Agenda and minutes

Welcome from Cllr David Anthony, Chairman of the Beeches Community Board

Councillor David Anthony welcomed everyone to the meeting.  He provided an update onthe Proud of BucksAwardsand offered congratulations to this year’s recipients.

·         The Best Adultcategory waswon byAndrew andWendy Strathdee.

·         The Best Group category waswon byBurnham BeechesRotary Club.

·         A Highly commendedwas awardedto StokePoges Good Neighbours Scheme.

Apologies were received from Simon James (Service Director Education Buckinghamshire Council), Cllr Jill Dax (Dorney Parish Council), Cllr Carol Linton (Burnham Parish Council), Ruth Senior (Dorney Parish Council and Taplow Parish Council), Helen Mee (Clare Foundation), Becca Nutley (Community Youth Ventures) and Eve Chason (Community Safety, Buckinghamshire Council).

To agree the Minutes of the Meeting held on Wednesday 26 January 2022 as an accurate record.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on Wednesday 26 January 2022 were agreed as an accurate record.

To disclose any personal or disclosable pecuniary Interests.

There were no declarations of interest.

Emily Davies, Public Health Practitioner

The Chairman welcomed Emily Davies, Public Health practitioner at Buckinghamshire Council, to the meeting. Emily described the latest element of the smoke free and tobacco control strategy- the smoke free parks and playgrounds scheme, which was designed to make communities and environments where children gather healthier and cleaner. She stated how they were capitalising upon a shift in perception of smoking since 2007, as well as the growing evidence of health benefits, to make more open areas smoke free.

Other councils around the country had  been successful in implementing the initiative, and a previous pilot scheme in 2015 in Aylesbury  was positively received. The idea was to expand this scheme to include more parks and playgrounds, in order to make smoking less visible and acceptable to young people.

Emily listed a number of benefits of this scheme, including less second hand smoke,less young smokers, a change in attitudes to smoking, protecting the environment and financial savings through not having to clean up smoking waste.

She described the local approach of the scheme, whereby signage would be posted around parks and playgrounds, politely asking those in the area not to smoke. This would be a voluntary ban and would not have enforcement. Public Health would coordinate the campaign and develop a communication plan to inform and engage residents. Public Health would provide the signage and installation for free but sought the support of the Board to identify suitable locations and promote the initiative. Emily then stated how a toolkit would be developed to share with Boards, which would include FAQ’s, examples of signage and other ways Boards could offer support.

Emily also informed the Board of another initiative, Smoke Free Sidelines, which had been backed by the Berks & Bucks Football Association. A number of free resources were available for local clubs who choose to participate, such as posters and other assets. The goal of the initiative was to prevent smoking on the side-lines of football pitches where young people were playing.

Members of the Board questioned Emily on details of the initiative and expressed both concern and support for it.

A Member expressed support for the initiative and commented on the

difficulties with direct confrontation of smokers in inappropriate places. Also expressed was the hope for more mandatory anti-smoking initiatives, and an assurance parish councillors would help identify locations.

Emily responded to questions about the signage designs  and costings by describing the involvement of schools and youth clubs, who would help to design an appropriate sign, and reiterating that Public Health would be funding the signage She also stated that a behavioural specialist would be involved to ensure the usefulness of the sign, and that the local stop smoking service would be advertised on the signs.

Further details were requested by a Member on the cost of both the pilot and the entire project, and if funds could be used better elsewhere. Emily said that she did not have the exact figure but would find out and send to the Board.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The Community Board Coordinator presented this item in the absence of Simon James.

Andy  highlighted important aspects of the update, such as Support for Ukraine, with a particular focus on Ukrainian refugees and their arrival in Buckinghamshire. Prior to the Board meeting, Andy had met with the Sponsor Liaison, and 14 families had been matched with Beeches families, with  two having arrived, six due to arrive in the next two weeks, with a total of 45-50 guests expected in Buckinghamshire. Locally,  three children had started school in Farnham Common, and were settling in well, with lots of praise for the school community being received and passed on by the Board Coordinator.

Andy presented various other updates, such as information on the Jubilee and bin collection changes. Further details of these updates were available to view on the agenda reports pack of the meeting.

Link to full Service Director Update

Two comments were received on the update.  One addressed the large fee for planting a tree on Bells Hill with Stoke Poges Parish Council, which seemed at odds with the waiving of street closure fees; the other was regarding the new bin collection contract and emphasised the importance of weeding and clearing rubbish around the pavements and road. The Board Coordinator stated that he would follow up both comments after the meeting.

The Chairman, Cllr David Anthony, described the initial autonomy that the Boards had enjoyed, in particular regarding working groups and priorities.For a period this had been replaced with certain specific action groups, but now autonomy on these matters had been restored to the Boards. The Chairman stated that there had been a reduction in the budget of the Board, and that a contribution was now expected from those who apply to the Board for funding, and that no more than £15,000 could be allocated to a single grant.

The Chairman stated that the main purpose of the Board was to be an interface between people and the Council, and, as well as allocating funding, the Board can make representations to Council departments, service directors and cabinet members based on the needs of the community.

The Chairman requested comments and feedback on future meetings of the Board, including whether they should be held in person.

One Member asked if there were new formal documents which would act as terms of reference or schemes of delegation for Community Boards. In response to this, the Chairman stated it was an emerging system, and that, at a full council meeting, terms of reference for Community Boards were proposed to be added to the constitution.

In response to both the Chairman’s request and the update, a Member stated that they encouraged face to face meetings, as it allowed greater participation from members of the public. In addition, the Member welcomed the relaxation of the rigid working groups and said that the Board’s lower budget meant that the Board could now focus more on community initiatives that would improve quality of life in the Beeches area.

A number of Members voiced support for keeping the current format of virtual meetings, including:

the ease of attendance in comparison to in person meetings,

 saving attendees time and money due to no need to drive to remote locations,ensuring member attendance and a reduction in the environmental impact

with less driving.

A suggestion was made that one widely publicised annual meeting be held for the Board in person, which would communicate the benefits, delivered projects and achievements of the Board, whilst the rest would be held virtually.

This suggestion was taken by the Chairman and was agreed by the Board to be their format going forward.

Proposed Reorganisation and Priorities

The Chairman proposed a reorganisation of the action groups, and invited the Chairmen of the Action Groupsto give updates on their respective groups.

Infrastructure and HighwaysAction Group

Councillor Ralph Bagge, began by commenting on the slow speed of the production of Project Initiation Documents. He followed this by describing the progress of the project to install lights and road markings on the A355, with the lights having already been installed.

Councillor Bagge then proceeded to inform the Board that there was design work in progress for the projects listed below:

·         A footwayextension atBlackpondLane, FarnhamCommon.

·         Drop kerbs atTemplewoodLane, FarnhamCommon.

·         Waiting restrictions atRogers Lane,Stoke Poges.

The Action Group Chairman then stated that the dropped kerbs for Lincoln Hatch Lane, Burnham Common, had been handed to construction.

He described the agenda of the next action group meeting on the 11 May,with applications from Dorney, Taplow and Burnham Parish Councils beingdiscussed, as well as all of the PIDS. These PIDs included:

·         A Road Safety Project at the junction of Taplow Common Roadand Cliveden Road.

·         Two  speedlimit changes onsections ofthe  A355

·         Pedestriancyclist safetywork atRogers Lane,Stoke Poges.

·         A requestfor redroad surfacingand lights outside Lent Rise School

·         HollybushHill, StokePoges, for aspeeding problem.

Improving theEnvironment Actiongroup

Councillor DevDhillon updated theBoard. He informed the Board that Wycombe Environment Centre had been awarded funding to support a Refresh Hub which was now open.,.In addition to this, Councillor Dhillon told the Board that the group has been exploring the idea of ballot boxed shaped litter bins, as well as coordinating with local schools and rotary clubs to help inform on how to improve the environment.

The Action Group Chairman continued by telling the Board that there was a proposal for water fountainsin Burnham, as well as a Bee Project. Farnham Parish Council was eager to get involved with the water fountain scheme, and will soon submit an application.

He encouraged attendance at upcoming meetings,in order to help share and develop more ideas.  Cllr Dhillon proposed the use of various methods to reduce environmental impact, with an emphasis on little things and common sense. This included the potential joint purchase of solar panels between Boards, and he also described the possibility offunding from central government due to the current energy prices.

Economic Development ActionGroup

The Chairman of the Economic Development Action Group, Cllr George Sandy, informed the Board that the group had found there was very little to be done in this area. Due to this, he stated that with the assent of the Chairman and officers the funds would instead be redirected to children and older people’s services.

Wellbeing Action Group

Cllr Trevor Egletongavean update to the Board on the work of the group. An application by Farnham Royal Parish Council, in support of a storage shed for local Girl  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Andy Chapman presented a brief update, with a full summary having been circulated prior to the meeting.

£141,229 had been allocated by the Board to local projects last year, though many of these were only started recently.. Project updates would be circulated to the Board as they progressed.

It was stated that the Beeches Community Board budget for 2022/23 is £100,388, and that, other than in exceptional circumstances, a maximum amount of £15,000 could be allocated per project, with an expectation of contributory funding towards projects costing more than £1000 .

Almost The Donkey Derby

The Board Coordinator notified the Board

of the upcoming Almost The Donkey Derby event on  28 May in Burnham, put on by the Burnham Beeches Rotary Club. The Board will have a stall at the event, and it would be an opportunity for the Board to meet residents and inform them of the achievements and work of the Board. He invited all who wished to help to attend on the 28 May.

Public questions, Consultations and Petitions.

It was noted that there was only one consultation relevant to the local area at the time of the meeting, and that any specific consultations will be circulated to Members by email. Consultations are available to view at https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/

In addition, Councillor Dhillon gave a brief update on the progress of yellow lines around the Burnham Beeches area, which had been frustrated by funding issues, but was now being looked into by cabinet member Steve Broadbent. Councillor Dhillon stated that any further updates would be presented to the Board.

It was noted that following the action group reorganization and with the assent of the Action Group Chairmen, priorities would be reviewed and updated at the next meeting of the Action Groups.

The Chairman gave his thanks to everyone for their attendance and contributions.

Tuesday 26 July 2022 6pm

Venue- TBC

Tuesday 26 July 2022