Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Jeffrey Room, St. Giles Square, Northampton, NN1 1DE.

Contact: Partnerships and Communities Team  0300 330 700 e-mail:  forums@northampton.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcomes, introductions and apologies pdf icon PDF 185 KB

Minutes:

Present: Cllr Oldham (CO), Roger Rumsey (RR Co Chair), Cllr Hallam, Christian Akuffo, Hazel Tuttle (Individual HT), Aimee Luck (NBC AL), Carolyn Howe (VIN CL), Jeanette Pidgen (Nene CCG JP), Brian Nicholls (BN), Tony Mallard (TM), Ann Timson (AT), Mr Nelson Mrs Nelson, Nicola Toms (NT), Ann Timson (AT)

 

Apologies: John Rawlings, Jacqueline Forrest-Smith. David Hewitt, Rachel Clements, Mark Flaxman, Jennifer Shaw, Liz Fitzgerald, Maureen Hill and Alan Wright.  

2.

Minutes and Matters Arising pdf icon PDF 75 KB

Minutes:

Minutes are recorded as true to record.

 

TM: Public liability has more than doubled for the Northampton Residents Association Federation.  

3.

Nominations for Co - Chair

Minutes:

RR was proposed to stand in as Chair and seconded by forum members.

 

RR was thanked for standing as Chair last year.  

4.

Cllr Hallam - Environmental Services

Minutes:

CH gave an update on the Environmental Services contract. In discussions to find a new contractor. 5 organisations have been shortlisted and a new contract will be awarded in November.

 

NBC has a long term strategy  in place. One part of the strategy is to have a contract in place. We would also like to see community led projects Eg Bloom project. NBC received Gold award for East Midlands in Bloom. Another part of the strategy is enforcement.

 

Over the summer months there were problems with encampments. We are enforcing against flytipping and anti-social behaviour and not targeting specific groups.

 

We are having a wholesale review of all our parks and open spaces eg new bollards are added or replaced.

 

With regards to travellers it takes some time to get Section 77 deployed to remove them. We are now using Section 61 which is quicker and getting the support of the Police.

 

Q: Have we learnt lessons from the previous Enterprise contract?

A: Yes and we are reviewing how to work better for the future.

 

Q: People are fly tipping around flats. Do you have CCTV cameras to stop this?

A: We struggle to find the resources to do this.

 

CH would like to return to the forum in November meeting to give further updates.

5.

Carolyn Howe - Social Isolation for the elderly Volunteer Impact Northampton

Minutes:

CH works for Voluntary Impact Northampton (VIN) and Nicola Toms works on a project called Happy at Home. The objective is to help people stay at home longer and also to reduce isolation.

 

Would like to create a project in Northampton and want the views of the forum. Data has been collected and the following areas have been targeted as areas of where there is a higher percentage of older people:

 

Kingsthorpe, St Davids, Eastfield, Phippsville, Kingsley and Headlands.

 

Q: How are you engaging with people?

A: We receive referrals from doctors, family, self-referrals. Leaflets are put through doors.

 

TM: I am a member of the Veteran Club and meet weekly.

VIN would like to link in with this.

 

JP can support and can provide information about GP surgeries.

 

HT explained that there is a knit and natter session in the library.

 

ACTION: NM to invite CH to community centre forum meeting.

 

6.

Jeanette Pidgen

Minutes:

JP gave a presentation on the structure Nene CCG.

 

ACTION: NM to send out presentation.

 

DWP explained the clinician see you and they know that you are going to be off for week, they have to give you a fit note.

 

Literature will be given out to go across Northampton. Will be part of the communication strategy. When Care Navigation will go live, there will be a pre-recorded message. Receptionists are not clinical. They are there to support GPs.

 

There are for and against for the new system.

 

NHS system is very good but the expectation is very high. A&E is there for emergencies only and not for minor ailments.

 

Q: Whitefields operate a triage system. The receptionists take call and direct?

A: If the patient does not want to be directed to another medical staff then it can be stated at that stage. Found to be a good system where Doctors return your call.

 

The patient can “request” to be seen on another day. The GPs do not intended to create blockage.

 

Q: Why can’t consultations for ongoing problems be pre booked months in advance? Dentists do this.

 

A: Up to the surgeries.  There is a lot of demand on surgeries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.

Community News Exchange

Minutes:

AT: Wrote to NPH a few weeks ago. The lights are on 24 hours a week. Sometimes they do not work. So reported it.

 

Lamp fixed but did not work again. Reported it again.

 

Received a letter stating that a “complaint” was made. But this was a report not complaint.

 

NPH staff change and do not always know who to contact.

 

Staff are busy and telephone takes a long time to be answered.

 

Tenants are asked to report problems. But no facility to leave a telephone message.

 

ACTION: NM to invite Marion Goodman to Forum to discuss contact centre.

ACTION: NM to invite NPH to discuss reporting problems and who to write to.

 

HT: Hedge by Weston Favell past B&M is very overgrown. ACTION: RR to contact Cllr Hallam.

 

BN:  Anglian Water stated that water usage had increased by 50%. Contact company and arranged for engineer to come. There was no leak found. Entered home and wanted to fix items. Gave us a new head for shower. Arranged for an email to say  how much savings can be made if recommendations were carried out. However, there were no savings at all.

 

Why have I received a leaflet asking how Enterprise is doing when the contract is near the end? Waste of money.

 

Letter in Chronicle, writer disturbed that rules in homes in multiple occupation do not apply to him. 3 bedroom home next door converted to

 

Would like discussion on this.

 

CO: Huge task in Far Cotton that there are many homes in multiple occupation (HMOs) Article 4 enforced in Far Cotton. Before Article 4, you didn’t need planning permission as there were under 6 people living. Now landlords have to declare if over 3 unrelated people live together

 

HMOs are mostly students. They seem to be a fact of life at the moment.

 

If in Article 4 direction, have to 3 people. Before Article 4, you could have up to  6 people.

 

Operate a system of no more than 15% in a 50 metre radius. Complicated system. Last planning committee, one was refused. Planning enforcement officers are checking and investigating.

 

Highways are objecting due to stress on parking. However, appeals are being allowed.

 

HT: Water bill risen but meter reading is the same.

 

 

 

 

 

8.

Suggestions for Items for Future Meetings or Forum Activities

Minutes:

Age UK and Stagecoach to attend next meeting.

 

Marion Goodman and Northamptonshire Partnership Homes to be invited.

 

Peter Baguley Head of Planning to be invited to talk about HMOs.

9.

Any Other Business

10.

Date and venues of future Forum Meetings

30th November The Guildhall, 1:30 – 4pm.

 

 

Minutes:

30th November 2017, The Guildhall 1:30pm-4pm