Agenda and minutes

Minutes of the last meeting – amendment to page 6, line 2 – NA stated that she had not got involved with the Tooting group but knew someone who had.

NA expressed concern that women suffering from DA were still falling through the net as they did not fit in any particular groups that agencies were funded for.  They get signposting to an agency but then the woman was told she was not eligible for help.  Homelessness was also a huge concern.

People did not know what agencies were funded to deliver.  The recommendations in overview and scrutiny DA report needed to be followed up to ensure they had been done and identify any gaps and be clear at what agency was funded for what including what the OPCC funded.  This is to be discussed at the next meeting.  Action:  Invite the police lead for DA to next meeting.

Another issue was many women could not rent a home as they were being told they needed to be earning 3 times the annual rent and have a month’s rent as deposit.

Action: invite for next meeting and Officer from Private Sector Housing and Lighthouse who offer support to immigrants.

Food Poverty – AK reported the second meeting was the following evening and she would be attending.  A motion had been proposed for NBC to co-ordinate all the food banks but this is not what the food banks wanted, just support.  Hopefully one of the things to come out of the O & S report would be signposting of what was available and when. AK was attending a meeting at Restore in October and would feed back to the group.

National Hate Crime Week was from 14 – 18 October.  Northampton Partnership Homes, supported by NBC and Police would be at Weston Favell Centre on Monday 14 October and the Market Square on Friday 18 October, both from 10am until 4pm.  A full list of Police supported events countywide to be circulated separately.

In addition the Hope banner would be at the Chief Constable’s supper and Diwali.

Questions were asked why the police hate crime figures were not being given anymore.  Action: RP find out and let DM know.

Mark Radley, from Environmental Health, gave a run-down of his work as a Food Safety Officer.  He explained the Hygiene Certificate ratings and that currently it was not a legal requirement to display them but the ones that didn’t, were probably the poorly rated premises.  The ratings were available on the internet though, and Mark encouraged people to look or ask a premises and also to report anything they were concerned about.  The date of the inspection was shown on the back of a certificate and if it was more than 18 months ago, chances were it was out of date and not the most current.  Inspections were all on a cycle depending on risk determined by previous inspections and complaints from the general public.  Premises were inspected on hygiene and structure standards including smoking provision.  They also dealt with accidents in premises and food poisoning.

Low rated premises were given advice of how to improve but they failed to do so enforcement action would be taken. Premises were always given a right to reply if they felt they had been unfairly treated.

Any business that offers food to the public needed to register with the local authority.  The Food Safety Officers also attended events, such as the carnival, which they could then inspect in real time and see things like gas safety.  Providing the trader had submitted the correct paperwork to the event organiser, the sole responsibility of the food and food management, rested with the trader.

Reporting food outlets was not yet available on the NBC reporting app Action: MR to follow up. Information on the NBC Facebook page on what to look for and how to report would be useful.  Mart stated that NBC had approximately 2,000 businesses on their books and only a small number were poor and he would not recommend eating at a premises rated lower than 3.  Ingredient listing and food allergies had been high profile recently and new legislation had come in, and all premises needed to be able to inform customers exactly what was in their food.

Community Centres and community groups who offered food on a regular basis, including food banks, needed to be registered.  There was no cost for this.  Mark and the rest of the team were more than happy to advise groups.  Training was not offered at this point in time, but Mark was more than happy to signpost.  Groups using a community centre and offering food would be the ones to register rather than the centre itself.  Mark said he didn’t want to scare people, but advised if in doubt, register.

16 Days of Activism ran from 25 November to 10 December.  A planning meeting was to be held at the Guildhall at 2pm on Friday 4 October.

October was Black History month.  The University had several events planned and MW would send the programme.  This included some really good thought provoking plays.

Bellinge Community House AGM was on 28 October at 6pm – all invited and were running a Macmillan coffee morning.

Hindu Community 9 days festival started Sunday.  It was not limited to Hindu and would be great to get more children involved in the special session on Saturday from 6-8pm.  Sharad Poonam was on 12 October and Diwali on 19 October on the Market Square. DM reported an event was being planned for International Day of People with Disabilities on 4 December from 11am – 3.30pm in partnership with Deafconnect and the police. It would be held at Deafconnect’s base at Spencer/Dallington Community Centre.

In addition, Northampton Filmhouse would be doing a ‘relaxed’screening of The Peanut Butter Falcon on 3 December along with a short film of a Northampton young man with cerebal palsy who had taken up wheel chair rugby.  Time and details of how to book will be circulated when available.

RP told the group that St George’s Street mosque had an open day on Saturday from 10am – 1pm,  all invited.  The police would be running a campaign about being vigilant about burglary during the festive season and now that the nights were drawing in.  The Chief Constable was holding his supper during hate crime week and everyone should have received an invite.

Interfaith week started on November 11.

International Women’s Day

DM reported she had applied to have ‘Hope’ a full-sized lego suffragette for the week of IWD.  If we were successful it would give the opportunity for additional activities including involving the youth forum.

It was agreed to ask Rock Choir to perform again, probably at the beginning and the end.

Action: everyone to think of performers they would like to see on the day and send contact details to DM and also any groups that could come in national dress.

Richard Tompkins re DA

Private Sector Housing Officer