Meeting documents

See above.

The Chairman thanked Ashley Green Parish Council for their warm welcome and for providing refreshments.

Michael Brand declared an interest in agenda item 8, as his wife was a Non-Executive Director of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

To confirm the notes of the meeting held on 2 February 2011

The notes of the meeting held on 2 February 2011 were agreed and signed as a correct record, with the following amendments:

·         Page 6 – Bid for salt bins in Chesham – be amended to read, ‘This was a bid for 3 salt bins’.

·         Page 6 – The table of agreed funding (line 3) to read:

·         Page 6 – the table of agreed funding (line 5) to read:

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 afterwards.  Please contact Helen Wailling on 01296 383614 or hwailling@buckscc.gov.uk to submit your question.

Revitalisation of Chesham town centre

Martin Parkes (Chesham Chamber of Commerce) spoke briefly about the work of ‘Better Chesham,’ a Group interested in funding for the High Street in Chesham. The Group had been formed recently to bring back life to the High Street, and to bring people in from surrounding villages (Chesham was in competition with other market towns). 

The aim was to increase the morale of traders in the High Street, who saw the internet as a threat, and who also could not compete with large firms. An initiative was needed which traders could be part of, as current groups did not include the traders.

The Chairman said that one of the current priorities identified by the Local Area Forum for the allocation of the Local Priorities budget was the revitalisation of the town centre.

http://www.better-chesham.co.uk/

Good Neighbour Scheme

Penny Miles (Age Concern Buckinghamshire) then gave an update on the Good Neighbour Scheme, to which the Local Area Forum had previously allocated some funding. The Scheme was running and taking on volunteers. Penny Miles asked members to publicise the Scheme in their area. The details are:

Penny Miles

Community Services Manager

Age Concern Buckinghamshire

Tel Age Concern Office: 01296 431911

Fax Number: 01296 330783

Chris Schwier

A member of Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards Parish Council asked that his thanks be put on record to Chris Schwier, who had now left BCC, and said that Chris had been a very loyal public servant. The Chairman said that he agreed with this and formally put on record his thanks to Chris Schwier, saying that Chris had had a wealth of local knowledge.

There were no petitions.

Kerry Stevens, Lead Area Officer for the Chesham and Chiltern Villages Local Area Forum

Kerry Stevens, Lead Area Officer for the Chesham and Chiltern Villages Local Area Forum, took members through some slides about the changes in the NHS (attached).

A member asked how definite the changes to the NHS were. Kerry Stevens said that there was still some uncertainty nationally but that the deconstruction of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) had already started and PCTs were being clustered together. Buckinghamshire PCT had clustered with Oxfordshire PCT.

A member asked how the changes would affect the development of the Healthzone in Chesham. The Chairman said that the contract for the Healthzone was now directly between GPs and the developer, and that the PCT was no longer involved. The projected completion date was November 2011. A member asked how the Healthzone was being funded. Kerry Stevens said that he could provide a briefing note – Action: KS

A member asked if the Healthzone in Chesham was definite. The Chairman said that the funding had been committed.

A member asked how the Local Area Forum (LAF) could influence the changes and suggested that a member of the Local Involvement Network (LINk) could attend LAF meetings. Kerry Stevens said that this could be arranged.

A member asked which organisation would be responsible for transport to hospitals and health appointments. Kerry Stevens said that this should become clear as things developed.

A member asked where the County Council would locate its Public Health team. Kerry Stevens said that the aim was to have integrated provision where possible. In Buckingham and Burnham, pilots were being run where Adult Social Care staff were based in GP practices.

A member asked about GP clusters. Kerry Stevens said that these were regional GP groupings within a GP Consortium.

The Chairman said that this item linked with agenda item 13.

Maggi McKerron (Chiltern District Council) said that the Building Community Capacity Project in Chesham helped to keep people in their own homes rather than going into institutional care.

The Chairman said that the project was aimed at those people who did not usually engage or attend events.

A member of the public asked if the Building Community Capacity Project was reaching Asian communities. Maggi McKerron said that members of the Asian communities had been invited to sit on the project group, but had not done so. A meeting would be held with representatives of the Asian communities to try to address this.

A member asked how the project was funded. Patricia Birchley (Cabinet member for Adults and Families) said that funding had come from the Government, via the County Council. The project in Chesham (urban area) had also been piloted in Haddenham (rural area).

A member asked if the pilot could be extended to rural areas near Chesham. Maggi McKerron said that the model being used could be replicated in other areas, and Kerry Stevens said that there had been discussions about extending the project.

A member said that the project had been successful but was not sustainable by volunteers.

Juliet Brown, Director of Strategy, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Sam Knollys (Director of Strategy and System Reform) and Lee Jones (Director of Communications) from the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust were welcomed to the meeting.

Sam Knollys took members through some slides (attached).

There was public concern about district nurses coming out of GP surgeries. The idea of a Link nurse for each surgery was being looked at. It was not about reducing the number of district nurses, but about employing them in a different way.

Foundation Trust applications were part of Government policy, and were a quality standard to be met by all health trusts.  Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust aimed to become a Foundation Trust by September 2012. The Foundation Trust application would include a five year plan.

Foundation Trusts were membership organisations, and were much more locally accountable. A Council of Governors would hold the Trust Board to account. This would be very different to the current structure.

A member said that many people in the south of the County went to Wexham Park Hospital, and asked how this fitted with the statement that Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust was responsible for all Buckinghamshire residents. Sam Knollys said that the Government policy was for patients to have choice about which hospital they attended.

A member asked about Accident and Emergency (A&E) services in Buckinghamshire. Sam Knollys said that Wycombe Hospital had an emergency centre, but that this was not a full A&E department. Stoke Mandeville Hospital had a full A&E department, with specialists.

Statistics showed that 30% of A&E attendees could actually be treated by a GP. The GP Centre at Wycombe Hospital had been put in place to treat minor injuries. A similar centre was also planned for Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

A member said that residents should be made aware of the different A&E services provided at each hospital. Sam Knollys said that there had been a 2004 Consultation ‘Shaping Health Services.’

Lee Jones said that the Primary Care Trust campaign ‘Choose Well’ gave information about A&E services.

A member noted that more and more services were being based at Wycombe Hospital. The member referred to the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) debt and asked how long the Trust would be able to keep three hospital sites open. The member also said that the geography of Buckinghamshire was not suitable for large numbers of ambulances travelling between hospitals.

Sam Knollys said that the Trust was constrained by the PFI contracts which were already in place, and by the length of these contracts. The quality of some of the Wycombe estate was very bad. The Trust was trying to ensure that clinical care was provided in the PFI building in Wycombe, and not in the old building.

There was also a move to provide services in the Community rather than in hospitals.

A barrier system was being introduced in the car park at Wycombe Hospital, to prevent shoppers parking there. 

A member said that people in rural communities often chose  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Christine Gardner, Localities and Communities Manager - Chiltern

Report on Local Area Forum Budgets

The Local Area Forum received the Report of Rebecca Carley, Acting Head of Localities and Safer Communities.

Christine Gardner, Localities and Communities Manager, took members through the Report and drew attention to the following points:

·         The Transport Delegated Budget for 2011/12 had been increased to £69,168.94, following a decision by Full Council. The applications which had been agreed at the last meeting were shown on page 3 of the Report.

·         The general principles regarding decision-making were laid out on page 2 of the Report.

·         The criteria for applications to the Local Priorities budget were laid out on pages 2-3.

·         A summary of schemes which had received funding from the Chesham and Chiltern Villages Local Area Forum in 2010/11 were shown on pages 4-5.

·         The table on page 11 should read three salt bins for Chesham at £1350. The Status column should read 2/2/11, not 9/2/11.

Applications for funding from the Local Priorities Budget

The Forum then received a second report.  The Report gave details of an application which had been received from the Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB) for £5000 of funding from the Local Priorities Budget. The application was for funding to move the premises from the Market Square in Chesham to larger offices in Townsend Road, Chesham. Planning permission from Chiltern District Council had already been granted. The funding would be used for a disabled access ramp, re-tarmacing of the entrance, a gate, lighting and an external door.

Christine Gardner told members that the project met four of the Local Priorities for the Chesham and Chiltern Villages Local Area Forum. These were:

·         Support for families

·         Support for Older People

·         Access to Health Services (increasingly more GPs are referring patients to CAB)

·         Links to the Asian Community (approx 15% of Chiltern CAB clients are from this community)

A member asked if the CAB had made any other funding requests. Christine Gardner said that they had submitted a request to each of the four Local Area Forums within the Chiltern District and had proportioned their requests based on the client base in each Forum area.

A member said that the Local Area Forum should not respond to funding requests as they were received, but wait until all requests were received before making any decisions. The member said that the risk with the current system was that it would be ‘first come, first served.’

Christine Gardner said that the decision on funding could be deferred.

A member said that the CAB was under a time pressure, but it was noted that all voluntary organisations had pressures. A member also said that the CAB had moved premises within the last few years and asked whether it was appropriate to give funding for another change of premises. Christine Gardner said  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Ann-Marie Davies, Transport Localities Team Leader

The Local Area Forum received the Report of Ann-Marie Davies, Transport Localities Team Leader.

Kim Hardwick, Transport for Buckinghamshire, introduced herself and told members that she was working with Ann-Marie Davies to cover Chris Schwier’s work in the Chiltern District.

Since the last meeting Buckinghamshire County Council had agreed its budget for 2011/12, including an increase in the transport delegated budget for the Chesham and Chiltern Villages Local Area Forum from £34,441.00 to £69,168.94.

Some funding for transport schemes had been agreed at the last meeting. Given the increase in funding, members were asked to choose between three options. These were:

1. To proceed with the identified schemes and identify additional schemes that fit in with the local priorities.

2. To proceed with the identified schemes but increase the size of the allocation to those schemes which will deliver additional quantity of that scheme.

3. To remove the schemes that have already been identified and identify alternative schemes that may not have been considered due to the cost of providing those schemes.

Members discussed the options.

Kim Hardwick said that the unsuccessful bids from the last meeting and any new bids would be considered at the next meeting. Bids could be submitted by completing a delegated budget form, which would be circulated.

Kim Hardwick told members that new bids must be submitted by the 2 May 2011 to Ann-Marie Davies.

Germain Street, Chesham

Kim Hardwick said that the costs for the traffic calming scheme in Germain Street had been reviewed, as the road required re-surfacing. This extra cost would be met via Transport for Buckinghamshire. However the cost of the scheme would still be £10k over the original estimated budget. This included a request for conservation-style street lighting. A meeting was planned for the following week to confirm the costs involved.

It was up to the Local Area Forum whether they wanted to fund the extra cost. If the Local Area Forum decided not to ahead with the scheme, the road would still be re-surfaced and the extra funding which was released would go into the delegated budget pot for 2011-12.

Members made the following comments:

·         The original reason for the traffic calming scheme was to protect children and young people who walked along the road. A child had been hit there two years previously.

·         The Local Area Forum should be given a fuller picture when schemes were discussed, as it seemed there were a number of different funding streams. A note describing the different funding streams was requested.

·         Extra funding should not be considered from the delegated budget unless there was a detailed written proposal on the table.

·         The extra funding would be a sizeable amount for Chesham Town, when many members of the Local Area Forum lived in rural areas.

Members requested a further report on this. Action: KH

A member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Kim Hardwick said that there would not be any changes to the Local Area Technicians (LATs) and that the LAT for Chesham and the Chiltern Villages was still Mike Barber.

Ann-Marie Davies, Transport Localities Team Leader

Members noted the report.

MaggiMcKerron, Community Cohesion Officer, Chiltern District Council

See agenda item 7.

Members noted the report.

Members noted the report.

Members noted the report.

15 June 2011, 7:30pm, Council Chamber, Chesham Town Hall

15 June 2011, 7:30pm, Council Chamber, Chesham Town Hall

AOB

·         The Chairman said goodbye to Merrin Molesworth who was stepping down from Chesham Town Council, and thanked her for all her work at the Local Area Forum.

·         A member asked that in future agendas should be shorter and contain timings.