Meeting documents

Apologies as above but also including Hogshaw Parish Meeting.

Derrick Isham, Vice-Chairman of the LAF, chaired the meeting as David Polhill sent his apologies.

To declare any personal or prejudicial interests

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm the notes of the meeting held on Thursday 28 June 2012.

The action notes from the meeting held on Thursday 28 June 2012 were agreed.

Matters arising

• Ann Kiceluk, Lead Officer from AVDC, reported that the New Homes Bonus Scheme is due to go to the Cabinet in October for a decision.
• New waste and recycling arrangements – there was a discussion around the new arrangements and there was concern around the lack of collection schedules so residents were unsure which bins were being collected when.  Sir Beville Stanier, Cabinet Member for the Environment at AVDC, asked that any questions and concerns be raised directly with him after the meeting and he would look into them.
• On a positive note, Members were informed that the recycling rates have doubled in the last two weeks and the majority of residents have welcomed the new arrangements.

There were no items for discussion under the Chairman’s update.

There will be a 10 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.

District Councillor Robin Stuchbury said that with the roll out of the Council Tax support scheme and with Thames Valley Police and Bucks Fire contributing to this, he asked whether the figures have been reduced to account for this.  Mark Grindall said that he would look into this and liaise with AVDC colleagues.

Action: Mark Grindall

None received

There were no petitions.

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

The Chairman read out the following update from Inspector Emma Garside who unfortunately was unable to attend the meeting.

Crime Figures 01/04/12 - 31/08/12

Buckingham Town

• Serious Acquisitive Crime 30 reports compared with 29 same period last year
• 19 theft from motor vehicles
• 6 burglary dwellings
• 2 robbery
• 3 theft of vehicles

Overall crime reported in this period: 258 reports against 262 in the same period last year. Shopliftings and harassment reports have increased this period.

Villages surrounding Buckingham Town

• Serious Acquisitive Crime 17 reports compared with 24 same period last year
• 11 theft from motor vehicles
• 4 burglary dwelling
• 0 robbery
• 2 theft of vehicles

Overall crime reported in this period: 114 reports against 133 in same period last year.

Team news

Team consists of 5 PC’s and 5 PCSO’s. Unfortunately PCSO John Webb is still off sick with neck injury and PCSO Steve Staley is in hospital with suspected heart attack.

New shift pattern starts on October 1^st which will have officers working into early hours of morning on Friday and Saturday nights.

New neighbourhood boundaries also take affect October 1^st and the old neighbourhoods of Buckingham Town and Buckingham North will merge and become known as the Buckingham District neighbourhood mirroring the LAF boundaries for this area. Neighbourhood Action Groups which have formed on smaller geographic boundaries can remain if this is desired or join as one NAG.

The Police station relocation has been delayed by issues with gas connection and phone lines but I remain optimistic that this will happen in the not too distant future. Moreton Road site is under offer. The Old Gaol Police office will remain with opening hours Monday – Friday, 10am -2pm.

Incidents of note

There have been a few unconnected high profile crimes in the town in this last LAF period. (2 GBH’s and a sexual assault). All cases are still under investigation. Suspects have been arrested for the GBH offences which are not connected and are currently on bail.

A small number of offenders have been causing a nuisance in the town and they are being robustly managed with the support of other agencies.

I am reviewing our response to issues linked with the night time economy and have operations planned in the run up to Christmas e.g. drugs dog operations, licensing checks. More information will follow on these in due course.

HGV operation on 26/09/12. 1 vehicle stopped on this occasion.

Rave in Whaddon on 22/09/12 currently under investigation to prosecute the organiser.

Neighbourhood Priorities

Speeding is still reported to us as of concern across villages and specific locations within Buckingham town centre.

Anti social behaviour issues e.g. youths playing in hay bales, criminal damage at old football club Buckingham.

Burglary: this remains a priority for TVP and as evenings get darker there is a greater risk of offending. In Buckingham 50% of the burglaries we get occur in houses of multiple occupation with students being victims. Targeted work is being done around  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Tim Parkins will provide an update on the Fire & Rescue activity in the local area.

The Chairman welcomed Tim Parkins from Bucks Fire and Rescue.  Mr Parkins read out a summary of recent activity involving Buckingham Fire Station which included the following.

• Silverstone F1GP – raising awareness of camping safety, particularly following several incidents in the UK involving carbon monoxide poisioning.
• Olympics – crews from Buckingham were involved on the day of the torch relay as it made its way through the county.  Mr Parkins was part of the Bucks Fire and Rescue Service team involved in the multi-agency control suite at Eton Dorney for the Olympics and Paralympics.
• Crews have completed 270 Home Fire Checks in the Buckingham area since April 2012.
• Safety themes for the next quarter include the national media advertising campaign to tie-in with the clock change at the end of October, Candle Fire Safety Week which ties-in with the build up to Christmas and a range of issue to be covered in-line with festive celebrations.
• Buckingham Fire Station has responded to 161 emergency calls since 1 April 2012.  A recent incident of note occurred on 18 August at the Fox & Hounds Farm in Lillingstone Darrell.  A horse was trapped in a swimming pool and the incident took two hours to resolve but it ended successfully with the horse being hoisted onto dry land and reunited with its owners.  This incident was reported in several national newspapers.
• Crews were involved in the River rinse and also attending the Buckingham Flood Forum dry run.

Mr Parkins ended his update on a personal note saying that he has just completed a three day 208 mile bike ride from Aylesbury to Ypres in Belgium as part of a Bucks Fire and Rescue Service team in memory of two colleagues who died last year.  Monies raised are being donated to the Fire Fighters Charities – the British Heart Foundation and the Florence Nightingale Hospice.  Anyone wishing to donate should visit http://www.justgiving.com/teams/BFRSA2YChallenge.

If Members require further information on current events or enquiries about home safety checks, please visit the website (www.bucksfire.gov.uk) or contact Tim Parkins at Buckingham Fire Station on 01280 812133 or by email at tparkins@bucksfire.gov.uk.

Ann Kiceluk, Lead Officer from AVDC, will provide Members with an update.

Ann Kiceluk, Lead Officer from AVDC, provided members with an update on some of the issues affecting the area.  Attached is a copy of the update which includes the following:

• Vale of Aylesbury Plan
• New homes bonus
• New waste and recycling collection service
• Localised council tax benefit
• Closure of Aylesbury cash office 
• HS2
• Aqua Vale
• Police and Crime Commissioner’s elections 
• Grants awarded in the LAF area (spreadsheet attached)
• 2012 Games Legacy.

Report attached from Mark Grindall, Localities Manager.

Mark Grindall, Localities Manager, started by informing Members of a booklet that has been produced which sets out the traffic calming measures available to rural and urban areas in Buckinghamshire.  He read out the following paragraph from within the booklet.

"The project was initiated by the Buckingham Local Area Forum as a result of an identified priority on traffic calming."

Attached is a copy of the booklet.  Hard copies of the booklet will be sent to Parish and District councils.

A Member asked how often will the document be reviewed and updated.  Mark explained that it should be updated annually and he will be passing this onto TfB.  The general content is as up-to-date as possible and a reprint will only occur when major changes need to be made.  The Member suggested that each version should be dated when revisions are made to the document.

Mark went on to thank Terry Humber for his involvement in moving this priority forward.

Mark went on to say that due to a lack of engagement from schools, the Peter Jones Academy scheme has been pulled so £1,500 has been put back into the LAF budget for reallocation.

One of the priorities for the LAF area is around addressing "insufficient public transport in rural areas with evening services being improved."  A variety of potential projects have been considered.  Following meetings and discussions with the community champions (Mike Smith and Stephen Townsend) and with Transport for Buckinghamshire colleagues specialising in passenger transport, it is recommended that the LAF agree to subsidise a bus route(s) for Saturdays only allowing every parish within the Buckingham Local Area to have at least one bus a week from their parish to Buckingham and providing that service on a day which will be of the widest advantage to the community – a market day in Buckingham, children off school and parents off work.  It is intended that this funding will allow for one years subsidy and should enable services to be in place by Christmas 2012.

If the LAF approves this scheme for one year, then it is intended that the parishes concerned, Buckingham Town Council and the Buckingham Traders Association will be approached to provide the subsidy in future years.

The estimated costs associated with running the bus scheme would be £175 per Saturday which amounts to £9,100 per annum.  The cost per parish, if shared equally would be £6.73 per parish per week.  A total contribution of £3,000 from Buckingham Town Council and Buckingham Traders Association would reduce the parish liability to £4.50 per parish per week, for a regular scheduled bus service.

During discussion, the following main points were made.

• The representative from Whaddon parish council commented that the take-up would probably be quite low from this area as local residents tend to go to Milton Keynes for their shopping.  Whaddon is one of the furthest parishes from Buckingham within the LAF area.  Mark Grindall responded by saying that usage needs to be looked at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

There were no questions during open forum.

Report attached for Members to note.

Members noted the report from Transport for Buckinghamshire.

County Councillor David Rowlands explained that he is the Lead Spokesperson for Transportation in the North of the County.  He referred Members to the TfB report and said that Simon Dudley is now responsible for producing the Winter Maintenance programme and it is hoped that a copy will be sent to all parishes shortly and it will also be made available at the next LAF meeting.

Action: Simon Dudley

Councillor Rowlands went on to encourage Members to attend the Safe Drive Stay Alive (SDSA) events.  The 2011 shows were fully booked with over 3000 students from Buckinghamshire attending.

Leaflets to be circulated at the meeting.

Members received leaflets containing information on broadband activity in Bucks.

District Councillor Pearl Lewis suggested that the organisation should be invited to a future LAF meeting to discuss the initiative further.

Action: Liz Wheaton to discuss with Chairman

The next meeting is due to take place on Thursday 13 December 2012.

Proposed dates for 2013

21 March

20 June

26 September

12 December

The next meeting is due to take place on Thursday 13 December 2012.  Venue to be confirmed.

Proposed dates for 2013

21 March

20 June

26 September

12 December

Documents attached from Mark Grindall, Localities Manager.

A Member started by asking when the footpaths are due to be repaired and asked what criteria Transport for Buckinghamshire uses to assess the state of the footpaths.  Mark Grindall, Localities Manager, said that he would speak to TfB about this and let Members know.

Action: Mark Grindall

District Councillor Robin Stuchbury mentioned the housing policy which is presently being developed and will be going out for consultation soon.  He urged all LAF members to read and respond to the consultation document as it will be too late once the policy has been approved.  He agreed to send the document to Mark Grindall for circulation to LAF members.

Action: Robin Stuchbury/Mark Grindall  

The priorities refresh produced three priorities on which the LAF will concentrate its activities for 2013/14:

• Youth Needs
• Speeding and Road Safety
• Support for Village Activity Centres, amended from Improved funding for village activity centres, after the discussion

A Member suggested that a working group should be formed to speak to young people in schools as a number of local priorities relate in young people.