Agenda and minutes

Councillor Holdich welcomed all present to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Eye Parish Council, Mr Henderson (Wothorpe Parish Council) and Councillor Pam Winslade (Orton Longueville Parish Council).

The minutes of the meeting held 29 June 2006 were approved and signed by the Chairman as an accurate record.

5.1 Update on progress of e-gov electronic communications – Ian Glew advised that the newly constituted CALC Board had approved the creation of two Special Interest Groups focussed on ICT and e-governance.

5.3 Update on status of Village Design Statements – Martin Whelan advised that a statement of current policy produced by Peter Heath Brown had been circulated in October 2006, and that further copies were available on request.

5.5 Consultation Periods for Planning Applications – Martin Whelan advised that a meeting to discuss the consultation period for applications was currently being organised, involving the individuals identified within the minutes.

5.6 Consultation on Service Provision – Martin Whelan explained that work was ongoing to produce a list of service areas subject to consultation, and once completed would be circulated to all Parish Councils.

Martin Whelan advised that the meeting with highways had been deferred and currently planned for later in the year.

6.1 Training Plan – Keith Barrand advised that CALC would now be providing all training, with City Council input where appropriate.

6.2 Promoting involvement in Parish Councils – Gillian Beasley outlined the interim arrangements that were in place until the new Head of Legal & Democratic Services was appointed. Parish Councils agreed that it would be appropriate to defer this action until the individual was in post.

John Harrison introduced this item which outlined the key points of the proposed budget for 2007/08 and Medium Term Financial Plan to 2009/10. The meeting was advised that any comments would inform the proposals presented to Cabinet on 29 January, and Full Council on 28 February.

The lack of reference to parishes and villages was queried. John Harrison explained that the Corporate Plan was for the whole area of Peterborough City Council, not just the urban areas.

Parish Councils expressed concern about the ability of the City Council to deliver such significant savings without affecting front line services. Further concerns were raised about the susceptibility of the plan to inflation. John Harrison advised that he was willing to share the detailed saving plans with Parish Councils on request, and outlined the measures implemented to mitigate potential inflation increases.

The Chairman sought assurances that an appropriate proportion of the additional funding available for footpaths would be allocated to rural area. Trevor Gibson confirmed that funding would be allocated using the Local Transport Plan.

John Harrison confirmed that the Community Leadership Fund was a “one-off” project for 2006/07.

Graeme Law introduced this report, and outlined the key elements of the proposed modifications, including proposed alterations to the housing and job targets.

Parish Councils highlighted concern regarding the 35% target for affordable housing being re-designated as an aspiration rather than a fixed target. Graeme Law explained that the change reflected the reality that every community is different, and that the proposed Housing Market Needs Assessment would investigate the differences.

Keith Barrand suggested the possibility of a co-ordinated response from CALC and the City Council. Gillian Beasley agreed to the suggestion, and advised that a meeting should be organised to involve herself, CALC and Graeme Law.

Peter Lee sought clarification on the figures relating to the use of renewable energy. Graeme Law agreed to relay the concerns to the relevant officers. The Chairman emphasised that Peterborough should be seeking to exceed the targets, if it had the aspiration to be the “Environment Capital”.

The logic of removing the “Regional Transport Strategy” from the “Regional Spatial Strategy” was questioned. Graeme Law confirmed that this was part of the recommendations from the Planning Inspector. Councillor Holdich emphasised the desire of the City Council to promote higher environmental standards.

Adrian Chapman gave a presentation outlining the main elements of the Neighbourhood Investment Strategy. Parish Councils welcomed the concepts and ideas in the presentation. Adrian Chapman expressed his desire to work with Parish Councils, with existing Parish Plans, as well as PALC in order to determine an appropriate process for adoption. Adrian Chapman agreed to liaise with the “Parish Plan Working Group”. CALC raised the possibility of utilising the expertise of ACRE and highlighted the importance of learning lessons from similar developments within Cambridgeshire. Adrian Chapman assured members that the strategy was designed to be complementary to other strategies.

Parish Councils welcomed this report, thanked Martin Whelan for producing the report. Martin Whelan introduced the paper. Parish Councils were advised of the potential alternative routes of communication within Peterborough City Council. Martin Whelan to investigate whether the paper could be migrated to the Peterborough City Council website.

Paulina Ford introduced this item. Parish Councils were advised of the consultation process.

Graeme Law introduced this paper and advised that further consultation would occur later in the year. Graeme Law confirmed that consultants had been appointed to conduct the strategy.

June Woollard outlined a number of concerns about the manner in which Peterborough City Council communicates with Parish Councils. The concerns included a range of services relating to the way in which City Council departments dealt with queries raised by Parish Councils. Gillian Beasley reiterated that Parish Councils were welcome to contact her directly should they experience difficulties.

Helen Edwards advised Parish Councils of a proposed Standards Committee conference in June or July. The proposed content was outlined. Anyone who is interested was advised to contact Sally Crawford.

Meeting closed at 8.00pm