Q1 BROMLEY CROSS AREA FORUM MEETING, 6 May
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Q1 BROMLEY CROSS AREA FORUM MEETING, 6th May 2009 Present, 41 members of the public attended the meeting. Councillor Greenhalgh - Bromley Cross Ward (Chair) Councillor Wilkinson - Bromley Cross Ward Councillor Critchley - Bromley Cross Ward Also in attendance Val Cloynes - Area Co-ordinator Nicole Buhagiar - Area Working Support Officer Stephen Young - Assistant Director, Policy and Performance, Environmental Services and Development and Regeneration Services Bernard Catterall - Highways Regulation Manager, Environmental Services David Wagstaff - Public Rights of Way Team Leader, Environmental Services Richard White - Safer Neighbourhood Officer, Adult Services Esther Steel - Royal Bolton Hospital Geoffrey Minshull - Royal Bolton Hospital Inspector Mark Peary - Greater Manchester Police Chris Waters - Greater Manchester Police Helen Smith - Greater Manchester Police Nicola Holt - Greater Manchester Police Darren Meadows - Greater Manchester Police Daniel Worthington - Greater Manchester Police Brian Wiggans - Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service Page 1 of 8 Q2 Councillor Greenhalgh in the Chair. 1. INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME Councillor Greenhalgh welcomed everyone and introduced Councillors Wilkinson and Critchley. He also introduced Val Cloynes, Area Co-ordinator, Stephen Young, Chief Officer for the Bromley Cross Area Forum, and all other Council Officers present. He explained that the meeting would include an update on Printers Lane and a presentation by the new Police Inspector for the area, Mark Peary. 2. UPDATE ON PRINTERS LANE – BOLTON COUNCIL’S HIGHWAYS AND ENGINEERI NG DIVISION Bernard Catterall, Highways Regulation Manager, Environmental Services, gave an update on the situation regarding Printers Lane. This had been an ongoing issue for Bromley Cross residents and negotiations started with the land owner, Mr. Turner, in March 2008. Certain suggestions were put forward, but these would be costly to the local authority. Mr. Turner decided not to reopen Printers Lane and appointed one of the most highly regarded barristers in the country to represent him. The barrister contacted Bolton Council stating their case and drew attention to the safety of the bridge. A structural engineer from Bolton Council inspected the bridge and the conclusion was that the structure, although safe in principle, was not entirely suitable to be used by members of the public on a daily basis. Mr. Catterall informed the Forum that if the footpath was opened as a designated right of way, Bolton Council would probably be liable for any accidents that may happen. The Highways Regulation Manager informed the Forum that the structural engineer had estimated costs of £50,000 - £60,000 to repair the bridge, and other works were Page 2 of 8 Q3 estimated to be in the region of £30,000 - £40,000. If the situation was to be the subject of a public enquiry, Bolton Council would be responsible for any costs associated with this. Mr. Catterall concluded his update by stating that it was highly unlikely that the footpath would be reopened and anyone using it at the present time would be seen to be trespassing. A number of questions and comments were put to the Forum following the update which were commented on and answered on the night: - Who wanted the gates to be reopened and why? - Why had residents of Printers Lane not received any notification of the meeting? - Why was it so difficult to find out about the Area Forum meetings? - Why had Bolton Scene printed the wrong venue? - Residents had not been informed that Printers Lane would not be reopened – this could be considered as a waste of tax payer’s money if the conflict continued? - Residents were told that a meeting would be arranged to discuss the problem as Bradshaw residents would be more likely to campaign to reopen Printers Lane. - Was the land owner, Mr. Turner, informed about the Bromley Cross Area Forum and if so was he invited to attend? Resolved – That the report be noted 3. POLICE AND THE COMMUNITY Inspector Mark Peary, East Area Neighbourhood Policing Team, gave a presentation on the position of the policing team at the current time. Firstly he explained the graded response policy: Grade Immediate Attendance within 10 minutes of 1 Response call receipt Page 3 of 8 Q4 Grade Priority Attendance within 1 hour of call 2 Response receipt Grade Prompt Attendance within 4 hours of call 3 Response receipt Grade Referred Referred to division for 4 Response appropriate resolution Grade Telephone Successful and appropriate 5 Resolution telephone resolution Inspector Peary informed the Forum that Greater Manchester Police were monitored rigorously regarding their response time. He then invited all Forum attendees to view the ‘Policing Pledge’ leaflet on their tables and guided them through the contents. He then explained that the Policing Pledge was a key tool enabling them to: - Win public confidence - Provide a citizen focused service - Put people first - Closely link to their delivery of Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Peary explained that the Policing Pledge was a nationally agreed service standard adopted by all Forces across the UK. This would help them engage with the public, strengthen relationships, encourage people to report crime and ultimately improve public confidence. He also informed the Forum that the Policing Pledge was a commitment from Greater Manchester Police to the public to provide the best possible service and make Greater Manchester a safer place to live. Inspector Peary explained that the pledge had ten key themes and set out the standards of service Greater Manchester Police aspired to deliver. He also informed the Forum that the Policing Pledge would not be undertaken in isolation but as part of Greater Manchester Police’s wider strategy to deliver a high quality public service and improve public confidence. This meant it was about being proactive, engaging with the public and Page 4 of 8 Q5 ensuring the public were kept informed of progress and achievements. Following the presentation a number of questions and comments were put to Inspector Peary: - When reporting a crime, who would the initial response be from? - The P.C.S.O.s gave just as good, if not better service when approached for help. - Could more police officers be available on the streets as opposed to concentrating on office administration? Following this, Inspector Peary invited Forum attendees to split into groups to discuss public safety with the police officers present. This information was then taken away for Greater Manchester Police to analyse. Brian Wiggans, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, gave a brief presentation on how residents could protect themselves in advance if a fire should occur. He explained that the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service would visit the homes of any residents who would like information regarding the best escape plan. He informed the Forum that although smoke alarms were necessary and of importance, if the residents did not have an escape route this could result in fatalities. Chris Waters, Crime Reduction Advisor, Greater Manchester Police, also gave a brief talk regarding how residents could avoid becoming victims of crime. He explained that the chances of becoming a victim of serious crime were minimal but this could occur if individuals left themselves vulnerable. He informed the Forum that 75% of burglaries occur through residents leaving doors and windows unlocked, and ultra violet pens were available to track stolen property should a household be broken into. Resolved – That the report be noted and the questions that have not been answered at the meeting be directed to the appropriate Council Department or external agency. Page 5 of 8 Q6 4. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING The minutes of the meeting held on 11TH March 2009 were submitted and approved as a correct record with the exception of a brief amendment regarding the Area Forum Budget. The remaining balance was £12,023.37 as opposed to £12,023.27 5. FORUM BUDGETS UPDATE Val Cloynes, Area Co-ordinator, gave a presentation on the subject of budgets and grants available to the Bromley Cross Ward. She explained that there were now five areas to consider: - Area Based Grant - £3,110 - Area Forum Budget - £15,000 plus £12,023.37 resulting in a new total of £27,023.37 - Highways Maintenance Budget - £10,245 - Voluntary Sector Grant - £2,000 - Positive Contributions Funding - £10,000 Ms. Cloynes explained that these budgets and grants were all allocated at the discretion of the Ward Councillors and any suggestions from residents regarding how the funding could be spent would be welcomed. She also explained in more detail the new Positive Contributions Funding and informed the Forum that half of this was from Positive Activities for Young People and was for the age range 5 to 19. The remaining half was from the Youth Opportunities Fund and could only support activity for young people aged 13 to 19. The Area Co-ordinator informed the Forum that application forms would be available in the near future and it was anticipated that these would be completed by young people, and decisions made on these applications would be made by a panel including young people and Councillors. Resolved – That the report be noted Page 6 of 8 Q7 6. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SESSION Councillor Greenhalgh 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 Bromley Cross area. Val Cloynes, Area Co-ordinator, began with written questions from residents: - Why was nothing being done about the poor state of the community leisure centre, especially the swimming pool facilities? Serco, apparently to not have the appropriate management skills and a comment card has been filled in regarding this. The resident was awaiting a reaction from Serco. - There was a problem with the hedgerow running alongside the public footpath that connects to the Eagley Junior School tarmaced approach footpath.