Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

AGREED – That the minutes of the last meeting held on 18 January 2017 be confirmed as a correct record.

Presentation on Chorley Youth Zone.

Janine Blythe, Chief Executive of Inspire, Chorley Youth Zone will attend the meeting.

Janine Blythe, Chief Executive of Inspire, Chorley Youth Zone attended the meeting to give a presentation.  The presentation can be viewed here: https://democracy.chorley.gov.uk/documents/s73853/InspireChorleyYouthZonePowerpoint3.pdf

In response to queries Janine clarified that the youth zone will be open when schools are closed, evenings, weekends and school holidays.  Specific opening times were yet to be confirmed but were typically from 3.30pm to 9pm or 10pm depending on the date and the ages of attendees.  Holiday club provision would be available.  Young people from 8 – 19 could access the Youth Zone, with young people aged up to 25 with learning difficulties. Hot meals and drinks would be available.  

Work was currently being undertaken to identify any barriers to young people attending the Youth Zone, including transport issues.  Solutions needed to be sustainable and there were opportunities for Parish Councils to work together with partners on solutions.   Michelle Graham was currently visiting each of the Town and Parish Councils to facilitate this.  

It would be important to work with the high schools within Chorley and other partner organisations.  Information was being gathered to ensure that the Youth Zone did not duplicate activities that were ongoing in the Parishes.  The use of the Youth Zone would be monitored to ensure that the offer was right.  It was hoped that the young people would all mix well together, as had been seen in other Youth Zones.  There may be opportunities for the building to be used for older people during school hours. 

The Chair thanked Janine for her attendance. 

How can the problems of social isolation be effectively addressed when there is a constant reduction in services such as local transport, meals on wheels, luncheon clubs, dial-a-ride and other community facilities? Should the Liaison group be contacting the Government to express its concern that social isolation is an increasing problem in local communities which needs to be urgently addressed?

Clive Hart, Adlington Town Council, queried how the problems of social isolation could be effectively addressed when there was a constant reduction in services such as local transport, meals on wheels, luncheon clubs, dial-a-ride and other community facilities.  He expressed a wish to work together with partners to form a cohesive plan. 

Alistair Bradley, Executive Leader of Chorley Council, advised that he had written to all Town and Parish Councils to ask for expressions of interest in working together on the issue of services, such as buses.  Six positive responses had been received, but 14 Councils had not yet responded.  Any solutions would have to be sustainable, and this could mean a charge for residents who qualified for a free bus pass, to retain the bus service. 

It was noted that social isolation was a complex issue, not exclusive to rural areas.  Jamie Carson, Deputy Chief Executive/Director (Early Intervention and Support), suggested that parish and town councils that wanted to make representations and advocate on behalf of their constituents may wish to consider pledging to initiative a discussion in their area, as part of the Jo Cox Loneliness Commission. Further details of how to do this are available at https://www.jocoxloneliness.org/

Jamie Carson highlighted that from April there would be an Integrated Community Well-being Service, with staff from Chorley Council and Lancashire Care Foundation Trust.  There would be an opportunity for a pilot scheme to consider social isolation and involve people in sustainable solutions.  Jamie Carson undertook to write to clerks with further information. 

Anglezarke Parish Council wished to raise the subject of oversize traffic and damage in the Parish.   Just before Christmas, workmen spent a week rebuilding one side of the bridge on Coppice Lane, after it had a wagon strike it and get stuck.  On the White Coppice web site on 1 February there was a picture of a vehicle that had been stuck for between 1 to 2 hours.  The bridge was again damaged.  If wagons such as this come down Coppice Lane there is no-where to turn and they go across the bridge, wreck the verges trying to turn at the junction and cannot make the angle back.

Councillor Gordon France has reported the matter to Lancashire County Council and has asked for a road sign stating that the bridge was not suitable for heavy vehicles.

Jane Curley, Anglezarke Parish Council, raised the subject of oversize traffic and damage in the Parish.  The bridge on Coppice Lane had to be rebuilt after it had a wagon damaged it.  If wagons such came down Coppice Lane there was nowhere to turn.

Lancashire County Council had agreed to install a sign advising that the road was not suitable for HGV’s. 

Whittle-le-Woods Parish Council asked if they could receive notification of any substantial works that are due to take place in the parish.

Awaiting response

Steve Perry, Withnell Parish Council, requested two weeks’ notice of any substantial works that are due to take place in the parish and notices in the vicinity of the works.  Jamie agreed and undertook to investigate why notification had not been given in this instance. 

In order to allow members of the Liaison and members of the public to raise issues of local concern, a period of 20 minutes has been set aside.

A member of the public may speak for no more than 3 minutes.  Members of the public are not required to give notice of the issue they intend to raise, although it is expected in the case of service issues that the appropriate mechanisms for resolving the issue have been explored. 

Where a question is raised which cannot be answered at the meeting, a record will be kept by officers supporting the meeting and it will be responded to via the appropriate mechanism.

Terry Dickenson, Wheelton, queried the changes to the wheeled bin service.  Alistair Bradley, Executive Leader of Chorley Council, advised that if bins were damaged because they hadn’t been brought in after collection and damaged there would be a charge to replace it.  However, if the bin was stolen, or damaged by Chorley staff this would be dealt with on a discretionary basis.  The aim was to encourage residents to look after their bins.  

Ian Horsfield, Anderton, advised he had attended a recent event at LCC where ABL Health had been mentioned and queried if this company was known to attendees.  Jamie Carson advised that the company had been commissioned by LCC to provide activities, such as walking clubs and health checks. 

Matthew Lynch, Chorley Council, suggested that Town and Parish Councils be contacted for their input into a new Overview and Scrutiny Task and Finish Group into Superfast Broadband. 

A schedule setting out deadlines for items to be requested on the agenda for the Chorley Liaison is enclosed. 

Future meetings were scheduled for 18 October 2017 and 19 July 2017.  An email would be sent to clerks to request items in advance of the meeting.