Meeting documents

See above.

The Chairman thanked Latimer Parish Council for arranging the venue and refreshments for the meeting.

To declare any personal or prejudicial interests

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm the notes of the meeting held on 15 June 2011

The notes of the meeting held on 15 June 2011 were agreed and signed as a correct record.

Matters arising

Page 7 – Ann-Marie Davies (Transport Localities Team Leader) reported that since the previous meeting, the application for funding for a Feasibility Study into the A416 and Hog Lane / Two Dells Lane had been withdrawn and a new application, for a Vehicle Activated Sign had been submitted. The total cost of the sign was £7800, and Ashley Green Parish Council would be paying £2200 of this cost. This change had been agreed by the Head of the Transport Service at Buckinghamshire County Council.

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 receive a full answer on the day of the meeting.  Questions sent in advance will be dealt with first, followed by verbal questions.  Please contact Helen Wailling on 01296 383614 or hwailling@buckscc.gov.uk to submit your question.

Severe Winter Weather

Peter Reeve, a local resident, asked if the Council was better prepared for severe weather for 2011-12, and said that:

·         During the severe weather in the previous winter, salt and grit had been spread directly on top of snow, without clearing the road first. This was not effective.

·         Peter Reeve had driven from Aberdeen back to Buckinghamshire during the severe weather and had only found the roads to be hazardous once he entered Buckinghamshire.

·         Cars had been abandoned in Chesham and the surrounding areas during the snow, which indicated that the drivers did not know how to prepare for winter driving, and had not brought shovels with them.

·         Also, drivers needed information on skid control as cars had been abandoned following skidding.

Ann-Marie Davies (Transport for Buckinghamshire) said the following:

·         The previous two winters had seen unprecedented weather. In 2010-11 there had been a lot more preparation for the severe weather than in 2009-10.

·         A sophisticated system was used to determine when to carry out gritting.

·         A winter maintenance leaflet had been sent to all Parish Councils.

·         A Service Information Centre on the website provided detailed highway information - http://www.transportforbucks.net/Transport-and-roads.aspx

·         An ‘app’ for smart phones was also available - http://www.transportforbucks.net/Apps.aspx

David Schofield, (Cabinet Spokesman for Transportation North, Buckinghamshire County Council) asked for feedback about the County Council website, as it was going to be updated shortly.

Petition - objection to the proposed closure of Outreach Day Centre in Chesham for adults who have disabilities and learning difficulties

Mr and Mrs Gates presented the above petition and said that there was a lot of anxiety and rumour about the closure. The petition was 65 pages long and contained 1440 signatures.

The Chairman said that he would pass the petition to the Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing.

Michael Brand (Buckinghamshire County Council) said that he supported the petition.

David Schofield, Cabinet Spokesman for Transportation South

Ann-Marie Davies, Transport Localities Team Leader, Transport for Buckinghamshire

Members noted the Report.

David Schofield (Buckinghamshire County Council Cabinet Spokesman for Transportation South) said that the Council was working to re-surface as many roads as possible. Improvements in communication were also being carried out.

The following day the Cabinet Member for Planning and Transportation would be inspecting the Chesham area with the Local Area Technician and Derek Lacey, District Councillor.

David Schofield also said the following:

·         12.5 tonnes of grit had been stocked up for winter. In the previous year just under 10 tonnes of grit had been used.

·         Salt bins were available and cost £450 per bin. The cost included replacement grit and lifetime maintenance. Salt was also being sold in 1 ton bags to Parish Councils, for between £65 and £85 per bag.

·         Utility road works in Sycamore Road, Amersham – the shops there were losing trade and the utility company had not informed the County Council of the works. If this happened in other areas, members should let David Schofield or Ann-Marie Davies know.

·         The County Council would need assistance from farmers if severe weather occurred.  Guidance stated that farmers could use red diesel when clearing snow for the County Council. Spare snow ploughs for tractors were available.

Ann-Marie Davies (Transport Localities Team Leader) then said the following:

·         She had now been confirmed as the replacement for Chris Schwier, who had retired earlier in 2011.

·         There were a number of issues regarding the work in Germain Street, and there was regular communication with local councillors. A safety audit would be carried out after the work completion date.

·         Delegated budget schemes which had been agreed for 2011-12 were progressing. Those schemes which had not gone forward in the current year would be re-submitted for consideration for the delegated budget 2012-13.

A member of Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards Parish Council said that in 2010 they had submitted the names of three farmers who had offered to help with snow clearing, but had received no response. The same had happened this year.

David Schofield said that he would take this forward. Action: DS / AMD

Contact details:

David Schofield - Cabinet Spokesman for Transportation South

Phone:  01494 676440
Email:  dschofield@buckscc.gov.uk

Ann-Marie Davies - Transport Localities Team Leader, Transport for Buckinghamshire

Phone: 01296 382157
Email: amdavies@buckscc.gov.uk

Chris Brown, Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards Parish Council

This item was not taken at the meeting, due to time restrictions. A note for information, prepared by Chris Brown, Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards Parish Council, is attached to the Minutes.

Chris Rawson, Bucks Business First

Chris Rawson, Bucks Business First, was welcomed to the meeting.

Chris Rawson said the following:

·         There was an aspiration for the UK to have the best broadband in Western Europe by 2015; for a minimum of 90% super-fast broadband in Buckinghamshire by 2015; and for the remaining 10% of Buckinghamshire to have a minimum of 2mb per second (A map of current coverage in Buckinghamshire is attached to the Minutes).

·         £9billion of funding had been announced nationally.

·         Bucks Business First was working with Hertfordshire County Council to achieve value for money and a more extensive project.

·         There was funding of £2.1m available for Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes (£1.8m for Buckinghamshire). It was a ‘gap funding’ model, which needed match-funding by local authorities. It was hoped that Buckinghamshire County Council would double the funding available.

·         The task was huge and it was not possible to make definitive promises. There were variables, such as how far a house was from the broadband street cabinet, or if a house had an exchange-only line. Work was being carried out with BT and with Virgin.

·         The key components of the project were delivery and procurement. Nationally there were six preferred bidders. The local project team would stimulate and register demand.

·         A very large piece of work to engage with communities would be carried out.

·         The ‘digital divide’ needed to be considered, to ensure that people with no IT experience could make use of the broadband.

·         The BT infinity website allowed residents to search using their postcode, to find out the predicted speed and timing of broadband in their area.

A member asked if the project was commercial-based or whether it would address whole communities.

Chris Rawson said that it would address whole communities, and that the project was all-encompassing. Priority areas would be areas with a critical mass of people, and higher potential take-up of broadband services.

A member of Latimer Parish Council said that fibre optic cables for broadband had been laid for Latimer House in 2010. This had disrupted the village, but village residents had not been connected to the broadband. Chris Rawson said that if the network had been plugged into BT, it could be given to village residents. However if it was a private network this might not be possible. Chris Rawson said that he would look into this – Action: CR

Contact details

Chris Rawson, Infrastructure Manager

Buckinghamshire Business First

Tel: 01494 568942

E: chris@bbf.uk.com

W: www.bbf.uk.com

Rachael Rothero, Service Manager, Strategic Commissioning, Adults and Family Wellbeing, Buckinghamshire County Council

Rachael Rothero (Service Manager - Strategic Commissioning, Adults and Family Wellbeing) and David Cowell (Programme Manager - Day Service Modernisation) were welcomed to the meeting.

Rachael Rothero updated members about the Day Opportunities Programme.

Overview of changes to the Day Care Service

In 2010 a major consultation had been undertaken by Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC), with a set of proposals to transform the traditional day care model to a range of different new services.

A review of the day care estate had been carried out, and many buildings were in a very poor condition. Some buildings were not even suitable for wheelchairs.

In March 2011, following more than 123 public meetings, the BCC Cabinet had made its final recommendations regarding day care provision.

Unlike other local authorities, BCC had decided that it was critical to continue to support people with high needs in buildings.

Six day opportunity centres were proposed (one for the Chesham / Amersham area), and there had been a significant capital investment of £6.5m.

BCC was working closely with architects to ensure that building designs supported the needs of the most vulnerable people. There had also been a series of ‘meet the architects’ public meetings.

The new buildings would be accessible and would bring wider community benefits, such as providing information on other services. There would also be cafés, which could potentially be run by Learning Disability clients. Extended opening hours were also planned in the evenings and at weekends.

The national agenda was moving towards personalisation, with clients being supported to understand their needs and given a personal budget. If clients wished, they could take a direct payment in lieu of BCC services, and could use this to buy services from other providers.

BCC was linking with existing and new providers. Two large provider events had been held, with 90 attendees. Work was also ongoing with providers to develop the ‘marketplace.’

Volunteer and social enterprises were also being encouraged. BCC had been involved in the development of the Big Society Bank, which would provide start-up funding and loans.

Vulnerable people needed support to spend their direct payments. Support brokers had therefore been employed to provide face to face meetings with clients. A number of accredited brokers were now in place.

Another consideration was friendship groups in existing centres, and solutions for these groups were being looked at.

From December 2011, a Universal Advice and Information Service would be in place, which was an electronic directory to replace Bucks Info.net.

In addition, more funding was being put into expanding community capacity and the volunteering infrastructure in communities.

Specific changes in Amersham and Chesham

The preferred option for the building based model was the Amersham Library site, and the current proposal was for a new day centre, library and café there. BCC was working with Chiltern District Council (CDC) on this, as CDC owned the land.

The existing Endeavour Centre site in Chesham had a number of different uses, including a registered Learning Disability care home, a garden  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Christine Gardner, Localities and Communities Manager - Chiltern

The Local Priorities budget for the year 2011-12 was £20 000, and £13 318.05 of this had already been committed to projects at previous meetings.

Members were asked to consider the funding proposals in the papers. All projects funded had to be completed by March 2012. If the budget was not allocated by November 2011, it would be returned to the Head of Service at the County Council.

Due to the timing at the meeting, it was agreed that the funding decisions would be made by email.

[email sent out is attached]

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Members noted the information.

Members noted the information.

Members noted the information.

Members noted the information.

Members noted the information.

25 January 2012, 7:30pm, venue tbc

25 January 2012, 7:30pm, venue tbc