To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:-
The deadline for the submission of:
Public questions is Tuesday 29 October 2019.
A statement is midday, Monday 4 November 2019.
A petition is midday, Monday 4 November 2019.
Minutes:
The Chairman advised that 2 public questions and 2 statements had been submitted for the meeting.
Public Question from Simon Grimston
The West Hill Project & Community together tackling criminal and antisocial behaviour but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Our efforts are directed in the following ways:
· protect the environment – we, the Community,
· increase well-being for our community, inclusive of those with disabilities or victims of anti-social behaviour and crime.
· seek sustainability in resources whether voluntary, financial or advisory.
There is a high risk that if funding does not continue, all those benefits will be lost.
Will the Leader of the Council therefore give the West Hill Project a commitment to continued and sustainable funding?
Response by Councillor Vikki Slade (Leader of the Council)
Thank you for your question and thank you for inviting me to spend a morning with you so I could learn more about the issues faced by the area and so I could get to speak to business owners and residents about some of the social problems that they face. As you know I have had several meetings with officers since we spent that time together and I was delighted to have been asked to present an award to the community team responsible for the community garden that has sparked some well needed ‘good news’ for the area.
As you know, the West Hill Project is a 2 year project funded by the MHCLG and is a multi-agency effort, driven by the council, which seeks to promote landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities, improve community cohesion and tackle issues relating to housing standards in the area. Over the life of this project a dedicated team of officers have developed excellent relationships with the community, who have responded positively and are now more engaged than ever before. As a result, we have been able to work with the community to better understand their experiences and their concerns, and have recently reviewed the project outcomes to ensure that not only are we delivering our baseline commitments, but to ensure that we are extending the benefit of the additional resources that come with it.
I am pleased to report that 276 inspections have taken place since the commencement of the project in June 2018, many of which have included multi agency partners in order that a range of issues are able to be identified and addressed. The outcomes from these inspections range from action to resolve housing standards issues, to direct action relating to anti-social behaviour and immigration issues. The project also includes a dedicated outreach service provided by Citizens Advice where tenants can seek advice and support and a Neighbourhood Warden who patrols the area and is able to provide a means of reporting issues, supporting residents and taking practical action to improve the area. In addition, we have invested in community engagement and development work and many improvements to the local area have been achieved, from enviro-cleans to a community garden created on a disused piece of land which won a Bournemouth in Bloom award recently.
But there are still some issues within the West Hill area which we and our statutory partners need to tackle.
Following our very recent review, I am pleased to confirm that we have committed to extending the project until January 2021 and will soon be recruiting an additional member of staff who will be able to work directly alongside the Police and the community to bring a focused approach to tackling anti-social behaviour as well as other community issues. We are currently working with the Police to review our collective understanding of the challenges West Hill faces, and will be agreeing our tactical response as partners shortly. The long term future of the work in West Hill will largely be determined by the consultation we will be launching in January 2020 around proposals to introduce Discretionary Licensing as this area is included in the proposed area for designation.
Public Question from Philip Stanley-Watts
Could the cabinet member explain to me how he is addressing the problem of sand on the promenade which is making Bournemouth and Poole seafront dangerous for pedestrians especially the disabled. This has been going on for 3 months?
Response from Councillor Lewis Allison (Portfolio Holder for Tourism, Leisure and Communities)
The seafront team have an ongoing battle to deal with windblown sand and remove over half a million tonnes of sand from the promenade each year. The team are equipped with tractors and other specialised equipment and commit to providing an accessible route along the promenade within 24 hours of a major storm. Additional support is provided from other Council departments as and when required.
Public Statement from Susan Chapman
Interactive global map coastal.climatecentral.org, shows frightening sea level rise and coastal flood risk by 2050, affecting many areas including BCP. Brilliant engineer Paul Ambrose warned Bournemouth to over-engineer the town and throw away the anachronistic 1960s handbooks. Sadly, the pre-May administration curtailed democracy; the public's 5 minute deputations and right to ask three questions per meeting. Moreover, a good week's notice was needed for any question today. And where is the Flood Advisory Group?
Yet ALL HANDS should be helping salvage Mother Nature on the Climate Emergency Deck as humanity tries to avoid triggering irreversible breakdown.
Public Statement from Sarah Ward
Following my FOI request, BCP council have revealed the Street Outreach Team are working with 319 individuals across Bournemouth and Poole. FOI requests state there are 193 homeless families living in temporary accommodation across BCP, including 273 children. It is clear that BCP has a housing crisis that needs urgent attention. I ask that UA convene an urgent multi-agency task force to establish a Homelessness Action Plan to implement measures to tackle the unfolding situation. With over 700 homeless people dying in the UK in the last year, lives are literally at stake and a crisis response is clearly overdue.
There were no petitions submitted for this meeting.