Agenda and minutes

Also in attendance:

Ms J Swift, Head of Street Scene, Burnley Borough Council.

Mr M Wardale, Locality Officer, LCC Environment Directorate.

Mr M Neville, (Democratic Services) LCC Office of the Chief Executive.

A copy of the agreed Protocol in relation to public participation at meetings of the Forum is attached for information.

A copy of the current Protocol in relation to public speaking at meetings of the forum was presented for information and noted.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Towneley, County Councillor Sumner and County Councillor Hassan and presented on behalf of County Councillor Martin, and Councillor Cunningham.

It was noted that Manchester Road was in Hapton and not Burnley as stated on page 7 of the Note and the text on page 10 should refer to Brougham Street.

Agreed: That, subject to the two amendments specified above, the Note of the meeting held on the 25^th November 2013 is confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

The following items were discussed during consideration of the updates set out in the Action Sheet.

·  It was noted that the proposed carriageway resurfacing on the A646 Burnley Road, from the junction of Red Lees Road to Holme Chapel, would not impact on the access to the site via Red Lees Road. However, there was concern that any resurfacing works on the A646 should be delayed until such time as the wind farm was operational so that the number of large vehicles using the A646 and other roads in the area associated with the construction of the farm was reduced.

·  With regard to the discussion at the last meeting about the unadopted access to Hapton C of E Methodist Primary School, off Manchester Road, it was noted that the County Councils position was that consideration would only be given to adopting such a road if works were carried out to bring it up to the standard required by the Council, with the costs being met by the owner(s) of the land.

The Forum noted that the County Councils Development Control Committee had recently granted planning permission for the introduction of a modular building, installation of play equipment and bin store on land at Rockwood Nursery School on Kingsland Road.

·  The results of traffic counts on Brunshaw Avenue/Morse Street were discussed and it was agreed that as the monitoring had shown vehicles on Brunshaw Avenue were exceeding the 20mph limit the Police should be requested to take targeted enforcement action.

·  The progress in connection with the restoration of the Todmorden East Curve was noted and it was suggested that before the line became operational Network Rail be requested to clear the railway embankments of litter.   

Agreed: That the comments of the Forum as set out above be noted and where appropriate action taken and further updates provided via the Action Sheet for this meeting.

An update on the current position in relation to the review of 3 Tier Forums will be presented at the meeting.

Mr Wardale reported that following the consultation last September regarding the future development of the 3 Tier Forums some Forums had agreed to open meetings to the public and the Lancaster and Chorley Forums were developing alternative arrangements in terms of the structure of the Forums which would operate for a trail period. It was also reported that the County Council was considering its wider governance arrangements and a report in relation to the future of the 3 Tier Forums was due to be presented to the Cabinet in mid May.

Agreed: That the update regarding the future development of 3 Tier Forums is noted.

The Dashboard details the performance of the County Council's Environment Directorate between October and December, 2013, in relation to delivery of the approved Burnley Commissioning Plan for 2013/14.

The following points were made by members of the Forum during discussion on the Dashboard for Quarter 3.

·  It was reported that residents were happy with the work which had been done to establish a pedestrian crossing on Briercliffe Road in Burnley, though clarification was sought as to when the associated flashing warning lights would be installed. Mr Wardale undertook to look into the matter and provide a response.

·  The issue of rogue traders was discussed and there was some concern that the public may not be able to report incidents to Trading Standards out of hours and that there was a delay in the police circulating alerts to warn the public of scams. It was suggested that a report be presented to the next meeting to inform the Forum about the work of the Trading Standards Service and also to highlight how/when incidents can be reported and in relation to the Safe Trader Scheme.

·  Following on from the previous point it was reported that there had been instances where taxi drivers had been sold defective tyres by a local garage and it was suggested that the matter be referred to the Trading Standards Service for further investigation.

Agreed: That the comments set out above are noted and further updates provided to the members of the Forum on the issues in due course.

A list of capital schemes to be delivered in Burnley District in 2014/15 is attached.

The Forum was presented with a list of schemes which had been approved by the County Councils Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation in relation to the Capital Programme for 2014/15.

·  Concern was expressed that a scheme for surface dressing along a length of the A646 Burnley Road was only scheduled to be done in Quarter 2 (July-September 2015) and it was suggested that the work should be undertaken sooner.

·  The Forum welcomed the inclusion of a number of schemes in the programme which would be funded by the Local Priorities Response Fund and had been recommended at the last meeting.

·  With regard to Robin House Lane a request was received for clarification of the proposed surface dressing to be used as the route was popular with riders in the Briercliffe area as they had no bridleway

Agreed: That the comments of the Forum in relation to the list of schemes approved for the 2014/15 capital programme be noted and where appropriate necessary action taken and further updates provided via the Action Sheet.

The first two stages of the Tour-De-France will be held in the Pennine area of Yorkshire on Saturday 5^th and Sunday 6^th July, 2014. On both days the event will pass close to the Lancashire Boundary and the attached report outlines what the County Council is doing to manage traffic issues connected with the event.

The Forum was informed that the first two stages of the Tour de France would be held in the Pennine area of North Yorkshire on the 5^th/6^th July, 2014 and were expected to attract significant visitor numbers both from overseas and  the UK.

As the event would pass close to the County boundary on both days it was anticipated that travel between Lancashire and Yorkshire would be disrupted and the County Council was in the process of identifying any roads would need to be closed and also the duration of such closures. Further news about the event and associated road closures would be made available via www.lancashire.gov.uk (search for Tour de France) so that people could plan their travel over that weekend or avoid the disruption.

Agreed: That the action being taken in relation to traffic management associated with the Tour de France on the 5^th/6^th July 2014 is noted.

A report was presented to the Forum on the proposal by the Cumbria and Lancashire Public Health Collaborative for the introduction of a minimum unit pricing policy for alcohol. In discussing the report members of the forum made the following comments.

1.  There was general agreement that a minimum unit pricing policy for alcohol should be supported, though it was recognised that the UK had a different cultural approach to alcohol than many other European countries and so such a policy could only be one element in a much larger and coordinated approach to the issue.

2.  It was noted that the introduction of a minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol had been supported by the Scottish Parliament, though the policy was yet to be introduced in practice.

3.  It was suggested that a MUP would not address the problem of binge drinking and would be difficult to enforce.

4.  Members of the Forum felt that there was a need for more action to be taken in relation to the advertising of alcohol and its sale to minors or the purchase of alcohol by proxy. It was suggested that where retailers were found to be selling alcohol to minors there should be more significant punitive measures imposed. 

5.  It was suggested that to be effective a MUP would need to be implemented nationally by Government.

Agreed: That the views of the Burnley 3 Tier Forum, as set out above, be forwarded to the Cumbria and Lancashire Public Health Collaborative in response to the consultation on the introduction of a minimum unit pricing policy for alcohol.

As this meeting is the last scheduled meeting of the Forum consideration has been given to potential dates for a programme of meetings for 2014/15. Using the existing programme as a starting point potential dates have been discussed with Officers in the Environment Directorate and at the Borough Council and the following dates are presented for consideration by the Forum.

Monday 1^st September 2014

Monday 17^th November 2014

Monday 13^th April 2015

All meetings will be held at 6.30pm in Committee Rooms 2/3 at the Town Hall, Manchester Road, Burnley.

Agreed: That meetings of the Forum be held at 6.30pm in Committee Rooms 2/3 at the Town Hall, Manchester Road,Burnley on the following dates.

Monday 1st September 2014

Monday 17th November 2014

Monday 13th April 2015

Any suggestions for themes to be discussed at future meetings should be forwarded to the Chair and Harry Ballantyne, Localities Officer, Environment Directorate, Strategy and Policy, Lancashire County Council, Mobile 07717 423903 harry.ballantyne@lancashire.gov.uk

The Chair invited members of the Forum to put forward ideas for discussion at future meetings and it was suggested that a report be presented in relation to the health implications of the growth is the use of E cigarettes and E Shisha bars.

Concern was expressed that what had originally been promoted as a means to help people give up smoking had now evolved into a substitute for tobacco cigarettes and was in danger of becoming a fashion accessory, particularly amongst young people. It was noted that whilst there may be evidence that E cigarettes were less harmful that tobacco they nevertheless presented some risks due to their nicotine content and posed a risk of poisoning for young children if  they consumed the contents.

Reference was also made to an issue reported in the Dashboard and it was requested that a report on the work done by the Trading Standards Service in relation to tackling rogue traders (including the Safer Trader Scheme) should also be presented to the next meeting.

Agreed:

1.  That reports on the health implications of E cigarettes and the work of the Trading Standards Service in relation to rogue traders be presented to the next meeting.

2.  That any additional suggestions for reports to future meeting be forwarded to the Chair and Locality Officer for consideration.

An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the minutes, the Chair of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency

There were no items of urgent business for discussion at the meeting.

Subject to the agreement of the Forum under an earlier item on the agenda the next meeting will be held at 6.30pm on Monday the 1^st September 2014 in Committee Rooms 2 and 3 at the Town Hall, Manchester Road, Burnley.

It was noted that in accordance with the earlier decision the next meeting would be held at 6.30pm on Monday 1st September 2014 in Committee Rooms 2/3 at the Town Hall, Manchester Road, Burnley.