support link or victim support contact number? Response – RD and BC confirmed that there is detailed information on the SaferMK site about how to join a NAG and victim support. Cllr.AD agreed he found the website slow. He asked if it would be possible to encourage TVP to improve the clear up rate, because on some estates it’s appallingly low? 3

VMcP requested asked Cllr AD to email specific details to Richard Solly. Action – Cllr AD RD advised that he would appreciate any feedback on the website to: safermk@milton- keynes.gov.uk

ITEM 5 REGENERATION PHASE 2 CONSULTATION 11/01/2010 – 09/04/2010 Cllr. VMcP introduced Geoff Snelson (Corporate Director Strategy & Partnerships). GS discussed the process of neighbourhood regeneration and explained the current consultation taking place. He raised ‘the deepening divide’, using the index of multiple deprivation for 2004 and 2007 and related this to the increase in the number of MK neighbourhoods amongst the most deprived 25% in the country. He stated that the overall regeneration strategy was agreed by Cabinet in December 2008 with the philosophy that MKC works with communities and local neighbourhoods to develop approaches. He advised that Neighbourhood Action Plans (NAPS) will be driven and led by Neighbourhood Steering Groups in each area where a pilot is conducted. The NSG’s to be led by the local democratic institution. Phase I consists of implementing plans within the three chosen pilot areas of Fishermead, Tinkers Bridge and Lakes Estate; NAPS for these areas will be developed by the end of March 2010. Phase II consists of selecting two additional neighbourhoods for intervention out of five short listed candidates; following a consultation and review, recommendations for the two chosen areas will be presented to the cabinet on the 22nd of June. GS asked councillors to respond, even if it means including other candidate areas for intervention outside the shortlist and asked that they identify data/information which underpins their arguments as to why a particular area is a stronger candidate. He requested that councillors send as much information as they can to support their arguments, including any existing initiatives in potential candidate areas that could be linked into Regeneration Team’s NAPs. Contact details Regeneration Team, Milton Keynes Council, Civic Offices, 1 Saxon Gate East, , MK9 3HN Email: [email protected]

Questions : VMcP asked who will take the final decision on the two next areas for intervention. GS responded it will be taken by the 22 June Cabinet. CllrTF raised that SOA’s (Super Output Areas) cross grid roads and therefore when subject to regeneration, only half of that SOA might be dealt with e.g. Oldbrook and Fishermead are in the same SOA, one is being dealt with and the other is ignored. He further raised an issue of communication; some residents feel this just another talking shop and need to see some action. GS responded that, what ever unit you use for analysis, there will always be flaws with it. The data shows where work is needed, but then there is a need to speak to local residents about their needs and wishes. We shouldn’t be constrained by what are artificially drawn parcels of land which do not follow the lines of natural communities. It is an imperfect process, but it is not fixed and bound by these areas. One of the biggest challenges of doing this work is in engaging communities. We need to build momentum. Cllr RG raised that he was surprised to learn that he lives in a deprived neighbourhood. He asked GS if it would be possible to have a discussion at a later time, to understand what the issues are that lead areas to be listed in the groups of areas of deprived neighbourhood. GS asked Cllr RG to email him direct. Action – Cllr RG. Cllr J Buxton commented there is an assumption that the community is knowledgeable of the planning process and that this is the wrong view to take. He continued, that to make sure that the community is knowledgeable it needs real leadership instead of an open state where people says whatever s/he likes without relating it to the circumstances of the situation. Cllr.Tina El-Shabrawy raised that residents find the words “deprivation” and “deprived” insulting e .g. many Beanhill residents are disabled people but not deprived; could the word not be changed? GS responded to Cllr JB’s point about leadership that with consultations a whole range of voices and issues are raised; we will never be able to please everybody and at some stage somebody has to take a view of what is the most important thing to be doing. The 4

Council believes Parish Councils have a role to play in leading these processes locally Responding to CllrTES, GS agreed that Beanhill has a very strong sense of community pride, however when talking to Central Government language has to be used to secure funds that has a power to it, but we all need to be careful and sensitive when and how we use these words.

ITEM 6 LAUNCH OF THE MKC PLANNING POLICY FAQ’S. VMcP introduced Bob Wilson (Development Plans Manager), and reminded the Assembly that Bob Wilson is here on their request from March 2009. BW explained that at MK there are two areas in Planning: 1. Planning Policy Team – To prepare planning policy to influence planning decisions, which he manages. 2. Development Control Function – The process of determining planning applications. He explained that the Frequently Asked Questions document (FAQ) is designed to help councillors understand the range of planning policy, where it comes from and how MKC deal with it at Council level. He highlighted Question 14, what are Parish Plans? The FAQ’s response puts the plans into context. He discussed Planning Aid (Question 17), examples of material planning considerations and also what are not matters of planning considerations. He highlighted this is not a finished document and will be refreshed e.g. when changes to policy are made.

Questions: Cllr DR asked when the electronic copy will be available. CG responded that an electronic PDF copy is already available on the MKC Parish website - http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/parishes/ or http://www.milton- keynes.gov.uk/planning%2Dpolicy/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=70206

Cllr. DS expressed his concerns that the Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD’s) that should accompany the FAQ’s are still not available. BW responded that the SPD currently being produced relates to tall buildings in MK and a residential design guide is also under preparation. In the FAQ’s, reference is made to the local development scheme; this document is reviewed every 2-3 years and sets out which development plan documents and SPD’s will be produced in the next three years. These are all listed on the policy website. The medium term aim is to try to combine all of the SPD’s into one comprehensive suite of planning obligation requirements to reflect the MK tariff. The MK tariff is due for reconsideration within the next two years. In addition to this there is also the governments Community Infrastructure Levy to address, if it becomes accepted following the general election.

Cllr DS advised he finds the draft residential SPD very narrow, it does not include play and open space relating to housing, or consider redways, connections and links to other places. He raised that councillors should be aware that whilst these documents are extremely valuable and will be key to judge planning applications, because areas such as open spaces and play area are not mentioned, developers will not include these. He asked that the documents be raised in sections

BW responded that these issues have been addressed in other SPD’s, e.g. recreation, leisure and open spaces. BW explained that the fundamental answer is that it is the policies we need to look at; the SPD’s only expand on existing policies.

ITEM 7 ITEMS RECEIVED FROM PARISH COUNCILS None received.

ITEM 8 ANNOUNCEMENTS BY PARISH COUNCILS None received.

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ITEM 9 ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MILTON KEYNES COUNCIL

ITEM 9A WELLBEING THROUGH LIBRARIES AND LIFELONG LEARNING STRATEGY 2010-2015 CONSULTATION

Cllr VMcP introduced Deborah Cooper (Libraries, Learning & Heritage Manager) and requested responses for the consultation as none have been received yet from Parish and Town Councils. DC went through the presentation on the consultation; explaining the desire of MKC to work with people within the community to the mutual benefit of the people and of the Borough. She described the community wide strategies employed by MKC and how they fit into MK Sustainable Community Strategy. Cllr VMcP advised the Assembly that Clerks have been contacted by email informing them of 2 consultation events taking place on the 31t March 13:30 – 15:30 and 18:00 – 20:00 at Central MK Library.

Questions – Cllr Hilary Saunders confirmed that commendable things were happening in Wolverton Library, including meetings, MK City Orchestra, story telling and craft activities for children and that vulnerable people feel safe in the library environment and that the library service is really appreciated. Cllr DS raised his concerns about the perceived omission of electronic technology. The libraries should be leading this with Wi-Fi hotspots and downloadable eBooks. DC responded that the two busiest libraries, CMK Library and Bletchley Library have Wi- Fi . She continued that MKC Library will soon introduce laptops for the public’s use in the library e.g. to go online and confirmed that the computers are very well used. Cllr Ken Maudsley said that his council had a presentation from developers about new shops and library in Kingston and was advised that MKC would be using S106 funding. He feels that part of the reason for this that MKC cannot make up its mind what it wants, can somebody decide quickly what they want out of the library in Kingston, so that the developers can build it. DC responded that she would discuss this with Cllr KM after the meeting. Cllr DL commented that the presentation was well delivered and complimented DC. Cllr TES asked what facilities there are for blind people and if the library has a postal service? –DC responded that MKC has a legal obligation for those with disabilities and provides both large print and audio books for blind people for free. With regard to postal service: the library service provides a volunteer service to visit vulnerable residents which can be arranged through any of the libraries.

ITEM 9B CODE OF CONDUCT TRAINING

CG reminded the Assembly of the Code of Conduct Training Session conducted by Phil McCourt MKC Monitoring Officers on Thursday 27 May 2010 in the Civic Offices at 6pm. Existing councillors who have never attended the training are particularly welcome in addition to any new councillors.

ITEM 10 DATE/VENUE FOR NEXT MEETING To note the date for future meeting

Thursday 10 JUNE 2010 7.00pm Council Chamber, Civic Offices

The meeting closed at 9:04pm

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Annex A Cllr David Livingstone Announcement

PARISHES CHARTER AND PARISHES ASSEMBLY

At the Parishes Assembly held on 28th January, an announcement was made to the effect that a new Parish and Town Council Charter, and a revised Constitution for the Parishes Assembly would be drawn up by Milton Keynes Council, and presented to Ward Councillors for adoption, without an opportunity for Parish & Town Councils to properly comment and be consulted at the draft stage.

Following this meeting, a number of Town & Parish Councillors met, together with the Chairman & Vice Chairman of BALC, and a Vice Chairman of NALC, to discuss this matter. This meeting decided to appoint a working group to prepare a draft revision of the Parishes Charter.

This has now been produced, and has been circulated to all Town and Parish Councils for comment. This draft has also been sent to NALC, particularly to ensure that it meets all necessary legal requirements.

A meeting has been convened on 19th April, to be attended by one Councillor from every Town and Parish Council in the borough. The purpose of this meeting is to finalise this draft document, and to incorporate any modifications deemed necessary by attendees.

At the request of the working group, Parish Cllrs Livingstone and Ayles met with Ward Cllrs Crooks and McPake to advise them of the draft being prepared by the parishes and the timescale, offering to work with them on refining the draft and asking for their support for this process. We were pleased that this support was given.

The final document will then be offered to Milton Keynes Council for their consideration and adoption at the Special Cabinet in June.

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