Meeting documents

Royston and District Committee
Wednesday, 16th June, 2010 7.30 pm


Time:	7.30 pm	Place:	Committee Room, Royston Town Hall, Melbourn Street, Royston

PRESENT:	Councillor Fiona Hill(Chairman), Councillor H.M. Marshall(Vice-Chairman), Councillor P.C.W. Burt, Councillor Bill Davidson, Councillor Paul Grimes, Councillor A.F. Hunter, Councillor R.E. Inwood
IN ATTENDANCE:	Alan Fleck (Community Development Officer) Susanne Gow (Committee and Member Services Officer)
ALSO PRESENT:	1 member of the Press 7 members of the public, includingregistered speakers and Royston Town Councillors F. J. Smith, John Davison, Bob Smith and Lindsay Davidson.

Item	Description/Resolution	Status	Action
PART I
4	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE No apologies for absence were received.	Noted
5	MINUTES Minutes RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Royston and District Committee Meeting held on 17 March 2010 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chairman.	Agreed
6	MINUTES Minutes RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Royston and District Committee Meeting held on 20 May 2010 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chairman.	Agreed
7	NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS The Chairman stated that two matters of urgent business had come to her notice, and she wished to take them at the end of the business on the current Agenda. The subjects were: â€žX Bus routes in Royston and â€žX The wall in MorrisonsÂ¡Â¦ car park.	Noted
8	CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS The Chairman welcomed everybody to the meeting, including the Committee, public speakers, Royston Town Councillors, members of the public and the Press. She thanked the Royston and District Committee Members for their endorsement for her as the Committee Chairman and looked forward to working with both Members and officers. She put on record her thanks to Mrs Liz Beardwell and Councillor F J Smith for their time, commitment and support whilst on Royston and District Committee and proposed that a letter of thanks for their service be sent to both of them. She went on to congratulate Councillor F J Smith on his 50 yearsÂ¡Â¦ service as a councillor and for his personal support to her since her own election as a councillor. She then went on to welcome to the Committee Councillors Bill Davidson and Paul Grimes and said that she looked forward to working with them for the good of the residents of Royston. The Chairman confirmed that the speakers under Public Participation were present, and stated that Councillor Lindsay Davidson would be asked to give her presentation first, followed by Dr Robert Davidson and then Mr John Heslam. Matters arising from the Minutes of 17 March 2010 were: 1. The petition on problems in the Newmarket Road, Royston which would be taken under Highways Issues; 2. Discussions are still taking place regarding the Royston First car parking proposals; 3. The Chairman clarified that no grant budgets were guaranteed beyond 1 year. Members were reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a prejudicial or personal interest and are required to notify the Chairman of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda. Members declaring a prejudicial interest can speak on the item, but must leave the room before the debate and vote.	Noted
9	PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 1) Royston Town Councillor Lindsay Davidson addressed the Committee on Youth Issues in Royston. She spoke of the School Citizenship visits, which she considered to be very useful and thanked the Members of the Royston and District Committee who had accompanied her and mentioned the Royston Town Councillors who had also taken part. Many issues were raised and discussed with the children and they were given details of the CouncillorsÂ¡Â¦ roles in local government and what being a good citizen meant. Complaints and suggestions raised by the children covered: loss of the big slide in Priory Memorial Gardens (there was deemed to be now only play equipment for younger children); more activities for all children were needed in Royston, such as a bowling alley, cinema, indoor play place, water slides in the swimming pool at Royston Leisure Centre, an outdoor swimming pool, an alcohol-free nightclub for under 18s, a discreet chewing gum wall (for safe disposal of chewing gum), more town festivals; another BMX track; installation of a graffiti wall; more PCSOs in Royston (with whom the children had a good relationship); the Town Centre needed to be smartened up and McDonalds and Pizza Hut fast food outlets welcomed in; the graffiti on the skateboard ramps needed to be cleaned up; a school crossing patrol on Baldock Road by the Fire Station was urgently needed; improvements were required to the pavement outside Tannery Drift School from a safety point of view, which was narrow and difficult to walk down; Royston Leisure Centre should be free for children under 12 years, as it was considered expensive; football goalposts and basketball hoops should be installed at the Newmarket Road play area. In general, most children were happy living in Royston and enjoyed the play parks, the Heath, the BMX track, the Christmas lights, the flowers on the roundabouts, pictures in empty shop windows, the all-weather pitch at the football ground and the proposed Community Cinema in Royston Town Hall. Many children showed a mature awareness of, and some concern about, the proposed new housing in Royston and the impact on their current community regarding traffic, road access etc and the general infrastructure of the town. In closing, Councillor Davidson thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to speak and hoped that the Royston and District Committee would consider offering financial assistance for: the football goalposts and basketball hoops in Newmarket Road play area; a graffiti wall in Royston Town Centre; discreet chewing gum walls on Royston Streets; provision of a school crossing patrol on Baldock Road by the Fire Station; and improvement to the narrow pavement outside Tannery Drift School, which was a safety concern. The Chairman thanked Cllr Davidson for her presentation on this important subject. 2) Dr Bob Davidson addressed the Royston and District Committee on the Barkway Parish Plan, a full copy of which had been distributed to all Members of the Committee. He explained how a survey had been carried out, then a questionnaire sent out to all 319 households in Barkway. From the results, consisting of some strong opinions, concerns had been investigated and the Barkway Parish Plan for the next 2 to 5 years had been formed. Barkway was proud of its Parish Plan and publicly acknowledged the volunteers who had worked on it. The Plan would be updated as and when necessary and the strong belief was that it would strengthen the community. Dr Davidson requested the endorsement of the Royston and District Committee and the Chairman thanked him for his interesting and comprehensive presentation. 3) Mr John Heslam thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee on Reed Cricket Club, which was a very successful initiative. He gave the background to the setting up of the Cricket Club with funding from various organisations and how the Club had been useful in dispensing with troublesome behaviour from young people in Reed. The majority of boys in the village were now part of the Club, as well as the community. Money raised by subscriptions went on equipment and land had been bought, doubling the original area, to be used for other ball games by the youth and children of the village. Funding enabled less privileged people to join in, rather than putting up fences to keep them off the land and it appeared to be working very well. The Hertfordshire Community Foundation had been informed of the success of this project. Another service provided by Reed Cricket Club was advice on means of keeping sporting areas in good repair. The Chairman thanked Mr Heslam for his very positive presentation.	Noted
10	YOUTH The Community Development Officer (CDO) addressed the Royston and District on current youth issues in Royston. 1) He declared that the Youth Council, begun some time ago at Meridian School, had seen numbers drop from 20 down to 4 young people, but this core number had stayed on and the interest by more youngsters meant that they had started to rise again. All schools in Royston (not just secondary schools) had been contacted in an attempt to recruit members for the Youth Council and a plan had been presented to get young people used to the idea of a Youth Council, from younger people (years 7/8) to older children (years 9/11). They would then get used to interfacing with members of Royston Town Council and North Herts District Council. Local Democracy Week was in October 2010 Young people who were approached agreed that it was a good idea. At the ChairmanÂ¡Â¦s invitation to speak, Royston Town Councillor Lindsay Davidson voiced her endorsement this and offered assistance from Royston Town Council. The Vice-Chairman declared that there were problems as to how children from the villages could become involved in the Youth Council. They should be considered as well as young people from Royston Â¡V there was an average of 5 or 6 young people per village and they became bored easily. If they were included, their parents could drive them to the appropriate Youth Council venue. Another suggestion was to involve Mr Ken Charles, Chairman of Sport North Herts, as he has an initiative on sport in rural villages. Play schemes were also being set up in the villages. 2) A Youth Shelter had been installed in Priory Memorial Park on 1 June 2010. The location had been discussed with both the contractor and the Youth Council, but unfortunately there was now graffiti on the side nearest the younger childrenÂ¡Â¦s play area and youths were climbing on the roof of the shelter. It was early days to decide whether this location was ideal. At the ChairmanÂ¡Â¦s discretion, Dr Davidson was allowed to speak and informed the Committee of a brand of black paint which could be used to coat the roof of the shelter. This paint was non-adhesive but stuck to the hands. It was hoped that this would solve the problem of young people climbing onto the roof of the Youth Shelter. The Community Development Officer was requested to investigate the feasibility and suitability of obtaining the paint and also any other methods of prevention available. A Member suggested launching a competition to paint a mural on the side of the Youth Shelter. The Chairman thanked the CDO for his hard work on this project. She then referred to the points brought up by Councillor Davidson in her address under Public Participation and these were discussed by the Committee. The issue of the narrow pavement in Tannery Drift was discussed. This was made worse by overgrown hedges. The Chairman proposed that this be referred to the next North Herts Highways-Joint Member Panel at its meeting on 26 July 2010. The Committee discussed the provision of chewing gum walls and a graffiti wall in Royston and the Chairman proposed that the DCO liaises with the Environmental Health Department and gathers their opinion on providing these suggested solutions. The point was also made that residents in Royston should be consulted and their opinions taken into account. At the ChairmanÂ¡Â¦s discretion, Royston Town Councillor Lindsay Davidson informed the Royston and District Committee that to her knowledge the Police were in favour of a graffiti wall and that at one time its provision had also been proposed at a Youth Network meeting. It was proposed that Environmental Health were also consulted on chewing gum walls, which, although unpleasant to look at, had been proven to make a great difference to town centre streets elsewhere. The CDO was asked to investigate provision of both graffiti and chewing gum walls, together with costings and report back to the Committee at a future meeting of the Royston and District Committee. Finally, the provision of football goalposts and basketball hoops was discussed and the point made that the goalposts would be taken in summer, but that heavy duty items were essential to withstand sustained use. The Community Development Officer was asked to investigate the provision and costings and bring these back to the Royston and District Committee at their next meeting on 28 July 2010. RESOLVED: 1) That the Community Development Officer investigates the feasibility, costings and location of the proposed graffiti walls and chewing gum walls and report back to a future Royston and District Committee Meeting; 2) That the Community Development Officer investigates the costs of procuring and installing football goalposts and basketball hoops at the Newmarket Road play area and brings a report back to the next Royston and District Committee Meeting on 28 July 2010; 3) That the Community Development Officer investigate methods of preventing young people from climbing onto the roof of the Youth Shelter; 4) That investigations be carried out to enable improvements to be made to the narrow pavement outside Tannery Drift School, ensuring safe passage for pedestrians and schoolchildren and that hedging be cut back to further widen the footpath. RECOMMENDED TO NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE HIGHWAYS PARTNERSHIPÂ¡V JOINT MEMBER PANEL: That methods to improve safe passage for pedestrians and schoolchildren on the narrow pavement on Tannery Drift be investigated, to include all hedging being cut right back. REASON FOR DECISION: To ensure the health and safety of pedestrians, schoolchildren and residents in the area of Tannery Drift, Royston.	Agreed
11	DOG FOULING IN ROYSTON The Community Development Officer addressed the Committee and reported that he had consulted the NHDC Animal Welfare Officer and raised the subject of the system which operated in Falkirk, Scotland. The Animal Welfare Officer made the point that Scotland operates under a different culture from England and that dog fouling is dealt with as littering. Falkirk supply free poop scoop bags and employ several Animal Welfare Officers. To set up a similar system would be expensive. Residents could be encouraged to Â¡Â§whistle blowÂ¡Â¨, but there may be personal repercussions. Animal Welfare Officers were unable to act on hearsay, but had to have concrete evidence, i.e. catch irresponsible dog owners Â¡Â§in the actÂ¡Â¨. The Committee discussed the problem and the Vice-Chairman declared that there appeared to have been a change of attitude in the villages near Royston, as residents were now much more responsible, being convinced that dog fouling was anti-social and unhealthy. He suggested that dog owners in the Royston area should be educated by distribution of brochures and enhanced signs to act as reminders. A Member suggested that, as some people do not always have a bag on them when their dog fouls, disposable bags were made available in dispensers near dog bins at Â¡Â¥hot spotsÂ¡Â¦. RESOLVED: That the Community Development Officer investigate the feasibility and cost of providing free poop scoop bags and of refreshing the related signs.	Agreed
12	HIGHWAYS ISSUES IN ROYSTON The Royston and District Committee commented on past issues in Royston. The Vice-Chairman declared that the villages of Barkway and Barley had both seen successful resurfacing through the North Herts Highways Partnership-Joint Member Panel and matched funding. The Chairman requested that contact be made with Hertfordshire Highways to ascertain the situation on Newmarket Road, specifically the speeding, weight and noise issues. Points were raised regarding Burns Road and Tall Trees, but these were in hand under the Highways Works Programme. Comments were made regarding drains requiring cleaning on the A10 Twigdens/ Coombelands roundabout and the lack of yellow lines in Briary Lane following patching work. Members were informed that Hertfordshire Highways would be made aware of these issues.	Noted
13	CHAMPION NEWS AND FINANCE REPORT Report Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E Appendix F Appendix G The Community Development Officer (CDO) presented the report of the Head of Policy, Partnerships and Community Development. The items on Fish Hill Square, Swift Close and Precious Court Pavement required no updating. The Committee were informed that MembersÂ¡Â¦ Surgeries, held jointly with Royston Town Council, were working well. The Youth Council had been covered earlier in the Committee Meeting, and the CDO had assisted in setting up a branch of the Depression Alliance, a grant application for which would be taken later. He then took the Committee through the budget spreadsheets at Appendix A. The CDO went through the grant applications, as follows: a) Â£1,000 was requested by Royston Arts Festival to help fund the event on 23-26 September 2010. The Committee considered this grant application and agreed it; b) The sum of Â£250 had been fast-tracked to Barkway Parish Council for preparation of the Barkway Parish Plan and was ratified by the Committee; c) The sum of Â£500 was requested by Barkway Parish Council for funding to publish the Barkway Parish Plan. The Committee discussed this application, and agreed it, commenting that Barkway Parish Council were to be commended for the quality and low cost of producing the Plan. The Committee wished them every success with their bid for Quality Parish Council status; d) The sum of Â£250 had been fast-tracked to Reed Parish Council to help with costs associated with preparations for the Reed Parish Plan. The Committee agreed to ratify this; e) A personal interest was declared in this item by Cllr Bill Davidson as Chairman and Treasurer of the Royston Boxing Club and by Cllrs Fiona Hill and Tony Hunter as supporters. Â£1,000 was requested by the Royston Boxing Club towards the purchase of a second-hand minibus. An alternative would be to hire a minibus from Hertfordshire County Council. The Committee discussed the request and the options of Â¡Â¥earmarkingÂ¡Â¦ the funds or paying them to the Club. The decision was delegated to the CDO in consultation with the Chairman; f) The sum of Â£150 had been fast-tracked to help set up a branch of the Depression Alliance and this was ratified by the Royston and District Committee. The Chairman thanked the Community Development Officer for his hard work and efforts for the residents of Royston and for his support for herself and for the Royston and District Committee. RESOLVED: 1) That the Committee noted the reports under Paragraph 3 of Champion News; 2) That the Committee noted the budget and carried-forward expenditures set out in Appendix A; 3) That Members considered the grant applications from Royston Arts Festival, Barkway Parish Council and Royston Amateur Boxing Club; 4) That Members ratified fast-track grants made by the Community Development Officer; 5) That the Committee endorsed the actions taken by the Community Development Officer to promote greater community capacity and well-being and thanks him for all his hard work for the residents of Royston and the surrounding villages. REASON FOR DECISIONS: To ensure that the Committee are kept informed of the work of the Community Development Officer.	Agreed
14	OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS - MEMBERS' REPORTS Royston First and Chamber of Commerce The Chairman had attended meetings of both the Royston and District Chamber of Commerce and Royston First and had found the meetings very positive. Both organisations were liaising well with the businesses and retailers within the Town. Royston Community Association Members were informed that Royston Community Association continued to be stable, was receiving steady rental income and making a profit. Royston and District Scouts It was reported that the Scouts Fun Day which had been supported by the Committee was very positive and had been much enjoyed by the children. The Chairman thanked all Members of the Royston and District Committee for their reports on the outside organisations on whose boards they represented North Herts District Council.	Noted
15	BUS ROUTE IN TANNERY DRIFT The break in the enforcement lines in Kneesworth Street had now been renewed. As a result, a letter was to be sent to Mr Keith White at Herts County Council, asking him to reinstate the bus routes through Kneesworth Street but not through Tannery Drift, as the route ran past a school and there was still a safety hazard with narrow pavements and buses mounting the pavements.	Noted
16	WALL AT MORRISONS CAR PARK It was thought that the land on which the car park was sited could be the LandlordÂ¡Â¦s responsibility. The wall was still dangerous and residents were very concerned as this is a Health and Safety issue. Trees formerly located in the car park have been removed. The Community Development Officer was requested to investigate the current situation and report back to the Committee on 28 July 2010. The Chairman informed Members that the Armed Forces Flag would be raised on Monday 21 June at 11.15am at the flagpole in Grossalmerode Gardens next to Royston Town Hall. The Chairman of North Herts District Council and the Mayor of Royston would be in attendance and Members were requested to attend if they could.	Noted