MINUTES OF THE PARISH ASSEMBLY HELD ON THURSDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 2010 AT 7 PM IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, CIVIC OFFICES

Transcription

1 MINUTES OF THE PARISH ASSEMBLY HELD ON THURSDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 2010 AT 7 PM IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, CIVIC OFFICES PRESENT: Cllr Mike Galloway Cllr. Keith Ely Cllr. David Pafford Cllr. Phil Ayles Cllr. Ken Baker Cllr. Michael Horton Cllr. David Stabler Cllr. Marie Collins Cllr. Alan Francis Cllr. Jeremy Rawlings Cllr. David Livingstone Cllr. Robin Garrett Cllr. David Binnie Cllr. Sandra Kennedy Cllr. Debbie Dyer Cllr. Adrian Dneš Cllr. Jeannette Green Cllr. Norman Wilkes Cllr. Veronica Belcher Cllr. Elaine Wales Cllr. Jacky Jeffreys Cllr. Tina El-Shabrawy Cllr. Margaret Roberts Milton Keynes Council (Chair) Bletchley & Fenny Stratford Town Council Campbell Park Parish Council Castlethorpe Parish Council Central Milton Keynes Parish Council Emberton Parish Council Great Linford Parish Council New Bradwell Parish Council New Bradwell Parish Council Olney Parish Council Shenley Brook End & Tattenhoe Parish Council Simpson Parish Council Simpson Parish Council Stantonbury Parish Council Stantonbury Parish Council Stony Stratford Town Council Walton Parish Council Wavendon Parish Council West Bletchley Parish Council West Bletchley Parish Council Woburn Sands Town Council Woughton Community Council Woughton Parish Council Officers: John Moffoot (Assistant Director Democratic Services), Caroline Godfrey (Governance Manager), Shelagh Muir (Governance Officer), David Hill (Chief Executive), Bob Wilson (Development Plans Manager), and Ken Braima (Minute Taker, Business Support Assistant Democratic Services). Also in Attendance: Mrs. Isabella Fraser and Cllr. Darron Kendrick (Campbell Park) 1

2 The Chair welcomed everyone to the Assembly; Caroline Godfrey announced the apologies and confirmed there were no substitutions. PA10 PA11 APOLOGIES & SUBSTITUTIONS Cllr. Roz Hatton (North Crawley), Cllr. Alex Kidd (Broughton and Milton Keynes), Cllr. Ian Mitchell (Broughton and Milton Keynes), Cllr. Jean Nicholas (Shenley Brook End & Tattenhoe), John Lourie (Calverton Parish Meeting), Cllr. Ivor Bradbury (Bradwell), Cllr. David Hopkins (Wavendon), Cllr. Kate Porter (Lavendon), Cllr. Tom Fraser (Campbell Park), Cllr. Rosemary O Sullivan (Stony Stratford), Cllr Mandy Kingham & Cllr Nigel Richards (Moulsoe). MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING AND MATTERS ARISING The Meeting agreed the minutes, no amendments were made. The Chair advised that the actions from the last meeting were summarised on an Actions Sheet available on the documents table. Questions: a) Cllr. Adrian Dneš asked if MKC was any nearer to getting Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) up to a more reasonable level. b) Cllr. Jacky Jeffreys asked if MKC had plans to install RTPI for any bus operators other than Arriva and raised Woburn Sands issue of funding allocated at MKC s request in a Section 106 agreement for RTPI in Woburn Sands. Cllr. Jeffreys was asked to clarify the development she referred to, and confirmed it as Taylor Wimpey Nampak Development. The Chair advised that MKC will investigate and advise Cllr. Jeffreys. Action Caroline Godfrey. A Councillor commented that it was unfortunate that Stagecoach could not be included in RTPI because within his parish, Stagecoach has routes. The Chair agreed and noted that Stagecoach run RTPI in other areas. Cllr. Alan Francis sympathised with Cllr. Jeffreys issue and stated that in addition to other bus operators not having RTPI equipment installed, not all Arriva buses have it and those that are equipped with it, do not necessarily run on the routes specified. Cllr. David Stabler pointed out that Item 2 of the Actions Sheet advised that the Head of Transport, Strategy & Growth stated all buses operated by Arriva in Milton Keynes are fitted with the system. The Chair requested this be clarified and actioned accordingly. Action Caroline Godfrey. PA12 ITEMS RECEIVED FROM PARISH COUNCILS 1. Woburn Sands Town Council The Chair advised that Bob Wilson (Development Plans Manager) would respond to this as part of item 5 - Milton Keynes Core Strategy. 2. West Bletchley Council Cllr. Veronica Belcher (Chair of West Bletchley Council (WBC)) explained this item was submitted as WBC had in the past been offered opportunities [by MKC] to provide services which often involved the management of a building, 2

3 e.g. a community centre. She advised WBC was quite keen to accept the offers but further financial investment was often required to upgrade the centres. WBC was reluctant to do this for a building it had acquired on a leasehold basis only. WBC request that MKC consider transferring ownership of the assets, rather than leasehold. The Chair responded that this was a policy question and was also included in the Parishes Protocol of which there was an update later in the agenda. He continued that it was not possible to provide an absolute guarantee that ownership rather than leasehold could be offered and the decision would be based on case by case assessment. He confirmed that if it was a Service that MKC carried out across the Borough that was being transferred, this was a straightforward matter. However if it was a physical asset [a building] there wasno statutory requirement to transfer and MKC would have to assess each request individually. 3. Bletchley & Fenny Stratford Town Council Cllr. Keith Ely raised that in the draft Parishes Protocol under Communications it stated that letters, s, and faxes would be answered promptly but within 10 working days. Cllr. Ely stated that in 2008 and 2009 Bletchley & Fenny Stratford Town Council (B&FSTC) commenced discussions with MKC on some issues. He advised that it had taken almost 2 years to receive a satisfactory response despite various promises, and this was only received two days before this Assembly (28/09/2010) after intervention by the Chief Executive; B&FSTC was grateful for that response although it was very much in excess of the response times quoted in the draft Protocol. Cllr Ely then detailed the issue of B &Q Roundabout which had been ongoing for some years. David Hill responded that he was grateful to BFSTC for providing a detailed account of the areas of concern expressed by Councillor Ely. He agreed that some progress had been achieved during the month, which identified further progress relating to these and other points, but did not reach a conclusion. He explained the issues surrounding the B&Q roundabout were complex and caused a lot of opposition which was why the Council took the decision not to proceed with this scheme but instead to work with B&FSTC and other stakeholders to produce a wider transport study. Work had begun on the Granby roundabout which was hoped would be an interim improvement in the traffic flow in that area. He was hopeful that the working relationship between B&FSTC and MKC hadimproved and he would be interested in meeting with them together with other MKC Officers and the Clerk to ensure that the progress continued and the right degree of liaison was maintained. He was also interested in hearing about the experiences of other Parishes. Action Caroline Godfrey. The Chair commented on the unique relationship between MKC and Parish Councils and recommended Councillors attend the decision making body itself, to study Cabinet agendas and minutes available on CMIS 1 and take action before Cabinet meetings. The Chair asked the Assembly to provide an indication on whether they shared the sentiments about MKC response times expressed by B&FSTC several Councillors indicated their agreement. He suggested they write to the 1 Milton Keynes Council Committee Information System available at 3

4 Chief Executive while copying himself into the correspondence, detailing issues that were causing them concern. Cllrs Ayles and Jeffreys agreed that the responses received from MKC were uneven, in some areas good, and in some areas poor and the perception amongst Parish Councils is that some MKC Officers regard them as inconsequential; it was hoped that the Training mentioned in the draft Protocol will over- come this. Cllr. Michael Horton asked if the Council departments were audited in terms of response times etc. The Chair responded that there were many systems in place to do this. There was also a rolling programme of irregular audit of functions. David Hill added that particular processes, for example complaints, are audited. However, it is difficult to audit the many hundreds of service enquiries received daily and as the vast majority were answered quickly; it would not be cost effective to do so. Cllr. Horton raised that Emberton Parish Council agenda had an item that dated back to 2006, which despite Parish Clerk chasing MKC regularly and receiving promises from MKC, had not been resolved. He requested assurance that longstanding matters were examined by someone other than the Departmental Head Action Caroline Godfrey. Cllrs Stabler and Francis commented that they find the problem was that things did not happen when they were promised. Cllr. David Stabler related several issues that Great Linford Parish Council has been trying to resolve over the years. The Chair advised Cllr. Stabler to put the details in a letter to the Chief Executive. Action Cllr David Stabler. The Chair went on to explain that there was a Complaints Procedure which should be used as this enabled MKC to collect evidence and data to identify problems. David Hill advised he had heard of similar cases to the sort being described at the Assembly and that part of the problem was that some Officers felt inhibited from saying no and gave an indication that they would find a way of getting things done but actually they cannot. He had advised Officers to under-promise and over-deliver rather than vice-versa. He advised that two new Heads of Service in Transport would start in October which would significantly improve the management capacity in that area. The Chair reported the more positive news that earlier during the day Milton Keynes was awarded Best Large City and a Gold Medal, by the Royal Horticultural Society in this year s Thames and Chiltern regional round of the Britain in Bloom competition. Additionally, Stony Stratford, Newport Pagnell, Wolverton and Greenleys and Caldecott Business Park also received awards. PA14 ANNOUNCEMENTS BY PARISH COUNCILS None received. 4

5 PA15 MILTON KEYNES CORE STRATEGY Cllr. Jacky Jeffreys was asked to introduce Agenda item 3.1 submitted by Woburn Sands T C regarding Core Strategy. but declined explaining that the item was requested before the latest decisions by Cabinet were taken therefore as long as the essence of the Woburn Sands question is covered she would be happy for the Presentation to proceed. The Chair advised he had attended a session organised by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors with both Officers and Members from a range of South East England authorities, the LGA, and The Planning Officers Society earlier that day with the aim of investigating the meaning of the Localism Agenda for planning and the progress Councils were making with their Regional Spatial Strategies. MKC was one of the few L As that have a Member led approach to revising the Core Strategy. Bob Wilson. Development Plans Manager advised the Assembly that Council approved the revised Pre-Submission Core Strategy on 14 September The key changes were reported to the Development Control Committee at the same time as the report on the planning application for the South West Strategic Development Area (23 September 2010). The timescale for the Core Strategy was: Consultation to run from 6 October to 17 November Aim to submit the Core Strategy to the Secretary of State before the end of An indicative timetable would then mean a public examination in the first half of 2011 and adoption before the end of The six key changes to the Core strategy were:- 1. A reduction in the overall housing requirement to 28,000 homes to be built between the years of This compares with 41,360 within the earlier version of the Core strategy; however, this was over a longer time period ; 15% reduction in annual completion rates. 2. The removal of the Strategic Development Areas to the South East and to the South West. 3. The Core Strategy now allocated four (formerly known as the) Strategic Reserve Sites in the Local Plan. These were in the general area of the South East Strategic Development Area but were now a much reduced area of development and the reminder of that site would be retained as open countryside. 4. The Core Strategy retained the past rates of housing completion in the rural areas from the original plan. 5. There was a new policy to safeguard the impacts of development from adjoining the city from neighbouring authorities. 6. Finally, the recognition of National Policy changed the freedom of authorities to determine housing densities according to the character of their areas. BW explained that he was not sure how the carrots mentioned in Woburn Sands submitted item would be implemented; however, it would become more clear by the end of the year after the Decentralisation and Localism Bill was passed. He provided an update on the development at Salden Chase and reported that Development Control Committee considered a consultation application 5

6 from Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) on the 23 September, and resolved to object for a number of reasons, including concerns about traffic, design, and environmental impact. It is hoped that AVDC would consider those objections before they determined the application later this year. He concluded with details of a conference arranged by the Royal Town Planning Institute for politicians in planning in Sheffield on the 6 th November. He advised that there were 2-3 free spaces (on a first come, first served basis) on offer and that anyone interested should contact Shelagh Muir The Chair confirmed there was no offer from MKC to reimburse travel costs. Cllr. Jeffreys requested assurance that MKC would involve neighbouring Parishes for what it sees as the future for the Strategic Reserve Sites. Also, she would like MKC to put out a clear framework quickly to ensure that the Parishes were not left discontented with what the developers produced. BW assured the Assembly that the aim is to ensure that the areas are comprehensively planned as a whole and the programme is to develop a Masterplan / Development Framework as MKC progress with The Core Strategy; this would involve the stakeholders and local communities in the areas involved, to bring benefits and protect interests; planning applications would follow. Cllr. Jeffreys asked if it would be MKC or Milton Keynes Partnership (MKP) that will produce the plans. The Chair advised that by then he hoped that MKC would have the powers and the land assets of MKP. PA16 PARISHES PROTOCOL UPDATE Cllr. Phil Ayles updated the Assembly on the development and background of the Parishes Protocol and advised that copies would soon be sent to all Ward Members and Parish Councils requesting that all comments be sent to either David Stabler or himself so that any issues can be resolved with MKC. He explained several key points relating to the Protocol. He advised that the Parishes Protocol is on the 26 October Cabinet Agenda when he hopes it will be adopted by MKC without any further change and then accepted by all Parish and Town Councils. Cllr. Jeffreys thanked Cllr. David Livingstone, Cllr. Ayles, and Cllr. Stabler for the enormous work that they put into the Charter on the behalf of all of the Parishes involved. PA17 MILTON KEYNES PARTNERSHIP (MKP) COMMITTEE The Chair informed the Assembly that the update was available on the documentation table at the rear of the room. Cllr. Stabler raised that the update did not include comment about the reduction in the number of houses being built and that MKP was not represented to answer any questions. He raised that Parish Councillors want to know where Milton Keynes stands with building 28,000 homes between He noted that if the houses are not being produced at the agreed rate then the agreement was 6

7 that employment was to be [by some means] slowed down and commented that if MK overbuilds houses it could end up as a dormitory town. Cllr. Galloway responded that the figures are available online via the MKC website broken down by Parish and also by Ward; the figures are updated quarterly and are monitored aggressively on a monthly basis. PA18 ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MILTON KEYNES COUNCIL The Chair informed the Assembly that an update of the Parish Boundary Review which will be discussed at Council on the 19 th October is available. The Chair advised that information on the update of the Judicial Review on House in Multiple Occupation (HiMO) was available on the documentation table. Caroline Godfrey announced that the Housing Department is conducting a consultation paper on Housing Strategy; it is regarding the development of new housing and focuses on three themes: 1. Building new homes, 2. Making use of existing homes, 3. Supporting our residents. The Consultation runs from 20 th September to 13 th December. CG asked the Assembly if they would like to receive a report regarding the feedback from the consultation from Paul Gibson (Housing Policy & Development Officer) at the next Parishes Assembly. The Assembly via a show of hands indicated their agreement. Action Caroline Godfrey. For further information please visit: Mrs Fraser was permitted to speak from the public gallery and raised in her capacity as Chair of the Milton Keynes Racial Equality Council that following the tragic deaths is Fishermead, MK Spotlight would be meeting between February 2011 June 2011 with the aim of obtaining information from residents about homes they understand to be HiMO s [which are in all areas of MK] and best practice by MKC. She advised invitations would be sent to all Parishes, and she urged all present contact her for further information. The Chair reminded the Assembly that if anyone is aware of any HiMO s to report them to MKC. PA19 DATE/VENUE FOR NEXT MEETING To note the date for the next meeting 9 December 2010 Items raised by Parish Councils: Parishes Assembly Meeting Date Article I. Deadline for Item submission (5 WKS PRIOR TO NEXT MTG) 7

8 Thursday 9 December 2010 Thursday 10 March 2011 Noon on Thursday 4 November 2010 Noon on Wednesday 3 February 2011 Announcements: Details of announcements for inclusion on the Parishes Assembly Agenda are: Parishes Assembly Meeting Date Thursday 9 December 2010 Thursday 10 March 211 Article II. Deadline for announcement submission (2 WKS PRIOR TO NEXT MTG) Noon on Thursday 25 November 2010 Noon on Thursday 24 February 2011 The Chair closed the meeting at 08:10 8