Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed members and guests to the Haddenham and Waddesdon Community Board.

Apologies were received from Buckinghamshire Councillors A Macpherson, S Lewin, and F Mahon. Apologies were also received from Nick Morgan (Aston Sandford Parish Council Clerk) and Barbara Colbert (Ickford Parish Council).

To agree the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 9 February 2022 as an accurate record.

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 9 February 2022 be approved as a correct record.

Councillor Ashley Waite declared a personal interest in item 6, Spotlight on local charities, as consultant of the Bernwode Community Bus.

Councillor Paul Irwin declared a personal interest in item 6, Spotlight on local charities, as Chairman of the Bernwode Community Bus.

To be presented by Joanne Cook, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, Community Safety and Safeguarding Manager.

Joanne Cook, Community Safety and Safeguarding Manager for Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, was in attendance to present the item. J Cook’s presentation is appended to the minutes. In addition to going through the slides, the following points were raised:

• The three primary areas of work:
  • Response – The summer of 2022 had seen extreme weather and wildfires.
  • Protection – Regarding fire safety in commercial buildings and common parts of others e.g. stairwells, landings, balconies, doors. The area also covers fire safety complaint and consult on licensing applications.
  • Prevention – To engage with the community to reduce fire risk and provide fire safety advice to those in single private dwellings. It was noted that during July and August 2022, 90-91% of activity was with those defined as the most vulnerable in the community.
• The Prevention Strategy for 2022 to 2025, which would be available on the Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service website once approved.
• The cost-of-living package available nationally from 5^th October to provide specific fire safety advice for the colder months.
• Home fire safety visits. It was explained that family members and neighbours can refer people who they think would benefit from a visit (with their consent). Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service also introduced a carer package to train them to identify risk free of charge. J Cook appealed to agencies who are interested in learning more about identifying potential risks and becoming a referral partner to get in touch.
• The online home fire safety check with a translation feature including Ukrainian and Russian.
• Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service was involved in the Operational Violence Reduction Unit, Strategic Violence Reduction Unit, and preventing violence against women and girls. A national early intervention framework had been launched to assist in the development of diversionary programmes to prevent violence and fire being used as a weapon.

The Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service had entered a primary authority partnership with 2 major housing associations in the area. They had previously trained all housing officers in one housing association to recognise risk of fire. This was presented as a workshop and is open to other housing providers willing to engage with the Fire and Rescue Service.

Ukrainian support group update:

·       Brill – Emi Slater and Jennifer Tuffley

·       Long Crendon – Morgan Holt

·       Waddesdon Hall - Agnieszka Alborzpour

Bernwood Bus Charity

Brill Parish Councillors Jennifer Tuffley and Emi Slater were in attendance to present an overview of the “Brill with Ukraine” group. It was explained that they meet every fortnight as a way to share information and resolve issues. Some of their activities included organising volunteers to help support guests, matching potential hosts with guests from Ukraine, and organising emergency accommodation with individuals who were willing to host for a few weeks. It was noted that Ross Tackley, Community Board Manager for Chesham & Villages and Representative for Community Boards for the Ukraine Team, had been attending meetings to help answer questions. It was identified that they were looking for a car to support travel for a Ukrainian guest and had reached out to local garages.

The following key points were raised in discussion:

• Ukrainian guests were arriving on a six-month visa and could apply to stay for up to three years. In this time, they were entitled to UK benefits and are able to work.
• A willingness to seek employment, as it was noted that guests were prioritising finding work in order to send money back to Ukraine. Individuals had been able to organise work with the local pub, cover for an office job, and volunteering through NHS links.
• A focus has been on learning English, as some saw their stay as temporary and weren’t looking to settle in the long-term.
• There had been an increase in attendance in families from surrounding villages such as Chearsley.
• Housing after the initial six months had been a concern.

Morgan Holt was present to speak about the “Long Crendon for Ukraine” support group. The following key points were highlighted:

• The group identified the primary needs for Guests including clothes, household items, toys, clubs, hospitality and events, professional counselling, assistance with paperwork and admin, language support, and transport. The needs of the Hosts were identified as pastoral and community support.
• The group organised six sub-groups to target specific need areas, each with a corresponding coordinator and team of volunteers.
• It was recognised that support areas had different lifespans, with activities sourcing clothing, transport and help with documentation winding down. It was noted that language support had been expanding at both beginner and intermediate level.
• The group recognised the challenges faced by Guests and Hosts when coming to the end of the 6-month hosting period. It was noted that Tess Honeybell, Rothschild Foundation, was providing helpful support with this and helping Guests find alternative accommodation.
• In reference to a previous question on employment opportunities for Guests, M Holt explained that there was a job agency located in Long Crendon that specialised in work for Eastern European workers, who had been useful in identifying suitable employment.

In the discussion that followed, the disparity between the treatment of Ukrainian refugees and other refugee groups was raised. It was explained that the Ukrainian response was driven by central government, as the Homes for Ukraine Scheme gave financial support to Hosts and supported Guests through 3-year visas. E Slater  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To be presented by Elaine Hassall, Community Board Manager.

Elaine Hassall, Community Board Manager, presented this item and the corresponding presentation referred to in this meeting is appended to the minutes. The following points were highlighted:

• The purpose of the community board was stated as identifying and agreeing on priorities, helping fund local projects, bringing people together through action groups and forums, and identifying partners who can help achieve aims.
• It was explained that individuals can get involved by showing support for applications through the funding emails, join an action group or forum, receive the bi-monthly newsletter, raise a project idea, or attend a community event.
• The voting matrix included in funding emails depicting value for money, lasting impact, sustainability, whether it applies to a community board priority, and involvement. It was explained that its purpose is to inform recipients what is a suitable project to support using a points scale, with 25 points as a maximum.
• E Hassall appealed to organisations interested in supporting workshops to assist with cycling and bikes in the local community to get in touch.
• The Health and Wellbeing event scheduled on Tuesday 25^th October at the Haddenham Village Hall. Local venues were encouraged to contact E Hassall if they were interested in hosting a community event.
• Transport for Bucks projects including Kingswood and Wotton Underwood traffic calming schemes that were both on target to be completed in 2022.
• HS2 Road Safety Fund projects had been taken forward to the next stage and would be subject to a viability assessment.

Buckinghamshire Council update provided by Lloyd Jeffries Service Director Resources, Business Operations.

Discussion on how the Community Board could help address the cost of living for those struggling led by Councillor Ashley Waite, Chair.

Lloyd Jeffries, Service Director for Resources and Business Operations, was present to give a Buckinghamshire Council update. The briefing referred to in the meeting is appended to the minutes. The following points were raised:

• Buckinghamshire Council successfully applied for powers to enforce moving traffic offences such as driving through a no entry sign. This will utilise automatic number plate recognition technology at 14 locations across Buckinghamshire.
• Highways contract update in April 2023 and the impact on Community Board projects. 58 projects had been agreed across all Community Boards. 22 of these were rated green, indicating that they were scheduled to be completed by March 2023. 10 projects were rated amber, meaning that they were due to be delivered to a gateway stage, ready to for the new contractor to take forward. 26 projects were rated red and may not be started due to their complexity or timescales. L Jeffries stated that both amber and red projects would continue to be reviewed to determine whether they could be delivered prior to the new contractor starting date in April 2023. It was explained that Community Boards would not accept additional applications for highways schemes in 2022-23.
• Community Board Chairman were invited to the Highways Stakeholder Conference on 13 October 2022.

Community Boards would be consulted for the development of new protocol and process for highways schemes during the transition to the new contractor. These would include a community-based design and delivery model for small highways schemes to provide greater clarification on which schemes would be appropriate for Community Boards. A menu of options would be developed with indicative prices and implementation timescales to better inform Community Board decision-making.

To be presented by Elaine Hassall, Community Board Manager.

Councillor A Waite, Chairman, raised concern over the rising cost of living and asked attendees to inform E Hassall of any projects the Community Board can support during the winter months.

Debbie Garwood, Community Engagement Officer, was present to discuss how the Community Board could engage with the adult learning service. It was explained that short courses had been developed at the Healthy Living Centre in Aylesbury and they were looking into extending the offer to cover the Haddenham and Waddesdon Community Board area. Courses included healthy eating, cooking on a budget, and budgeting workshops. These could be delivered online dependent on resident’s need. D Garwood stated that they had looked into the Berryfields Roman Hall as a possible venue and asked for attendees to get in touch with any ideas.

Councillor P Irwin, Vice-Chairman, gave an update on the freight strategy. Attendees were informed that the strategy would go to informal public consultation in early 2023. This would impose 7 ½ tonne limits in villages such as Chearsley, Dinton, and Cuddington. It was noted that this was the first stage and a second stage would be developed to cover more villages in the area.

Thursday 10th November at 6.30 pm.

Thursday 9 February 2023