Agenda item

Reports for each group are included in the agenda pack.

Priorities 2023/2024:  To confirm priorities agreed by the Community Board for this year:

·       Community Resilience

·       Economic Regeneration and Development

·       Environment and Climate Change

·       Transport and Road Issues

To be presented by Councillor Matthew Walsh.

To provide an update on the key activities of the action groups.

To be presented by the Chairman of each action group.

MW informed the NWC CB of the Priorities agreed for 2023/24 as follows:

• Community Resilience
• Economic Regeneration & Development
• Environment & Climate Change

·       Transport & Road Issues

The leads of each Action Group presented their report.

Community Resilience: see the briefing report in the agenda pack. Valerie McPherson [VMc] (lead) confirmed that meetings were held every two months (approximately) and the next one would be on 9^th August 2023. The group consisted of Buckinghamshire Councillors, Parish Councillors and residents and that it was a good mix.

VMc gave an overview of the projects that the Action Group were working on (as detailed in the briefing report). In particular, VMc mentioned that a funding application had been sent from Hughenden Manor (National Trust) to the Community Board on a walking project for young and older people, especially with those suffering with loneliness and vulnerability.

VMc said that the Community Garden was progressing well and that a meeting had been held with the Horses Trust in Speen to discuss a proposal in terms of young and older people with disabilities that required therapy with horses. The Trust were interested in the project but said we needed to find a facilitator because they only managed the horses.  This was proving to be difficult but the group were pursuing.

VMc highlighted the success of the Party in the Park event which was the idea of Councillor Shade Adoh’s. VMc confirmed that there were a number of food stalls, arts and crafts, a fair, tractors, and entertainment, especially with a singing group of disabled young men and women, and she thanked the team (Shade Adoh, Jackie Binning and Josephine Biss) for all their hard work. MW also thanked VMc and said the Crew Café had their busiest day ever.

Economic Regeneration & Development: see the briefing report in the agenda pack. MW (lead) confirmed that the action group were now working on their second networking event on the back of the one held last year at Orchard View Farm. The Bucks Film office, business groups and voluntary organisations attended the event last year and it went very well.  MW said he wanted to build on this so plans would be formalised over the summer and all would be invited.  Ideas on how to promote and engage this event would be greatly received.

Environment & Climate Change: see the briefing report in the agenda pack. RC (lead) advised that the next meeting was on 7^th August where we would be reviewing Jaaganroop Marshall’s excellent spreadsheet which listed a number of aims/objectives. To meet these the group hoped to find some interesting projects and volunteers. The group were also looking at e-bikes (Buckinghamshire Council initiative) for towns (not rural areas) and if anyone had any interest please contact the group.  Tree planting was another initiative and RC advised that Jackie Binning (JB) had been contacting the Board about this for two years and that this would continue.

Sharon Henson stated that West Wycombe Estate were considering e-bikes.

Steven Broadbent (SB) reported there were e-bike trials consisting of 25 bikes (12 in High Wycombe and 13 in Aylesbury). These were being well used and the trial would run to March 2024. You could hire via an App (like the e-scooter) and data was being collected to monitor use.  There currently appeared to be an age demographic difference where young people liked the e-scooter and older people preferred the e-bike. They had the same limitations as the e-scooter with speed and GEO locations.

JS mentioned the tree planting in Princes Risborough, in particular along Crowbrook Road, which he thought looked brilliant and said that in future years the area would be transformed.

Transport and Road Issues: see the briefing report in the agenda pack. JS (lead) stated that the group was made up of local people who were passionate about seeking improvements and changes to local transport and roads. The group consisted of Buckinghamshire Councillors (Carl Etholen and Ron Gaffney), Parish Councillors, residents and the current Chairman of the Chiltern Conservation Board, Colin Courtney.

The group had modified their 2023/24 priorities to make them clearer on the what the group would like to achieve. The objectives were centred around improving road safety, parking and maintenance and encouraging  sustainable transport which in itself would result a net benefit to transport emissions, air pollution and climate change. The group had added a fourth priority to quantify the outcomes of what we were achieving with Buckinghamshire Council. There had been a number of non-responses from Buckinghamshire Council which the group hoped would not continue with the implementation of the new highways contract.

The group had also responded to the public consultation on Local Transport Plan 5 (LTP5) and the England Economic Heartlands (EEH) North-South Transport Connectivity Study which would have an impact and benefit Buckinghamshire and potentially the NWC.  In addition, the group had maintained a focus  on the A4010 which ran through the North West Chilterns, to obtain proper recognition and policies for the A4010 in Buckinghamshire Council’s LTP5 and EEH in terms of its regional approach to transport.

The group had been successful in working with the Council’s Pollution team and were now running an air quality monitoring pilot outside Stokenchurch Primary School.  A commitment had also been given by the Pollution team to implement air quality monitoring devices at various locations in Princes Risborough (locations to be determined after discussions with Buckinghamshire Council Members) to monitor air quality before, during and after work on the relief road and the new housing development in the town.

The group met monthly and the next meeting was on 16^th August. JS confirmed that on the agenda, the Head of Public Transport would be attending to discuss local bus provision and that the group would be priming him on questions. There would also be an item on car and lift sharing, as one of the action group members was very knowledgeable and the group would like to see if this was something that could be run more widely with Buckinghamshire Council support.  Highways maintenance was another item on the agenda and said that this had improved, particularly with the repair of potholes, but the group would like to have a conversation around this matter with Buckinghamshire Council officers and the Cabinet Member in due course.

Question: Sharon Henson asked why the Parish was not receiving TRO’s as they had in the past and had to rely on Buckinghamshire Councillors to provide this information. Steven Broadbent (SB) reported that One.Network was used but was not a foolproof system as TRO’s were sometimes late on the system. As an example, the reason for this could be where emergency utilities were installed on a Friday but had to wait until the Monday for an officer to create.  SB advised there was no provision for Parish Council use. Simon Breese said that there was a way to obtain this information and that his Clerk knew.

Action: SH to email Bledlow cum Saunderton’s Parish Clerk to find out further details.

SH confirmed that the Parish used to receive TRO’s through the portal.  SB confirmed that portal work was ongoing but the Member Briefing Sheet advised Members of works coming in the area and this could be shared with Parishes. MW suggested that Members were told that they could forward this on.