Northampton Borough Council/Northamptonshire County Council Area Partnership 6 (East Hunsbury, Nene Valley & West Hunsbury) Wednesday 14 December 2005 Present: Councillor Hugheston-Roberts - NCC (in the Chair) Michelle Hargreaves - Stagecoach Sean Silver - NBC Simon Mitchell, Brian Oldham, Mr Patrick and Paul Smith The meeting could not take place at the published venue and was relocated to Danes Camp Leisure Centre. 1 Apologies Apologies for absence were received from Lindsey Ambrose, Ady Culpin, John Ellerby, Councillor Gonzalez De Savage, Ted Hale, Keith Haywood, Councillor Hill, Luke Hodson, Councillor Hope and Jim Whiting. 2 Minutes Subject to the inclusion of Brian Oldham’s apologies and the correct spelling of Councillor Hugheston-Roberts, the minutes of the meeting held on 25 October were agreed. 3 Matters Arising CAMP HILL CCTV A query was raised about the comment at the previous meeting by John Harvey that CCTV had not been provided at Camp Hill due to lack of funding as Camp Hill did have CCTV. Agreed: S Silver would confirm which location John Harvey had been referring to. 4 Local Issues - General Discussion Mr Smith raised concerns about the roundabout connecting Briar Hill with Camp Hill. He considered this to be very dangerous as it was not protected by a speed limit and had very bizarre signage and road markings. Mr Smith added that there was also far too much traffic on the dual carriageway. Agreed: Councillor Hugheston-Roberts would liaise with John Harvey about this matter. 5 NBC Budget Consultation S Silver advised that the Borough Council’s budget was not yet ready for consultation. However, the Authority had a statutory duty to consult on this and Area Partnership 6 (East Hunsbury, Nene Valley & West Hunsbury) Minutes - Wednesday, 14 December 2005 would therefore do so shortly and invitations would be extended to Area Partnerships. 6 Fire Safety At Home And In Your Area S Silver advised that the Fire Service were offering a free home fire safety check to everyone living in Northamptonshire. This was a home visit from the fire service, who would install a free smoke alarm and give guidance on security, safe living, safe cooking and how to prevent fires and other hazards. Contact details to book a safety check: Tel: 0800 38 999 50 E-mail: [email protected] Other formats (e.g. Braille): 01604 797151 7 Update On Bus Services Michelle Hargreaves introduced herself as the Operations Director for Stagecoach and gave an update on local services. M Hargreaves explained that there had been a lot of competition between the bus companies of late, particularly on the eastern side of the town, and this had been detrimental to Stagecoach services in the local area. However, Stagecoach was addressing this and had introduced more frequent journeys as well as new, low-floor vehicles. M Hargreaves acknowledged that there were problems on the Towcester and London roads because of the volume of traffic. Data was being collected over a two- week period in order to analyse whether and how best to change the bus timetables. It was probable that an extra vehicle would be added to the service. Regarding fare increases M Hargreaves explained that fuel was bought a long time in advance and that the cost of fuel had gone up by 40%. Labour costs were also expensive due to the competition. However, Stagecoach was still cheaper than other bus companies. From 8 January 2006 a multi-operator ticket would be available at a price of £11 per week or £3 per day. M Hargreaves also advised that free travel within the borough of Northampton was going to be introduced and this would be at all times, not just off-peak. Similarly, Stagecoach was looking to introduce an over-60s £1.00 single fare to, e.g. Milton Keynes. A Sunday service, operating every 20 minutes, had been introduced 4 weeks previously in Duston and the Eastern district and, if successful, would be introduced in other areas. M Hargreaves advised that new vehicles were being introduced to the fleet, including 3 low-floor buses. The Chair thanked M Hargreaves for her attendance and information. Area Partnership 6 (East Hunsbury, Nene Valley & West Hunsbury) Minutes - Wednesday, 14 December 2005 8 Any Other Business Regarding the request from Councillor Gonzalez de Savage to conduct a traffic survey the Butts Road, S Silver reported that a Speed Indicator Device (SID) visit would take place, probably after Christmas. The results of this would determine what action, if any, would be taken. Jim Whiting from NCC would contact Councillor Gonzalez de Savage about this. It was agreed that the next agenda would be: Care & Repair – Home security and safety Police Level 2 meeting 9 Date And Venue Of Next Meeting Wednesday 8 February 2006, Simon de Senlis Primary School, Hilldrop Road. Area Partnership 6 (East Hunsbury, Nene Valley & West Hunsbury) Minutes - Wednesday, 14 December 2005 .