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Public Document Pack
Agenda
Whoberley Ward Forum
7.00 pm on Thursday, 26th March, 2015
Mary Magdelane Church, Sir Thomas Whites Road, Coventry CV5 8DR
Whoberley Ward Forum Ward Forum includes people who care about their
neighbourhoods! At a Ward Forum meeting you'll meet local Councillors, council staff,
police, community and voluntary groups and - most importantly - local people.
At the meeting, there will be an opportunity to raise any issues you want to discuss. If
you are able to come along we'll make sure you feel welcome. If you would just
prefer to listen to discussions and plans, that's fine#if you want to join in and help us
to get things done, that's even better!
At this meeting we're planning to:
1.
Welcome and Introductions
2.
Apologies for Absence
3.
Minutes / Actions from 11th December 2014 (Pages 5 - 10)
4.
City Centre Area Action Plan - Rob Haigh
5.
Police Issues and Community Safety (inc. Closure of Police Buildings)
6.
Library Services - Councillor Kershaw
7.
Any Other Business
8.
Date of our next meeting - TBA
The meeting will end by 9pm at the latest.
Agenda
For dates and locations visit www.coventry.gov.uk/wardforums or follow us on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/coventrycc/ or Twitter @CoventryCC.
If you want to know what is going on in the city, or want an opportunity to raise an
issue with us or the police, the Ward Forum is the ideal place to raise it.
It's easy to get involved – all you have to do is turn up on the night!
To find out more
The Chair of your Ward Forum is:
Councillor Dan Howells You can contact him on 07540 083974 or email
dan.howells@coventry.gov.uk.
You can also contact Andrew Walster (Senior Support Officer) at Coventry City
Council on 024 7683 2621 or andrew.walster@coventry.gov.uk or you can contact
Samantha Morris (Support Officer) on 024 7683 3343 or
Samantha.morris@coventry.gov.uk about any issue concerning Whoberley Ward
Forum.
Hearing loops will be provided, but if you'd like a British Sign Language interpreter to
be at the meeting please contact the Support Officer at least a week before the
meeting so we can provide this service for you.
If you wish to start/stop receiving information relating to Ward Forums, please
email bsccouncilhouse@coventry.gov.uk or call 024 7683 1604 giving your
details and requesting that you are added or removed from our mailing list.
Coventry City Council is always looking at reducing the amount of paper we
produce and send out. If you have an email address and would prefer to be
emailed all Ward Forum documentation, please contact me using the details
above.
Public Document Pack
Agenda Item 3
Action Notes
Whoberley Ward Forum
Held on Thursday, 11 December 2014
Attendance:
Residents
A Khan
R Archer
R Smith
A Iqbal
Saleam Khan
Saira Khan
M Whorlow
P Khan
N Adderley
B Stote
Dean Keegan (Guphill Residents)
No of Residents:
16
L Clarke
Z Iqbal
R Wood
R Newbold
S McDermott
Officers and Partner Agencies
Name
Representing
Councillor Dan Howells
Coventry City Council – Ward Councillor (Chair)
Councillor Jayne Innes
Coventry City Council – Ward Councillor
A Walster
Coventry City Council, Assistant Director
S Morris
Coventry City Council – Support Officer
Coventry City Council: 4
Partners: 0
1.
Welcome and Introductions
Councillor Howells welcomed and thanked everyone for their attendance.
2.
3.
Apologies for Absence
Lee Froggatt – West Midlands Police
Diane Hackford - Resident
Syd Collins - Resident
Minutes from 11th September 2014
Agreed as true and accurate
Police Issues and Community Safety (inc. Closure of Police Buildings)
Discussion:
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Apologies have been given so no update for this meeting
Cllr Howells advised that he was aware of some high profile breakins in the area
Have been further break-ins at allotments
Page 3
Action Notes
4.
Future of Ward Forums
Discussion:
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Are the forums actually going? It looks like the decision is going
that way but there is now a Working Group who will say what will
be put in place, if this is the future then what does it look like. Can
we have the feedback from this working group?
Cuts are being led by constraints on budgets
Cllr Howells advised that there is the battle between visible and
non-visible services, we now have half the budget that we had in
2010
We bid for European Funding for all the major works across the
City such as Bridge Deck, Gibbet Hill etc.
Councillors to meet at least 1/4rly with all local residents groups
Still only a small group of people attend forums (Tweets 15,000
people, ward forums less than 2,000), needs to be a middle
ground.
Much better when there was only 4 forums ‘Neighbourhood
Services’. MP Constituency would work well each quarter.
If we don’t have Ward Forums we need to ensure that something else
is in place to discuss topics/raise issues such as:
• Public Debates held for specific issues ‘One Item Agenda’, e.g
Bus Routes, Coventry Local Plan – what are the big issues that
warrant a public meeting?
• Make Citivision the publication to advise people on all that is
current
• Petitions such as the Coventry Baths don’t work, what will, just not
being listened too
• Enforcement issues - Bins where there is not enough space in
gardens. We just want to know what the council should be doing
not what they can’t do which is always the message. All the
enforcement areas are coming together in order to work more
effectively.
• Friargate updates
• City of Culture – Post Office should be kept not knocked down
• Councillors attend Residents Groups. This suggestion is being
discussed, so that they have meeting with the Chair of each
Residents Group as we have many across the City.
• Improve better communications; what can we do differently with
Residents Associations. Key contacts, possibly a ICT Portal that
can log things on to, as there is a lot of good going on but feel that
they are not supported. Which ones are the best to engage with
and how.
• Bus Routes debate never had any feedback (360 bus is empty but
won’t come up Winsford Avenue), and views on this estate are not
heard, people thought that this forum was going to be a forum for
public debate, unless you buy the Telegraph you don’t know
what’s happening with Roads etc.
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Action Notes
Action:
Lead
Find out the exact number of residents, friends of Support
groups across the City (approx. 70)
Officer
5.
Deadline
March 2015
Consultations
Discussion:
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Coventry Local Plan – ends this month
Includes proposals for new housing etc. Coventry wants to be a
top 10 city. Can access at libraries if you don’t have access to a
computer (web address slips handed out).
Super Investment Areas – Coventry wasn’t considered needy
enough to get it, and Government was lobbied but still didn’t think
we were needy enough. Wolverhampton and Black Country got it
by Jaguar Land Rover, which is why it ended up there.
Empty Buildings:
o What happened to the Bishopgate Plan, now it’s all
Friargate? We can only move with the developer that gets
the funding first.
o Allied Carpets building closed for years and dragging City
views down, will not get investors
o Telegraph empty what’s happening about this building too?
Owned by a developer and at some point will come forward
with their scheme (lots of drawing, but nothing specific
submitted to date)
Commercial Department should think about how they work with
small business when they are experiencing difficulties. Council
properties are standing empty why don’t they look at lower rents to
help people. A more recent change has seen generous rents
Cathedral Lanes now owned by someone else a few restaurants
showing interest now, work continues on attracting others
We should be helping small businesses more. There are empty
property with no income, should give them cheaper. There is help
for small businesses and if interested Coventry Investment Fund
have up to £40 million available for start-up, machinery, space etc
and they can come and discuss better rates on properties with us.
What about Free Car Parking as it may encourage people to come
into the City? If done on a Wed before Christmas, why not at
other times, as why would anyone want to pay full price on car
park with an empty City Centre. People are using out of city retail
parks with free parking.
Andrew said that we also need to work out how we get people in
and out of the City, so need to improve the public transport for the
future. We need to get people to work using Public Transport.
Herbert Art Gallery and work around there with the parking bays
are a good improvement. Shops aren’t the answer.
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Action Notes
Pre-budget Report Consultation
• 27th Jan ready for the 22nd Feb Council Meeting
• Look at the appendices
• Would need to email in about what you think
• Some individual actions will require specific Statutory
Consultation on radical service changes
• Drop in Government Grant 50% less from 2010 to 2016
• Increased demands in Children Services
Comments:
• Where we haven’t got the money, we do use Community
Groups, Spinney along Kenilworth Rd and along the Canal,
we’ll provide litter picks, bins etc and then we’ll empty them
and provide much bigger bins
• We are open to lots of people doing all sorts of services
• Very early days, but some residents group are interested in
taking over some of the maintenance of their local park
Public Liability Insurance, how can we get past this as we would
like to help, but in our own time. An area of open space could only
do it when the Rangers were available. Need to cut the Red Tape!
6.
Iqra Centre and Faith Schools
Discussion:
7.
Update only and not a discussion point. AW read a statement that
has been prepared by Legal due to the process currently being under
way. Updates will be available at future meetings but not for debate
until it becomes possible.
Wasps – Ricoh Arena
Discussion:
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Page 6
City Council have sold their share in ACL to the Wasps which is
positive for the City and the Council has been able to redeem the
money lent. City Council remains the Freeholder of the Arena for
25 years
Primacy remains with Coventry City Football and Coventry Rugby
Fixtures
Nuckle Project (extension of rail line to Ricoh) is currently being
built and will be finished in April 2015
City Football Team won’t be able to move forward if they don’t own
their own ground, suggested that Coventry City take over the
Coventry Rugby Club, then the Ricoh would be permanently
marked out as Rugby pitch.
Action Notes
8.
Any other Business
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Poor Lighting down the Westmead Centre – know its privately
owned, are the shops responsible or is it still Council. The
planters need re-doing was done on some funding. Has an on-line
petition. Council Sponsor is Councillor Bally Singh
Need a public right of way by the Nisa and then ask the Co-op to
help fund with the Community Garden. Is currently talking to the
Rights of Way Officer. Trying to stop it from getting sold and more
shops being built
Concerned about the possibility of joining up with Birmingham.
Don’t think this would be the best move especially as they have
just had a damning report. Concern is lack of public discussion;
we need a debate about this.
o Conversations are only around some sensible discussions
with respect to access to funding, for instance we’ve tried
with Centro but this hasn’t really worked for Coventry.
o Leader has advised that this has to include the other
districts around us (Warwickshire)
o It’s more about us working together with other authorities
What’s happening to old Council House and other buildings?
Council House will remain as the democratic centre for the City
where public meetings will be held and Councillors will stay, but
the bridge will come out. There is a 12 month exclusivity deal with
Coventry University for Civic Centres 1 - 4.
Do we want more students? Evidence does suggest that they are
spending a lot of money in the City and are attracted a lot of
overseas students too.
Warwick Road has lots of Mistletoe in trees can this be sold? One
third was taken out two weeks ago and Coventry Tree Wardens
selling it at War Memorial Park for the Lord Mayors Charity. Also
sold to lots of florists around the City.
Ring Road – concerns about what has gone in the Telegraph.
Plans are available, what has been described is not shown on the
plans. Slip Rd by the old Ambulance Station can that be put into
use?
There is an e-petition and planned lobbys on the 13th Jan and
21st Feb for the Pre-Budget.
Earlsdon Ave North outside Kensington Road – back up of traffic
Coniston Rd. This is part of Cycle Path so there will be a post
implementation review to take account of any views.
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Action Notes
9.
Date of our next meeting – date and venue to be confirmed
If you would like to find out the most up-to-date progress on the action notes above
please visit www.coventry.gov.uk/neighbourhoodforums
If you wish to start/stop receiving information relating to Neighbourhood Forums, please
email matthew.rossi@coventry.gov.uk or call 024 7683 3049 giving your details and
requesting that you are added or removed from our mailing list.
Page 8