Agenda and minutes

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

Councillor David Anthony, Chairman of the Beeches Community Board, welcomed members and guests to the meeting.

The Chairman thanked Councillor Dev Dhillon for his service as Vice-Chairman of the Community Board and welcomed Councillor Nick Naylor as the new Vice-Chairman.

To agree the Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 26 April 2022 as an accurate record.

The minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 26 April 2022 were agreed as an accurate record.

Matters arising:

Andy Chapman, Beeches Community Board Manager, informed participants that the tree planting guidance would be made available in the minutes here. The document would include information regarding the process and fees.

It was noted that the Waste Team had been informed of the additional need for waste to be picked up around litter picking collections.

None.

Harriet Baldwin, Homes for Ukraine: Sponsor Liaison Lead Area Officer

Harriet Baldwin, Sponsor Liaison Area Lead Officer, was present to give an update on the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme. The presentation slides referred to in this meeting would be appended to these minutes, with some key points below:

·       As of the 22 July 2022, the Beeches area had 26 sponsors and a total of 54 beneficiaries, 42 of which had already arrived.

·       10 Sponsor Liaison Officers were active within the Beeches Area, providing support to the hosts and beneficiaries on top of their usual full-time roles.

·       Challenges included travel around Buckinghamshire and housing options after the initial 6 months. It was explained that the Council was looking at developing support for rented housing and had a “bank” of sponsors for rematching.

Cathy Lemon (Host for Homes for Ukraine Scheme) and Romanna Venher (Ukrainian guest) were invited to share their experiences.

Simon James, Director of Education

Andy Chapman, Beeches Community Board Manager, presented the item. This included information on:

·       The Helping Hand and Holiday Activity Fund, to support families and individuals with low income. For more information, please contact Andy Chapman on: andy.chapman@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

·       Missed bin collections. It was explained that the Chair of Burnham Parish Council was still in correspondence with relevant parties on behalf of all affected residents. An issue was raised with incidents being reported as resolved when not in actuality, however it was noted that these were being addressed when escalated.

·       Bucks Online Directory to publicise local services, activities, and support groups. It was agreed that Joanne Fowler, Active Communities Officer, would be invited to attend either the following Community Board or Wellbeing Group meeting to discuss how members could encourage local groups to register.

·       Emails would be sent to residents regarding the annual canvas and entitlement to vote. Residents should look out for emails from elections@canvas.buckinghamshire.gov.uk with the subject “electoral registration response required”.

Councillor George Sandy reported an incident in Taplow whereby an unsuitable for large vehicles sign had been removed.

- Highways & Infrastructure: Notes 8 June 2022

- Wellbeing: Notes 25 May 2022

- Improving Our Environment: Notes 4 May 2022

a)      Infrastructure & Highways

Councillor Ralph Bagge updated the Community Board on the Infrastructure and Highways action group. He thanked Councillor George Sandy for chairing the previous meeting on Wednesday 8 June 2022. Members were informed of the following points:

·       Costings provided by Transport for Bucks (TfB) for schemes and recommendations proposed for next year. This included Mobile Vehicle Activated Signs (MVAS) for Dorney Parish Council and Taplow Parish Council, which has been recommended for funding and had been circulated to board members for decision.

·       Transport for Bucks (TfB) had reported an increase in material costs and that it could not deliver some projects against its initial costing forecast. TfB had been in discussion with the board regarding covering additional expenditure so the projects can proceed.

·       Changes to the scheme for highways projects next year. The contract with TfB was ending and a new framework would be in place from April 2023. As such, TfB would not be progressing pending schemes, as these would be delivered under a new contractor. New projects would not be started until the new contract is in place, however it was confirmed that the board was still able to approve projects but costings may be reviewed next year.

In the discussion that followed, the below points were raised:

·       Councillor George Sandy recalled an initiative in the early 90s to collect funds from residents of Taplow village for traffic calming schemes. It was decided that 2 of the 3 speed bumps would not be installed and so residents were eligible for a partial refund. It was suggested that the remaining funds not issued in refunds could be used towards MVAS in Taplow.

·       Members requested an update on the status of projects and an indication of projects that had gone over the initial costings. Councillor Dev Dhillon emphasised the importance of completing schemes within a timely manner to avoid cost increases.

·       Members were informed of the implementation of a RAG (Red-Amber-Green) rating for projects, with green being projects TfB were confident in completing in 2022. Projects categorised as green included the dropped curbs in Lincoln Hatched Lane, Burnham and Templewood Lane, Farnham Common. Both projects mentioned had increased costs, which were with Parish Councils for consideration. Amber projects included the Blackpond Lane, Farnham Common footway extension, due to additional costs of £31,000. Red projects included Rogers Lane, Stoke Poges waiting restrictions, indicating that TfB may not be able to deliver the project before April 2023 due to issues with traffic regulation orders.

·       Concern was raised over the breakdown of costs. It was confirmed that the current supplier was endorsed by Buckinghamshire Council and had been checked to be competitive.

·       Jill Dax, Chair of Dorney Parish Council, enquired into the installation of 2 posts. It was agreed that a breakdown of costs for the initial quote would be looked into and to explore an alternative supplier for installation.

·       The possibility of a funding roll-over due to projects put on hold.

·       Richard Western-Kaye, Snowball Farm, raised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Andy Chapman, Community Board Manager, presented the funding update. It was noted that there was £94,787.01 remaining in the budget, however there were 2 MVAS applications in the pipeline awaiting approval from members. It was explained that the board could continue to approve projects, which would then be granted to the new contractor.

The Board were informed that Stoke Poges Parish Council had reviewed the Hollybush Hill scheme. It was decided that the cost was disproportionate to the benefit and the application had been withdrawn.

Buckinghamshire Community Boards launched a small grants scheme to provide funding of up to £1000, suitable for community and voluntary groups. Timescales had been advertised as a 3-day turnaround, to ensure that small amounts of funding could reach communities quicker. Further information is available on the Council website. This would be appropriate for a range of projects including but not limited to: equipment, training, project costs, community events, and activities.

Public questions, consultations, and petitions

Members were reminded that live consultations can be viewed on the Your Voice Bucks website. The Local Plan for Bucks consultation, looking at housing and economic development matters, would be open until 11 September. The Bucks Design Awards, allowing individuals to nominate their favourite new build or open space, would be open until 18 September. Feedback was given on a variety of previous community board funded projects including:

·       Virtual Dementia Tour bus to understand what it’s like to live with dementia, which received positive feedback. Andy Chapman thanked Sue Strange from Bluebell Memories for her support.

·       Active in the Community project to upgrade the floodlights and equipment at Burnham Grammar School for community use in the evening, weekend and holidays. Bookings for January to March 2023 were up by 35% from last year.

·       GLL organised dementia-friendly seated exercise classes in Stoke Poges. Attendance numbers had been steadily increasing.

·       Refresh project opened beginning of June 2022 to open a recycling and reuse site in the Chilterns shopping centre, High Wycombe. They had employed a part time worker to help boost their service and were looking to move to a bigger premises. It was noted that the membership scheme was in the process of being implemented, which would give more accurate feedback on the benefits to Beeches residents.

·       Councillor Paul Kelly requested an update on the Bucks Mind project.

Councillor David Anthony, Chairman, gave an update on the Neighbourhood Policing Forum. Communities were asked to submit priorities, identifying speeding and fly tipping as high priority. Home domestic burglaries were identified as a reduced priority to previous years.

Members reported traffic disruption issues in Farnham and Burnham was reported, with lorries not using approved routes from HS2 and Burnham Golf site.

It was noted that a new Communications plan would be developed for Community Boards in the summer. Councillor David Anthony would liaise with the Chairmen of the action groups to finalise this.

Tuesday 15 November 2022 at 6pm on Microsoft Teams

Tuesday 15 November 2022 at 6pm