Police

Inspector Julie Fletcher informed the forum that there were information packs and a newsletter available at the meeting, and that anyone wishing to receive regular updates could add their details onto the community engagement list – this information can be posted out if required. She introduced the new Sergeant for Seacombe, Sergeant Dave Hird, who has replaced Sergeant Paul Parry, and gave the following updates:

• Section 30 Orders – there are two new areas covered by S30 orders in the Seacombe Area (Brougham Road; Percy/Palatine Road) running from 4pm each evening from 31^st July 2009 to 31^st January 2010. This allows for groups of youths to be moved on from the area, they can be arrested if they return within a 24 hour period. We are working closely with Youth Services and the Respect Tem to point them to activities available.

• Halloween / Bonfire Night – an environmental / visual audit will be carried out on Wednesday and Thursday to make sure the area is as clean as possible prior to these. A clean up will start next week following completed questionnaires received from 73 residents.

• Army Initiative – this involved identifying young people, channelled through the Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Team, and engaging them with Army / police Officers to get them to try and re-educate them and show them the problems anti-social behaviour causes. The initiative is not to reward bad behaviour but to reduce crime / ASB. This has been successful and has led to the following:
  • Males - three have joined the Army and three more are in the process of joining the Army; one has found full-time employment and three are in college
  • Females – three are attending a 13 week Army preparation course and one is joining the Navy.

The Chair thanked Inspector Fletcher; and congratulated the Police on their successes within the area. The following questions / issues were raised:

1.  Councillor Jones – congratulated the Police on the Army Initiative as this was a first class approach leading to prevention of young people going down a criminal path by catching them early.

Dave Hale added his congratulations and felt that this was the way forward, but asked if people with three previous convictions wee barred from the armed forces, or if being part of this initiative would mean that they may be accepted.

A. The Army has a problem with recruitment, criminal convictions do not necessarily bar people from joining the armed forces, unless the crimes are very serious. It may be that the person is not allowed to join for 12 months, to show that they can behave responsibly, and we have support measures in place to help with this.

2.  Carole Thomas – Is Mischief Night the same night as Halloween.

A. Mischief Night is an American tradition and is often used by young people to behave badly. It is the night before Halloween, and we count this as a key date. This year we are looking at 30^th, 31^st October; and 1^st November (as this is a Sunday) along with 5^th November.

3.  Member of the public – at about 10pm last night there was a group of boys sitting on the awning over the shops in Poulton Road (about 1/3^rd of the way along the road up on the left from the traffic lights) and there was a group of about 10/20 outside Tescos.

A. Chair – agreed to discuss this with Sergeant Hird at the end of the meeting.

4.  Stan Thomson – congratulated the Police on their work with young people, for the monthly newsletter and for their help at Mariners Park.

5.  Dave Hanlon – Thanked the Police, through Inspector Fletcher, for their help in the area last Saturday, and raised the following issue: In august at Central Park one of the referees was assaulted by a footballer, who subsequently ran off. What is the procedure regarding such incidents, should they be reported to the Police or to the Football Association?

A. It would depend on the level of assault. Normally the Football Association is consulted, but if it was serious then the Police would deal with the matter without such consultation.

Fire Service

John Davies informed the forum that there was an update on pages 12 -13 of the forum papers, and highlighted the following:

·  Danger of Fire – there have been two fires, leading to deaths, in flats above shops within 200 yards of Wallasey Town Hall, and there are about 10 deaths per year caused by fires in flats over shops across Merseyside. The fires were not connected, but we had tried and failed to access the properties to carry out home fire safety checks in the past, it is therefore important that we are able to carry out fire safety checks on such properties so we have ran a hotspot campaign in the area to try and encourage people to have smoke alarms fitted. If you know of anyone without a smoke alarm please get them to contact us on freephone 0800 731 5958.

·  Mischief Night – this is now seen as Mischief week and initiatives will start on 21^st October and run through to 8^th November 2009. Bonfires cause concern and damage, so we try to remove bonfires as they are being built. We do this in collaboration with the Community Safety Team and the Probation Service, if anyone has any concerns please telephone and report them on freephone 0800 731 5958. We also work with Trading Standards to prevent the sale of illegal fireworks.

The Chair thanked John Davies for his update and the following questions / issues were raised:

6.  Councillor Salter – What period are shops allowed to sell fireworks?

A. Fireworks can be sold from 15th October to 10^th November. Traders have to apply for a licence to sell and store fireworks and have to follow a code of practice for this. If anyone has any concerns over this (e.g. sale of fireworks to children / large stores of fireworks) please let us know.

7.  Carole Thomas – raised concern over only one fire engine being stationed in Wallasey, and asked if the policy had changed as thought that it was that two engines would be stored in the area. What would happen if there was a large blaze in the area?

A. Fire engines are placed where we consider the risk is going to be. The control room moves the engines to where they are required. One engine was taken away temporarily for strike training, to ensure that engines can be operated in the event of strike action. Birkenhead Station is down the road and can cover the community of Wallasey if needed. Appliances can be moved wherever they are required to maintain a minimum level of cover and resources are moved to maintain attendance time.

8.  Dave Hale – thanked the Police for getting in touch with the Fire Service when an explosive device was put through his letterbox, who came along and fitted a bag at the door. He agreed to send out information on this to residents in the local area (700 houses).

9.  Dave Hanlon – The period for selling fireworks was too long and we should campaign nationally to get this reduced.

A. Agree, but this is set by National Legislation and Merseyside are pro-active at Parliamentary level on this issue.

10.Dave Hanlon – asked if John was standing in for Tony Mooney or if he had retired. John confirmed that he was just standing in for Tony.

Older Peoples Parliament (OPP)

Stan Thompson informed the forum that there was information on the OPP at the meeting, and highlighted the following initiatives / progress of the OPP:

·  Crime and Respect Away Day organised by Age Concern – this was well attended and received. It involved many agencies (Police, Magistrates, Fire Service, Trading Standards, Community Safety), as well as Stephen Hesford MP. It looked at how the Government was tackling the crime issue. It was well attended and there was lots of positive feedback, so thank you to everyone who attended.

·  Care Services / changes – to look at consultation document to explore options as there is a higher population of older people and therefore a need for more care services.

·  Shaping the future of care together – looking at different options for accessing  /funding care services put forward by the Government for consultation.

·  Housing Conference – to be held in May 2010

·  Grandparents caring for grandchildren – OPP has a specialised group offering support to grandparents, so if you know of anyone in that position please put them in touch.

The Chair thanked Stan Thomson for his update and the following questions / issues were raised:

11.Dave Hanlon – advised the forum that he had attended the Crime and Respect Conference where he had asked Stephen Hesford MP about the issue of the possible removal of travel passes and received a response, but that a recent article in the paper answered the question thoroughly. He added that he felt that maybe too much was covered in the one day.

12.Area Co-ordinator – can people from Liverpool call and receive advice from the Wirral Grandparents Group?

A. Stan agreed to discuss this at the end of the meeting.

13.Councillor Karen Hayes – When will the Grandparents Group conference take place?

A. No date has been agreed for this. The Chair requested an update on this for the next meeting.

NHS Wirral

Andrew Cooper informed the forum that there was an update on pages 19-20 of the forum papers, and highlighted the following:

·  Swine Flu – there are collection points for the anti-viral treatments at Health Centre at Arrowe Park, Tescos in Bidston and Asda in Liscard.

·  Health Campaign – involving placing a dental bus in Seacombe to work with the dentist to carry out six-week baby checks to aim to get through to siblings and parents.

·  Eastham Walk-in Centre – this is now available and is open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week. There will be a doctor on site and minor injuries / ailments can be dealt with there, as well as access to x-ray facilities.

·  Voice of Wallasey Group – a public feedback group has been set up following on from expressions of interest from the Have Your Say campaign. A care forum of 20 people now meets on a monthly basis, and we want the chair of the group to sit on the locality board and to become actively involved in decision making.

The Chair thanked Andrew Cooper for his update and the following questions / issues were raised:

14.Father Leon Ostaszewski – I was a member of the Patient and Public Health group - what was the difference between these?

A. The Voice of Wallasey Group is not duplication; it is based on looking at health needs and is provision orientated.

15.Councillor Denis Knowles – are you aware of the health checks being carried out at Guinea Gap Baths, where there is a steady flow of people taking this up. Health checks are also taking place at Seacombe Community Centre, but are poorly attended as it does not seem to be widely advertised.

A. Dr Shymal Mukherjee agreed to feed this back to the relevant department and advised that health checks were also available at GP surgeries. He added that a huge campaign was being carried out on this and that it will be part of a rolling programme over the next few years.

16.Stan Thompson – if someone wants a health check do they need ot go through the GP surgeries?

A. Dr Mukherjee – you can go through your GP to arrange this.

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Jo Goodfellow informed the forum that there was an update on pages 17-18 of the forum papers, and highlighted the following:

·  The Trust worked closely with NHS Wirral on provision of a new assessment facility next door to the Accident and Emergency unit, which has helped to speed up services and work better for patients.

·  Improving our services: -

o  The Trust has been rated as one of the top 40 performing hospitals for the third year running.

o  We have had a 30% decrease in the number of Clostridium difficle cases compared to the same quarter last year.

The Chair thanked Jo Goodfellow for her update and the following questions / issues were raised:

17.Dave Hale – Isn’t CDLC more about hand washing, and how many cases of infection were involved in the 30% decrease?

A. We are building a new contamination control area, and there are much tighter regulations on this. The decrease was 81 down to 56 cases, and this is continuing to decline.

Dr Mukherjee added that all patients are screened for MRSA and given a wash to help clear this. Antibiotics can cause Clostridium difficile in the stomach, so GPs have reduced the provision of these and it is hoped that this will disappear within the next 6 to 8 months.

18.Councillor Denis Knowles – Is there any more news on the issue of same sex wards, raised by Carole Thomas several months ago?

A. Work is underway, but this is a long process. Intensive care facilities do have mixed sex wards, to ensure that we make the best use of facilities. Building works to separate out wards, and some have separate toilet blocks – we are moving in the right direction.

Streetscene

Chris Jones informed the forum that there was an update on pages 14-16 of the forum papers, and highlighted the following:

·  Highway Maintenance the Council has a new Highway Maintenance Partner – Colas Limited, a single source contractor who will carry out all highway works. We need feedback and comments on works carried out so that we can make sure that Colas are providing a good service.

The Chair thanked Chris Jones for his update and the following questions / issues were raised:

19.Ken Harrison – mentioned that he had heard lots of complaints about the resurfaced roadway at St Albans Road – going into Wallasey Road seems like a skating rink and will become an even bigger problem when it is frosty.

A. This has been resurfaced with high PSO with skid resistance, as it was not possible to get chips on the road at that point. No problems on this stretch of road have been reported to Streetscene.

The Chair asked if Chris had inspected the resurfacing work, and Chris confirmed that he had and that he had been assured that it had sufficient skid resistance. 

20.Councillor Karen Hayes – people were not given enough notice when roads were being re-surfaced.

A. Chris apologised for the inconvenience, and assured the forum that the contractor was being informed of what is expected, and that a protocol was being put in place to ensure that fair warning is given to residents. These are teething troubles, and it is why we want feedback to ensure that a decent service that offers value for money is provided.

21.Dave Hale – mentioned slippery area where some pot holes had been filled in by the Nat West Bank and that his wife had slipped over, which will only get worse when it is frosty.

A. Chris agreed to discuss this at the end of the meeting.

22.Councillor Adrian Jones – thanked the officers for their fast responses and work carried out on trees etc.

23.Stan Thompson – expressed gratitude to Councillor Leah Fraser for finding the funding for a pedestrian refuge in the Mariners Park area. He added that the vehicle activated speed sign funded through the Area Forum was fitted on the wrong side of the road; Streetcene was notified of this and are to have this moved. Chair suggested that the bus stop could be moved and a permanent vehicle activated sign be placed in the area.

24.Councillor Denis Knowles – Is it true that Colas groups jobs together to take advantage of economies of scale; this could lead to jobs at the beginning of the list having to wait longer?

A. The more we can put together a programme of work the more we can get for our money e.g. the more name plates we order the cheaper the price; and programming work can increase efficiency. Work is issued to the Contractor two times per month and if it is a priority it may not wait until get more value for money.

Mark Camborne added that jobs relating to safety issues do not wait, and that economies of scale benefit everyone.

Community Safety

Karl Cunningham and Pat Harvey informed the forum that there was an update on pages 24-26 of the forum papers, and highlighted the following:

·  Youth problems – the names of offenders had been passed to the Police and are being monitored by partner agencies.

·  Dog Fouling Campaign – this was a successful campaign run over the Summer.

·  Community Support Officers are out and about 24 hours a day and deal with all sorts of problems, including:

o  Working with partners

o  Holding keys re: fire alarms etc.

o  Visiting older people’s home after hours

o  Removing racist graffiti – there was an incident where graffiti was removed and the perpetrators arrested within one hour.

25.Stan Thompson added that there was a noticeable improvement re: dog fouling at Egremont.

26.Member of the Public – reported problem of dog dirt at Kings Street.

A. Karl Cunningham – we are aware of problem areas, but have noticed a vast improvement overall. Pat Harvey added that problem areas should be reported, through the Streetscene call centre, and these will be targeted.

Mark Camborne – informed the forum that consultations were taking place for the following:

·  Shoreline Management Plan - looking at sea defences and dealing with issues such as climate change / rising sea levels

·  Governance Review – an important consultation about Council management arrangements – to be responded to by the end of November 2009.

Information on these, along with details of how to get involved and have your say, was available at the meeting and Mark agreed to discuss these in more detail at the end of the meeting, if required.

27.Carole Thomas – how is this information being put out to the public?

A. The Area Co-ordinator confirmed that the consultations documents were available at Libraries and Council Receptions and that the Area Forum Co-ordinators had passed details to the Forum’s Community Representatives – to pass on the information. Mark added that it was advertised in the free press last week and was being mentioned at all the Area Forum meetings, he requested everyone to raise awareness of these.

28.Dave Hale – if residents are to be consulted then it should be done directly, by mail to each household to ensure that all residents are reached, and not through third parties.

A. Each district has been asked to consult on this, following clear guidelines. We are mentioning this in as many public places as possible.

Minute Decision:

Resolved that:-

(i)  The partners be thanked for their updates.

(ii)  Stan Thomson to give an update on the Grandparents Group conference at the next meeting.

(iii)  Dr Mukherjee to feed back re: lack of advertising of health checks at Seacombe Community Centre