Minutes of Darnall Area Panel 29 September 2005

DARNALL AREA PANEL


Notes of Meeting held on 29th September, 2005, at Greenlands Junior School, Fisher Lane, Darnall

PRESENT:		Councillor Mary Lea (Chair)

		Officers in attendance:-
		David Curtis	-	Lead Manager
		Stella Mekonnen	-	Area Co-ordinator
		Julie Ward	-	Early Years Education & Childcare Service
		Angela Briggs
		Steve Roberts	-	Home Support Services
		Kate Clark	-	Darnall Green Spaces
		Sarah Thomson	-	Committee Secretariat

		Representatives of Panel Partners:-
		Kath Horner	-	South East Primary Care Trust

		Approximately 14 members of the public and representatives from local community groups attended the meeting.

(NOTE: The Chair explained that as the Panel was inquorate at the commencement of the meeting an informal discussion would be held on the following items).
…………………..

1.	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE FROM PANEL MEMBERS
	Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mohammad Altaf, Harry Harpham and Mick Rooney.

2.	PAT ELMORE
	Chris Crake, Sheffield Futures, expressed his condolences to the friends and family of Pat Elmore who had worked as a part time youth worker for over 42 years at Coleridge, Darnall and Phillimore Youth Centres and was recognised for the work she accomplished with the young people in the area.
	The Chair requested that the Area Co-ordinator forward a letter of thanks to Pat Elmore’s partner acknowledging the work Pat had carried out in the Darnall Area.

3.	MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING
	The minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on the 8th September, 2005 were noted subject to the substitution of the wording between the hours of 4.00 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. for the wording between the hours of 4.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m in item 4 relating to Retford Road.
	It was noted that the minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 26th May, 2005, had been noted at the Panel meeting held on the 8th September, 2005, the Panel had received an email from Sheffield Futures requesting that the wording TUPE Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 be substituted for TUPE (Transfer of Undertaking of Protection of Earnings) in item 3 relating to public questions and petitions.

4.	PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
	The following questions were raised by members of the public and responses were provided as follows:-
	A local resident expressed concern with regard to the Panel meeting held on the 8th September, 2005, in relation to the code of conduct and comments made by residents who had attended the meeting. In response the Chair stated that the meeting had been conducted in the same manner as any other Panel meeting but added that she intended to discuss the code of conduct for future Panel meetings with Councillors and officers in order to prevent any public conflict as experienced at the last Panel meeting.
	With regard to the previous Panel meeting a local resident suggested that the meeting should have been cancelled to prevent public conflict. In response the Chair stated that it was difficult to cancel a Panel meeting at such short notice.
	David Curtis referred to the previous Panel meeting and the difficult situation, which had occurred with members of the public and commented that if such a situation were to arise at a future Panel meeting, members of the public should enable City Council officers to manage and control the situation.
	A local resident enquired as to whether the Neighbourhood Renewal Funding (NRF) allocation details would be submitted to a future meeting of the Area Panel. In response the Area Co-ordinator stated that NRF details would be submitted to a future Panel meeting.
	A local resident referred to a question he had asked at a previous meeting regarding the Handsworth roundabout junction, in relation to road markings to prevent drivers from parking across the junction and stated that he had not received a response. The Area Co-ordinator stated that the response had been given at the last meeting of the Panel and she would forward a written answer to the questioner.
	Questions were raised by members of the public in relation to rumours regarding potential funding for Physical and Environmental Improvements to the area. The questioner stated that she required additional funding to retain staff on temporary contracts at the Darnall Green Spaces Project and was interested to pursue available funding streams. In response David Curtis stated that he was not aware of any available funding and added that the Single Regeneration Budget had now been replaced by a new scheme. He added that he had no further information to report to the Panel on the issue but would pursue the matter further.

5.	INTERMEDIATE CARE FACILITIES – DARNALL
	Kath Horner gave a brief outline of what the Intermediate Care Centre would offer to residents living in the immediate and wider South East Sheffield area. She commented that it was intended that health and social care professionals would work together in one building in providing health related care for elderly people with an emphasis on rehabilitation to improve and maintain peoples mobility. Ms Horner stated that nine beds were available at Tannery Lodge, Stradbroke Road, but added that more beds were required in order to provide additional care to meet the needs of vulnerable people, i.e., those people that had frequent falls, or require a period of rehabilitation and did not have close family to provide them with the care they require when they had been discharged from hospital.
	Steve Roberts gave a presentation, which outlined the proposals for the new building which had been proposed for Darnall under the Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT). He provided details on the LIFT Project to the Panel including the aims of the Project and indicated that LIFT was a public private sector partnership set up to improve and develop l primary and community health and social care facilities.
	LIFT provided the opportunity to develop facilities and premises within the Primary Care Trust, enabling service development and improvement of access and quality of services.
	The LIFT Company would own the building and rent it to the Council. Although it is likely that office accommodation used by the South East Primary Care Trust (SEPCT) would be the subject of a separate rental agreement between SEPCT and the LIFT Company.. Mr Roberts added that a potential site had been identified on Prince of Wales Road and Main Road, behind the church.
	Mr Roberts reported that the LIFT Company was in the final stages of being legally established.
	In response to questions regarding the proposed site in Darnall, a local resident expressed concern at the increase in traffic and the lack of car parking available at the proposed site. In response Mr Roberts stated that the planners would consider traffic issues when evaluating the amount of car parking required on site to accommodate staff and visitors to the Centre.
	Mr Roberts responded to questions with regard to whether Social Services would be involved in the project and whether patients would be cared for in their own home. He stated that patients who were discharged from hospital but who were not well enough to go home would receive care and therapy in the centre delivered by Council and Health staff. This type of care is known as intermediate care and can last for up to six weeks. When the service user s condition improved which would enable them to return home, additional support would be provided in their own home, if required by Care4you (the Councils Home Support Service).
	A local resident enquired as to whether patients would remain in hospital if the new building did not transpire. If the new building did not transpire, then intermediate care would continue to be available at Tannery Lodge (which would have to be refurbished), although there would not be as many beds available as is planned for the new building.
	In response to who would be able to access the centre it was reported that the Council must provide care to all Sheffield Citizens, therefore no one would be denied access to the services because of where they lived. SEPCT has yet to decide the basis on which it would refer patients from other PCT areas.
	With regard to questions as to the cost of the building Mr Roberts stated that the original quote for construction using 2003 prices was approximately £5.5 million.
	Mr Roberts stated that there was planned provision for 24, day care patients. The Directorate is looking to actively increase the number of people from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds to become carers with the belief that this could increase the number of older people from the BME community using the service. This is a separate initiative from the LIFT project. However specific provision in the new building is being made for BME service users
	In response to questions raised regarding access to the proposed building, Mr Roberts stated that when the LIFT Company had been formed, the architect employed by the LIFT Company would work with the Councils Planners regarding building design, pedestrian access, traffic and parking issues etc.
	The Chair thanked Kath Horner and Steve Roberts for their contribution to the meeting.

6.	DARNALL CHILDREN’S CENTRE
	Angela Briggs provided a brief update on the Children’s Centre in Darnall. She stated that the Government’s aim was to ensure that all children had a good start in life by providing children and families with early years education and childcare, health, jobs and training support and a range of other services for young children and their families and that Children’s Centres would build on existing good practice.
	Julie Ward, Lead Manager for Early Years Education and Childcare Services stated that the City Council aimed to develop 13 Children Centres by 2006 with a further 18 being established by 2008.
	Ms Ward reported that a site had been identified in Darnall near to Greenlands School and Staniforth Road but added that problems had arisen following the surveyors report which had identified a large coal seam through the centre of the site. Ms Ward commented that the City Council were examining the cost involved to rectify the problems in order to determine when the project could commence. She stated that the final report would be ready by the end of October, 2005. She hoped that the builders would be on site by December, 2005 with completion by September 2006.
	Ms Briggs reported that key mechanisms would be in place to engage with families and young people. She stated that a stakeholder event was scheduled to take place on Thursday 24th November, 2005 in order to identify stakeholder groups and to look at planning and creation of the delivery of the service.
	A local resident enquired as to who would be responsible for meeting the additional costs incurred for rectifying the problems identified in the surveyors report for development of the land. In response Julie Ward stated that £1 million had been allocated to the project from the Children’s Centre Capital funds from the Department for Education and Skills. If additional costs were incurred then the City Council would consider either redesigning the development or seek additional funding from an alternative source.
	In response to concerns regarding Special Educational needs facilities, Ms Briggs stated that Special Educational Needs were a key priority and would not be compromised.
	A local resident enquired as to whether the new community building project could be linked into the new development and in response Ms Briggs stated that it may be worth exploring and sharing community facilities in relation to training area etc.
	With regard to concerns in relation to the area ratio per child with special educational needs within the Darnall Community Nursery Ms Briggs stated that the area of play per child was calculated per m².
	In relation to questions regarding the Children’s Centre and funding issues Ms Ward stated that the college funding for child care places had been resolved. Funding relating to the children’s centre would be new funding to enable new child care targets to be met.
	A local resident enquired as to whether there could be one central fund for childcare facilities in Darnall. In response Ms Ward reported that a Childcare Strategy Group could be established to ensure cohesion with childcare facilities in Darnall.
	A local resident enquired as to whether Handsworth Community Nursery would be included in the first round of the Service Districts and in response Ms Briggs stated that it would be in the first round and that she would be the Project Co-ordinator.

7.	STANIFORTH ROAD ACCIDENT REDUCTION SCHEME
	It was noted that consideration of the Staniforth Road Accident Reduction Scheme had been deferred to the 24th November, 2005, Area Panel meeting.

8.	DARNALL GREEN SPACES
	Kate Clark gave a brief report on the Darnall Green Spaces Project. She stated that the Master Plan for Darnall and Philimore Community Parks had now been finalised and she had intended to seek the Area Panels approval to progress with the Plan but, as the Panel were inquorate the Chair stated that this item would be deferred until the next Panel meeting on Thursday, 24th November, 2005.

9.	OPERATION MISCHIEF
	The Area Co-ordinator stated that she had held discussions with South Yorkshire Police with regard to forthcoming events including Bonfire night and Mischief night. She stated that the events were successful last year with few incidents reported.
	The information was noted.

10.	DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING
	It was noted that the next meeting of the Panel would be held on Thursday, 24th November, 2005 starting at 6.00 p.m. at a venue to be confirmed.

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