Public Document Pack
Agenda
St Michael's Ward Forum
6.00 pm on Wednesday, 18th March, 2015
Hope Centre, Sparkbrook Street, Hillfields, CV1 5LB
St Michael’s Ward Forum includes people who care about their neighbourhoods! At a
Ward Forum meeting you'll meet local Councillors, council staff, police, community
and voluntary groups and - most importantly - local people.
At the meeting, there will be an opportunity to raise any issues you want to discuss. If
you are able to come along we'll make sure you feel welcome. If you would just
prefer to listen to discussions and plans, that's fine&if you want to join in and help us
to get things done, that's even better!
At this meeting we're planning to:
1.
Welcome, introductions, and apologies
2.
Check the actions that were agreed at the last meeting
3.
Update and ward progress report from West Midlands Police
4.
Report on alleyway clearance programme
5.
Hillfields Resident Parking Scheme
6.
Open Forum
7.
Date and venue for next meeting
Agenda
The meeting will end by 8pm at the latest.
For dates and locations visit www.coventry.gov.uk/wardforums or follow us on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/coventrycc/ or Twitter @CoventryCC.
If you want to know what is going on in the city, or want an opportunity to raise an
issue with us or the police, the Ward Forum is the ideal place to raise it.
It's easy to get involved – all you have to do is turn up on the night!
To find out more
The Chair of your Ward Forum is:
Councillor Jim O'Boyle You can contact him on 024 7683 1545 or email
jim.o’[email protected].
You can also contact Barry Hastie (Senior Support Officer) at Coventry City Council
on 024 7683 3710 or [email protected] or you can contact Gemma
Tate (Support Officer) on 024 7683 1167 or [email protected] about
any issue concerning St Michael’s Ward Forum.
Hearing loops will be provided, but if you'd like a British Sign Language interpreter to
be at the meeting please contact the Support Officer at least a week before the
meeting so we can provide this service for you.
If you wish to start/stop receiving information relating to Ward Forums, please
email [email protected] or call 024 7683 1604 giving your
details and requesting that you are added or removed from our mailing list.
Coventry City Council is always looking at reducing the amount of paper we
produce and send out. If you have an email address and would prefer to be
emailed all Ward Forum documentation, please contact me using the details
above.
Agenda Item 2
Action Notes
St Michael’s Neighbourhood Forum
Held on 17th December 2014
Who was at the meeting?
Residents
Phil Busby
John Crawford
No of Residents:
Albert Frazier
Alan York
Helen Shah
5
Officers and Partner Agencies
Name
Representing
Councillor Jim O’Boyle
Coventry City Council – Ward Councillor (Chair)
Councillor David Welch
Coventry City Council – Ward Councillor
Barry Hastie
Coventry City Council – Senior Support Officer
Gemma Tate
Coventry City Council – Support Officer
Sergeant Karl Mackley
West Midlands Police
Wendy Tomes
Principal Sidney Stringer Academy
Dr Jocelyn Parry
Sidney Stringer Academy
Richard Blower
Hope Centre
Coventry City Council: 5
Partners: 3
1. Welcomes and Introductions
Councillor Jim O’Boyle welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked everyone for
their attendance.
Apologies were noted from residents Fahid Noor and Dorothy Senior
2. Actions from previous meeting
Updates on the actions from previous meeting are contained in the Update notes from
the March 2014 Meeting (see separate document)
Additionally Cllr O’Boyle wanted to inform residents that the Council has worked with
Community Payback formally Community Service to clear alley ways, for example
Cambridge Street and Wright Street have already been done. This scheme will be
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Action Notes
extended to Hartlepool Road, Wren Street, Harnell Lane East, Britannia Street and
Brunswick Road.
Cllr O’Boyle informed residents that Neighbourhood Forums will continue but there is
an on-going review about the format. Residents present said these meetings needed
more promotion. One resident suggested the use of advertising trailers in the City
Centre.
Cllr O’Boyle also informed residents about proposals for traffic calming measures for
Harnall Lane East. These proposals will be consulted on at the same time as the next
phase of the Hillfields Residents Parking Scheme.
3. Update On Sidney Stringer Primary School
Discussion:
Wendy Tomes (Principal, Sidney Stringer Academy) came to
provide an update about the new Sidney Stringer Primary School, a
Free School which has received Government Funding. The new
school will open next September and will have two reception
classes, a total of 60 children. So far the school have received 50
applications and are confident of filling the remaining places.
The school appointed a Head Teacher who will start in post, who
will be in post from January 2015. The focus now is on having a
building ready for the start of term in September 2015. It is hoped
that funding for a new building will be agreed. As part of the process
to obtain funding a formal consultation called a Section 10
consultation has to be undertaken to seek the views of local people
as to whether the Department of Education should enter into a
funding agreement the Sidney Stringer Multi-Academy Trust to build
and run a new Primary School. The consultation began on Monday
15th December 2014 and runs until 16th January 2015. There are
two consultation surgeries planned. One for tomorrow, 18th
December and one on the 7th January 2015. The school has also
leafleted and emailed key contacts in the area.
The school have also agreed a lease with the Council where it is
hoped the new school will be build. Residents asked whether there
would be a consultation about access routes to the new school.
Wendy confirmed there would be a consultation about those
aspects during the planning process.
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Action Notes
Residents queried how a Head Teacher can be appointed without
formal approval to build the new school. Jos explained that whilst it
is strange that is the process under the Academics Act. The Head
Teacher has been given a conditional offer letter, subject to funding.
In the event that funding isn’t give, which is unlikely the Department
of Education would be required to pay her salary. There is a
national shortage of Head Teachers and the therefore the
appointed candidate would not struggle to find a new post.
The website www.sidneystringerprimary.org.uk
has more information about the new school and updates and
newsletters will keep people updated about process.
Conclusion:
All residents were asked to state whether they think funding should
be given for the new school. All residents present voted in favour of
funding being given. Residents stated that they were pleased about
the application for the new school, as it will provide much needed
school places and make use of a piece of land that has been
derelict for some time.
Cllr O’Boyle thanked Wendy and Jos for their update.
4. Update from West Midlands Police
Discussion:
Sergeant Mackley introduced himself to residents, he has been a
Sergeant in the St Michaels Team for about 4 weeks. Work is
continuing to tackle Child Sexual Exploitation, or CSE as it is
known. The Police are actively working with parents of children that
may be at risk. New cameras have been installed in Primrose Hill
Street, Yardley Street and at the Youth Centre.
The Police are aware of drug related offences taking place in
Primrose Hill Park and as part of the strategy for tackling this,
sniffer dogs have been deployed. Drugs were found and removed
from the park.
Operation Scarlett, to tackle Street prostitution and kerbcrawling in
Hillfields continues. New cameras have been installed which
enables officers to use a laptop to see real time footage. This
includes a new camera in Hood Street. They are still using the in
car CCTV and the signage which explains use of cameras remains
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Action Notes
in place. The telephone box on Payne’s Lane has been removed.
This was previously an area where the working girls congregated.
The focus on the rehabilitation programme continues. The Police
have recently placed a number of working girls before the courts.
We have asked the Court to place the working girls on Engagement
support Orders (ESO's) which give them support from a number of
partner agencies to help them exit the sex trade in a structured way.
The ESO order will last for 6 months and if the individual does not
comply with the order they face a return to court where other
penalties can be imposed. Sometimes the working girls receive
fines and this money is used for charity and community groups in
the area. The maximum level of funding is £200. The money has
recently been used to take children from Southfields School to see
the pantomime. The Hope Centre Nursery have also benefited with
new toys. If residents have any ideas for how community groups
could use the funding please contact Sgt John Davenport. This
initiative is all part of the process to help the girls give back
something to the community and to help them understand how the
community has been affected by their work.
Conclusion:
One resident raised concerns from a business owner (not present in
meeting) about Anti-Social Behaviour in the Church Yard of St
John’s Church in Fleet Street in the City Centre. Sgt Mackley will
contact the business owner for more information about their
concerns. This will be dealt with outside of the forum meetings.
Cllr O’Boyle thanked Sergeant Mackley for his very useful and
informative update.
5. Budget Consultation
Discussion:
Barry Hastie gave a presentation about the Council’s budget
proposals for 2015/16. Barry explained that by 2016/17 Central
Government to the Council will have halved in 7 years. The budget
gap is still rising and is currently at £65m.
Therefore in order to balance budget the Council needs to change
its approach to service delivery. This will mean that some services
which resident’s value will be lost. The Council needs to focus
resources on protecting services to vulnerable children and adults.
There is also a need to focus resources in neighbourhoods that
Page 6
Action Notes
need them most.
The future of services has 4 strands:
• Workforce Strategy
Most savings will result in employee numbers. Council currently
employs 6000 people this will reduce to 4,000 (full time equivalent)
• Kickstart and customer journey
A new customer service centre will open in September 2015 in
Broadgate, which will mean services will be co-located. There will
also be improvements made to our current contact centre. There
will be an increasing number of services online as this is the most
cost effective service delivery model which would be available 24/7
• City Centre First
Is about making the city centre the focus of service delivery for
residents and this may be less suburban offices to support the
rationalising of the number of buildings the Council has to run.
• Doing things differently
The Council wants to explore opportunities for communities to work
together to run some services and ensure the best solutions for
neighbourhoods. The detailed savings are available to view in
budget report. Headline savings are:
• £1m from parks & £0.5m street cleaning
• £0.3m school crossing patrols & £0.3m events
One resident commented that money couldn’t be taken away from
school controls as it is important to look after school children.
Another said that the council would save money by preventing
illness and accidents.
All budget papers and details of consultation events are on website
at www.coventry.gov.uk/budget2015
Conclusion:
6
Discussion:
Cllr O’Boyle thanked Barry for his presentation on a very important
issue.
Open Forum
Cllr O’Boyle asked residents to raise any other issues they have
during this open forum item.
Residents raised concerns about an abandoned car on Vauxhall
Street that has been ticketed but residents wanted to know when it
would be taken away as it is causing a nuisance. Cllr O’Boyle
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Action Notes
explained that officers have to wait a certain amount of time before
removing a vehicle.
Cllr O’Boyle requested council officers obtain an update from
relevant team.
A resident raised further concerns about the 16A bus route, firstly in
relation to the bus no longer using Pool Meadow and the ineffective
new bus stop outside the Transport Museum. It now feels like a
‘scum’ getting on the bus and the service is poor with people
waiting a long time for a bus to turn up. Cllr O’Boyle informed
residents that the Council doesn’t have any powers to control
private bus companies.
Cllr O’Boyle requested that these issues be raised with Centro.
Residents reported an improvement in illegally parked
Harnell Lane East and wanted to pass on thanks
Enforcement Officers. Residents raised concerns about
parked cars on King William Street (by the Casino) and
Street (by the Shops) and in Keppel Street.
Action
1. Obtain update in relation to
the abandoned Car on
Vauxhall Street.
2. Report the continuation of
the difficulties experienced
by residents with the 16A
bus.
3. Report issues of illegally
parked cars to Parking
Services
Lead
Gemma Tate
Deadline
ASAP
Barry Hastie
ASAP
Gemma Tate
ASAP
cars at
to the
illegally
Victoria
Date of next meeting: Wednesday 18th March 2015 at Hope Centre
If you would like to find out the most up-to-date progress on the action notes
above please call Gemma Tate on 024 7683 1167 or visit
www.coventry.gov.uk/neighbourhoodforums
Page 8
Action Notes
If you wish to start/stop receiving information relating to Neighbourhood
Forums,
please
email
Governance
Services
at
[email protected] or call 024 7683 3075 giving your details
and requesting that you are added or removed from our mailing list.
Coventry City Council is always looking at reducing the amount of paper we produce
and send out. If you have an email address and would prefer to be emailed all
Neighbourhood Forum documentation, please contact Governance Services using
the details above.
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