Meeting documents
Area Forum (Liscard and Seacombe)
Wednesday, 14th February 2007
Present
Chair
D Hawkins
Ward Councillors
L Fraser, AER Jones, JJ Salter
Community Representatives
Fr. Leon Ostaszewski, Carole Thomas (Liscard Community Representative)
Lead Officer
Mark Camborne (Health & Safety & Resilience Operations Manager)
Area Service Co-ordinator
Andrew Brannan, Michelle Gray
Primary Care Trust
Tricia Moroney
Merseyside Police
Sgt Robby Keating, PC Greg Lambert, CSO David Lamont
Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service
Tony Mooney
Council Officers
Christine Jones (Children and Young People), Phil Miner, Jim Thompson (Crime and Disorder Project Officer)
Apologies
Margaret Allen (Seacombe Community Representative), John Drew (Seacombe LCP), DT Knowles, Diane Ledder , G Leech, Jo McCourt (Wallasey YMCA)
Index to Minutes
- Minute 1 - Welcome and introductions
- Minute 2 - Area Co-ordinators report
- Minute 3 - Public question time
- Minute 4 - Presentation on Wallasey District Cycle Network
- Minute 5 - Presentation on Mobile Community Police Station
- Minute 6 - Wirral Primary Care Trust: Public Health Annual Report
- Minute 7 - Partner Updates: - Merseyside Police - Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service
- Minute 8 - Dates of future meetings/Presentations
- Minute 9 - Any other business
Minute 1 - Welcome and introductions
Minute Text :
Councillor Dave Hawkins announced his election as Chair of the Area Forum, in place of Councillor Adrian Jones.
The Chair welcomed forum members and 30 members of the public to the meeting of the East Wallasey [Liscard/Seacombe] Area Forum in Wallasey Town Hall. He introduced Michelle Gray, as the new Area Co-ordinator from the next meeting in June, and invited Forum members to introduce themselves.
Minute 2 - Area Co-ordinators report
Minute Text :
The Area Co-ordinator highlighted the key articles and information in his report –
• Safer and Stronger Communities: Merseyside Police are seeking Community Volunteers, Special Constables, Police Community Support and Traffic Officers, from people of all ages, races, genders and educational backgrounds. [Details of the Volunteer Recruitment Co-ordinator are given on page 15 of the area co-ordinator’s report]. .
• Older People’s Parliament: Although there had been a good response from people in this area, one or two places are still available. People over 50 who are interested in joining the Older People’s Parliament should telephone Tracey Smith on 0151 691 8026, or email traceysmith@wirral.gov.uk for an application form.
• Wirral Hospital NHS Trust: The Trust has asked that the attention of the Area Forum is brought to the Trust’s Engagement Strategy. Presentations would be given at future forum meetings to ‘set the scene’ for the Trust’s plans for the next five years.
• Youth update – Information on the Youth Voice Conferences and Youth Parliament.
• Area Forum Funding Progress Report - Information on the distribution of funding allocated to projects and initiatives in the Liscard/Seacombe areas.
• Local Area Plan - An update on the area plan for Liscard and Seacombe. Work has started on updating and refreshing the area plan.
• Integrated Transport Block Report - Area Forums are invited to advise of any traffic issues or locations requiring investigation for potential inclusion in the Integrated Transport Block programme for 2007/08.
Suggestions should be sent to in writing or by email to the Area Co-ordinator, who would collate the responses for submission to the Director of Technical Services by Friday, 9 March 2007.
Operation Joker: Michelle drew attention to a new project operating in Neighbourhood Renewal areas from March/April. There would be a focus on terraced properties in areas where bins are left out all week long and there is fly tipping in entries. The 100/150 entries selected will have signage and there will be enhanced awareness raising through leaflets drops and by door-knocking. The entries would be monitored and enforcement action taken where appropriate.
Members of the public are invited to nominate streets or clusters of streets via the area forum tonight or by e-mailing or faxing the area co-ordinator, Michelle Gray, not later than Thursday, 15 March 2007.
Minute decision:
Resolved: That the Area Co-ordinator be thanked for his report.
Minute 3 - Public question time
Minute Text :
Pre-empting questions on the current situation on bin collections, Mark Camborne suggested that members of the public were already aware that Biffa had been awarded the waste collection contract and that the change-over had coincided with the roll out of the three-bin system across the whole of Wirral. Due to the poor weather conditions, collections had been suspended for a couple of days last week on health and safety grounds. Householders had advise on the days to leave their bins out and 17 crews had worked through the following weekend to clear the backlog. Biffa had given assurances that a concerted effort would be made to empty the bins in the streets and individual households that have been missed.
A member of the public commented that households in terraced properties had been advised to deposit their bins at identified collection points to avoid bins being strewn randomly along the streets. A situation could arise where there are up to 30 bins at the collection point, thus creating a health, safety and fire hazard for the houses adjacent to the collection point. In addition, in instances where the bins are not emptied on the designated day, people are expected to push their bins up and down cobbled alleyways every day until the collection eventually takes place. - Mark Camborne stated he understood the highest priority was given to emptying bins at authorised collection points. He would raise the points made with the Waste Management Team and report back.
Dave Hanlon stated that he was delighted with the new bin collection service. He asked for his appreciated to be recorded and conveyed to those people responsible for drawing up the new contract.
• Street lighting – Rice Hey Road: Mr Miller drew attention to poor levels of lighting in the road - Mark Camborne stated that the issue had been raised previously with the Street Lighting Manager and two of the lights had been replaced. He would enquire about the possibility of further improvements to street lighting in the road in the new financial year.
• Litter in Trafalgar Road – A suggestion was made that the litter problem in Trafalgar Road could be addressed by employing wardens to patrol the area just before and after school hours, and by the provision of additional litterbins. The installation of a camera would deter people from allowing their dogs to foul the area.
• Speed Bumps – Mark Camborne would arrange for the Traffic Engineer to contact the member of the public to explain why the particular types of speed bumps have been installed in the roads referred to.
• Coat of Arms: Father Leon pointed out that at the last meeting that he had suggested a coat of arms, not a road sign, in Liscard Way, and congratulated Streetscene on dealing with the matter. He suggested that similar plaques with coats of arms could be erected in other locations in Wirral.
• Europa Square: Father Leon suggested that the bandstand removed from Europa Square could be relocated in Wallasey Central Park. – Mark Camborne to take up with David Ball.
• Football pitches A request for information on the Council’s policy on the use of playing fields in the winter, which usually results in a high number of local matches and junior league matches being cancelled. – Mark Camborne replied that he would ask Jim Lester to contact the member of the public direct to discuss the matter.
Minute 4 - Presentation on Wallasey District Cycle Network
Minute Text :
Mandy Keenan gave a presentation on the District Cycle Plans. She explained that a cycle plan is essentially a series of routes that form a network to serve the local area. The aim of the plan is to make travelling around the local area by cycle easier and safer. She would appreciate the views of local residents on whether the plan for Wallasey is the right one.
Mandy explained that one of the aims of the Cycling Solutions initiative was to involve more secondary aged children in cycle training. The training would involve on-road training based on new national training standards.
Father Leon stated that vast numbers of children cycle on pavements and this was particularly dangerous for them, particularly near bus stops when they have to look behind to see buses approaching. . He suggested that children should be encouraged to use the carriageway - a practice that would calm down other traffic and be safer for the children.
Minute decision:
Resolved: That Mandy Keenan be thanked for the presentation.
Minute 5 - Presentation on Mobile Community Police Station
Minute Text :
Laura Newman, Community Development Officer, gave a presentation on the Mobile Community Police Station.
The mobile police station had been introduced in January 2006. When it is closed it looks like a large metal shipping container, but when it is open it becomes a facility that, initially, was intended to be a police station. Due to the lack of sufficient manpower, the facility has been used instead as a multi-agency resource by the Police and Fire Services, the voluntary sector, and by young people. Two surveillance cameras operate on the unit for 24 hours a day and the unit is open for as many hours as manning allows.
When the unit had been located in Seacombe, crime in the area had been reduced by 40%, and anti-social behaviour by 17%, but crime in the surrounding areas increased by 39% compared with previous statistics.
When the unit moved to Borough Road, Birkenhead more agencies and partners had been become involved and crime in areas surrounding Borough Road had reduced by 80%, with no sustained displacement. The unit had now been moved to Menai Street, near Charing Cross in Birkenhead.
The unit is deployed to locations that have the highest number of incidents and referrals recorded in computer statistics and stays in the location for 12 weeks. Recorded statistics are not high for some areas because residents do not report low level incidents of anti-social behaviour. Incidents should be reported to the call centre on 606 2020, or to Crimestoppers.
Dave Hanlon commented that in his experience the Police respond very quickly to calls and intercede where necessary. Local residents are delighted with the service they receive, and the work done in Seacombe is especially appreciated.
Minute 6 - Wirral Primary Care Trust: Public Health Annual Report
Minute Text :
Dr Mukherjee drew attention to the Wirral PCT update on pages 19/20 of the Area Co-ordinator’s report. He introduced Tricia Moroney, Public Health Manager. Tricia would join Dr Mukherjee in representing the Wirral Primary Trust at future Forum meetings.
A community engagement event was being planned in the Seacombe area in the Spring. Members of the community would be asked for their views on the health and social needs of residents in the area and the comments received would be fed into the Health Action Plan. The involvement of Forum members at the event would be appreciated.
England would become smoke free from 1 July 2007, when smoking will be banned in all enclosed public places and workplaces in England. Local Environmental Health Officers, who have powers to issue fixed penalty fines, will enforce the law. People who want to take the first steps towards giving up smoking can obtain further information from Wirral SUPPORT Intermediate Advisers in medical centres and practices, and from local pharmacies.
This year, Wirral’s Public Health Report has been presented in an electronic format. An interactive presentation would be given at the end of the meeting.
Resolved: That Dr Mukherjee and Tricia Moroney be thanked for their updates.
Minute 7 - Partner Updates: - Merseyside Police - Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service
Minute Text :
Merseyside Police: Although manning levels fluctuate from time to time, about 70 police officers operate from Wallasey Police Station, and approximately half of that number are on duty at any one time, according to the rota system. In 2006, the 70 Officers had arrested 2,575 suspects, investigated 4,542 crimes and attended/dealt with 10,762 calls from the public, 80% within the specified time scale. The Chief Constable’s Annual Report would probably recognise Wallasey as one of the three top performing neighbourhood teams on Merseyside in responding to calls.
Issues dealt with recently included the closure of the brothel in Poulton Road when four people had been arrested and the owner of the property had served a notice to quit on the tenant operating the brothel.
Within the next month, Liscard would be designated an ‘alcohol free’ zone, and it was anticipated that this move would have a positive impact on anti-social behaviour.
There had been a spate of car-related crimes in and around the Seacombe area. Three individuals had been apprehended and sentenced to a total of 3½ years imprisonment.
Apart from the emotional stress caused to relatives and families, the cost of the damage to 165 gravestones in Rake Lane Cemetery had been estimated at one million pounds. Four individuals had been apprehended, and although first offenders, because of the seriousness of the matter, the case had been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service. The hearing had been arranged for 19 March.
The Crime Reduction Officer had met the Friends of Rake Lane Cemetery to discuss crime reduction measures in the cemetery and to identify the main points where youths congregate. Additional gates and lights around Earlston library would be installed and the level of patrolling around the cemetery will be maintained. No further damage had been caused since the initial major incident.
Councillor Jones commented that the Police force on Wirral has consistently performed better than other forces on Merseyside for several years. He commended the Wallasey force on dealing with the closure of the brothel and on their prompt response to other incidents, including two incidents relating to dangerous dogs on Egremont Promenade. He corrected the erroneous statistical information published on youth crime and congratulated Officers on the way they deal with youth crime.
A member of the public paid tribute to the excellent work carried out in Wallasey by Inspector John Hogan.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service: Areas of Wallasey which are considered to be high risk have been targeted for home safety checks, resulting in a year-on-year reduction in the number of domestic fires.
Kitchens are a major source of fire in domestic properties and a new initiative has been introduced whereby volunteers clean the oven in the homes of elderly or disabled householders. The service is free of charge and can be accessed on 0800 731 5958.
There have been 85 incidents of anti-social behaviour related fires. To address the issue, a full time Anti Social Behaviour Officer has been appointed to work with partners in trying to engage the young people and others who cause problems, in positive activities. For example, the renovation of an historic fire engine and equipment, which can lead to a qualification for the young people involved. A DVD has been sent to schools to show the dangers and consequences of poor behaviour.
Wirral would be the location for a high volume pumping appliance as part of the response to terrorist threats.
Community Safety: In 2000, there had been 3,500 burglaries in Wirral. In 2006, this figure had reduced to 1,485, confirming that Wirral is a safe place to live. On average, eleven crimes a day are reported in the Wallasey neighbourhood. The bulk of the crime is criminal damage and in the past eleven days there have been no reports of burglaries.
Resolved: That –
i Robby Keating, Greg Lambert, Tony Mooney and Jim Thompson be thanked for their updates;
ii the congratulations and very best wishes of this Area Forum be conveyed to John Hogan on his promotion to Chief Inspector;
iii proposal to invite some young people in the local area to a future area forum meeting when a presentation based on the DVD that was sent to schools will be shown.
Minute 8 - Dates of future meetings/Presentations
Minute Text :
Resolved: That the next meeting of the area forum be held on Monday, 18 June 2007.
Minute 9 - Any other business
Minute Text :
• Knowsley Avenue: Dave Hanlon thanked Chris Jones, Street Scene Manager, and the staff in the Technical Services Department, for progressing the road surfacing works in Knowsley Avenue and for making other improvements in the area.
• Andy Brannan: The Chair thanked Andy Brannan for his work and efforts on behalf of the Area Forum. He extended the very best regards of the Area Forum to Andy and wished him continuing success in his work with the new Area Forum. Andy thanked the Area Forum for the high level of support and co-operation he has received from East Wallasey Forum.
The Chair thanked everyone and closed the meeting.
(Minutes Published: 14 March 2007)