Minutes of Darnall Area Panel 24 May 2007

DARNALL AREA PANEL

Minutes of the meeting held on 24th May 2007 at the Tinsley Green Centre, Norborough Road, Tinsley

PRESENT:		Councillors Mazher Iqbal (Chair), Mary Lea

		Representatives of Panel Partners:-
		Abid Rahim	-	Sheffield Futures
		Christy Bannister John Keyworth	{	East Sheffield Regeneration Team
		Gwen Fields Sally Pierce	{	Tinsley Green Children’s Centre
		Laura Selby	-	Tinsley Forum
		Gareth Davis	-	Activity Sheffield
		Chris Goddard	-	Tinsley Advice Centre

		Officers in attendance:-
		David Curtis	-	Lead Manager, Development Services
		Amy Edwards	-	Area Co-ordinator
		Sarah Lucas	-	Area Support Officer
		Gillian Capewell	-	Committee Secretariat

		26 members of the public and representatives from local community groups attended the meeting.
…………………..

					Action
1.	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE FROM MEMBERS OF THE PANEL
	Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Harry Harpham

2.	OVERVIEW OF DARNALL AND TINSLEY NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK
	Christy Bannister and John Keyworth reported upon developments within the East Sheffield Regeneration Area, referring to the proposed demolition of the Tinsley Cooling Towers and they indicated that the Towers were owned by Powergen, and that there were proposals to demolish the towers in the near future. A question was raised by a member of the public as to what would become of the Peregrine Falcons nesting in the cooling towers, to which John Keyworth replied that Powergen would have to take this into consideration when demolishing the towers, as the birds were a protected species. The public were reassured that there would be no demolition of existing properties in Tinsley, and that all plans for the area were on display in the Darnall Area Office and the Tinsley Public library. David Curtis also acknowledged a point raised by a member of the public that children in Tinsley experienced a high level of pollution and subsequent respiratory problems, and reassured the Panel that these issues were being looked into. It was also pointed out that the number of children per household in Tinley was increasing, and Christy Bannister clarified that they were dealing with the issues of affordable housing for all. Allan Barrows, Tinsley Forum Manager, raised a question about existing Housing Market Renewal (HMR) monies, to which the Chair promised he would deliver the statistics at the next Area Panel meeting, detailing how much money was left over for Tinsley. The Panel noted this information.

3.	DELIVERY OF CHILDREN’S CENTRE SERVICES
	Gwen Fields and Sally Pierce gave a presentation on the work of the Tinsley Green Children’s Centre, and commented particularly that the Centre had been established following a public meeting held in 1999 when the demand for such a facility was expressed, with the Centre finally opening in 2006. In the same year, the Nursery had received a grade of ‘Outstanding’ from an OFSTED inspection, and in 2007, a Big Lottery Bid was submitted which was successful. As a result, a Community Café was opened at the Centre.
	Members of the public expressed their views that the Centre was ‘the heart of the community’, and Councillor Mary Lea emphasised the importance of the facility for the whole of Tinsley.
	The Panel noted this information and the Chair thanked Gwen Fields and Sally Pierce for their presentation and all their hard work at the Centre.

4.	SHEFFIELD FUTURES
	Abid Rahim referred to the work being undertaken by Sheffield Futures in the Tinsley area and particularly indicated that the ‘Every Child Matters’ agenda had been incorporated into the Sheffield Futures Youth Programme design and delivery in every way, with the new programme embracing the key areas of being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well being. He added that at present, Manor area had 44 weeks youth provision, and Darnall had 38, tailored around school holidays to provide as effective service as possible. The importance of Partnership working was emphasised to bring agencies together in Tinsley to provide a better quality service
	The Panel noted this information and the Chair thanked Abid Rahim for all his work in the area and for his presentation.

5.	YOUTH ACTIVITIES PROVIDED BY TINSLEY FORUM
	Laura Selby, Youth Development Worker, gave a presentation on the work being undertaken in the Tinsley area, and indicated that the Tinsley Youth Project aimed to increase the quality of life for young people living within Tinsley, and had so far worked with 54 young people over the last 12 months, with a particular emphasis on helping children who were not in education, employment or training (NEET). She went on to outline some of the activities provided by the Project, including sports clubs, CV writing workshops, youth club nights, homework groups and conversation clubs.
	The Panel noted this information and the Chair thanked Laura Selby for all her hard work in the area and for her presentation.

6.	ACTIVITY SHEFFIELD
	Gareth Davis, Tinsley Sports Development Officer gave a presentation on the work being undertaken by Activity Sheffield in the Tinsley area, and stated that he had been in post since December 2006 and was working throughout Tinsley to improve sports provision in the area. He emphasised that the Active Tinsley Project aimed to encourage the Tinsley community to become more physically active and to make use of the green spaces in the area, working with Partners such as Sheffield Futures, Tinsley Youth and Forum and Sure Start. He outlined several successful projects so far, such as work undertaken with local school children, holiday programmes and the establishment of a boxing club. Several future projects were outlined, including working more with older people, and encouraging use of the Centre via Health Walks and aerobics classes. He added that the Project officially ceased in 2008, with future funding uncertain at present.
	The Panel noted this information and the Chair thanked Gareth Davis for all his hard work in the area and for his presentation.

7.	TINSLEY ADVICE CENTRE
	Chris Goddard reported on the current situation, whereby several hundred EU National new arrivals were accessing the Centre every month and there was an urgent need for a full time translator and extra member of staff, with the Centre being extremely under resourced at present. The Chair responded that he had liased with MP Clive Betts and Councillor Mick Rooney about delivering food parcels to the Centre for distribution, and also mentioned that there was to be a meeting on the 15th June to discuss the situation.

8.	MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING
	The minutes of the Area Panel held on 25th January 2007 were approved as a correct record, and the notes from the Area panel held 29th March 2007 were received.

9.	PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
	The Neighbourhood Action Group praised Councillor Mary Lea for her work improving CCTV provision in the area.

10.	DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING
	It was noted that the next meeting of the Panel would be held on Thursday 19th July 2007 at 6.00 pm at a venue to be confirmed.

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