Agenda and minutes

Councillor Edwards (chair for this meeting) welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Chair will draw attention to the emergency evacuation procedure as follows:

If the continuous alarm sounds, you must evacuate the building by one of the designated exits and proceed to the named assembly point. The designated exits are sign-posted. Arrangements are in place for the safe evacuation of disabled people. The assembly point is across the car park, outside the Leisure Centre

The Chair drew attention to the emergency evacuation procedure.

Apologies had been received from representatives of Camerton, Charlcombe and Norton Radstock Town/Parish Councils.

Apologies had also been received from Councillors Sarah Bevan, Eleanor Jackson, Douglas Deacon and Eric Potter (Chair of the Local Councils Association)

The Chair will announce any items of urgent business accepted since the agenda was prepared

The Chair made an announcement on behalf of Councillor Sarah Bevan  (Chair of Council) regarding the launch of the display of Parish and Town Council Parish Plans as part of the exhibition called Parish and Town Councils; Celebrating Excellence. The meeting was informed that the launch would be on Wednesday 27^th October at 6.00pm in the Guildhall, to which representatives of all parish and town councils were invited. The plans would remain on display until May 2011

To adopt the minutes of the previous meeting as an accurate record.

The Minutes were agreed and signed as a correct record.

A briefing note is attached to the agenda. David Trigwell and Richard Daone will attend the meeting to answer questions.

David Trigwell (Divisional Director – Planning and Transport) introduced this report and informed the meeting that the Core Strategy was entering its next phase and that the draft version would be considered by full Council. Since the Regional Spatial Strategy had been cancelled, this would be the first core strategy published in response to the new government localism agenda. The strategy would be published in December and then issued for a 6 – 7 week consultation period. Mr Trigwell further informed the meeting that all resources had been diverted to completing the core strategy at present and that as a result, other policy making work had been deferred.

Emerging issues for the planning authority included the potential impact of the disposal of MOD land and also the effects of the recent Strategic Defence Review. The Site Allocation DPDs will identify in detail how sites will be developed across the district. Mr Trigwell went on to summarise the current state of the Gypsies and Travellers SPD, the World Heritage Site and its setting SPD and the Extension to the Cotswolds Area AONB, details of which are in the written report.

A representative from Freshford enquired whether there was any further news about the Community Right to Build proposals, but was informed that the department were still awaiting further information from the government.

The Chair thanked David Trigwell for his report and for the update.

Glen Chipp (Strategic Director, Service Delivery) and Peter Duppa-Miller (Secretary to the Local Councils Group) will give a presentation on these issues.

Glen Chipp (Strategic Director, Service Delivery), gave a presentation on the progress of the review of the Parish Charter (a copy of which is attached to these minutes). He informed the meeting that the various workshops had been very informative and that there had been a wide spectrum of engagement. The resulting amended draft Charter would be sent to Parishes by the end of October. He asked that feedback be forwarded to the Parish Charter Working Group during November and December in the hope that a joint decision on the final draft will be taken in January 2011. Following this, It was proposed that the refined Charter would be adopted in February 2011. 

Peter Duppa-Miller informed the meeting that they were seeking expressions of interest from all Parish Councils to take part in a working party on future joint collaboration.  There was the possibility that training could be provided on planning policy and also policies against which planning applications are assessed.

A representative from Clutton asked that details of the workshop outcomes be circulated to the Parishes and was informed that this information will be included in the appendices to the draft Charter.

A representative from Timsbury welcomed the revision of the Charter, but asked that all B&NES officers be informed of its existence as some seemed unaware of the agreement. Glen Chipp replied that he had briefed all senior officers within his department, but that despite his best efforts, there were areas outside his remit who might still not be familiar with the Charter.

The Chair thanked Glen Chipp and Peter Duppa-Miller for the presentation.

A briefing note is attached. Richard Look (Business Continuity and Emergency Planning Manager) will attend to give a presentation and answer questions

Richard Look (Business Continuity and Emergency Planning Manager), gave a presentation (a copy of which is attached to these minutes) on the proposed responses to potential future emergencies including the impact of climate change, peak oil, demographic change and the rise of the tiger economies.  He informed the meeting that it was important to rise to these challenges early and to build in resilience at all levels of community life. For some parts of society, this could mean a deep-seated cultural change. Work was underway to develop a Community Risk Register to identify and assess all the main hazards to the community. The authority already has a small network of Community Emergency Resource Advisers (CERAs) but the current arrangements are not satisfactory with poorly defined roles, responsibilities and limits to authority. It was hoped that in future their role would be enhanced as part of a general Community Resilience Strategy. As ever with these kinds of initiatives, good communication and close partnership working was the key to their success. There was already close working with Neighbourhood Watch and other established community organisations. A Community Resilience Manual will be available from December.

A representative from Corston expressed concern that there might be an overlap of responsibilities with other existing organisations and therefore potential duplication of effort. He suggested the appointment of a Resilience Champion to provide a focus for support and advice. Richard Look replied that he hoped the Community Champions would fill that role and provide signposting to services.

A representative from Combe Hay enquired about the timetable for publication of  the Community Risk Register and was informed that it was currently in draft form and there was no firm timeframe as yet. 

A representative form Freshford asked whether these plans were being replicated in neighbouring authorities and was informed that it was a country-wide initiative. The briefing paper was being shared with local councils in order to promote debate.

A representative from Batheaston asked whether the Parish Councils would be consulted and was informed that they would be involved and asked to collaborate. 

The Chair thanked Richard Look for his presentation and requested that the Malcolm Hanney (Cabinet Member for Resources) look into the appointment of a Resilience Champion, which Cllr Hanney agreed to do.

A briefing note is attached. Paula Bromley (Principal Youth Officer) will attend to answer questions.  

Paula Bromley (Principal Youth Officer) introduced this report  and informed the members that the Youth service was under severe financial pressures. The budget reduction proposals had been discussed with key internal stakeholders (including staff) and were about to be published for consultation with external bodies, including parish and town councils. She drew the members attention to the proposed reduced provision as laid out in the report. However, more positively, Southside Youth Hub had received a £2.2m grant from the government and would be developed into a first-class facility. There was also funding for a mobile service which would be taken out to rural areas. Paula Bromley acknowledged the important role of the voluntary sector and informed the meeting that a development worker was to be appointed to work with that sector – the focus would be on vulnerable young people and those in rural areas. A public consultation would start in late October, the outcome of which would identify which parts of the youth service the public wished to prioritise.

A representative from Batheaston commented that the Parish Counci had not yet heard anything about this consultation and were concerned that the final decisions about the service had already been made. Paula Bromley replied that no final decisions had been made and that she had been in discussion with the Parish clerk and the local management committee about other potential funding streams. The representative expressed futher concern about inaccuracies in the youth service newsletter and that the provision in rural areas was being sacrificed to keep Bath groups going. Malcolm Hanney (Cabinet Member for Resources) commented that the cuts in the youth service had already been signalled in the previous budget and so it was widely acknowledged that it was impossible for the service to continue in its present form. The entire council budget had to be cut by 28% over the next four years, so prioritisation was vital. He acknowledged that there would be inequity in certain areas but that it was necessary to develop a youth service that was viable across the whole authority.

Peter Duppa-Miller commented that he understood the need for a targetted budget, but he was concerned that help was being focussed on the more populous areas to the detriment of the smaller rural communities which were isolated through lack of reliable public transport. Paula Bromley acknowledged that it was more difficult to deliver services to some parts of the rural areas, but it was hoped to take the mobile service out to them and also make use of detached youth workers.

A representative from Clutton enquired whether B&NES Council could help their village youth club with a grant towards the cost of a lease. Paula Bromley and Malcolm Hanney agreed to look into the request.

A representative from Keynsham commented that the youth service in the town was in the position of having a building but no staff. Despite having recognised pockets of social deprivation, there was nowhere for young people to go.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

An information sheet detailing the recommended speed limit changes is attached. Adrian Clarke (Transportation Planning Manager) will attend to answer questions.

Adrian Clarke (Transportation Planning Manager) introduced the report and explained that the speed limit recommendations are required of the local authority following government guidance. The aim is to ensure consistency and not to have sudden significant changes of speed limit on through routes. The recommendations are aimed at delivering accident and casualty savings, improved journey times and reduced emissions. The next step is a more detailed consultation with the Parish and Town Councils.

A representative from Combe Hay asked whether the consultation would be with individual Parish Councils, or clusters or as a whole. He commented that individual consultation would be the most effective. Adrian Clarke replied that they would be using a route-based approach on the 15 main routes, which was considered to be the most effective. 

A representative from Corston asked for support from the department for the extension of the 30mph limit on the A4 between the Globe roundabout and Saltford Hill. There was concern about the safety of people having to cross a fast stretch of road to get to the bus stop. At present the recommendation was to reduce the limit to 50mph.

A representative from Dunkerton asked when the consultation would take place and whether it would also be combined with addressing specific local problems in some parishes. Adrian Clarke confirmed that it would make sense to co-ordinate the speed limit scheme with other local projects to reduce costs.

Vic Pritchard (Cabinet member for Adult Services and Housing) commented that, as the average speed in many areas was below the recommended speed limit, what was the point of going to the expense of changing the signage. Adrian Clarke replied that they would take that factor into account when looking at the priorities, but that there was a clear correlation between reducing speed and the casualty rate which delivered road safety benefits. He stated that new limits would not be imposed if the villages were happy with the current speed limit. 

A representative from Claverton commented that the A36 was omitted from the report  and that the Parish Council had been trying to get a speed limit through the village for many years. Charles Gerrish added that he supported the campaign and had been in talks with the Highways Agency

The Chair thanked Adrian Clarke for attending and for his contribution.

Craig Jackson (Team Leader – Highway Maintenance) will give a presentation on this item. 

A late briefing report from Kelvin Packer (Service manager - Highway Maintenance) was presented at the meeting and the main issues were summarised by Peter Duppa-Miller.

A representative of Keynsham asked whether the Council was well-stocked for grit to cope with the coming winter. Charles Gerrish replied that the store at Clutton was at maximum capacity and that they had emergency stocks elsewhere amounting to 15 days’ supply. The final report arising out of the review would be available soon. 

An updated diagram of the staffing structure and departmental information is attached.

The diagram had been circulated to all parishes.

The date of the next meeting will be Wednesday 16^th February 2011.

The Chair advised Members that the next meeting would be on 16^th February 2011.

The Chair concluded the meeting and thanked everyone for their attendance and contributions.