Meeting documents

     COMMUNITY AND LEISURE COMMITTEE

     Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on

     16 March 1998

     PRESENT

     Cllr J W Preston (in the Chair)

Cllr Mrs F W Alexander

Cllr R W A Barber

Cllr Mrs E M Barratt JP

Cllr I B Campbell

Cllr C J Elliott

Cllr Mrs J E Gabbitas

Cllr D A B Green

Cllr A E Hill

Cllr Miss D A Lewis

Cllr Mrs C E Mill

Cllr A R Mountford

Cllr Mrs P Priestley

Cllr Mrs B J Sadler

Cllr A J Tanner

Cllr N P Vickery

* Standing Deputies

1.     MINUTES

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 19 January 1998 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

2.     PANEL MINUTES

The substantive Minutes discussed at the Community and Leisure Panel held on 19 January 1998 were as follows:-

Minute No 28 - Annual Revenue Grants

Priority 1 recommendations were approved but Priority 2 applications and the Citizens Advice Bureau development  application were deferred to the next meeting.  Recommendations for new Priority 1 applications were approved and ,10,000 reserved as a contingency fund for allocation under Officers= delegated powers.

Minute No 29 - High Wycombe Sports Club Application for Grant Aid

Grant Aid of up to ,9,800 awarded to High Wycombe Sports Club  towards the building of a new clubhouse and cricket Pavilion.

Minute No 30 - Naphill Lawn Tennis Club - Application for Grant Aid

It was agreed that, subject to a successful Lottery Application, Grant Aid of up to ,2,500 be awarded to Naphill Lawn Tennis Club as a contribution towards upgrading the three hard tennis courts together with other works relating to the improvement of the facilities.

Minute No 31 - Wycombe Swan Theatre

The report was noted and Wycombe Arts Management Limited were commended on establishing the theatre as a regionally significant Arts facility through the delivery of a balanced programme.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Community and Leisure Panel held on 3 February 1998 be received.

3.     THE CRIME AND DISORDER ACT

The Committee received a presentation on the Crime and Disorder Bill which highlighted the likely new responsibilities for this Council.  Details of the areas of responsibility were described particularly in relation to anti-social behaviour, child safety orders, parenting orders and local child curfew schemes.  The Committee noted that the Act would place a statutory duty on Chief Police Officers and local authorities to work together to implement a strategy for reducing crime and disorder.  Such a strategy would cover a unitary or district authority area.

The Committee noted that the Council had already established a sound community safety structure based upon the District Council area which could be used as a springboard for partnership working with the responsible authorities.  It was recognised that, in this regard, further and sustained joint working would have to be undertaken with Buckinghamshire County Council.

Although the proposed legislation would place a range of statutory community safety duties upon local authorities, no additional funding authority through SSA had been proposed.  Detailed estimates had not yet been prepared on the likely cost of this work to the Council because a number of issues/responsibilities were yet to be fully determined.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted and officers be requested to provide more detailed information as appropriate in the future.

4.     REVIEW OF ALCOHOL RELATED ISSUES

The report submitted provided a review of progress on the recommendations made with respect to alcohol-related issues at the Community and Leisure Committee meeting held on 16 June 1997.  The current position with respect to the recommendations made at that meeting were set out for the Committee=s attention together with details of the meeting held between the Police, Probation Service, Town Centre Association representatives, `Revolving Door= representatives and the Council to review progress on the issue of drinking in public places.   Officers had also surveyed those local authorities which had adopted the Drinking in Public Places Bylaw since its enactment in 1990 and feedback had also been sought from Thames Valley Police for High Wycombe, Marlow and Princes Risborough sections.  The result of these discussions was that there was found to be little support for adopting the Drinking in Public Places Bylaw but that there was strong support for continuing with a multi-agency approach to the issue of drinking in public places.

The Committee noted the results obtained and a view was put that the local authority survey remained inconclusive and that the Drinking in Public Place Bylaw still had merit in tackling this problem.

However, the Committee concluded that, at this stage, officers should continue with the multi-agency network engaged in tackling alcohol related issues and further reports be submitted in early 1999 to review progress and re-assess the need for adoption of Bylaws to control drinking in public places.

RESOLVED: (i) that the Thames Valley Police and the District Council continue to provide points of contact for District Council Members, Town and Parish Clerks, to report incidents involving people drinking and causing a nuisance in public places;

(ii) that the Thames Valley Police and District Council work together to develop a problem solving approach to address the issue of disturbance in known areas during the summer months;

(iii)  that the South Bucks Substance Use Group (SBSUG) be encouraged to continue to develop initiatives, using innovation rather than restriction to reduce the problem of drinking in public places;

(iv) that the progress of the Revolving Doors Link Worker Project be reviewed annually and an information sheet be submitted to members annually; and

(v) a further report to assess the need for Bylaws to prohibit drinking in public places be received early in 1999.

5.     WOMEN=S LACROSSE WORLD CUP - HIGH WYCOMBE

The Committee was informed that the English Lacrosse Association proposed to hold the Women=s Lacrosse World Cup in High Wycombe from 7-14 July 2001.  The Association was seeking the support of this Council for the proposal to use facilities under the control of the District Council for this World Cup.

The World Cup was being held at a time when the open spaces concerned would not be used for programmed activities and, therefore, there would be no loss of income as a result of this proposal.  It might be necessary, at the appropriate time, to seek additional funding for the Chairman to host a civic reception beyond his or her normal Chairman=s allowance.   At this stage officers estimated that the civic reception could cost in the region of ,2,500 and that preparation and the use of open space could cost up to ,500.

The Committee welcomed the proposal and noted that this would be a prestigious event with worldwide interest being shown in  Wycombe District and would bring substantial numbers of visitors to the area.  The views of the English Lacrosse Association were also noted with regard to the exposure of the game helping to raise the profile of the District as well as bringing extra revenue into the area.

RESOLVED: (i) That the decision of the of the International Federation of Women=s Lacrosse Associations to hold the 2001 Women=s Lacrosse World Cup in High Wycombe be welcomed; and

(ii) That the use of the District Councils= Open Spaces, in particular the Rye, be granted free of charge to the English Lacrosse Association, that meeting rooms be made available for Committee and organisational meetings free of charge, and that the Chairman of Council be requested to host a civic reception for the team members and organisers of the World Cup.

The Committee considered a report which set out a draft action plan for the Rye which had been distilled from the full Rye Management Plan.

The draft Rye Management Plan was a long term plan for up to 15 years and was designed to ensure that the local community and visitors to the area could continue to enjoy the benefits of this very important asset.  The plan identified principles of sustainability, conservation and social value that should be consistently applied when evaluating and implementing schemes that impacted on the geographical area covered by the draft Rye Management Plan.

The draft management plan identified deficiencies and recommends standards which may require additional capital and revenue funding which will need to be found from a variety of sources including the Council.

The successful implementation of the draft management plan would only be achieved by the development of active partnerships between the Council and, where appropriate, the private and voluntary sectors.

Any new schemes or actions which required additional financial resources would have to be prioritised and considered in the light of the Council=s other priorities.

To ensure that the draft Rye Management Plan reflected local community and visitor needs and attracted general support, the following consultation process was approved:

RESOLVED: (i) That the draft Rye Management Plan be approved for consultation subject to the deletion of Action Plan No 3 from the Schedule; and

(ii) The timetable for consultation as described above be approved.

7.     FILE ON ACTION TAKEN UNDER DELEGATED POWERS

The file on action taken under delegated powers since the last meeting was submitted for the Committee=s attention (File Sheet No. 20).

(The Meeting commenced at 7.00pm and concluded at 8.30pm)

     __________

     CHAIRMAN

The following Officers were in attendance at the meeting:-

Neil Roberts          -     Director of Leisure, Health and Community

Paul Marston-Weston     -     Head of Leisure Services

David Picken          -     Head of Community Services

Brenda Watson          -     Senior Accountant

Sheila Davies          -     Health Promotion Officer

David Ruddock          -     Assistant District Solicitor

James Porter          -     Parks and Environment Manager

Mike Conroy          -     Principal Administrator - Committee Services

Charlotte Andrew     -     Trainee Administrator