Meeting documents

Royston and District Committee
Wednesday, 3rd June, 2015 7.30 pm


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

PRESENT:	Councillor Fiona Hill (Chairman), Councillor Bill Davidson (Vice-Chairman), Councillor P.C.W. Burt, Councillor Jean Green, Councillor Tony Hunter, Councillor Ben Lewis, Councillor Gerald Morris.
IN ATTENDANCE:	Ashley Hawkins (Communities Officer) Susanne Gow (Committee and Member Services Officer)
ALSO PRESENT:	10 members of the public including the six speakers under Public Participation, one of whom was Royston Town Councillor Lindsay Davidson.
Meeting attachment	Agenda Front Pages

Item	Description/Resolution	Status	Action
PART I
4	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE None.	Noted
5	MINUTES Minutes RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 4 March 2015 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 Meeting held on 21 May 2015 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chairman.	Agreed
7	NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS No additional business was notified to the Chairman for discussion at this meeting.	Noted
8	CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS 1) The Chairman welcomed all Members of the Committee and officers to the first meeting of the Civic Year 2015/2016 and thanked them for their support over the last Civic Year. She also welcomed the speakers for Public Participation, and all members of the public present. 2) The Chairman read out the following statement: "Members are reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or Declarable 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 Disclosable Pecuniary Interest must withdraw from the meeting for the duration of the item. Members declaring a Declarable Interest which requires they leave the room under Paragraph 7.4 of the Code of Conduct, can speak on the item, but must leave the room before the debate and vote."	Noted
9	PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Royston Town Councillor Lindsay Davidson updated the Committee that seven schools had been visited between February and March 2015. Meridian's School Council had been disbanded and the Visits Team (District Councillors Hill, Hunter, Green and Morris and Royston Town Councillors Davidson and Baker) met with either School Councils or the top year class of 30 children, when there was not a School Council. This year, Councillor Davidson informed the Committee, she had taken notes on each school visit in the absent of the Communities Officer. Each school was given a copy of the book "Jack's War" to commemorate the Centenary of the First World War. The majority of children stated that they had visited the Royston Leisure Centre, Royston Library and Royston Community Cinema, but rather less had been to Royston Museum and the Royston Markets. All the children enjoyed living in Royston and most liked some aspects of the Town, such as its small size and the play areas and parks; the friendliness of people - they felt it was a happy town; The Heath; the shops (especially Tesco); the restaurants and takeaways, especially McDonalds; the Community Cinema; local clubs and groups, which meant that there was plenty for children of their age to do. Finally, they liked the fact that the roads were quiet and there were plenty of big houses in which to live. Also noted were features which the children wished to see introduced in Royston. A few of those were emphasised as: more refuse bins, especially at the Royston Underpass and at the end of Cherry Drive; less litter and an improvement in street cleanliness; more car parking spaces, especially in the Phillips Avenue, Days Close, Tannery Drift and Town Centre areas; less bad parking generally, especially on pavements; the bus issue in Tannery Drift outside the school; the MUGA surface in Priory Gardens to be changed to a softer one to enable football to be played there, as it is the only place this is possible in the Park; play equipment for older children to be put into the play areas there; speed bumps for Green Drift and less speeding close to schools and finally a zebra crossing outside Tesco on the Old North Road, however it was clarified that there is now a crossing on Old North Road, on the other side of the roundabout. It was also noted that a number of children seemed unaware of the Fitness Trail in the York Way park, so further publicity for this would be a good idea. Cllr Davidson thanked the Visits Team for their ongoing support and commitment and the Chairman thanked her for organising these visits, her dedication to this project and hard work for the children of Royston. Mr David Wherrell of Royston and District Community Transport (RDCT) stated that the organisation is still based at Royston Hospital. He gave the background and purpose of RCT and explained what it could do. He explained that the drivers were volunteers and there was also a co-ordinator who ensured that the rotas worked well, and also sent out newsletters and publicity leaflets. A bid had been made for the Government's Â£25,000 fund for a specially-adapted minibus, and RDCT was still waiting to hear the result of their bid. A new type of lottery had been established to raise the funds needed, as the entire organisation was now working to capacity, while overheads were still going up. Tesco Express had also donated Â£500 to RDCT and some of the parishes in the area had been very generous with their financial support. The new MPV which the organisation wished to acquire to replace their old one would be ideal, as it could take families, including a wheelchair-user, shopping, on outings or for hospital appointments. Mr Wherrell thanked the Royston and District Committee for their ongoing support by means of the Memorandum of Understanding for Â£2,200, which they hoped would be extended for one more year. Committee discussion raised several interesting points, such as possibly starting a commuter business to take people to and from the railway station, to bring in revenue and save commuters parking costs and the frustration of congestion. Mr Wherrell commented that to do this sort of business, volunteer drivers could not be expected to do shifts, so paid drivers would have to be employed, leading to the need for even more funding. He confirmed the fares currently being charged, which are not subsidised. The Chairman thanked Mr Wherrell for his hard work in running this asset to the people of Royston and informed him that the decision on the MoU would be made later in the meeting. Ms Denise Graham from the Royston and District Volunteer Centre (RDVC) circulated publicity on the Centre, and explained its background. 2,000 volunteers were already on the volunteer database and another 850 were in the process of being added. Ms Graham informed the Committee that the Centre received many enquiries for all sorts of volunteer opportunities and she went through the process of how volunteers were matched up with other organisations and then monitored once they were placed. If they did not stay long at their placement, the Centre would find out the reason. Volunteers had worked with schools, sports clubs etc, and has a column in the "Royston Crow" which attracts interest and also informs the general public. Volunteers have to have DBS checks, and these must be paid for. Ms Graham informed the Committee of the boards and committees she is on, in order to develop volunteering. The Brian Racher Trust has supported the Centre with grants and the Centre also use (and support) unemployed people, who tend not to remain unemployed for long once they start doing voluntary work. One Member clarified the process of volunteering by stating that the Royston and District Volunteer Centre was an unpaid employment agency. Mr Wherrell confirmed that Royston and District Community Transport was an end-user of the RDVC. Ms Graham thanked the Committee for their support through the Memorandum of Understanding payment of Â£2,750, which, it was hoped, would be extended for a further year. The Chairman thanked Ms Graham for her informative presentation and for the valuable work she does for the people of Royston and informed her that a decision on the MoU would be made later in the meeting. Mr Paul Rydon, Chairman of the Royston and District Town Twinning Association (RDTTA) explained the aims and function of the Association in general terms, having a short while ago gone into more detail at a Royston and District Committee Meeting. He gave a brief update on recent activities and visits, and confirmed that they had been self-funding. When twin towns from overseas visited Royston, the RDTTA sustained higher costs, for example the cost of the Reception for visitors from Grossalmerode for the 40th Anniversary of their twinning with Royston had come to Â£1,764. He assured the Committee that the Twinning Association very much appreciated the help provided by MoU funding in the past. The Chairman thanked Mr Rydon for his informative presentation on the RDTTA and informed him that a decision on the MoU would be considered later in the meeting. Ms Claire Somerville introduced herself as Chairman of Creative Royston and thanked the Committee for giving her the opportunity to speak on behalf of the organisation, formerly known as Royston Art Festival, concerning the grant application for Â£1,500 submitted to the Royston and District Committee. Ms Somerville gave details of the activities to which Royston can look forward in the 2015 Royston Festival, whose theme is Illumination. It will include at least 40 events, workshops and exhibitions organised by local community groups ranging from Royston Arts Society to GStarts Dance School. More local residents are to be invited to participate in, and attend, the Festival events. It was explained that some of the funds for which Creative Royston have applied will help to produce and distribute the Festival programme to all households in Royston and villages within a 15-mile radius of Royston Town. One way of broadening the audience reached, would be to involve more young people than in previous years, by means of the first youth music gig at The Old Bull, in partnership with Royston Folk Club. Young local musicians will be showcased and young people will also be involved in promoting the event, which will hopefully help build a young audience for the evening. Meridian School students will be working with Creative Royston to construct a Tree of Light installation, which will also combine art work from pupils in the Royston Middle and Lower Schools. This will be exhibited in Royston Library as part of the Light Night on the first Saturday of the Royston Festival. The Committee were advised that the funding provided by the grant application would also assist with licensing and insurance costs to arrange the activities for the Royston Festival. The Festival is considered to be a great asset to Royston and it is hoped that the Committee would support Creative Royston by awarding the grant that had been submitted. The Royston and District Committee questioned Ms Somerville as to the approximate number of visitors who had attended the Royston Festival in 2014 and was informed that the number was approximately 4,300, as there had been slightly fewer events put on the previous year. A Member expressed satisfaction on learning about the intention to include youth music, and it was then remarked that three of the tiles on the ceramic trail had been vandalised. The Chairman thanked Ms Somerville for her informative and interesting presentation and informed her that a decision on the grant application would be considered later in the meeting towards the end of the Agenda items. Ms Linda Turner introduced herself and explained that she was on the Committee of the forthcoming event to be held on The Heath, called Royston Open Secrets. This was an annual event combining many stalls run by community groups in marquees on The Heath, to showcase what the groups did and to sell what they produced. The total this year to put on the event had come to approximately Â£7,500 and it was hoped that they could make up to Â£40,000. If the time given by the volunteers was included the total could rise to Â£53,000. All the organisations were non-profitmaking, but the grant application submitted was needed for setting up the event for 2016. Ms Turner admitted that she was proud to have set up and run such a big event, and was very much looking forward to the forthcoming event on Sunday 7 June 2015. On being asked what sort of stands make up Royston Open Secrets, a Member was told that a few of the variety of stands were: schools, dance schools, a dog show, classic cars, modified cars and many community groups. She reminded the Committee that Royston Open Secrets would run from 11am to 4pm on Royston Heath on Sunday 7 June 2015. The Chairman thanked Ms Turner for her informative presentation and informed her that a decision on the grant application would be considered later in the meeting towards the end of the Agenda items. RESOLVED: 1) That Royston Town Councillor Lindsay Davidson be thanked for updating the Royston and District Committee with regard to the annual visits to schools in Royston and for organising these visits; 2) That David Wherrell of Royston Community Transport be thanked for his address to the Royston and District Committee and for the work he and his team do for the people of Royston. He is asked to note that the Memorandum of Understanding for RCT will be extended for a further year and payment will amount to Â£2,200; 3) That Denise Graham representing the Royston and District Volunteer Centre be thanked for her presentation and for her work with volunteers in the Royston area. She is asked to note that the Memorandum of Understanding for the RDVC will be extended for one more year and payment will amount to Â£2,750; 4) That Paul Rydon, Chairman of the Royston and District Twinning Association be thanked for his brief update on recent activities enjoyed by the R&DTA. He is asked to note that the Memorandum of Understanding for R&DTA will be extended for one more year and payment will amount to Â£170; 5) That Claire Somerville, Chairman of Creative Royston, which is the current name of Royston Arts Festival, be thanked for her presentation detailing what Royston can look forward to during the Royston Festival; 6) That the grant application relating to this be considered later on the Agenda (see Minute 14 below); 7) That Linda Turner of Royston Open Secrets be thanked for her presentation with regard to funding assistance with costs for the purchase of banners and signage for events, marquee hire and associated equipment costs; 8) That the grant application relating to this be considered later on the Agenda (see Minute 15 below); 9) That the grant application relating to this be considered later on the agenda (see Minute 15 below).	Noted
10	INFORMATION NOTE - NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE MUSEUM AND COMMUNITY FACILITY AT HITCHIN TOWN HALL Information Note on North Hertfordshire Museum Cllr Peter Burt stated a Declarable Interest in this Agenda Item, as he is on the Royston Museum Advisory Committee and is a Trustee of Hitchin Town Hall. He would neither leave the room nor take part in any relevant vote. The Information note published with the Agenda contained a written update on the progress being made towards completion of the Hitchin Museum and Community Facility at Hitchin Town Hall, together with photographs showing its' current state. It had been considered unnecessary for a NHDC officer to attend the Royston and District Committee Meeting to present it, as any queries could be relayed back to the Contracts and Project Manager by an officer or via the Minutes, and he could then provide the Committee with any clarification required. A Member commented that from looking at the photographs provided, it was impressive how much the building had changed. The Committee had no queries and unanimously noted the progress being made on Hitchin Town Hall. RESOLVED: That the contents of the updated Information Note on the North Hertfordshire Museum and Community Facility at Hitchin Town Hall and the associated photographs of the interior, be noted.	Noted
11	HIGHWAYS ISSUES The Chairman presented this item. She listed the roads/footpaths to be included in the Hertfordshire County Councillors' Highways Locality Budgets, as follows: Councillor Hill - Royston Hillside Mill Road Chilcourt Victoria Crescent Princes Mews Junction of Morton Street/Victoria Crescent/Queens Road Market Hill - part of footpath Baldock Road near Heathfield - footpath and signs Princes Mews - pram crossing Royston Cross - tree pit alternatives Corvus Close - verge conversion TROs 20mph signs in Garden Walk. Cllr Hunter - North Herts Rural Pedlars Lane, Therfield - kerbing A10/Blacksmiths Lane, Reed - dropped kerb and drainage Royston Road, Barkway - new footpath A505 - signage The Chairman raised the issue of the planter on the Baldock Road near Ivy Farm having been removed and proposed that the Royston and District Committee request its replacement as it was an attractive "welcome to Royston". The Committee commented that sponsorship of this appears to have ceased and Members wondered if local businesses would sponsor it. It would be useful to find out the cost of maintenance and then ask local companies to sponsor the planter while publicising their own organisations on it. The Committee agreed that Royston Town Council should be contacted about retention of the planter before 16 June 2015, when they were due to discuss the matter with Royston in Bloom. RESOLVED: That the Committee supported the retention of a planter at the entrance to Royston on the Baldock Road.	Agreed
12	OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS - MEMBERS REPORTS A brief comment was made on Coombes Community Centre, the lease of which was under discussion and the Committee were informed that the AGM for the Royston Day Centre would be held on 4 June 2015, so an update would be given at the next Royston and District Committee Meeting on 16 September 2015. A meeting had also taken place on Royston First. No report was given on the Royston and District Town Twinning Association, as their Chairman, Paul Rydon, had addressed the Committee under Public Participation earlier in the Meeting. The same applied to the Royston and District Volunteer Centre, as Denise Graham had also addressed the Committee under Public Participation	Noted
13	GRANT APPLICATIONS AND COMMUNITY UPDATE Report Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 The Communities Officer (CO) updated the Committee on the activities with which he had been involved since the last meeting of the Royston and District Committee on 4 March 2015. Members were informed that: Royston BMX Track The final funding was in place for the new pavilion at the Royston BMX track, Â£10,000 of which was allocated from S106 monies. A provisional order for the work had been placed with the company building the pavilion. Road Naming in Royston The road linking Market Hill and Fish Hill has been formally opened, named Market Link, and the relevant name plates have been installed. Barkway 10k This event was deferred from Sunday 10 May 2015, and is now likely to be held in November 2015. Royston 3k Summer Fun Run The CO updated the Committee on this successful event, for which 120 local children had registered to take part. Coombes Hole Community Art Project This art project for the Coombes Hole Underpass is being investigated by a Royston Town Councillor, with assistance and support from the CO and Royston Youth Network. The appropriate permissions are being sought from Hertfordshire County Council, North Hertfordshire District Council and Network Rail, together with other relevant parties. Responsibility for the maintenance of the artwork once it has been commissioned must be determined. Grant Funding The spreadsheet at Appendix A showed the detailed spend to date of the Royston Area Committee Budget 2015/2016. Members agreed that the outstanding amount of Â£500 from Coombes Community Centre could be allocated to other Royston community projects. The following projects were noted by the Committee, as they are in the pipeline, but not yet ready for funding: - Funding support to assist with a community art project at Coombes Hole Underpass; - Funding support to Royston Tennis Club to assist with the purchase of a storage unit for the Club; - Funding support to the Rural Schools Ceramics and Pottery Project, as stated in the Minutes of the Royston and District Meeting of 4 March 2015. Sessions may be held at the Barley, Reed and Therfield schools. Cllr Hunter declared an interest in Resolution 7) below, as he is Portfolio Holder for Community Engagement and Rural Affairs. This resolution involved the contribution of Â£900 from the Royston and District budgets towards the formation of a district-wide fund as detailed at para 7.5 of the CO's report. The Committee then considered the grant applications submitted as detailed at Minutes 14 and 15 below. The Chairman thanked the Communities Officer for his report and for his work for the people of Royston and the surrounding area. RESOLVED: 1) That the activities and schemes with which the Communities Officer (CO) has been involved, be noted; 2) That the Royston and District Committee endorse the actions he has taken to promote greater community capacity and well-being and thank him for his work on behalf of the people of Royston and the surrounding area; 3) That the budgetary expenditure, balances and carry-forwards from the Development Budgets be noted; 4) That the Royston and District Committee agree unanimously to support the following Memorandum of Understanding grants for one year only: Royston and District Town Twinning, Royston and District Volunteer Centre and Royston Community Transport. The funds will be released during June 2015; 5) That the Committee considers awarding a sum of Â£1,500 to Creative Royston, to assist with the production and distribution costs of the Royston Festival programme and for insurance and event licence costs. This is detailed in Minute 14 below; 6) That the Committee considers awarding a sum of Â£1,500 to Royston Open Secrets as funding assistance for costs such as insurance, road closures and entertainment, associated with putting on their summer event,. This is detailed in Minute 15 below; 7) That the Royston and District Committee notes and agrees the deduction of Â£900 from the Area Committee's Budget to go towards a sufficient budget to fund district-wide organisations for the Financial Year 2015 only (see para 7.5 of the CO's Report), pending the outcome of the Authority's Grants Review. REASON FOR DECISION: 1) To ensure that the Committee is kept informed of the work of the Community Development Officer; 2) To inform Members of the financial resources available to the Committee. The report draws attention to the current budgetary situation, assists in the effective financial management of the Royston and District Committee's budget and ensures actions are performed within the Authority's Financial Regulations and the guidance in the Grants procedure; 3) The awarding of financial assistance to voluntary organisations and the use of discretionary spending allows the Committee to further the aims and strategic priorities of the Council; 4) The allocation of funds will improve the services provided by local organisations and groups that are available and accessed by members of the community; 5) Production of this report is a requirement of the â€˜Priorities for the District', in which the Community Development Officer is required to produce a formal report to the Royston and District Committee on six occasions per annum, in line with the Civic calendar.	Agreed
14	GRANT APPLICATION - ROYSTON ARTS FESTIVAL RESOLVED: That the sum of Â£1,500 be granted to Royston Arts Festival to assist Creative Royston (formerly called the Royston Arts Festival) with costs for producing and distributing the programme to 16,500 households in Royston and the surrounding villages, together with licensing and insurance costs. REASON FOR DECISION: 1) The awarding of financial assistance to voluntary organisations and the use of discretionary spending allows the Committee to further the aims and strategic priorities of the Council; 2) The allocation of funds will improve the services provided by local organisations and groups that are available and accessed by members of the community.	Agreed
15	GRANT APPLICATION - ROYSTON OPEN SECRETS The Chairman and Cllr Hunter both stated a Declarable Interest, as they have given advice to the organisation and are expecting an application from them for a grant from their Hertfordshire County Council Locality Budgets. Both Members stated that they would neither leave the room nor take part in the vote. The funding debate would be chaired by the Vice-Chairman, Cllr Bill Davidson. RESOLVED: That the sum of Â£1,500 be granted to Royston Open Secrets to assist with costs for the purchase of event banners, signage and extension cables, together with marquee hire and other equipment costs. REASON FOR DECISION: 1) The awarding of financial assistance to voluntary organisations and the use of discretionary spending allows the Committee to further the aims and strategic priorities of the Council; 2) The allocation of funds will improve the services provided by local organisations and groups that are available and accessed by members of the community.	Agreed