Agenda and minutes

The Committee Manager took the Chair whilst the South Area Committee elected a Chair.

 

Councillor Avery proposed, and Councillor Moore seconded, the nomination of Councillor Pippas as Chair.

 

Councillor Dryden proposed, and Councillor Ashton seconded, the nomination of Councillor McPherson as Chair.

 

Resolved (by 4 votes to 4 (twice) and on the flip of a coin by the Committee Manager) that Councillor McPherson be Chair for the ensuing year.

 

Councillor McPherson assumed the Chair from the Committee Manager at this point.

 

Councillor Dryden proposed, and Councillor Ashton seconded, the nomination of Councillor Meftah as Vice Chair

 

Councillor Avery proposed, and Councillor Moore seconded, the nomination of Councillor Pippas as Vice Chair.

  

Resolved (by 4 votes to 4 and on Chair’s casting vote) that Councillor Meftah be Vice Chair for the ensuing year.

Apologies were received from Councillors Ashwood and Sanders.

Members of the committee are asked to declare any interests in the items on the agenda. In the case of any doubt, the advice of the Head of Legal should be sought before the meeting.

Name	Item	Interest
Councillor Avery	15/99/SACa	Personal: Lives in Accordia Estate.

 

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 30 March 2015.

 

Minutes to follow.

The minutes of the 30 March 2015 meeting would be published after the meeting for approval and signing as a correct record at the 5 October 2015 South Area Committee.

Committee Action Sheet from last meeting attached.

The Committee Action Sheet was noted for information.

 

Action	Lead Officer/Member	Timescale	Progress
Open Forum   Councillor Ashton to liaise with Jean Bainger regarding her pedestrian safety concerns relating to crossing from Church End to Teversham Drift; after raising these with Highways Officers.	Councillor Ashton	Feedback at next SAC 29/06/15
Street Lighting   Balfour Beatty representatives to liaise with South Area Committee Members post SAC 30/03/15 regarding issues raised in meeting.	Balfour Beatty representatives and SAC Members	Feedback at next SAC 29/06/15
Street Lighting   Balfour Beatty representatives and Councillor Crawford to check County Council’s discretion to vary times when street lights can be dimmed or turned off.	Balfour Beatty representatives and Councillor Crawford	Feedback at next SAC 29/06/15	Concern expressed at 30/03/15 SAC that current proposals were different from original expectations.

 

 

To include a verbal summary of points raised and how they will be followed up.

 

Refer to the ‘Information for the Public’ section for rules on speaking.

1.    Ms Davis raised the following issues:

·       Expressed disappointment that (agenda item 10) Hills Road Cycle Scheme was not on the agenda for discussion.

·       There was no information regarding the extension to Hills Road Cycle Scheme work, which would take weeks.

·       Took issue with areas of the new cycle lane appearing to be unfinished (para 2.5 of the Officer’s report).

·       Asked for South Area Committee’s (SAC) thoughts on the impact of parts of the cycleway being unfinished on commuters’ safety.

 

SAC Councillors expressed concern for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly people with visual/physical impairments who may be affected by trip hazards.

 

Councillor Taylor said she had been given reassurances before the cycle scheme work was implemented that no problems were expected.

 

Councillors Ashton and Pippas said that Mike Davies (Team Leader - Cycling Projects, Cambridgeshire County Council) had been invited to attend SAC on various occasions in the past (including 29 June 2015). Councillor McPherson, as Chair, would ask him to attend the next SAC meeting.

 

ACTION POINT: Councillor McPherson to liaise with Mike Davies (Team Leader - Cycling Projects, Cambridgeshire County Council) regarding Hills Road Traffic and Safety Scheme to:

·       Seek a more joined up approach between City and County Councils in response to residents’ concerns.

·       Request a County Officer attends next SAC meeting.

 

2.    Mr Rand raised the following issues:

·       Thanked SAC for its financial support of the Queen Edith’s (ward) newsletter in the March 2015 meeting (15/89/SAC Area Committee Grants 2015-16 – SAC). The first edition had now been published.

·       Expressed concern that street lights would be turned off from April 2016. Expected events would follow a similar course to Essex ie lights would be turned off, petitions submitted as a result, then lights would be turned on again when funding was “found” as a result of protests. Requested that Cambridgeshire County Council avoided following suit. Stated Cambridgeshire County Council had refused to keep street lights on despite funding being available.

 

Councillor Taylor said the County Council would have switched street lights off this financial year, but realised they were not able to as a consultation exercise had not been undertaken. The Highway and Community Infrastructure Committee would meet in early July 2015 to discuss street lighting for 2016 onwards.  There was funding in the budget to keep street lighting in specific areas eg around Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

 

Councillor Dryden said joint meetings between the City and County Council would occur regarding street lighting. The Safer Communities Section Manager referenced the consultation going to the City Strategy and Resources Committee in July 2015.

 

Councillor Moore said a study had been undertaken to look at the impact on crime of switching off street lights. The results were unclear. No link was indicated between crime and light levels, but there was not enough evidence to clearly say so.

 

3.    Mr Bower took issue with public speaking rights at Area Committees and asked for these to be more generous.

To note decisions taken by the Chair, Vice Chair and Spokesperson since the last meeting of the South Area Committee.

The decision was noted.

The decision was noted.

The Committee received a report from the Police Sergeant regarding the policing and safer neighbourhoods trends.

 

The report outlined actions taken since the Committee on 2 February 2015. The current emerging issues/neighbourhood trends for each ward were also highlighted (see report for full details). Previous priorities and engagement activity noted in the report were:

       i.          Continue to target the supply of controlled drugs (Class A).

     ii.          Target road safety by addressing anti-social cycling and speeding.

   iii.          Reduce dwelling burglary.

 

The Committee discussed the following policing issues:

       i.          Contacting the police to become speed watch volunteers.

     ii.          Anti-social car parking near schools. SAC said sufficient warnings had been given and requested the Police to now take enforcement action eg issuing parking tickets.

   iii.          Cars parking in cycle lanes.

   iv.          Road safety near Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

    v.          The number of burglaries, specifically bikes in outbuildings.

   vi.          Cycle theft in Trumpington.

 vii.          Dwelling burglary.

viii.          Registering personal property through immobilise.com so the Police could trace property that was reported stolen.

   ix.          Checklist of information police would like members of the public to include when reporting crime.

    x.          Mismatch in reported information: Violent crime incidents were declining but the number of news headlines were increasing.

   xi.          Anti-social cycling, particularly by language school students.

 xii.          Cycles blocking pavements when parked on them. This was a trip hazard for pedestrians.

xiii.          Drug dealing in Rock Road and associated needle drops. Clean up requests to be made to the Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement.

xiv.          Management of the Cambridge Lakes.

xv.          Incidents of racial abuse near Cherry Hinton Hall.

xvi.          Anti-social behaviour involving dogs in the Cherry Hinton area.

 

SAC asked for the minutes to show their thanks for the neighbourhood policing work, particularly by PCSOs.

 

Members of the public asked a number of questions, as set out below.

 

1.       Mr Taylor raised the following points:

·       The Police & Crime Commissioner had undertaken to visit each Area Committee once a year. It was a shame this had not occurred.

·       Speeding had been omitted from the last series of Police priorities.

·       There were no statistics on road traffic offences or injuries, so queried how these were being tackled.

 

Sergeant Horton said speeding would be monitored more closely in future. Details had been left out of the SAC report due to an oversight.

 

2.       Mr Bower asked why the Officer said crime levels were dropping in his verbal report when high levels were listed in the SAC report.

 

Sergeant Horton said all area committees received the same report format. Violent crime statistics included domestic abuse, which may affect trend levels, but did not seem to be a major issue (in terms of numbers) given the lack of comment from residents.

 

3.       Ms Davis referenced Hills Road cycleway work. She asked what was more unsafe, cycling on the pavement or the unfinished roadway.

 

Sergeant Horton suggested cycling on the road where an even surface was available, and the shared pavement cycleway where the road surface was uneven.

 

The following priorities were unanimously agreed:

       i.          Discharge dwelling burglary as a specific SAC priority as it was a ‘standard’ cross-city police priority. SAC could re-instate it as a specific area priority if required in future.

     ii.          Continue to target the supply of controlled drugs (Class A).

   iii.          Continue to target road safety (and speeding) by addressing anti-social cycling and parking.

   iv.          New priority: Management of the Cambridge Lakes.

The Committee received a report from the Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement.

 

The report outlined an overview of City Council Refuse and Environment and Streets and Open Spaces service activity relating to the geographical area served by the South Area Committee.  The report identified the reactive and proactive service actions undertaken in the previous quarter, including the requested priority targets, and reported back on the recommended issues and associated actions. It also included key officer contacts for the reporting of waste and refuse and public realm issues.

 

The following were suggestions for Members on what action could be considered for priority within the South Area for the quarter of April to June 2015:

 

Continuing priorities

       i.          Early morning patrols for dog fouling on Bliss Way/Tenby Close, Nightingale Avenue Recreation Ground, Godwin Close, Godwin Way, Gunhild Way and Cherry Hinton Recreation Ground.

     ii.          Enforcement targeted approach to areas where Addenbrooke’s site joins residential areas such as Hills Road and Red Cross Lane and to work with Addenbrooke’s to work towards the bus station area being cleaned up.

   iii.          Enforcement to work with the County Council, against utilities and companies that damage the verge on Mowbray and Fendon Road.

   iv.          Park deep cleanse, to include removal of graffiti, flyposting, litter, dog fouling, vegetation cut back and sweeping at Cherry Hinton Recreation Ground and areas surrounding green space. 

    v.          Enforcement work to investigate and enforce fly tipping and illegal waste disposal at the public recycling points in the South Area

   vi.          Enforcement joint working and patrols to deal with littering from students of Long Road Sixth Form in the areas of Long Road and Sedley Taylor Road.

 

New suggested priorities

 vii.          Park deep cleanse, to include removal of graffiti, flyposting, litter, dog fouling, vegetation cut back and sweeping at Ainsdale play area, Nightingale Recreation Ground and Kingfisher Way play area. 

 

The Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement suggested discounting priority iv as it had been completed.

 

The Committee discussed the following issues:

       i.          Cars parking on Mowbray Road verges.

     ii.          Cleaning of the passageways around Hulatt Road, Mowbray Road and Wort’s Causeway.

   iii.          Alleyways should be included in ‘deep clean’ work as standard in future, not just streets in an area.

   iv.          Possibility of grass cutting causing hazards by mowing over cans/bottles on verges and processes to overcome the issue.

    v.          Positive response to enforcement action taken against dog fouling on Nightingale Recreation Ground.

   vi.          Enforcement action by City Officers and Addenbrooke’s staff has led to less fly tipping near the hospital.

 vii.          Mounting mobile CCTV cameras on lamp posts in order to take enforcement action, to save requiring an Officer to be physically present in an area to witness an incident.

viii.          Cleansing at Cherry Hinton Recreation Ground

 

ACTION: Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement to investigate if mobile CCTV cameras can be placed on street lights to monitor dog fouling and other environmental issues in/near recreation areas.

 

In response to Members’ questions the Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement said the following:

       i.          To follow up with Addenbrooke’s to see if they would accept surplus City Council bins that included ashtrays in the top. These would be used (just) off site as Addenbrooke’s was a non-smoking site.

     ii.          A central pool of Rangers would undertake work in the south area until a specific member had been recruited to the team.

   iii.          A Dog Warden has recently been to Cherry Hinton Hall area to educate people about irresponsible dog ownership and was shortly holding a free microchipping event.

 

The Committee discussed the following as an additional and revised recommendations for action:

 

Recommendation 4

Enforcement action against nuisance vehicles being repaired at Arran Close.

 

Following discussion, Members unanimously resolved to approve priorities for action as amended below:

 

Continuing priorities

       i.          Early morning patrols for dog fouling on Bliss Way/Tenby Close, Nightingale Avenue Recreation Ground, Godwin Close, Godwin Way, Gunhild Way and Cherry Hinton Recreation Ground.

     ii.          Enforcement targeted approach to areas where Addenbrooke’s site joins residential areas such as Hills Road and Red Cross Lane and to work with Addenbrooke’s to work towards the bus station area being cleaned up.

   iii.          Enforcement to work with the County Council, against utilities and companies that damage the verge on Mowbray and Fendon Road.

   iv.          Enforcement action against nuisance vehicles being repaired at Arran Close.

    v.          Enforcement work to investigate and enforce fly tipping and illegal waste disposal at the public recycling points in the South Area

   vi.          Enforcement joint working and patrols to deal with littering from students of Long Road Sixth Form in the areas of Long Road and Sedley Taylor Road.

 

New suggested priorities

 vii.          Park deep cleanse, to include removal of graffiti, flyposting, litter, dog fouling, vegetation cut back and sweeping at Ainsdale play area, Nightingale Recreation Ground and Kingfisher Way play area.

Information report from County Council for Committee to note. There will be no discussion of this item.

The information report was noted.

Information report from County Council for Committee to note. There will be no discussion of this item.

The information report was noted.