Agenda and draft minutes

Also in attendance:

Mark Wardale, Localities Officer, Lancashire County Council

Janet Mulligan, Democratic Services, Lancashire County Council

Councillor A Khan attended in place of Councillor J Smith for this meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from County Councillors P Britcliffe, M Dad and C Pritchard, and from Councillor M Haworth.

The note of the meeting held on 3 September 2014 was presented and agreed.

Members received an update on the action taken in response to issues raised at the previous meeting. In receiving the update the following points were raised:

A Boards – It was reported that County Councillor John Fillis, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport was to circulate a note around all Three Tier Forums setting out the County Council's policy and what action it could and could not take regarding A boards. It was acknowledged that current legislation and limited resources restricted the local authority in how it could manage the positioning of A boards.

Walton Arms Junction – Statistical information relating to traffic using this junction was provided; Oliver Starkey, Public Realm Manager at LCC would go through the information with Parish Councillor Pinder and the Chair who would report back any concerns to this Forum. It was suggested that the standard of driving and the failure of drivers to give way as appropriate was a significant contributory factor to the many minor accidents that occur at this junction.

Milnshaw Footways – There was some general discussion about the standard of repairs following works on the highway; members were assured that the Transport Asset Management Plan (TAMP) had introduced more rigorous inspections and that a better standard of repairs, acceptable to the County Council was expected going forward.

The Dashboard details the performance of the Environment Directorate between July and September 2014 in relation to the approved Hyndburn Commissioning Plan for 2014/15.

The Environment Directorate's "dashboard" performance for the second quarter of 2014/15 was presented. 

In considering the 'dashboard' members of the Forum made the following comments:

Pennine Reach – Members noted that the work at the Hare and Hounds junction Clayton Le Moors had now been completed very efficiently and in a way that caused minimum disruption.  Letters of thanks had been sent to those responsible.

Accrington Town Centre – Progress was as planned and work was expected to begin in the New Year.

Road and Street Maintenance – The 100% of pothole repairs achieved within the target 20 working days was welcomed, however, it was reported that there appeared to be a number of defects on roads in Rishton that had been awaiting repair for longer than 20 days; it was acknowledged that these might not fall within the definition of a pothole. It was expected that the approach to be introduced by the TAMP, to surface dress roads, would achieve better results.

In receiving the capital programme for 2015/16, members made the following comments:

There had been an expectation that Shakespeare Avenue, Great Harwood would be on the list as it had previously been identified as in need of maintenance to prevent some 40-50 metres of the surface from crumbling.

It was noted that Livingstone Road was also not included and there was some concern that the relevant councillor had not been kept informed about why it was no longer on the list.

It was explained that the final funding figure from Government would not be received until January, following which the final capital programme would be provided to the Forum. In the meantime Mark Wardale undertook to check the current position regarding Shakespeare Avenue and Livingstone Road and report back to the Forum.

a)  Walton Arms Junction Update

b)  Combined Authorities

c)  Free School Meals

d)  Selective Licencing

e)  Extraction of Shale Gas

f)  Support for people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET)

g)  Child Sexual Exploitation

a) Walton Arms Junction Update – This matter had been discussed earlier in the meeting under Item 3

b)  A report on the use of 'combined authorities' – it was reported that local authorities were under significant financial pressure and were now coming together to move forward in partnership on strategic issues; there was no desire to create another tier of local government.

c)  Primary School Free Meals – A briefing note was provided with the agenda papers at Annex 1. Further clarification was sought regarding the impact of the new arrangements on SEN allowances. Mark Wardale undertook to report back to the Forum on this particular issue.

d)  Selective Licensing and Private Landlords – A briefing note was provided with the agenda papers at Annex 1a. It was noted that the Scheme was due to end in 2017 after five years. At the request of members, Mark Wardale undertook to find out if this period could be extended.

e)  Extraction of shale gas - The briefing note provided with the agenda papers at Annex 2 was noted.

f)  Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) - The briefing note provided with the agenda papers at Annex 3 was noted.

g)  Child sexual exploitation within Lancashire - A briefing note was provided with the agenda papers at Annex 4. There was some discussion about the responsibility of all to be vigilant and proactive regarding the signs of potential abuse.

It was suggested that training which had been provided to county councillors could usefully be rolled out to district and parish councils also.

It was felt that young people could play a key role in educating their peers about the dangers. Parents also should be educated about the warning signs to look for.

The Chair undertook to liaise with Councillor Pam Barton, Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, about the possibility of working with the Multi Faith Forum on this issue.

Any suggestions for themes to be discussed at future meetings should be forwarded to the Chair and Mark Wardale, Localities Officer, Environment Directorate, Strategy and Policy, Lancashire County Council. Mobile 07919 227424 or by email to mark.wardale@lancashire.gov.uk

Members of the Forum were asked to submit any further suggested items for the next Hyndburn Tier Forum to Mark Wardale mark.wardale@lancashire.gov.uk. Any suggestions would need to be cleared with the Chair.

Suggestions put forward at the meeting:

Taxi Licencing – It was felt that there was a need to ensure sufficient licenced taxis in Hyndburn to meet the needs of local people in order to ensure their safety and prevent taxis that had not been licenced to the same standards coming into the borough from neighbouring areas. It was suggested that a standardised service across all 14 local authorities could be considered.

Food Poverty – A report on the take-up of the County Council's Food Poverty Grant Scheme including spending on infrastructure was requested.

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.

To be agreed at this meeting.

It was reported that the next scheduled meeting due to be held on 8 April 2015 had been cancelled owing to it falling within the Purdah period for the General and Local elections.

It was agreed that a further meeting be scheduled for early June 2015.