Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies from members unable to attend the meeting

Apologies were received from Councillor Dobbs and Councillor Lamb.

Apologies were also received from the following Parish Councillors:

Councillor Dr Ian Burrows, Barnack Parish Council;

Councillor William Cave, Newborough Parish Council; and

Councillor Marion Browne, Ufford Parish Council.

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 7 July 2011

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 July 2011 were approved as a true and accurate record.

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

Attendees of the meeting were given the opportunity to ask questions and raise issues affecting the areas in which they lived. These included:

Enterprise Peterborough

Councillor John Bartlett, Thorney Parish Council, requested that a presentation be given by Enterprise Peterborough at the next meeting. The services which were being offered were not up to standard and discussions were required. The Neighbourhood Manager advised that a presentation would be included on the agenda for the meeting due to be held on 15^th December 2011.

Bad Weather and Snow

Michael Perkins, a resident of Ashton, sought clarification as to what measures were to be taken in order to improve the situation with regards to the impact of any snowfalls over the winter. Councillor Over advised that grit bins were to be provided. Councillor Hiller further advised that a full written answer to the question would be provided in due course.

a)   Annual Budget

A vote by elected Members on the capital budget allocation of £25,000 (See additional report)

a) Annual Budget

Councillor Over introduced the report on Capital Budget Allocation for 2011/12. The report requested that the Committee considered and approved the proposals for the allocation of the Capital Budget of £25,000 for 2011/12.

Councillor Sanders addressed the Committee and requested £2,500 towards an additional project in Eye and Thorney Ward, this being improvement and safety works to the access way and pavement outside of the local shop on Wisbech Road.

Councillor Harrington further addressed the Committee and requested that the £5,000 funding for Newborough Ward be split across three projects, these being improvements to Peakirk Village Hall’s access, Newborough Sports Pavilion improvements and Newborough Skate Park improvements.

The Committee voted and approved unanimously an allocation of the budget to the following proposals (costs estimated):

• Eye and Thorney Ward - £2,500 contribution towards the redevelopment of the old fire station building in Eye Churchyard. The entire project would cost approximately £7,000 with the remainder to be funded by the Church and the Parish Council. The Neighbourhood Committee’s contribution would assist with the renovation of the building including re-pointing and purchasing roof materials. The project was also being supported by Conservation Officers and Structural Engineers at Peterborough City Council;
• Barnack Ward - £9000 contribution towards the provision of an outdoor classroom at Barnack School. The total cost of the project was £5,000 and the remainder would be met by the Parish Council. The £900 would contribute towards materials and the completion of the roof; and
• Northborough Ward - £3,500 contribution towards the purchase of Vehicle Activated Signs for Maxey Village.

The Committee further unanimously approved, in principle and subject to the submission of a future report, to allocate a proportion of the budget to the following proposals (costs estimated):

• Eye and Thorney - £2,500 to improvement and safety works to the access way and pavement outside the local shop on Wisbech Road; and
• Newborough - £5,000 to be split across three projects, those being improvement to Peakirk Village Hall access, Newborough Sports Pavilion and Newborough Skate Park.

a)      Cohesion in Rural Area – discussion and presentation

Jawaid Khan (Cohesion Manager) and Cllr Irene Walsh (Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and Safety) will present on Cohesion in Rural Peterborough

b)     Live Healthy, Live Green - presentation

Organisations and individuals from across Peterborough are joining forces to show their commitment to making Peterborough healthier and greener.  How can rural Peterborough play a role in this?  Presentation and discussion lead by Kathie Longbone (NHS Peterborough)

c)      Wind Turbine Consultation - Information

Announcement by REG Windpower about the beginning of consultation for wind turbines at French Drove, Thorney

a) Cohesion in Rural Areas

Jawaid Khan, Cohesion Manager and Councillor Irene Walsh, Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and Safety, gave a presentation to the Committee which outlined what ‘cohesion meant for Peterborough’. The main points were highlighted as follows:

• Cohesion tended to be a difficult issue to address across the Local Authority;
• Cohesion had a broad remit and was not just reflective of those issues resulting in conflict;
• Could further support be given to the rural communities around cohesion issues?
• There tended not to be so many issues within the rural communities, however there were pockets of deprivation;
• In broad terms, cohesion meant equality and mutual respect for one another and the promotion of a sense of belonging in the community;
• Cohesion was one of the top six priorities in the Single Delivery Plan, that being ‘Empowering People and Creating Cohesive Communities’;
• There was Partnership working across Peterborough and a multi-agency unit had been formed involving community groups and Members of the Cabinet. The Youth MP for the city was also involved and he utilised his Facebook page to great effect. The Youth MP was also a member of the Cohesion Board;
• A difference could be made by listening to, and working with communities;
• Tension monitoring was undertaken in certain areas of the city;
• There was a three themed Cohesion Action Plan which had been implemented, this aimed to tackle hate crime and its underlying causes, empower the community and reduce community tensions;
• There were numerous strands under each theme and the key ones were highlighted to the Committee;
• The role of the Cohesion Board was outlined and it was identified that there was no resident nominated from the rural communities.

Jawaid Khan further addressed the Committee and advised that there was no nominated representative on the Cohesion Board from the rural communities. In response, Brenda Stanojevic, Eye Parish Council, stated that cohesion issues did not tend to be perceived as being relevant to the rural communities.

Councillor Irene Walsh stated that the view expressed by Brenda Stanojevic was a fair one, however going forward, issues could arise which may be relevant. It was therefore important that a representative be nominated.

Councillor David Sanders addressed the Committee and stated that although he could understand the request, and a nomination for the Cohesion Board from rural communities would be a good idea, he felt that the Neighbourhood Committee was not the correct platform for this kind of presentation going forward. Councillor Sanders further stated that the Neighbourhood Committee’s time should be better utilised by concentrating on local issues affecting the local people.

In response, Councillor Irene Walsh stated that she could understand Councillor Sanders’ point of view, however the Local Authority aimed to provide support across the whole of Peterborough, including rural communities, and to reach as many residents as possible. The Neighbourhood Committees had therefore been identified as one of the best methods of reaching and engaging with local residents.

Councillor Sanders stated that although he  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The next meeting will be held on 15 December 2011 in Northborough Village Hall 6.30pm start with the ward forum and 7pm for the Neighbourhood Committee

The next meeting was due to be held on Thursday 15 December 2011 in Northborough Village Hall.

The meeting would commence with the ward forum at 6.30pm and 7.00pm for the Neighbourhood Committee meeting.