> Home > Meetings > June 16, 2011 June 16, 2011
MINUTES OF MEETING |
Title: | Basingstoke District Association of Parish and Town Councils |
Held On: | Thursday 16 June 2011 |
Present: | Alan Cox
Martin Slatford
Leslie Fryer
Julian Jones
John Storer
Peter Goff
Donald Komrower
Peter Collins
Rodney Scott
Keith Nuttall
Brian Langer
Charles Miller
Bridget Culley
Jonathan Eales
Sandy Johnston
Vanessa Richards
Jo Slimin
Paul McGarvey | Ashmansworth
Baughurst
Chineham
Dummer
Highclere
Kingsclere
Mapledurwell and Up Nately
Mortimer West End
Oakley and Deane
Old Basing and Lychpit
Overton
Rooksdown
St Mary Bourne
Sherborne St John
Sherfield on Loddon
Silchester
Tadley
Whitchurch |
Guests: | PC Pete Coe
Karen Brimacombe
Glenn Peacey | Clive Sanders
David Robb
Therese Lawlor |
Apologies: | Martin Biermann
James Mitchell
John Jervoise
Richard Nicholson
Roger Booth
Robert Cooper
Julian Crawley
Ivan Godson
John Raymond
Roddy Jameson
Paula Chatterton | Chineham
East Woodhay
Herriard
Lichfield and Woodcott
Newnham
North Waltham
Sherborne St John
Sherfield on Loddon
Winslade
Wootton St Lawrence
BDBC |
| Action |
|---|
- Minutes of the last meeting – 17 February 2011
- Martin Slatford (MS) advised that the minutes had been circulated, but were not on the website as yet.
- The minutes were then agreed as accurate.
| |
| |
- Broadband in Basingstoke and Deane
- Glenn Peacey (GP) from Hampshire County Council and Therese Lawlor (TL) from BDBC attended the meeting to discuss the provision of improved broadband particularly in the rural areas.
- GP advised that round one of funding has already been allocated in the UK and this was awarded to very rural areas in the country. The second round of bidding for funding will be in September/October and it is hoped that the Hampshire County Council (HCC) bid will be more successful. He advised that some match funding will need to be provided by HCC and BDBC. It is also hoped that some funding will come from the private sector.
- GP further advised that it is expected that BT will supply 80% of superfast broadband across the county, but the remaining 20% will need to be funded from elsewhere. The areas that receive 2Mb or less will be looked at firstly and then areas that receive between 2Mb and 8Mb will be considered secondly.
- A number of points were raised by the Parish and Town Councils:
- Problems occur when some areas are too far away from the exchange, GP advised that there is a possibility that people can put in their own cables.
- There are concerns that there are not sufficient sockets in housing association homes and that there could be a power overload problem.
- Does the number of suppliers affect the speed received – if there were fewer suppliers of broadband, would homes receive a greater speed. GP advised that care needs to be taken over monopolies.
- Mobile broadband was suggested as an option – GP advised that mobile broadband mirrors mobile phone coverage and is a very costly option.
- GP advised that underground fibre is the best option, but it is the most expensive option.
| |
- Pete Coe gave an update on Community Speedwatch following the presentation at the meeting on 17 February 2011. Copy of notes attached
- A number of points were raised following the update:
- Cost of training – PCSOs will be trained and then cascade the training to the volunteers. There will be no charge to our Councils for training.
- Cost of insurance – volunteers will be covered by police insurance at no charge to our Councils .
- Choice of location. Our Councils will advise police of locations with local concern. The police will do a risk assessment and then approve sites.
- Could the equipment that BDBC has be used or borrowed – the police are currently in discussions with BDAPTC and BDBC regarding this. Community Speedwatch requires a Speed Indicating Device ( SID ) that is light enough to transport and mount on a temporary roadside tripod. Most of BDBC stock is Speed Limit Reminders ( SLR ) that do not show the speed of an approaching vehicle. Some larger Councils have budgets to buy suitable SID devices . Some of these Councils indicated that they may be able to hire them to other Councils. BDBC are also investigating if this may be practical. The police have several suitable suppliers of light SID devices. Costs vary from £2,550 +VAT down to £1,870 + VAT ( for a bulk order)
- Calibration of equipment – this is not needed
- Could confusion over type of car/registration number occur – there will be three volunteers, who will collect and confirm , location , time vehicle registration and speed . All the information collected will have to tally up when entered on the police computer by a lead volunteer . The information collected will go through the Police National Computer and a suitable letter be produced . If there are any discrepancies, the information will be disregarded. The letters may need our volunteers to put them in envelopes , but postage and stationery costs will be paid by the police budget. Different letters will be sent to repeat offenders . The police will deploy their speed cameras to sites with confirmed speed problems.
| |
- David Robb (DR) attended the meeting to talk about the effect of the Localism bill on the future of Standards.
- A copy of DR’s presentation is attached to these minutes.
- One of the main changes highlighted is that the current Code of Conduct is very detailed and wordy, but in comparison the proposed regulations are very loose.
- A question was raised about Declaration of Interests - DR confirmed that parish councillors only need to advise him if there have been any changes following their re-election . New Declaration of Interests need to be completed only by newly elected councillors.
- A question was raised at the last meeting regarding the issue of details of a recent Standards Committee being made public. DR explained that if it is an open committee, all papers will be available five days before the meeting. Only if there is a confidential item will papers be printed on pink papers and will not be available to the public.
| |
- AGM of Association
- Last year’s minutes of 3 June 2010 were agreed as a true record.
- The following offices were agreed:
- Chair - Martin Slatford
- Vice Chair – Martin Biermann
- Webmaster – Julian Jones
- Treasurer – Vanessa Richards
- HALC representatives – Martin Biermann, Brian Langer, Les Fryer, Martin Slatford
- Basingstoke Voluntary Forum – Julian Jones
- Community Safety Forum – Sandy Johnston
- BASP – Julian Jones
- HAT – Martin Biermann
- Vanessa Richards gave an update on the Accounts of the BDAPTC – the opening balance was £974.82 and the closing balance was £809.82. MS confirmed that BDBC accounts department had advised that BDAPTC should have been paying VAT on the costs of the minute taker and that future fees would include VAT. The accounts were agreed, a copy of the accounts will be circulated and posted on our web site .
- Dates of meetings for next year – MS is in the process of looking at dates – if there are any dates to be avoided, could councillors advise him.
| VR |
- Community Safety Forum – Sandy Johnston gave an update on crime figures, crime is down overall by 7% in Basingstoke and Deane.
One of the major concerns is the increase in domestic violence, which could be as a result of the economic climate. Focus is also being put on keeping 10 to 17 year olds out of the criminal justice system. Anti-Social Behaviour Orders are now called Criminal Behaviour Orders. A query was raised about ASB not being counted in the crime figures – Clive Sanders confirmed that Basingstoke and Deane does report on ASB figures, although it is not required nationally. - BASP – Julian Jones gave an update on the recent BASP Board meeting - focus for the year is on volunteering and developing activities and positive experiences for young people, to reduce anti-social behaviour and develop skills and training.
An update was also given on the proposed changes to the management structure at BDBC, which will see the introduction of two new arms to the organisation – Services and Commissioning. - HALC - Brian Langer gave an update. He advised that dealings with NALC have improved. It was felt that there needed to be better collaboration between this meeting and HALC meetings and it was agreed that minutes of HALC meetings would be circulated to allow the parish and town councils to feed into HALC meetings.
- Voluntary Forum – If any parishes or town councils are applying for grant funding, they can get assistance from the Voluntary Services group.
- Clive Sanders (CS) gave an update on concessionary fares. He confirmed that Hampshire County Council is now operating its own scheme, money has been taken out of BDBC’s budget for HCC to provide the service.
A sum of £200k has been put aside by BDBC to keep some community transport operating until September when there will be a review of these services. - CS continued by stating that transport in the County is HCC’s responsibility and that BDBC will only support some services. However, with budget cuts, there may be little or no money available to continue supporting some of these services.
BDBC will be looking closely at those services that are not its responsibility against those services that are statutory and in the future, funding will be allocated to providing statutory services in the first instance. BDBC needs to wait for HCC to make decisions on what services it will provide in the future, before any decisions can be made. In addition, BDBC will be taking into account the results from the Council Plan consultation before making decisions on which services it will continue to provide. | |
- There is Power of Wellbeing training in Tadley on 29 July, if any parishes or town councils are interested.
Jo Slimin advised that power of wellbeing gives councils wider powers of spending in the community. - Brian Langer asked when parish and town councils will find out what funding they will receive next year, in particular will BDBC continue to pay for elections. Karen Brimacombe (KB) advised that there was a Budget Strategy meeting being held and timescales may be clearer after the meeting.
Since the meeting KB has confirmed that this matter will be discussed at the next Budget Strategy meeting on 14 July and she will be able to feedback after the meeting. - Thursday 15 September 2011
| KB |
Community SpeedWatch
What is Community Speedwatch?
Community SpeedWatch (CSW) is a scheme that has been successfully running across various parts of the country which Hampshire Constabulary are hoping to introduce into Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. SpeedWatch can only operate on roads with a speed limit of 30 mph and under. The best locations would be 20 mph zones and community and residential areas that have a 30 mph limit. Community volunteers work alongside Hampshire Constabulary officers to identify vehicles which
exceed the speed limit. Details of the vehicles will be collected at the time of the alleged offence and then entered onto a database. The registered owner of the vehicle will then be sent a letter telling them that their vehicle was seen exceeding the speed limit, how it affects the local community and asking
them not to do so in the future. If the same registration number is logged again within 12 months the owner will receive a warning that if the vehicle is seen speeding a third time the details will be passed to an officer who may take further action. Commercial vehicles or vehicles that belong to companies will have a separate letter sent to the local transport manager and the roads policing unit will be made aware.
It is important to remember that SpeedWatch is not designed to “catch” speeders, it is designed to educate them and in doing so lower speeds. If a serious issue with speed is identified by SpeedWatch, police officers will take over the site and conduct enforcement operations in support of the SpeedWatch. This long term aspect of SpeedWatch is key to its success and provides the “teeth” of the scheme.
Why do we want Community Speedwatch?
Speeding is one of the factors that most affects the quality of life in communities around Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It can be a factor in road traffic collisions and impacts on the day-to-day lives of
people in the community. You often tell us that speeding is one of the biggest community concerns in your area and as such we want to work with you to set up a Community SpeedWatch programme. Community SpeedWatch will be co-ordinated by Hampshire Constabulary in partnership with your
local council and other agencies. The scheme itself will be run by your local police safer neighbourhood teams and the community volunteers.
What do we need to do as Parish Councils to get the scheme running?
Follow these simple steps…
1) Choose the equipment and purchase it.
Equipment must be purchased from a reputable company (i.e. not via eBay or the like) and be able to withstand scrutiny if it is ever challenged in court. For this reason the two quotes from CA-Traffic and Traffic Technology have been provided. Both these companies provide police with speed enforcement equipment which is home office and type approved. While Speedwatch equipment does not need this approval, or indeed have it, it is certificated to a high enough standard to withstand challenges in court should this ever be required. Police are more than happy if you can find alternative companies, provided alternative kits are neither handheld or "confrontational". Approval would need to be granted by police if there is an alternative piece of equipment you would like to use. It is also worth noting that the Traffic Technology quote includes £450 training costs - this can be removed as police are able to provide this training free and then devolve it through volunteers so there is no cost implication for training. Other than the initial outlay, the basic running costs of the scheme are taken on by police, with the exception of any repair costs for the actual equipment which remains the responsibility of whoever purchases the equipment.
Another lower cost option which may be open to you would be to use any speed indication devices (SIDs) that the parish councils already possess. A tripod would need to be purchased so that they could be used safely and become mobile, and they would need to be passed over to the CSW scheme, but this may be a way to save money if there are already SIDs out there. Many SIDs are set at a certain threshold, which would need adjusting. Dependant on the SID, this may be something police can do for free, or it may need to go back to the manufacturer to do this. For what its worth, the Traffic Technology equipment is the one that has been taken up by all the other newly established CSW schemes in Hampshire to date. If you would like details of other councillors across the county who have purchased equipment for their take on things, please do not hesitate to ask.
It must be agreed that while it will be bought by a Parish Council (or other party), the responsibility of the equipment is passed to Police and the volunteers. Any upkeep and repair costs are paid for by the purchaser i.e. Parish Councils. The reason for this is so that it can be kept securely at a police station, where it can be accessed by volunteers 24hours a day, 7 days a week, rather than in a Parish Council Hall where access could be an issue. It also provides a centralised location for the equipment rather than several Parishes purchasing the equipment but it ending up in one area disproportionately.
2) Identify which roads CSW will operate on
Police would need a list of roads which are intended to be used. These can be suggested by those involved and Police will put forward some suggestions also. Suitable roads are either 20/30mph and occasionally 40mph dependant on data on the specific road. If the perception is that vehicles regularly speed on these roads the likelihood is that they will be approved for CSW. Roads will only be rejected as sites if there is already someone else doing something on it. By that I mean data gathered on that road is such that it needs enforcement by a police officer. We don’t want to end up in a situation where there is both enforcement and education (CSW) in place on the same road as this sends out mixed messages. If data gathered by CSW indicates that enforcement is needed on a road, police will look to enforce in that area at the times established as problem times by CSW. Once this has been completed and data has reduced, they can revert back to CSW sites.
3) Identify and recruit volunteers
Volunteers will need to be vetted by Police, and there will be two levels of vetting. Level 1 will be a basic check for those using the equipment on the side of the road. Level 2 is more intrusive and will provide the volunteer with access to the police station and an IT log-in so that they can take responsibility for inputting the data gathered by Speedwatch. It will take on average between 4-6weeks to vet a volunteer, so the sooner we start recruiting the better. Recruitment will be co-ordinated by Holly Neale who is the Extended Police Family Co-ordinator for the area. Contact details for potential volunteers will be sent via PCSO Pete Coe on to her. In terms of recruiting volunteers, your local police officers will assist as much as possible by utilising their contacts within the community.
There is no minimum hourly commitment for volunteers, any time they can give is valued, however, in order to get the most out of the scheme, 1-2hours per session would be ideal. There is no limit to the number of volunteers, and training is free. It is hoped that volunteers will cover several local areas, not just one site, although this will not restrict someone joining if they only wish to do one area. In order to set up the scheme a minimum of 6 volunteers are required, with a minimum of 3 required to carry out CSW at any time. This is one person to watch the speed detection equipment and two to record details of the vehicle. After CSW a Level 2 volunteer will then attend a police station (initially this can be done by Police if needed) and input the data recorded. Overnight data is automatically checked against PNC (police national computer) and sent back to the volunteer. They then re attend (ideally the next day, but as long as it is within 14 days it is ok) the station and print off letters ready to send out to those drivers caught. Any anomalies (e.g. recorded makes and models not matching when cross referenced on PNC) will not be returned to minimise the risk of letters being sent out incorrectly.
Police Contact within the Basingstoke Rural area should be through PCSO Pete Coe 14458 based at Tadley Police Station, either via 0845 045 45 45 ext 625 147 or peter.coe@hampshire.pnn.police.uk
email this page's contact