Meeting documents

Apologies were received from Mike Smith, Sir Beville Stanier, Warren Whyte, Lady Scot, Alex Matthews, Roger Landells, Llew Monger, Ann Kiceluk, Tom Morrison, Terry Cavender and Ivy Cakebread.

To declare any personal or prejudicial interests

Patrick Fealey declared an interest in agenda item 9 as he is the Director of the Youth Club in Buckingham.

To confirm the notes of the meeting held on Thursday 15 December 2011.

The action notes of the meeting held on Thursday 15 December 2011 were agreed as a correct record.

Mark Grindall, Localities Manager, clarified the position in relation to item 4 at the last meeting.  He said that the issue in relation to the church parking is a local matter between Buckingham Town Council and the Church.  It is not a priority of the LAF and he recommended that the costs of the consultation are not funded by the LAF.

David Rowlands updated Members on the 20mph speed limit and said that no policy has yet been set by the County Council on this but he said that he would circulate the information to the LAF once it is formulated.

The Chairman welcomed Sara Turnbull, the new Lead Area Officer from Bucks County Council.  She replaces Amanda Brooke-Webb and Ann Cobban.

The Chairman also welcomed Tim Parkins from Bucks Fire and Rescue to the meeting.

The Chairman reminded Members that the Better Healthcare in Bucks consultation is due to end on Monday 16 April.  Copies of the consultation document were circulated for Members to take with them.

Simon Dudley provided Members with an update on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

2012 beacons will be lit on 4 June 2012 across the UK. 60 of these will be in Buckinghamshire (56 beacons had now been registered). The beacons would be included in a book which would be presented to the Queen.

A toolkit has been prepared for parties (street parties or beacon celebrations).  Bunting will be delivered to parishes throughout May.  Parishes can apply for a grant towards the costs of public liability insurance.  Information on road closures is available on the website.

There was also an events calendar – link below:

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/sites/bcc/leisure/jubilee.page

Vanessa King is leading the events team and the team’s number is 01296 386813.

London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics

The Olympic torch will be going through Buckinghamshire and the website provides details of the timings of when the torch will be arriving at the various locations across the County.

Further information on the Olympics and Paralympics in Buckinghamshire:

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/sites/bcc/london2012/london2012.page

A Member raised concerns about only closing one side of the road in Buckingham as traffic will still be flowing on one side of the road.  He asked why both sides are not closed so as to make it safer.  Simon Dudley explained that the plans are not set in stone but the main aim is make sure there is a safe passage for the torch to proceed through.  There is a Hospital in Buckingham so access to this has to be factored into the discussions about which roads to close.

A Member asked whether parishes can borrow "Road Closed" signs.  Simon said he would look into this.

Action: Simon Dudley/Ann-Marie Davies

(Action completed – response below)

Mike Chilton, Street Works Co-ordinator provided the following response.

"We are advising applicants to contact Traffic Management companies for any signing required.

The depots will have a number of signs they may be willing to lend out, but with the number of parties coming through I very much doubt if they will have sufficient to issue out to everyone.  We will have to ensure that enough are kept in reserve in case of any emergencies."

There will be a 20 minute period for public questions.  Members of the public are encouraged to submit their questions in advance of the meeting to facilitate a full answer on the day of the meeting.  Questions sent in advance will be dealt with first and verbal questions after.

A number of questions have been received in advance of the meeting.  A verbal response will be provided at the meeting.

The following questions were sent in advance of the meeting and read out by the Chairman at the meeting.

Question 1

Nash Parish Council would like to have details of the implementation of the Area 14 Speed Review.  That will be covered in the transport update but I keep getting asked about when it will happen!  It would be good to have it confirmed that the money is in the 12/13 budget and an idea of when the work will be done.  Margaret Hedges, Clerk, Nash Parish Council

Response - Ann-Marie Davies, from TfB, responded by saying that the funding for this project is in the 2012/13 budget and will be implementation in Summer of 2012.

Question 2

Following a meeting with Simon Dudley today I would like to raise the subject of public safety along Main Street in Padbury. We have a stretch of road that has no pavement and this is used regularly by families to and from school. We have a problem with speeding along this stretch of road and the lorries are causing adjacent houses to shake quite considerably when they pass through.

Padbury Parish Council

Response – Simon Dudley, from TfB, responded by saying that he attended a site visit about 4 weeks ago and met some of the local residents who are experiencing their houses shaking.  The road is due to be re-surfaced soon.  He suggested that the parish council could submit a bid for money from the delegated budget to harden the verges along the Main Street.

Question 3

A question was submitted by Whaddon Parish Council which has been withdrawn as a response has been discussed with the representative from Whaddon Parish Council prior to the meeting.

Question 4

We were advised by Transport for Buckingham that our application for an allocation from the delegated budget in respect of the Vision splay at the Water Stratford crossroads would be considered at the next LAF meeting. Is this not the case?  Chris Benton, Water Stratford Parish Meeting

Response – Ann-Marie Davies explained that she has spoken to the parish council about this issue to clarify the current position with the budget and the bids.

Question 5

Can TfB confirm that the work will be carried out to repair the road either side of the bridge at Water Stratford, and the road will be properly repaired before the surface dressing is applied as planned.  Patrick Fealey, Gawcott-with-Lenborough

Response – Simon Dudley responded by saying that that the work is due to start on 19 April.

Question 6

That the A422 is in the programme to be resurfaced this year and that the cat's-eyes will be upgraded before this work is carried out. I pointed out the need for this work to David Cairnley as a result of complaints from parish councils.  Patrick Fealey, Gawcott-with-Lenborough

Response – Simon Dudley explained that the A422 is not included in the capital maintenance budget list this year.  There will be money  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

None received

There were no petitions.

The Chairman asked County Council David Rowlands to provide Members with an update on East/West Rail.

During his presentation, David made the following main points.

• EWR western section is now part of the National Infrastructure Plan.  The Chancellor’s announcement is basically a prior approval to proceed, subject to two conditions:
  • A satisfactory business case;
  • A satisfactory local contribution is agreed with Government.
• The Government is now committed to seeing the project through.
• The rail industry are working with the Consortium and Department of Transport to ensure the conditions are met by Spring 2012 and beyond this, to move forward with practical detailed steps to plan and deliver the railway on the ground.
• The Consortium is developing a funding package to enable delivery of the scheme through both the public and private sector.
• Iain Stewart MP for Milton Keynes South has established an ‘All party Parliamentary Group’ (APPG) to assist with the Westminster campaign.
• Within the business case, the Consortium is forecasting that within the initial 5 years of operating the new train services, a positive income stream will be generated through the farebox leading to the train services no longer requiring public subsidy.
• The announcement regarding the High Level Output Specification for CP5 (2014-19) is due in July.  Between now and then, the Consortium is looking at the planning process which also involves looking at which parts of the railway can be permitted for development and which bits are not.
• A Joint Delivery board has been set up with local council members and it will be charged with the overall governance of the project.
• County Councillor David Rowlands is on the Delivery Board.
• A new station will be built at Winslow which will serve as a key location for commuters in North Bucks wishing to travel both east to Bedford or west to Bicester, Oxford and Reading as well as to Milton Keynes and down to Aylesbury, Princes Risborough and Wycombe.

During discussion, Members asked the following questions.

• A Member asked whether there was any benefit to be had in building a single track.  David Rowlands explained that the Delivery Board are due to meet soon and he agreed to report back to the LAF at a future meeting.
• A Member expressed concern about residents not being told about road closures and the planned diversions.  The Member asked that parish councils be kept informed and he raised concerns about HGVs being diverted through the villages.  Ann-Marie Davies thanked the parish councillor for letting her know about the HGVs and she said she would let the central communications team know so that they could let parishes know about future closures.

Action: Ann-Marie Davies

Officers from Transport for Buckinghamshire will provide Members with an update.  Report attached.

Ann-Marie Davies started by explaining that there are changes taking place in the way the delegated budget will work in this financial year and she will be writing to all parishes who have submitted schemes to ask them to confirm the details.

Action: Ann-Marie Davies

The representative from Thornborough parish council expressed concern about the lack of the speed limit signs on the approach to Adstock as it is unenforceable without the signs.  David Hedley said he would look into this.

Action: David Hedley

The Chairman thanked the officers for their update.

Inspector Emma Garside will provide Members with an update on police activity in the local area.

The Chairman introduced Tim Parkins, Response Manager at Buckingham Fire Station.  Mr Parkins started by saying that he is intending to come to future LAF meetings to provide an update on the work of the Fire & Rescue team in the local area.

Fire & Rescue Update

Home Fire Risk Visits

Between April 2011 and April 2012, 600 home fire risk visits have been undertaken.  The visits are carried out by a Community Safety Officer who provides advice to the homeowner on fire safety and will install smoke alarms if required.  Mr Parkins asked Members to promote this service within their own areas.

Telephone number – 01280 812133

Website – www.bucksfire.gov.uk

Supporting Schools

The fire team has been working with local schools, handing out leaflets regarding being considerate when parking near schools.  This initiative will continue.

Flooding

Mr Parkins explained that he recently attended the Buckingham Flood Forum to highlight the work of the Fire service and to describe the equipment the fire service uses in flood situations, including the boat crew who are based at Pangbourne.

Recruitment

Mr Parkins explained that the service is on a recruitment drive in terms of retained crews, particularly to cover day-time shifts.

During discussion, Members asked the following questions.

A Member asked whether fire extinguishers can be checked as part of the home safety check.  Mr Parkins said that fire extinguishers are not part of the check.

A Member asked whether Buckinghamshire should have two boats as there are two rivers.  Mr Parkins responded by saying that there are two boats – one in the North of the County and one in the South.

Thames Valley Police update

Inspector Garside started by reporting to Members that the non-emergency telephone number (101) is now operational.  There has been no increase in policing costs in the council tax for this financial year.  Rural Crime and Metal theft have both been written into the Force Delivery Plan which is a very positive step.  In terms of the front counter opening times, the proposal is to reduce the times to Monday-Friday, 10am-2pm.  The Moreton Road site will be sold.

Inspector Garside went on to say that Ringmaster and the Community Messaging system are being updated with a new system called Thames Valley Alert.  In terms of staff, PCSO Denise Grayburn has now left and PCSO Rob Jackman has replaced her.  PCSO John Webb is still off sick with a neck injury and other officers are currently covering the Claydons.

Inspector Garside reported the following crime rates for the area and provided a general update on police activity in the area.

• In Buckingham North, serious acquisitive crime is down 32% (from 62 offences to 42); vehicle crime has decreased; and the figures for all crimes are down – 361 offences to 201 offences.
• Arson has increased and the police officers are working closely with the fire officers to find out more about this.
• In Buckingham Town, serious acquisitive crime is down 43% and overall crime is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

This meeting will focus on the Insufficient Public Transport in Rural Areas priority. 

The local priorities champions will update Members on progress of the other priorities.

Report attached.

This meeting focused on the "Insufficient Public Transport in Rural Areas" priority.  Stephen Townsend and Mike Smith are the champions for this priority.

Stephen started by saying that there is a need to engage with the Transport User Group as a transport related questionnaire was sent to parishes and local residents but there was concern that there was not as much information included in the questionnaire as was initially hoped.

A Member expressed concern about the changes in the bus routes as the proposed times meant that it was not possible to work in Milton Keynes and use the buses.  There is no Sunday service and a limited Saturday service.  The Member asked whether they could introduce Village Hoppers.  Mark Grindall, Locality Manager, explained that there would need to be evidence in terms of demand for such a service before it could be considered.  He went on to suggest that the LAF could fund a commercial survey.

A Member said that they would rather pay a bit more money to travel on the buses and asked whether a private firm could take on a commercial bus route.

Stephen Townsend explained that there are lots of examples of successful Community buses and he urged Members to respond to the questionnaire.

David Rowlands said that he is the Chairman of Dial-a-Ride and the Winslow Community Bus is very successful but one of the main pitfalls of setting up any community bus scheme is finding a dedicated co-ordinator, volunteers to drive the buses and also the increased fuel costs will have a financial bearing on the running costs.

A Member mentioned the school buses and asked whether they could be used for community purposes when they are not being used for the school runs.

Mark Grindall asked Members to send their suggestions to him and said that the proposals need to be inventive.

Action: All Members

Mark Grindall then took Members through the budgets and explained that the proposal is to combine the Transport for Buckinghamshire budget and the Local Priorities budget and the total for the Buckingham LAF will be £46,000.  This money is not ring-fenced so the whole amount can be used to fund transport related schemes.  The final decision on how the budgets will work going forward will be made at the end of April.  Mark went on to explain that the LAF is in a period of transition and he said that the LAF will need to decide how much of the budget to apportion to transport related schemes.  He recommended no more than 25% of the budget to be used on transportation schemes.

Mark asked Members to consider adding child poverty as a priority for the LAF so that funding can be allocated to this in future.  There are opportunities which the LAF can get involved in.

The Chairman asked Members to vote on whether to add child poverty as a priority.

Members AGREED

Mark referred Members to the Local Area Priorities Budget Allocation report included in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Ann Kiceluk, Lead Area Officer from Aylesbury Vale District Council, will provide Members with an update.

Members were asked to note the update from AVDC.  Any questions should be directed to Ann Kiceluk at AVDC (akiceluk@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk).

Graham Stewart will provide a brief overview of this.

The Chairman welcomed Graham Stewart, representative from Whaddon Parish Council, who read the following statement to Members.

"It is undeniable that Milton Keynes has been hugely successful, however, its relentless growth has had an on-going and detrimental impact on neighbouring communities, and many people argue that they have derived little or no benefit from the development, but have had to suffer its consequences....... particularly in regard to traffic and highway infrastructure.

Residents of Whaddon, and I'm sure they are not alone, have endured year after year of increasing vehicle numbers - and they are slowly witnessing their quality of life being eroded and their road infrastructure deteriorating.  HGV's now compete with agricultural traffic and rat-running vehicles on roads that, by Bucks County Council's own admission were never designed - nor are safely capable of accommodating this amount and type of traffic. More accidents are inevitable as volumes of traffic increase, footpaths are damaged, grass verges disappear and road edges gradually sink into the ditches alongside them.

Despite this MK expansion continues unabated. Another 9,000 homes, plus industry, retail, commercial, leisure and schools - are about to be built alongside the two roads that lead through Whaddon village to the A421 and most points west. To put this in context, these new settlements will have a combined population larger than Buckingham and Winslow put together.  Whaddon cannot close our roads, MK tell us that all roads in and out of the city are crucial, if they are to achieve their regional status ambition,  - and in any event Bucks CC tell us they would not support any closure........so what should we do - or what more can be done?

For every home built in MK, about £19 - £20,000 goes into a tariff  'pot' that is used for community facilities and infrastructure....and more money comes from the ancillary commercial and retail development.  It is safe to say that MK development, still to be built close to Whaddon on the western flank of the city, will produce in excess of £200 million pounds of tariff revenue.   Like every authority this money will be in huge demand and almost certainly will not be enough to meet all projects. 

After many years of consultation and careful negotiation Whaddon Parish Council has persuaded not just Milton Keynes council and the Homes and Community Agency, but also the Developers, that a traffic calming scheme is urgently required in Whaddon.  Our elderly residents need safe access to the church and village hall, our children and parents need to be able to get to our school, playgroup and recreation ground and to be able to cross the road without fear. To their great credit the MK authorities have recognised our genuine concerns and have set aside, a not inconsiderable sum, to help us achieve our goal...... but there is always a problem, and in this case they have set a 75% contribution cap, which is why, on behalf of our 450 residents, Whaddon Parish Council will,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

District Councillor Pearl Lewis updated Members on the planning application which has been submitted by the Buckingham Canal Society.  She asked Members to submit their comments via the AVDC website.  The deadline for comments to the application is 21 April 2012.

Beverley Trevitt, Outreach Officer at Buckinghamshire Community Foundation, asked Members to participate in the "Go Green for Bucks Day" on 15 June – people will be asked to make a £1 donation and the money raised will support the work of local charities.  Further information will be circulated to Members after the meeting for them to distribute in their areas.

Action: Beverley Trevitt

(Action already completed)

Members are asked to note the update attached – All Change for Buckinghamshire’s Recycling Centres.

The Chairman asked Members to note the "All Change for Buckinghamshire’s Recycling Centres" update.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 28 June 2012.  Venue to be confirmed.

Future dates

Thursday 27 September

Thursday 13 December.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 28 June 2012.  Venue to be confirmed.

Future meetings

Thursday 27 September

Thursday 13 December