Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors J Lowen-Cooper, L Wood, and Sergeant Nathan Davey

There were no declarations of interest which related to any of the items on the agenda under discussion. 

The Chairman welcomed all present to the meeting stating that she was very excited to be launching the first meeting of the Board with invited guests and which in future would be open to members of the public.

The Chairman emphasised that there was much work to be done with many local issues to be addressed.  It was the Council`s intention to ensure that the needs of the local community were established and met in partnership with local organisations and other relevant voluntary agencies thereby enabling the setting of priorities. This it was hoped would make life better for residents. As well as regular meetings, it was highlighted that one event per year would be held to demonstrate the work and progress of the Board.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted

The Vice Chairman introduced herself and gave brief details of her background and hopes for the future of the Board.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted

The coordinator echoed the chairman`s sentiments in respect of the introduction of the new Community Boards presenting an exciting opportunity, enabling the establishment of various projects in close collaboration with partners for the betterment of the community.  It was confirmed that the Boards had been allocated a total budget of £3.9 m which would go a considerable way towards making a difference.

The coordinator gave mention to the key benefits of the Board, what the expectations were and how residents were likely to be involved. He also touched on various elements within the Board`s Terms of Reference.

It was agreed that it would be beneficial to circulate the presentation slides more widely through the various social media channels. Members were encouraged to let other organisations and bodies have sight of the presentation as was considered appropriate.

RESOLVED: That

(i) The officer be thanked for his report

(ii) The presentation slides be circulated with the minutes

Each Member and invited guest provided an official introduction to the Board outlining their particular area of interest/expertise. They then went on to summarise their aspirations for the future and how they hoped the Board could help to meet some of the unfulfilled needs of the community.

The Chairman`s vision for the Board was to create various work streams of activity which would then be subdivided into subgroups concentrating on particular areas of work in close collaboration with relevant partners.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted

Shakiba Habibula, Public Health Consultant, joined the meeting to conduct a presentation on the new public health profile for the Beaconsfield and Chepping Wye area. She also took questions ahead of the Board’s priority setting discussions.

The report contained some useful information for the area along with some key recommendations.

A Member stated that the figures demonstrating the impact of Covid 19 within the report may be underestimated particularly in reference to those shielding and requiring and requesting essential supplies. It was agreed that this would be explored further and reported upon.

RESOLVED: That

(i) The consultant be thanked for her report

(ii) further investigation be conducted into the figures for the impact of Covid 19

Members gave some consideration to the areas of work for which they hoped to secure funding, in accordance with community needs. It was agreed that Members did not wish to be too prescriptive in taking these decisions at this stage as there were some organisations which had not yet had the opportunity to submit or consider applications.

The presenting officer stated at the current time it would be wise to consider broad themes of work which would give some scope to begin inviting funding applications. As such these themes were still relatively fluid and could be confirmed during the September meeting of the Board.

A number of suggestions were made in response:

(i) Playgrounds/Outdoor spaces

(ii) Transportation eg cycleways

(iii) Youth facilities/activities

(iv Older people dealing with isolation and mental health

(v) Covid recovery

(vi) Regeneration (improving the environment)

(vii) Traffic issues and parking

Concern was expressed that the Board should be wary of taking on too much too soon and the Coordinator was asked to explore amalgamating these suggestions and circulating for comment.

The Chairman thanked those present for attending and participating in a positive and productive meeting and looked ahead to the launch meeting in September.

(2 September 2020) to be confirmed.

Members noted that the next meeting of the Board was scheduled to take place on Wednesday 2 September 2020 at 7pm to be confirmed closer the time.