Agenda item

Cllr Brown asked whether it was possible to combine projects on CCTV in order to co-ordinate through Buckinghamshire Council. The Chairman responded that this was a good idea to share experiences and also may help when negotiating with suppliers. A protocol could be drafted. Chris Brown asked whether an officer from Buckinghamshire Council could attend the next meeting to discuss how town and parish councils could co-ordinate more effectively with the unitary council. The Chairman responded that this could be undertaken through the Board or through the Community Safety Working Group in the first instance who could come up with some recommendations. Cllr Shinner reported that discussions had already taken place on better co-ordination. He referred to the CCTV project in Gerrards Cross which had hit a stumbling block with Buckinghamshire Council on a number of issues that needed to be resolved before they could go ahead including the cost of monitoring, making sure the street lights are strong enough to hold cameras and undertaking surveys. Chalfont St Peter wanted 10 cameras and hit the same issues. There did need to be a discussion with Buckinghamshire Council to simplify the process otherwise it would put off Parish Councils taking this forward. Cllr Brackin commented that Fulmer Parish Council would also welcome working together with other Parish Councils and also referred to ANPR monitoring. He also added that security was an issue everywhere and crime spread across borders. Cllr Thomas reported that she would be interested in this project for Seer Green Pavilion where anti-social behaviour was taking place and their cameras needed updating. Cllr Smith reported that it was difficult to implement CCTV and referred to the miniature cameras (battery powered, infra-red with motion sensors) used for flytipping which may be particularly suited for more rural areas. He suggested that it may be worth contacting the waste department to check where they purchased these cameras as they provided good evidence for prosecuting. Other technological solutions were available.

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Cllr Darby referred to wider community group projects and emphasised the fact that communities varied considerably within the Board from the different towns and also the rural areas and this was important to recognise. The Community Board Co-ordinator commented that it would be helpful if a few Parish Councils could combine for one project or if the whole Board could combine depending on the synergies of the proposal. Cllr Darby agreed but also said it was important to celebrate the differences and also with regard to procurement to take advantage of economies of scale across all the Boards.

Cllr Brackin suggested that convenors of the Sub-Groups should contact all the Parishes in the Community Board area asking them what the issues were for each individual area and what Parish Councils were trying to achieve. The Chairman commented that this was a good idea and also referred to the Parish Council Chairmen’s meetings which were taking place, his quarterly meeting with Parish Councils and the Co-ordinator linking up with the Parish Clerks.

Cllr Bray expressed concern about flooding in Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter and asked whether any local businesses could apply for flood protection equipment as this could make a difference to their business being flooded. This would be taken up by the Sub-Group to look at possible recommendations. Mandy Thomas referred to Seer Green where there was also an issue with flooding with farmers draining their fields directly onto the highway and blocking the drains. An Enforcement Order was served on two landowners but they continued to drain water onto the highway. Cllr Hollis commented that private ditches were the responsibility of the landowner, some of whom did not clear them which resulted in flooding on the highway. Lorries also exacerbated this problem particularly with churning up verges. Ditches needed clearing at least once a year. Some ditches were used for fly tipping e.g. tyres. Cllr Wertheim reported that flooding in Chalfont St Peter was due to overflowing sewage and the River Misbourne. He saw a representative from Thames Water undertaking a survey. He commented that there were a number of overflowing sewers and if they put another pipe in at the A413 and widen it the flow would be much less so the solids would stick to the pipe and there will be flooding because of blockages. Over the years there have been a number of reasons why they cannot increase the size of the sewage pipe to alleviate the flooding problems. Until the sewer in North London was built there would not be any funding left for local areas which was worrying. Cllr Wertheim suggested lobbying central government for additional funding to undertake remedial works. The Chairman suggested writing to the local MP. Cllr Brown asked whether CIL funding could be used as they had the same situation in Gerrards Cross with an inadequate sewage system caused by new housing developments.

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Cllr Smith referred to the lack of traffic wardens and the need to enforce double yellow lines. She asked whether it would be possible as a Community Board to look at employing a traffic warden for this area. This could be looked at by the Sub-Group. Cllr Hollis reported that Buckinghamshire Council had just been assessing their parking assets and during that time parking enforcement had been suspended so it would be helpful to check whether this had been resumed. Denham was out on a limb and should be included. Cllr Shinner reported that Chalfont St Peter were due to have some additional yellow lines added to their area next week which would cause additional problems. They were given a copy of attendances from all parking control wardens from November 2020 and according to the schedule they were present every day which should be borne in mind before contributing to any further costs. This was available via their website and he could provide the Board with the link. 

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Cllr Walsh expressed concern about capital projects and that Buckinghamshire Council were pushing these down to Parish Councils to deliver and further information on this was welcomed.

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The Chairman reported that he would discuss with the Community Co-ordinator the best approach in terms of tackling wider community projects and provide an update at the next meeting.

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