Agenda and minutes

The Chair (Councillor J Walker) welcomed everyone present to the third meeting of the Chorley East Community Forum and indicated that representatives of Chorley Borough Council and its Community Forum partners (Lancashire County Council, the Parish Councils within the Forum area, Lancashire Constabulary and Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust) were present at the meeting to answer residents’ queries.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Borough Councillors Shaun Smith, Greg Morgan and Parish Councillor Anne Smith. 

The minutes of the meeting of the Chorley East Community Forum held on 12th July 2007 are attached.

The minutes of the meeting of the Chorley East Community Forum held at Astley Village Community Centre on 12 July 2007 were confirmed as a correct record.

A copy of the schedule detailing the action taken on issues raised at the Community Forum meeting held on 12 July 2007 is attached

Copies of a schedule detailing the action that had been taken on relevant issues raised at the Chorley East Community Forum on 12 July 2007 was enclosed as part of the agenda package. 

It was noted that the issue of smoking and noise on School Lane, Brinscall, had improved since the last meeting. 

It was noted that issues relating to health provision on Buckshaw Village would be considered later in the meeting.  

Representatives of the following organisations will report on any local issues / initiatives within the area of this Forum.

Representatives of Lancashire Police will report on the priorities for each PACT (Police and Community Together) and any other Community Policing initiatives.

The Chair welcomed Police Sergeant Christina Shorrock and her colleagues who were invited to advise the Forum of current Police initiatives and activity within the Chorley East Community Forum area.

PS Shorrock explained that the Pact priorities were set at the monthly PACT meetings.  The priorities for Whittle included motorcycles causing a nuisance at the quarry, parking on the A6 and youths grouping in hot spots.  The priorities for Clayton-le-Woods included the skate park and youth nuisance in Mendip Road.  For Clayton Brook the priorities were monitoring underage drinking, speeding and driving on Clayton Brook Road/Great Green Road and graffiti. 

The dates and venues for future meetings could be found on the Lancashire Police website: www.lancashirepolice.uk

Questions raised at the meeting:

A member of the public raised the issues caused by bikes.  PS Shorrock advised this was a difficult problem to solve as bikes don’t have registrations.  The Police were doing their best and would act on any information from members of the public. 

A member of the public queried if there was an update on recent burglaries in Whittle and Hoghton.  PS Shorrock reported that officers would be undertaking door to door enquiries and there was a lot of cross border intelligence being worked on. 

A member of the public raised the issue of speeding motorists in Lancaster Lane and lane control at The Hayrick.  PS Shorrock advised this would be targeted and noted that the Police could only target problems if they were aware of them. 

A Borough Councillor advised that parking on Chapel Street in Brinscall caused an issue of obstruction at the Londis.  PS Shorrock advised that was an issue between Parkwise and the Police and would be dealt with on a case by case basis. 

Refuse and Recycling Collections – Service Design Options

Paul Carter, Public Health Team Leader, will present a verbal report on the options available for kerbside refuse and recycling collections.

Housing developments in gardens

Jane Meek, Corporate Director (Business), will present a verbal report on gardens being developed for housing.  

Refuse Collection and Recycling Contract

The Chair introduced Simon Clark, Chorley Council’s Environmental Health Manager, who had been invited to address the Forum on the Council’s plans to enhance its refuse collection and recycling service.

Mr Clark reported that the Council’s current Refuse Collection and Recycling Contract was due to expire in March 2009 and explained the option for a redesigned service for which the Council would be inviting tenders.  Proposals had been drawn up in response to a recent survey.  The survey had shown widespread support for the continuation of an alternate weekly collection service and wheeled bins for recyclable materials.

The preferred option included:

?          the new contract would commence in April 2009 and run for 10 years up to 2019, with the introduction of a new fleet of vehicles after 5 years;

?          all collected waste, including recyclable materials, would be deposited at the Leyland Waste Technology Park, instead of landfill sites, from 2010;

?          plastic sacks and containers would be replaced by an additional bin, with a pod insert, for the disposal of cans/plastic bottles/glass and paper/cardboard, in addition to the current bins for residual household waste and garden waste;

?          the introduction of a separate container for the kitchen waste of terraced, non-garden properties to be collected weekly;

?          a single vehicle would be used to collect waste, rather than the present use of several collection vehicles;

?            tailored solutions (such as the use of ‘cow bins’ for specified waste products) would be examined for properties in multi-occupation, according to available financial resources.

It was noted that some residents would experience problems in storing up to 3 bins.  The proposals were the Council’s current preferred option and the Authority would take into account feedback from residents before decisions on the contact specifications were made.

Anyone wishing to comment on the plans to alter the refuse collection and recycling contract was requested to notify Simon Clark or any member of the Waste Collection Team at the Civic Offices, Bengal Street, Chorley or by calling 01257 515151.

Questions raised at the meeting:

A resident queried if clinical waste could be presented.  Mr Clark advised this should be presented in a secure way.  Any specific requests could be made to him. 

A resident advised that there have been issues surrounding assisted collections where bins and boxes were left all over the place after having been emptied.  Mr Clark reported that the solution to this problem was to have a supervisor loader and although the position had been advertised the Council had been unable to recruit to the post.  In response to this two recycling response vehicles and a supervisor have been employed to go round two hours after collections to tidy up any mess.  Specific issues or problems should be reported to Mr Clark or the Waste Collection Team at the Bengal Street offices.   

A resident queried the procedure for when refuse was not collected.  Simon explained that if a road was blocked the vehicle should return within 3 hours or should make the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23b

Youth and Community Service

To receive from Steve McBride, the District Team Manager from the Youth and Community Children and Young People Directorate, an update on the work of the Youth and Community service within the area of the East Community Forum. 

The Chair introduced Steve McBride (Team Manager, Youth and Community Services) to update the Forum on the work of the Youth and Community service within its area. 

Mr McBride outlined that services were provided across the Borough and the team were hoping to be fully staffed again by December.  A flavour of the projects were outlined, including a video project in Astley Village, a Friday youth club in the summer at Chorley Youth and Community Centre and a youth work session in the Liptrot/South West.  Work was also being undertaken on junior pact in Clayton and a new project based at Applejacks for an under 18’s disco was a really positive example of working with all agencies.  It was hoped that bids for Youth Opportunity Fund money would be successful. 

Questions raised at the meeting:

A Parish Councillor expressed a wish for improved facilities for young people in Whittle-le-Woods.  Mr McBride advised that a youth worker had been appointed for this area who would improve links with interested parties and facilities provided. 

A Parish Councillor noted that there was little provision for the Withnell and rural areas.  Mr McBride undertook to explore possibilities to access funding and opportunities and would request an item on Lancashire Locals in respect of this. 

To consider any issues raised by the representatives of the Parish Councils at the meeting.

Prior to the Forum meeting, each Parish Council had been invited to submit any issues or questions which they wished to raise or promote at the meeting.  In response, the following issues were debated at the meeting:

Over a period of years we have been contacting local Parish Councillors and the Highways Department with respect to the volume and speed of traffic along the A674 Blackburn Road at Higher Wheelton.  We finally this year managed to get a Highways site meeting.  Where is the report and what is the plan?  County Councillor Mrs Case advised that this would be progressed through the Lancashire Locals Committee and that the work was due to commence next spring.   

How radically can building plans be amended without going back to Parish Council’s for consultation?  Planning officers undertook to report back to the Parish Councillor.  

A short presentation will be given on the PCT Community Engagement Development Strategy and Action Plan.  A copy of the consultation letter outlining the details is enclosed.

An update will also be presented on proposals for the medical centre at Buckshaw Village. 

The Chair welcomed Maureen Harrison (Community Engagement) with the Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust) who showed a DVD highlighting the PCT’s promotion of its three principal goals which were: increasing longevity and improving quality of life, expanding services where they are most needed and empowering people and communities.

Mrs Harrison invited views and comments on issues connected with and surrounding the PCT’s main aspirations so that the organisation could tailor services to meet local needs in its efforts to provide the best service possible.

Mrs Harrison advised that the PCT were looking the provision of healthcare on Buckshaw Village.  A survey had been distributed to residents with 600 having been received back.  In the new year there would also be a consultation exercise on the potential for a medical centre on Buckshaw Village.

The Chair will present a verbal report on the Big 3 Issues.

The Chair reported that the outcome of the recent survey to identify the three main concerns affecting the Chorley South Community Forum area had been inconclusive in that the majority of responses had identified issues that were outside the direct control of Chorley Council.

The Council would need, therefore, to seek other opinions and determine how best the £12,500 allocated in the Council’s budget to fund appropriate projects in each of the four Community Forum areas should be spent.

A period of 30 minutes will be allocated to allow members of the public to raise questions and express views on any matters relating to local services affecting the community.

Question cards will be available at the meeting for members of the public to complete and hand in before the start of the meeting.  Where possible questions will be answered on the night.  If a question cannot be answered a written response will follow.  A summary of the responses to questions submitted will be included on the agenda for the next meeting.

The Chair invited the local residents present at the meeting to raise questions and express views on any matters relating to the provision of local services or issues affecting the Angelzarke, Astley Village, Brindle, Clayton-le-Woods, Cuerden, Euxton (North East Ward), Heapey, Hoghton, Wheelton, Whittle-le-Woods and Withnell Wards.

In addition, a supply of Question Cards was made available at the meeting as an opportunity for residents to write their enquiries or views on the cards.

The Chair indicated that the appropriate Officer and/or Partner representative would endeavour if possible, to provide a direct response to questions and issues raised at the meeting.  If this was not possible, a written reply would either be sent to the questioner as soon as possible after the matter had been full investigated or a response reported to the next Forum meeting.

The following issue was raised at the meeting.  The venue was not suitable as the meeting room was not big enough and there was no proper access for disabled people.  Officers apologised for the facilities at the venue.  It was a policy to vary the areas were each Forum was held, unfortunately all of the other venues within the Clayton areas were booked for this night.  This venue would not be used again.

Members of the Public will be invited to express their views on the format of the meeting and to submit issues for consideration at the next meeting.

The Chair drew attention to the feedback cards available at the meeting and invited the attendees to complete them to express their views on the format, arrangements and conduct of the Forum meeting.  The cards could also be used to suggest items for consideration at the next meeting.

The next meeting of the Forum would be held on Thursday 7 February 2008, the venue would be advised nearer the time.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Chair thanked all the members of the public present for their attendance and participation in the Community Forum meeting and expressed his gratitude to the Council Officers and Partner representatives for their contributions.