Meeting documents
Area Forum (Heswall and Pensby & Thingwall)
Wednesday, 27th October 2004
Present
Chair
Cllr Peter Johnson
Ward Councillor
O W Adam, AC Hodson, IJ Mackenzie, Mrs J McKelvie
Community Representatives
J Birch (Pensby and Thingwall Community Representative), P Duffy (Heswall Community Representative), A Garrett (Heswall Community Representative)
Lead Officer
Chris Batman (Head of Branch, Planning and Resources, Children and Young People's Department)
Area Service Co-ordinator
Jan Evans
Merseyside Police
Cons. Mark Parry, Sgt Barry Walker
Council Officers
Ken Abraham (Legal Services, Wirral Borough Council), Mark Traynor (Streetscene Manager)
In attendance:
Steve Beal (Youth representative), Allison Cooke (Chief Executive), Sgt Brian Hart (Community Safety Team), Ritchie Humphreys (DAAT)
Apologies
Mr M James, Cllr Les Rowlands
Index to Minutes
- Minute 1 - Welcome and Introductions
- Minute 2 - Area Co-ordinators Report / Area Forum Progress Report
- Minute 3 - Public Question Time
- Minute 4 - Primary Care Trust Update
- Minute 5 - Community Safety Update
- Minute 6 - Licensing Policy Presentation
- Minute 7 - Area Plans
- Minute 8 - Community Initiatives Fund
- Minute 9 - Dates of Future Meetings / Presentations
- Minute 10 - Any Other Business
- Minute 11 - CLOSE OF MEETING
Minute 1 - Welcome and Introductions
Minute Text :
The Chair, Councillor Peter Johnson, introduced himself and welcomed 50 members of the public to the first meeting of the newly constituted Area Forum for Heswall/Pensby and Thingwall, held in Heswall. He invited members of the Area Forum to introduce themselves.
Minute 2 - Area Co-ordinators Report / Area Forum Progress Report
Minute Text :
The Area Co-ordinator's report had been prepared and distributed to Area Forum members in advance. Copies of a report on the activities of Area Forums since their inception in 2001 were available at the meeting.
The Area Co-ordinator explained that between meetings she had prepared a report to update the public on the issues raised and to highlight other matters of interest. She would include information in her next report on issues raised and not responded to this evening.
The Area Co-ordinator read out a statement by the Council's Director of Technical Services relating to the Aldi Distribution Centre in Neston.
The Council was currently arranging two separate meetings to discuss the situation with residents of Barnston and Thornton Hough. The provisional dates were 2 December 2004 in Thornton Hough, and 7 or 9 December at Heswall Hall. Councillor Jeff Green would Chair the meetings.
The Council maintained a comprehensive database of people who were interested in the Aldi issue. Members of the public who wished to add their names and addresses were invited to give details to the Area Co-ordinator. Information on the meetings would be sent to everyone on the database.
Chris Batman referred to the problems that occur from time to time due to the lack of a dedicated area for the young people to use for skateboarding.
Wirral Council had successfully bid for a 'Big Lottery' funding to provide skateboard parks, one of which would be sited on Gayton playing fields. The design and planning permission stage would start in June 2005, work would start in Summer, and the facility would open sometime in the Autumn.
Minute 3 - Public Question Time
Minute Text :
Members of the public asked the following questions -
Would the meetings on the Aldi issue also address the already excessive use of Barnston Road and Barnston Dip by heavy wagons and lorries, irrespective of the Aldi situation? [The Area Co-ordinator would check and respond directly to the member of the public.]
The support at a previous Forum meeting for inclusion in the Wirral Community Strategy of a project for the electrification of the Bidston to Wrexham line and a new station in Prenton. The availability to the public of the Wirral Community Strategy document. [The Area Co-ordinator will send a copy to the member of the public and any other person who wished to receive a copy.]
When do the Council intend to cut back the overgrown trees near Caldy Cross Roads and parts of Gayton that were obstructing road signs and causing hazards for motorists and other road users. [The Area Street Scene Manager to progress the matter].
The proposed future use of the buildings formerly used as public toilets at Heswall Hall and Banks Road Car Park - and whether there were plans to re-open as toilets as part of plans to promote tourism on the Wirral Peninsula?
The commitment given previously by the Council that the public could access toilets in public buildings, and reasons the public were denied access to toilets in the libraries in Pensby and Irby.
The Chair subsequently curtailed the discussion to avoid the development of a political debate on the issue of public toilets.
Heswall shore: The placing of bollards and anchors from Birkenhead and Liverpool Docks were inappropriate in that area and give the impression that they had been dumped there. Has the Council any intention to have them removed? [Councillor Hodson reported on a discussion with a Council officer on the feasibility of removing the objects from the shore.]
Wirral Waste: The unreliability of the garden waste collection service on the scheduled dates; the restrictions on the amount of waste that can be collected; and the need for more local collection points for residents to access.
Heswall Railway Station: The use of passenger shelters by young people to congregate during evenings, and the bottles, cans and general debris deposited in the shelters.
Minute 4 - Primary Care Trust Update
Minute Text :
The Chair changed the order of the agenda to accommodate those members of the public who were interested only in receiving an update on health-related issues. Allison Cook advised as follows:
Medical Centres: Following a period of consultation, a scheme was being drawn up for the redevelopment of the present site as a Medical Centre to serve the Pensby and Heswall areas. The Trust was still struggling to find a site that would provide for people in West Wirral, Thingwall and Irby. The site would need to be of a suitable size to accommodate the GPs and ancillary staff, allow for the development of extra services, and have adequate parking and good transport links.
Charges for Car Parking at Hospitals: There was an agreement to charge visitors for using the car parks at Arrowe Park and VCH Hospitals. The PCT had urged the re-location of certain non-essential services [eg blood tests, out-patient provision] away from hospital sites to avoid people having to travel to hospitals to access these services and pay for parking. Some car parking space would be lost by the need for a new building to increase staff accommodation that would help recruit and retain staff.
Members of the public asked questions on the topics -
The Trust's policy on charges for car parking for people who are called to the hospital urgently following the admission of a family member who requires emergency treatment.
The ownership by the Council of a portion of land used for car parking at Arrowe Park, and whether negotiations were ongoing between Wirral Borough Council and the Hospital Trust about the potential sale of the land.
How the PCT, as a service provider, proposed to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
The reason why a household in Heswall had received the PCT's Guide to Local Health Services in Birkenhead and Wallasey, [instead of West Wirral], and the waste of NHS funding and resources if the distribution error was widespread throughout Wirral.
Closure of Wards at VCH: On 18 October, the two PCTs had started a 12-week consultation on proposals to modernise the provision of care for older people in Wirral. The primary aim of the strategy was to help older people regain or maintain their independence and reduce the need for unnecessary stays in hospitals.
On average, each day, between 50 and 60 people who were ready for discharge continued to occupy a hospital bed whilst arrangements were made for the support they needed at home to become available, or because they were awaiting a place in a nursing home. To address the issue, a package of improvements had been developed which included additional nursing and residential home places, the provision of beds for patients who needed assistance after hospital discharge and better support for those living in their own or in a residential home. Taken together, the package of improvements meant that people would be able to return home with support packages more quickly whilst those who needed residential and nursing home accommodation would be able to access it sooner than previously - ultimately reducing the number of in-patient hospital beds needed across Wirral hospitals. The proposal would reduce the number of beds by closing two Wards in Victoria Central Hospital. The two wards represented the poorest physical stock and were least suited to provide the acute care and rehabilitation required by sicker patients who need to be in hospital.
The future of VCH was assured. Work on a new minor injuries and walk-in centre with additional outpatient facilities was almost complete. Plans were being finalised to relocate four local GP surgeries into modernised facilities at VCH which, together with other enhanced service provision, would provide more 'one stop' services for the local community than is currently possible. There were no plans whatsoever for redundancies amongst health or social care staff.
The general public had been invited to respond to five questions on the consultation document. One asked the explicit question, 'Do you support the closure of the two elderly care wards at Victoria Central Hospital?'
The PCT was fully aware of the strength of feeling amongst people, Wirral-wide, and that a petition against the closures had been organised.
The consultation would end on 14 January. The two PCTs and the Wirral Hospital NHS Trust Board would consider all the comments received and a report would be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee/Health and Social Care Select Committee on 24 February 2005.
Members of the public commented -
Wirral Social Services was about third from bottom in the country. How would they be able to deliver the package of improvements to support people in their homes or in residential or nursing homes? The first step in all this - part of the solution - should be to sort out Wirral Social Services.
The services will never be delivered by the Social Services Department.
The suggestion that what is free care now will be charged for. People will be means-tested for personal care.
Have you done any projected costings? What is the difference between keeping people where they are and the new facilities you speak about?
Where will the people in the two wards at VCH go to if the wards close?
Lack of choice in care homes in the private sector. A lot are of a very poor standard, dirty, smelly, poorly maintained, and the standard of care is poor.
Allison Cooke urged people to take the opportunity to respond to the consultation by the closing date of 14 January 2005.
The Chair thanked Allison Cooke for her input.
Approximately 20 members of the public left the meeting.
Minute 5 - Community Safety Update
Minute Text :
The Chair welcomed two members of Wirral DAAT, [Drug & Alcohol Action Team], Sgt Brian Hart, Crime and Disorder Project Officer and Ritchie Humphreys, Drugs & Alcohol Team Project Officer.
Brian Hart presented statistical information on issues identified in the Wirral Crime and Disorder Audit for 2001/2004. The findings from the Audit would inform the Crime and Disorder Plan for 2005 - 2008. The two key priorities would be violence [including domestic violence] and anti-social behaviour [including youth issues]; although other problems, [eg burglary] would not be ignored.
Ritchie Humphreys explained that the work of Drugs & Alcohol Team was primarily concerned with -
· preventing todays young people from becoming tomorrows problematic drug users;
· reducing the availability of illegal drugs;
· reducing drug-related crime and its effects on communities;
· reducing drug use and drug-related offending through treatment and support; and
· more recently, looking at alcohol misuse and developing complementary strategies for alcohol to those for drugs.
The two Officers explained that members of the team had visited all the Area Forums to tell the public about the work of DAAT, and to provide opportunities for Forum members and the general public to air their views on issues that affect their families and neighbourhoods, and to help identify any gaps that may exist. Comments would be welcome at Forum meetings, or questionnaires could be taken away for completion.
Discussion followed on the success rate for permanent cures for drug takers; the treatment available to drug users; and the apparent increase in drugs use despite the funding investment and other measures by successive Governments to curb the problem.
The Officers responded to issues raised by the Forum on -
Vandalism in the area of Heswall Hills Police Station; the amount of empty cans and bottles discarded in bus shelters; the frequency of patrols in areas around Heswall Hills and the railway station, the checks on under-age drinkers.
The Police Officers replied that the Heswall Hills area had been designated a 'hot spot'. Regular patrols by two community support officers helped by 15 community volunteers ensured that any problems arising from the activities of young people were quickly addressed. Officers had spoken to the children and where appropriate obtained their names and addresses and had contacted parents. An ongoing operation involved the local Authority, Police and trading standards officers in monitoring licensed premises, especially those suspected of selling alcohol to under-aged children.
A recent fatality and speeding traffic approaching the bend on Pensby Road near Greenbank Drive and the lack of a 'School' sign to indicate that there was a school at the top of Greenbank Drive.
The Police will undertake to investigate the speed of traffic and signage in the area.
The Chair thanked the Officers for their presentations and responses.
Minute 6 - Licensing Policy Presentation
Minute Text :
Ken Abraham, a solicitor with Wirral Borough Council explained that currently local authorities were responsible for granting licences for public entertainment, [eg public dancing and music, sporting events, or public musical entertainment in the open air or on private land], whilst liquor licences were dealt with by Magistrates' Courts. The Licensing Act 2003, transferred to the Local Authority the responsibility for granting licences to any individual or organisation in Wirral that wished to serve or sell alcohol or provide regulated entertainment and late night refreshments. A transitional period for implementation would start on 7 February 2005, when the Council would engage in a process to transfer all existing licences to the new system.
The Act required the Council to produce a Statement of Licensing Policy setting out the principles the Council would generally apply to promote the licensing objectives when making decisions under the Act. The licensing objectives, which were set out by the Government, were to promote public safety, prevent crime and disorder and public nuisance and protect children from harm.
Wirral Borough Council was consulting widely on its Draft Statement of Licensing Policy and would welcome comments by 8 November. The draft policy would be considered by Licensing Committee on 22 November and submitted for approval to Council on 20 December and implemented during February 2005.
The Chair thanked Ken Abraham for his presentation.
Minute 7 - Area Plans
Minute Text :
The Area Co-ordinator explained that each Area Forum was charged with the responsibility for preparing a local Area Plan. Working with elected representatives and members of local communities, considerable progress had been made on the plan for this Area Forum. The community needs and priorities identified in the Wards covered by the former Area Forum had been incorporated into the Area Plan for the Heswall, Pensby and Thingwall areas.
Copies of the plans for all Area Forums had been sent for consultation to all the Forum's partners, including Council Departments, the Police, Primary Care Trust and voluntary and community organisations. The feedback received would be incorporated into the report prior to circulation to members of the public. The final draft report would be presented to this Area Forum’s meeting in February 2005.
Minute 8 - Community Initiatives Fund
Minute Text :
Jan Evans reminded the meeting that each Area Forum received an annual allocation from the Community Initiatives Fund [CIF] to enable local organisations to undertake projects of work that would benefit people in their local neighbourhoods. This year, the CIF allocation for this Area Forum was ₤10,000, plus ₤2,607.75 carried forward from balances from the redistributed area forums.
On behalf of Area Forums, the availability of funds would be advertised in The Wirral Globe on 10 and 24 November, publicity materials would be circulated to groups and organisations and posted in Council buildings accessed by the public. The closing date for applications would be Monday, 20 December, the assessment panel would meet in the week beginning 10 January, and a report with recommendations would be presented to the Cabinet on Thursday, 10 February 2005.
Minute Decision :
Resolved:
i That Jan Evans be thanked for her report;
ii That this Area Forum notes it has an overall CIF allocation of ₤12,607.75 in 2004/2005;
iii That it be agreed that funding is directed at voluntary and community sector groups for a range of projects to benefit the communities of Heswall, Pensby and Thingwall wards;
iv That the limited amount of grant allocated to any one project be ₤1,000, although a higher payment may be considered in appropriate circumstances;
v Confirms that the assessment panel will comprise of: Councillor P Johnson, Councillor Mrs J McKelvie, John Birch (Pensby/Thingwall Community Representative) and Paul Duffy (Heswall Community Representative);
vi That the assessment panel be asked when reviewing bids to consider whether community safety funding might be used to supplement grant applications, or as a possible alternative where applications do not meet the criteria for the Community Initiative Fund.
Minute 9 - Dates of Future Meetings / Presentations
Minute Text :
Minute Decision :
Resolved:
i - That it be agreed that meetings be held on the following dates:
Thursday, 3 February 2005, at Pensby Junior School
Tuesday, 21 June 2005 at St Peter’s CE School, Heswall.
ii - That members of the public be invited to put forward their ideas for future presentations to the Chair or the Area Co-ordinator, when every effort would be made to arrange a presentation on the topic requested.
Minute 10 - Any Other Business
Minute Text :
A member of the public requested that in future paper could the minutes and agenda for meetings be deposited in reference libraries at Heswall and Pensby.
Minute 11 - CLOSE OF MEETING
Minute Text :
The Chair thanked members of the Area Forum and members of the public for their attendance and closed the meeting at 8.55 pm.
(Minutes Published: 17 November 2004)