Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies from members unable to attend the meeting

No apologies were received.

Members to declare any personal/personal prejudicial interests in any items on this agenda

There were no declarations of interest.

Approve the minutes of the meeting held on 21 September 2010.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 September 2010 were approved as a true and accurate record.

Mr Ed Moss of Eaga gave a brief presentation on the Digital Switchover Help Scheme, which sought to assist eligible individuals to prepare for the change to digital television.  Mr Moss informed the meeting that it was estimated that there were at least 95,000 people in Peterborough who were eligible to receive support through the scheme and encouraged attendees to ensure those people that they thought may be eligible came forward for help.  Information leaflets were available for download in different languages.

An opportunity for any member of the public, elected and co-opted members of the Neighbourhood Council to raise anything that affects your area and to suggest items for future meetings and the annual work programme. 

The Chairman invited any members of the public to raise issues of concern for them.   Attendees were directed to the Open Session Feedback Document from the last meeting, which addressed action points raised at that meeting.

In response to questions raised, the Neighbourhood Manager made the following comments:

• the works requested at Matalan car park had been completed.
• the Council budget had no specific provision to fund the implementation of the Gladstone Area Improvement Plan or the New England Area Improvement Plan.  All recommendations from these documents would be captured within the Community Action Plan which would ultimately become a Supplementary Planning Document.  The area was also hoping to benefit from the allocation of section 106 money which would come to the neighbourhood councils for allocation in future years.

Neighbourhood Council Review

Councillor Khan addressed the meeting and provided an update on the review of the effectiveness of the neighbourhood councils which was being undertaken by Scrutiny.  Councillor Khan made the following points:

• The review was being undertaken to establish the effectiveness of the neighbourhood council model following its implementation 18 months ago.
• The review group would present a report to Cabinet for consideration at its meeting on 7 February 2011 which would contain recommendations on the future of the neighbourhood councils.  If these recommendations were agreed by the Cabinet, it was hoped that the question mark hanging over neighbourhood councils would be removed and that some serious work could be done. Improvements to the way neighbourhood councils operated included improved delegations around spending funds.

The Neighbourhood Manager asked attendees to complete the questionnaire prepared by the review group so that their views could be considered.

Police Week of Action

Police Inspector Dominic Glazebrook informed the meeting that the Peterborough City Council, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, NHS Peterborough and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Probation Trust were working together to tackle various issues in the Central and North area in a week of action from Monday, 31 January 2011.  The week would target three main issues, being rubbish dumped in the area, antisocial behaviour and drugs offences.  Police Inspector Dominic Glazebrook encouraged attendees to contact him via the Cambridgeshire Constabulary web site if they had any questions or ideas on specific areas to include in the week of action.

Interactive presentation of recommended spends concluding with formal voting process

The Central and North Neighbourhood Council considered a report detailing proposals for the allocation of the capital budget of £25,000 for 2010/2011.  In presenting the item, the Neighbourhood Manager advised that the recommendations were the result of work with elected members over the past six months to review a range of plans and development opportunities.

The Neighbourhood Manager explained that the recommended spends aligned to two top priorities, being to see improvements to parks and open spaces, and improved facilities for children and young people.

The Neighbourhood Council RESOLVED to approve an allocation of the budget to the following proposals:

Update on local activities following presentation at last meeting

It was agreed that the order of business be changed so that the ‘Young People in Central and North Wards’ item be considered as the next item of business, followed by ‘Business Matters’.

Representatives of the young people of Central and North Wards addressed the meeting to propose some ideas for the improvement of Occupation Road Park, which included:

§         Improved toilet facilities

§         Removal of the burnt shed

§         Improved lighting

§         Facilities for young children and families, for example upgraded play facilities and a dedicated family area with gardens

§         More bins

§         Tackle the antisocial behaviour taking place in the park and surrounding area

A youth worker for the area explained that the young people were part of a group called Ambassadors of Peace, who met every two weeks to discuss important issues. 

Councillor Swift asked what was being done to support young people to find them meaningful things to do so that as the weather improves they don’t just hang around on street corners.

The Chairman agreed with Councillor Swift’s comments, acknowledging that it was great that these young people had taken the trouble to meet with each other and to come to the Neighbourhood Council meeting to discuss their concerns.  The recommendations for the park’s improvements showed that they had taken into consideration the needs of the wider community and not just their own.  The Neighbourhood Council should support them in any way they could.

It was noted that it was time that voluntary organisations gathered themselves together to apply for available funding to support improvements to the Gladstone area as there was no Council funding available.  Work should be done to engage with local communities to identify and support their local heroes.

It was noted that since the removal of the gym from the Gladstone Park Community Centre, which had been supported by the YMCA, there had been a great drop in the number of young people attending the centre.

Councillor Khan commended that core services were what really mattered.  The youth service as a whole was perceived to be so stretched that it was no longer effective, and this needed to be addressed to ensure good outcomes for young people in the future.

Update on Neighbourhood Management operations:

Budgets & Finance, Planning & Licensing and Regulation & Enforcement Activities

The Neighbourhood Manager gave a presentation on the changes in Neighbourhood Management Delivery in Central and North wards.  During the presentation, the Neighbourhood Manager made the following comments:

• It was important to share with the Neighbourhood Council some of the issues surrounding how officers were practically responding to the austere times council services now faced.
• As a result of the restructure, civil enforcement officers (traffic wardens) were now working as part of regulatory services and were lead by the Senior Enforcement Officer in responding to local priorities and calls for service, along with targeted activities and projects.
• The Neighbourhood Manager’s focus remained on this neighbourhood area, with a focus on strategic planning and development.  Big Society and the Localism Bill were the key legislative drivers behind this change.

During discussion, the following points were noted:

• Councillor Swift commented that in terms of ‘lifting the burden of bureaucracy’, a number of different structures had already been abolished, for example local area agreements and national indicators.  Whilst Peterborough City Council would still work to a local area agreement, it was now entitled to set its own performance targets based on what was important to the Peterborough area.
• The Neighbourhood Manager explained that the Council was keen to establish community partnerships between organisations that already operated in local areas.  Groups would maintain their own autonomy and purpose, but simply come together in a structured way for the benefit of the local community.
• The Council’s budget document suggested that neighbourhood council meetings would be cut down to two a year.  The Neighbourhood Manager advised that this was currently under review and a whole range of different options were being considered.
• Residents asked what would happen to organisations that wanted to set up something that wasn’t very popular, for example drug rehabilitation services or mental illness services.  If the local community would have so much more say over what happens in their area, where would these kinds of needed services go?  The Neighbourhood Manager agreed that this was a good point to be noted.
• Residents commented that the fundamental problem within the Millfield area is the constant increase in houses, shops and flats.  The Council made money from these with rates and council tax, but residents don’t hear about off licenses until they are up and running.  The Neighbourhood Manager advised that licensing and planning issues were a good example of what would be considered at review meetings, and local people would have the opportunity to contribute.  Currently, the process and infrastructure in place does not allow Neighbourhood Councils to consider licensing and planning applications.
• Residents also commented that houses appeared to be going up without any allocation for parking and ithat the rules were being bypassed.  The Neighbourhood Manager could not comment on any individual cases but assured residents that the rules in relation to parking for new developments were still in place.
• Councillor Hussain commented that he was very confused with the wording of ‘big society’ because all of the policies introduced so  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Overview on the proposed role of Gladstone Connect in supporting PCC with delivering local activities

Mr Anton Davis, Project Manager for Gladstone Park, gave a presentation on the proposed redevelopment options for Gladstone Park Community Centre.  During his presentation, Mr Davis made the following comments:

• The Centre was currently managed by Peterborough City Council, which was looking to transfer to Gladstone Connect with a target date of 1 April 2011.  Gladstone Connect would then work to make the building fit for purpose for the future so that what could take place on the premises was reflective of what local people wanted.  A consultation exercise had been undertaken with various users and local groups to ascertain their needs, and architects had been worked with to come up with a series of scenarios for the future of the building.
• The first option was a low cost scheme which would cost £150,000.  This postcode was eligible to apply to the 70k big lottery fund for further funding, and these drawings would support the bid.  The first option was designed to rebrand the building, refurbish the reception, toilet and kitchen areas, make improvements to the first floor offices and improvements to the main entrance to the site.  Landscaping works were also a consideration, to provide features and landscaping outside for photography backgrounds for weddings.
• The second option was of higher cost and sought to address one of the key problems with the space, which was that to access the change rooms users required egress through the main hall.  The second option sought to provide an external corridor to link refurbished change rooms and a sports club room with a new reception area.  It had been hoped that the central partition could also be removed, however closer inspection showed that this was actually part of the roof structure and so removal would likely be cost prohibitive.  This option also included consideration for solar panels to assist with heat, light and electricity for the building.

During consideration, the following points were noted:

• It was acknowledged that car parking as a big issue at the Centre, especially with weddings and other large events.  Revised plans allowed for 15 extra car spaces which equated to a 30% increase in parking on site. 
• Plans for the proposals were currently being refined and financial sustainability of the building being investigated to ensure that building design was balanced with its ability to generate income.  Currently, 80% of the time when the building was open, it was not in use.
• Councillor Khan commented that this was a great opportunity for the community and the City Council, though he queried how much input the City Council would have with regard to the activities that would take place at the centre.
• Mr Davis noted that inclusion of a squash court and fitness centre may be of great interest to the local community.  The use of the refurbished rooms upstairs had not been determined absolutely and may be available for use by young people.

If activities at the centre promoted a healthy lifestyle and tackled obesity, other funding streams  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The next meeting will be held on 7 March 2011 at Fulbridge School

Cllr Khan asked officers to investigate what kind of process would need to be gone through to rename Bourges Boulevard.

The Chairman advised that the next meeting of the Central and North Neighbourhood Council would take place on 7 March 2011 commencing at 7pm at Fulbridge School.