Minutes of North Area Panel 15 November 2006

NORTH AREA PANEL


Meeting held 15th November, 2006 at St. Saviour’s Church Hall, Mortomley Lane, High Green


PRESENT:		Councillors Trevor Bagshaw (Chair), Kathleen Chadwick, Alan Hooper and Graham Oxley.

		Representatives of Panel Partners:-
		Faye Green	-	North Area Regeneration Partnership
		Gareth Johnstone	-	Age Concern, Sheffield
		Janice Woodliffe	-	Community Link Worker
		Marie Croker	-	Activity Sheffield
		Mark Hible	-	Activity Sheffield
		Councillor Kath Granger	-	Ecclesfield Parish Council
		Jo Pilley	-	Ecclesfield Parish Council
		Canon Lewis Atkinson	-	Partnerships for Older People Project
		Hazel Powell	-	Jobnet/STEP
		Christine Mosley	-	Jobnet/STEP

		City Council Officers:-
		Anne Blantern	-	Area Co-ordinator
		Mathew Rush	-	Area Action Officer
		Mike Shaw	-	Street Force
		Jason Dietsch	-	Committee Secretariat

		Approximately 15 members of the public, including representatives of Panel partners, attended the meeting.

……………….

1.	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE FROM MEMBERS OF THE PANEL				Action
	Apologies for absence were received from Councillors David Baker, Martin Davis, Patricia Fox and Vickie Priestley.

2.	PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS

	· Question concerning the timescale for the refurbishment of homes on School Road – Sheffield Homes be requested to respond.				Sheffield Homes

	· Scheduling of replacement gas main on School Road – The Council’s Utilities Liaison Officer be requested to respond.				Highways

	· Resurfacing on brow of Lound Side following work by statutory undertakers – Street Force be requested to investigate and report to the Panel.				Street Force

	· Request for dropped kerbs to improve access to GP surgery on Mortomley Lane, High Green as had been achieved between Foster Way/Charles Square to the GP surgery, Thompson Hill – Advise questioner to submit a petition.				Area Panel

	· Concern at location of speed camera signs on Ecclesfield Road in vicinity of comprehensive school which had been placed on the public footway so as to obstruct the progress of pedestrians and particularly wheelchair users and buggy users – Street Force be requested to investigate.				Street Force

	· Narrowing of gap in wall, which allowed vehicles inappropriate and potentially dangerous access the highway at the Tesco filling station, Chapeltown and the results of monitoring the nearby zebra crossing – Request Highways Officers (a) investigate and that a report be made to Ecclesfield Parish Council and the Panel and (b) that the Parish Council also be informed of the results of monitoring at the zebra crossing by Highways Officers.				Highways

	· Installation of safety cameras on Chapel Road/Park Avenue, Chapeltown and concern at notification of progress to the lead petitioner, following the meeting of the West and North Planning and Highways Area Board on 10th October 2006 and the scheduling of camera installation. The questioner was informed that mobile cameras were to be used to allow further investigation by the Camera Safety Partnership, although appropriate signs, notifying drivers of the presence of speed cameras would also have to be installed. Councillor Alan Hooper had written to the Council’s Head of Highways and Transport, expressing concern in relation to written responses to lead petitioners.				Highways

3.	CHARLTON BROOK OPEN SPACE
	The Chair, Councillor Trevor Bagshaw informed the meeting that a consultation event, facilitated by the Area Panel would be held Tuesday 21st November 2006 in relation to the improvements to Charlton Brook open space. Councillor Kath Granger, Ecclesfield Parish Council informed the Panel that a group was already in existence which undertook some work in relation to Charlton Brook.
	The report was noted.

4.	COMMUNITY LINK WORKER PROJECT (PARTNERSHIPS FOR OLDER PEOPLE PROJECT)
	Gareth Johnstone, Age Concern Sheffield, gave a presentation to the Panel in relation to the Community Link Worker work stream of the Partnerships for Older People Project, outlining the background to the project and in particular the employment of Community Link Workers in 16 neighbourhoods in Sheffield which included Chapeltown and High Green. He outlined the role of Community Link Workers in support of older people and linking them with resources and services in relation to health, social care, housing and safety. He also outlined the potential legacy of the project following its two-year time span, including the development of sustainable methods of identifying older people at risk and disseminating learning to other neighbourhoods in the City.
	Janice Woodliffe, Community Link Worker for Chapeltown, attended the Panel meeting and outlined her role and work undertaken so far.
	A number of questions were raised and comments made:

	· What methods were used to publicise the Community Link Workers, particularly for older people who were unable to attend such fora as lunch clubs? – Referrals could be made to the workers in relation to any vulnerable older person and publicity would be undertaken with post offices, libraries and in GP surgeries. It was suggested that other methods be used including reference to the electoral register or telephone listings and the Panel were informed that a strategy for referring older people was being worked upon. The target was to acknowledge referrals within two working days and visit the older person referred within two weeks and acknowledgement was made that the volume of referrals was likely to increase significantly.

	· Lewis Atkinson, Partnerships for Older People Management Board, stated that there would be an exchange of ideas in relation to raising awareness of Community Link Workers and the Board had a role in scrutinising work in relation to Partnerships for Older People. He referred to the utilisation of experience from “older experts” and the desire to develop services which were sustainable for the decade after the end of the period of the Project (April 2008).

	· The effect of anti-social behaviour on the lives of older people and particularly those living in close proximity where there was a mixture of tenants - there were a number of agencies involved in dealing with such difficulties, including South Yorkshire Police and there were a number of initiatives to increase intergenerational work to promote understanding by younger people of the impact which they might have upon older people and for older people so that they were confident in reporting incidents of behaviour which adversely affected their lives.

	· It was suggested that publicity for the project be included in newsletters of locally based organisations.

	The Chair thanked Gareth Johnstone and Janice Woodliffe for their contribution to the meeting and the report was noted.

5.	JOBNET AND ADVICE OUTREACH IN CHAPELTOWN AND HIGH GREEN
	Faye Green, North Area Regeneration Partnership, gave a presentation on the development of Jobnet at locations in Chapeltown and High Green. Jobnet represented a free recruitment and job brokering service, offering a range of different employment related support, including interview techniques, completion of application forms and increasing people’s confidence to enter the mainsteam labour market. The Jobnet outlets in Chapeltown and High Green would be facilitated by Stocksbridge Training and Enterprise Partnership (STEP) and would be located at Chapeltown Advice Centre and in High Green, the Pavilion at Angram Bank. The locations had been chosen as they also provided beneficial support services for the community such as a health drop in service and education and training, housing advice and advice in relation to benefits.
	Hazel Powell, Jobnet/STEP, outlined further the services which might be offered by the initiative.
	A number of questions were raised and comments made:

	· How would the initiative be publicised? – Publicity and material would be distributed at post offices, libraries and at Jobcentre Plus and, most effectively, by word of mouth.

	· Was there a Jobnet in Parson Cross? – There were Jobnets at Burton Street and Buchanan Road and at Firth Park.

	The Chair thanked Faye Green and Hazel Powell for their contributions and commented upon the creation of Jobnet outreach in Chapeltown and High Green as a positive resource for the area.
	The report was noted.

6.	PARISH COUNCIL MATTERS
	There were no matters raised by Parish Councillors in attendance.

7.	MINUTES
	The minutes of the meeting held on 18th October 2006 were agreed as a correct record and arising therefrom in relation to the weak bridge, at Bolsterstone and its inappropriate use by heavy goods vehicles, the Chair, Councillor Trevor Bagshaw, reported that this matter had been investigated and the contractor for timber had been requested not to use the bridge as a route for vehicles transporting wood. That there was a provision within the Woodlands Services contract, prohibiting such use of the route on which the bridge was situated.
	Following a question from a member of the public in relation to the taking down of signs on the bridge, the questioner was informed that Street Force would be requested to investigate the matter. In addition, Mike Shaw, Street Force, reported that a request had been made that the structure of the bridge be assessed.				Street Force
	In relation to matters raised at the previous meeting concerning the Stubbin estate, Stocksbridge, the Chair reported that a meeting had been requested with Highways officers to consider matters raised in relation to highways.
	The Area Co-ordinator, Anne Blantern reported that pedestrian barriers at Deepcar had been re-inspected and the level of deterioration was such that barriers now qualified for re-painting as part of the 2007/08 programme and work would be arranged to facilitate this early in the new financial year.
	The action list produced by Street Force, arising from the Panel meeting held on 20th September 2006, was noted.

8.	DATE OF NEXT MEETING
	It was noted that the next meeting of the Area Panel would take place on Wednesday 13th December 2006 at 6.30 p.m. at Ecclesfield Primary School, High Street, Ecclesfield.

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