Agenda and minutes

The chairman welcomed attendees to the meeting.

Present:

Vanessa Martin (GMPC)

Mike Johnstone (GMPC)

Barbara Rowett

Robert Gibson

Peter Healy

Stuart Grosse (Bucks Fire Service)

Mike Etkind

Colin Veysey

Wendy Gray

Dave Rollins

Kyle Banks

Pei-Ling Harper

Officers:

Lindsey Vallis

Liz Charleston

Katharine Farooqi

Nicola Surman

Amy Jenner

Apologies were received from Cllr Heather Wallace, Jill Stiel, John Cadman, Anne Hewett, Stephen Burke, Carole Eaden, Marcia Lloyd-Webb and Mark Olsen. 

There were no declarations of interest.

To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 19 October 2022.

An update on Little Kingshill Baptist Church was provided after an informative presentation from Minister Martin Hatfield at the last Board meeting. The church has been put in touch with Krissie Hutton at Buckinghamshire Council to ensure youth activities are considered in the new build. There was also the opportunity to work with Volunteer it Yourself, a charity who work with young people on building projects to give them experience and training of building trades.

The minutes of the meeting held 19^th October 2022 were agreed as an accurate record.

The Chairman welcomed Lindsay Vallis, Interim Service Director for Integrated Transport as the new Council Senior Officer Guided Mentor for Missendens Community Board.

An update on Council business was provided, the information is appended to these minutes. The following points were highlighted:

• The local heritage list received over 2650 nominations with 750 sites reviewed in phase one of the project. The remaining sites would be looked at in phase two. Further information is available at https://local-heritage-list.org.uk/buckinghamshire
• Members of the Board queried community transport schemes and taxi arrangements for SEN residents beyond school age. Members were welcomed to email Lindsay or the transport team for further investigation. It was highlighted Lindsay would provide usage details for the no. 41 bus service from Prestwood as there were concerns the service had been reduced.
• The proposed locations for electric vehicle would be discussed by Town and Parish Councils by 28^th January.
• In relation to the Local Plan over 700 sites were submitted for consideration. The team were currently evaluating these for suitability and an interactive map would be published.
• The Council were in the process of setting the budget, a one-year revenue budget and four-year capital programme. The budget would be subject to scrutiny committee and will be discussed at the full Council meeting on 22^nd February 2023.
• The Visitor and Tourism Economy survey was live and would be running until 17 February 2023. Buckinghamshire residents, business owners and other tourism stakeholders can complete the survey. Responses from the survey would help inform the tourism strategy plan. Further information is available at The Visitor Economy in Buckinghamshire - Your Voice Bucks - Citizen Space

There was a discussion regarding the Council’s estates strategy and the reduction of office space in Amersham. It was highlighted staffing levels had been monitored and services had been harmonised through service reviews.

To be presented by Liz Charleston, Buckinghamshire Council.

Liz Charleston, Community Board Manager provided an update on funding.

It was highlighted Community Board grants had supported the following projects: Great Missenden Parish Council speed survey, Misbourne School youth area, Little Kingshill Baptist Church outdoor furniture, Little Missenden Parish Council bench installation, Kings Church Amersham Christmas hampers and Holmer Green Village Society speed watch signs.

Community grants in the pipeline included an upgrade the Colts pavilion and installation of a kitchen, installation of bike racks in Holmer Green, Holmer Green Sports Club artificial pitch and bat conservation.

It was highlighted projects currently being discussed would need to submit funding applications as a matter of urgency to secure funding before the end of the financial year.

Discussions were underway to install a community fridge in Prestwood and to create a space for young people at the library. The leads on these projects were encouraged to submit funding applications as soon as possible.

A member of the Board queried if the speed survey conducted in Prestwood on Wycombe Road from Lodge Lane to Hildreths Garden Centre covered enough of the road and if the aim of the survey was to lobby for a reduced speed limit from 40mph to 30mph. It was advised the Parish Clerk would be contacted to check if the results of the survey had been received and due to the positioning of the speed camera the survey could not cover the whole of Wycombe Road.

There was a discussion regarding HS2 and the Save Leather Lane project which was linked to bat conservation. The Chairman confirmed discussions were ongoing with senior officers at Buckinghamshire Council and EKFB regarding Leather Lane. Great Missenden Parish Council supported the submission of conservation research to be analysed by EKFB and Buckinghamshire Council’s ecology team.

Presented by Pei-Ling Harper

Pei-Ling Harper, Bucks and Surrey Trading Standards gave a presentation on scams appended to these minutes. The presentation was current at the time of the meeting, members were requested to contact Pei for further information at peiling.harper@surreycc.gov.uk

The following points were highlighted:

• Presentations and talks with community groups were essential to raise awareness of scams. There was a social prescribers talk for patients at the local surgery.
• It was essential to safeguard vulnerable residents particularly as people who were scammed once were twice as likely to be scammed again.
• The team were able to visit scam victims in their homes and support Trading Standards investigation teams to secure prosecutions against scammers. Trading Standards works in partnership with the NHS, Local Housing Authorities and Thames Valley Police.
• The different types of scams were highlighted. Postal scams included letters advising residents they had won a lottery, fake catalogues and offering physic services. Phone scams via either landlines or mobiles were also very prevalent. Doorstep scams included visits from Nottingham Knockers selling fake items and rouge traders. Online scams targeted residents through emails and fake websites.
• The current scams targeting residents included: a free kettle from Currys, Paypal email reporting suspicious activity on your account, prepayment meter scam, Council tax rebate scam, advance fee scam from loan sharks, romance scams and a discount on your phone bill to help with the cost of living.

The steps to safeguard residents to prevent fraud were listed. The call blocking service Truecall was useful to prevent nuisance calls. Doorbell cameras were installed for victims of doorbell scams. Free sticker packs raised awareness of scams and support was available for victims of illegal money lending.

Stuart Grosse, Bucks Fire and Rescue Service gave a presentation on Buckinghamshire fire service.

The following points were highlighted:

• The Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority is made up of 5 Milton Keynes City Councillors and12 Buckinghamshire Council Councillors. The Chair of the Fire Authority is Simon Rousse.
• The organisation has 300 full time staff, 96 part time staff and 126 support staff.
• There were 9 full time fire stations, 7 of which have on call units. The urban search and rescue modules would be closing next year due to funding cuts. The Authority was funded largely by council tax payments, with staffing the biggest cost.
• Community safety initiatives to promote safer homes included home visits to ensure smoke detectors were installed, safeguarding neighbourhoods, promoting safer roads and environments, investigating fly tipping and water safety.
• The Missendens area falls under the Amersham service delivery area. Missendens has an on call fire station. The Amersham service area community priorities included reduction in accidental dwelling fires, reduction in secondary fires, deliberate fires and community engagement. There had been seven secondary fires in Missendens and six fires in Prestwood and Kingshill.
• The record temperatures in summer 2022 presented many challenges for the fire and rescue team. July and August resulted in the first ever Met office red warning for heat particularly 18^th/19^th July. A major incident was declared by Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue on 19^th July with two major fires in the north and south of the county.
• The volume of calls taken by Thames Valley Fire Control Service on 19^th July were 439% higher than previous years. The authority was looking to purchase 4x4 vehicles and to provide greater extreme temperature training for staff to prepare for rising temperatures in future summer.
• New challenges for the team included HS2 the construction of the second longest tunnel in the UK, climate change ad rising temperatures and development in Buckinghamshire.

The Chairman highlighted the HS2 tunnel fire in the south portal in Hertfordshire. It was confirmed the fire safety system activated correctly and staff had a safety cell to shelter in. The Hertfordshire Fire crew tackled the fire without need for assistance. The review and project team were liaising to discuss lessons learnt from the fire. It was advised HS2 does not currently provide extra funding to the fire service.

A member queried how an on call fire station differed to a full time station. The on call station was crewed by part time firefighters who lived or worked locally to the fire station. They were alerted by the app or phone to respond to the station. There was a need for more part time fire fighters in the Missendens area. Members highlighted they would promote the role via various community channels to encourage more volunteers. 

·         Great Missenden Village Centre

·         Walled Garden

Cllr Mike Johnstone from Great Missenden Parish Council provided an update on the intra-parish Great Missenden improvement works. The following points were highlighted:

• There were three phases to the project with work completed at both ends of the High Street including Abbeyfield corner, the library corner, the cage and fire station. The improvement works included installing benches, cycle stands and planting bulbs to make better use of the area.
• Work had been carried out by the library and Abbeyfields without the need for traffic lights. Special thanks was passed on to the church and fire station for providing use of their car park for deliveries.
• The next phase of the project was weather dependent however; it was anticipated the work would be completed by early February 2023. It was highlighted an opening ceremony to celebrate the improvement works could be scheduled for spring.

Kyle Banks provided an update on Missenden Walled Garden. The following points were highlighted:

• The Walled Garden received an initial grant in August 2021 for the ‘Train the Trainer’ scheme which was completed in August 2022. The main grant was to provide a sustainable training and learning environment alongside horticultural training. This formal training supported adults with learning disabilities. 
• In the last year the Walled Garden doubled the number of people they support. Training sessions were run in Aylesbury including work with the Bucks Bee Keeper Association. 
• The Walled Garden was based at Missenden Abbey and worked closely with Buckinghamshire New University Head of Sustainability based at the High Wycombe Campus. Working with Abbeyfield House in Great Missenden had led to other opportunities to work with Abbeyfield House in Amersham. The team worked with people with milder learning difficulties to mentor and develop their skills. Whilst assisting members to attain qualifications internships were also available through the Rothschild Foundation.
• Work was underway with Council officers to support adults with higher needs. The grant helped to provide specialist communication training with a focus on Makaton training around communication delivery.
• The public health team at the Council were supporting with the Grow It Cook It Eat It initiative. The Walled Garden already provided produce for Missenden Abbey with any surplus produce used to train members on cooking and food hygiene.
• The Walled Garden received a good to excellent rating at the three-year Council inspection. In 2023 investment would be used for a new cabin to help with the 45 people supported. There would be an initiative to increase biodiversity and involve Prestwood nature.

A member of the Board highlighted they could assist with applications to HS2 for community funding.

·         Consultations: to review open consultations, go to Your Voice Bucks website: www.yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com

·         Questions from members of the public to be submitted in advance of the meeting to missendenscb@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Liz Charleston, Community Board Manager highlighted the Tourism and Visitor Economy survey was live and would close on 17^th February

Have your say – what would you like to see from tourism in Buckinghamshire? | Buckinghamshire Council

The Transport Strategy and Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan consultation closed in December and an update would be provided once received.

A Member of the Board enquired about the results of the Community Safety survey. It was advised the Board would share the results once they were released. 

Thursday 20^th April 2023 (event).

Thursday 20th April 2023 3pm-6pm (event)

The next meeting is a community event to be held at Prestwood Community Centre. The event would host the Proud of Bucks Awards with nominations open until 12^th February Proud of Bucks Awards | Buckinghamshire Council