LAT minutes 3 December 2013

London Road Area Local Action Team [draft] Minutes

Tuesday 3 December 2013 / 18:15 for 18:30 at Calvary Church, Viaduct Road

1. Welcome, apologies and introductions

Apologies: Charlotte Overton-Hart (Vice-Chair), PCSOs Sharon and Nic and Insp Gareth Davies, Mohammed Asaduzzaman, Amanda Healy, Liliana Murari, Councillor Ian Davey, Scott Crossley – Equinox, Sandy Crowhurst – North Laine Community Association, Steven Hartley – Project Coordinator, Communities And Families Tackling Addiction (CAFTA)

Introductions: Katie Blay – Substance Misuse Service (covering Jan Rooney)

Kara Ward – Community Liaison Officer, Watkin Jones

Andrew Breary, Green Facilities manager, One Brighton Development

Jenny Moore and Pete Davies (Cascade Creative Recovery) – organisation helping recovery from substance misuse – wanting to help people see recovery as a positive thing – linking help with people who need it. Aiming to set up a recovery “cafe” in Baker Street with information and encouragement for recovery issues.

Lucy Dunleavy, Cathy Reeves, Barbara – Stanley Road residents

Cllr Pete West, Phyllis Dawes (resident, Kingsbury Road), Jean Boyd, (resident, Kingsbury Road), Richard Baraball – resident/ Green Party, Sylvia and Bob Chilton (residents, Viaduct Road), Mark and Daphne de Boissier (residents), Tony Firman (resident, Kingsbury Road), Mike Hawthorne (resident, Kingsbury Road),

Katy Heater – ONCA gallery – conservation and ecology – here to engage with local community.

James Murphy, CRI service (St Georges Place), Lorinda Holness, (Residential Services, University Sussex), Joe Nichol – Portas Pilot, Chris Gull – Emporium, Simon Bannister (Council), Christina Bennet, (resident, Stanley Road), Andy Winter (Brighton Housing Trust) and local resident.

Cathy Reeves, (resident, Stanley Road) – especially concerned about flytipping and graffiti in Stanley Road, which is also affecting neighbours and also local businesses. Suggestion of giant mural on Duke of York’s wall. A.G. comments that – everyone needs to work as a community and not rely solely on cleaners. Cllr Pete West comments that while local residents can play a role in fighting the problem, he also realises his department can and should do something. PW comments its not an agenda issue – so further discussion deferred, offers to set up a meeting to be held in January.

2. Minutes from previous meeting

• addition of apologies from John Holden

• comment from Lorinda Holness correcting number of student beds statement.

3. Policing matters and Licensing

PW drew attention to the following:

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne, is consulting taxpayers on the precept – the policing part of the council tax – for 2014/15.

The Commissioner wants to know if Sussex residents would be willing to pay an extra £4.95 a year towards reducing serious sexual offending and tackling child exploitation, strengthening the fight against cyber crime and increasing the visibility of frontline policing.

Mrs Bourne said: “I have a statutory obligation to set the police budget. I fulfilled my election pledge to freeze the precept in my first year of office and, as a result, residents have paid the same amount for policing in Sussex for the last four years. However, in order to enable investment and ensure Sussex Police is sufficiently resourced to meet future challenges, I am consulting on a 3.6% increase which would add £4.95 per year per household for a Band D property.

“As a voice for local people on policing and crime it’s very important that I know if Sussex residents are willing to pay a little extra towards policing in the county. Therefore, I would encourage as many people as possible to spend a few minutes filling out the Public Consultation Survey.”

The Commissioner is duty bound to inform the Police and Crime Panel of her considerations and the consultation with Sussex taxpayers will help inform a decision in January 2014. This decision will be reviewed by the Panel.

The online survey can be accessed here: http://www.sussexpolicesurveys.com/ospccbudget/.

The consultation will close on Friday 10 January.

Hard copies of the survey are available from the Office of the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner. Telephone: 01273 481561 or email: spcc@sussex-pcc.gov.uk

Discussion on policing priorities:

a. Review of our three possible policing priorities for this month. Last month’s were:

Street drinking/anti-social behaviour/drug use in York Place

Shop-lifting

Prevention of intimidating behaviour on London Road and interaction with children

Street Drinking on York Place –

Joe Nichols: the situation has improved – street drinkers not congregating there. Some off-licenses in the city are still serving street drinkers. Situation still problematic on the Level because of suppliers of alcohol along Lewes Road.

Andy Winter: the situation has improved, probably partly due to the cold weather.

Tony Firmin: York Place can be removed from police priorities, and should be replaced with Stanley Road in view of the flytipping etc.

Comment: street drinkers have moved to Lewes Road – anti high-strength alcohol movement needs to cover the whole city. Also – how could shopkeepers identify street drinkers?

Simon Bannister: Street Drinking enforcement: throughout the whole city police can take alcohol off people – to refuse is a criminal offence.

PW reads comments sent in by email:

from Archie Coates (vicar St Peters) We seem to find that street drinking is a little seasonal (ie slightly less visibility on the streets in the winter), so that may be a factor too? Taking down the railings around St Peter’s has had a very positive impact in terms of opening up the grass to the north of st peter’s, making it less of an enclave for the street community. We have less hanging around the church now – and if they are not hanging around so much at the Level either, I wonder whether they have gone to? The Churches Winter nightshelter has got off to a good start in its first week, with a steady flow of referrals coming from the rough sleepers team, project anti-freeze etc

from Equinox:

We continue to visit all the hotspots on a daily basis and have found the Level (Not play park) is becoming a problem area, so we are concentrating on targeting this area and trying to identify individuals to offer support.

We have found St Peters area has been quieter since 4 of the regular drinkers have left the area. Two are in prison and two are doing very well in residential rehab. This seems to have broken up a core group of drinkers and this has lead to less people meeting up in large groups. We are still reliant on information from the police and Residents/Retailers for information on activity in the evenings and at weekends. Also, could we ask that any anti-social behavior witnessed is reported to 101 with as many details as possible.

We continue to work with Trading Standards after the successful launch of the Sensible on Strength campaign and we have been informed that both the main cash and carry outlets in Brighton have agreed to meet with Trading Standards and ourselves to talk about them stopping selling super strength.

Andrew Green – could we publicise information about street drinking and where to obtain help for homeless people? comment that information is could be put on the LAT website. James Murphy (CRI) says that that is under his remit.

Cllr West – Council Budget is planned to affect Trading Standards so it is getting really difficult to get support for this kind of thing. LAT needs to know about lack of funding/support for budget consultation for this work. Views of LAT welcome. Individuals can write in with support etc. submission going in from LAT. Cllr West wants comments on budget proposal.

Conclusion: Policing Priorities from December 2012

• Graffiti and flytipping (plus possible drug dealing) in Stanley Road

• Shop-lifting in London Road

• Prevention of intimidating behaviour on London Road with particular regard to interaction with children

b. Licensing: PW – people are taking note of the “Sensible on Strength” thing i.e. Radio 4 “you and yours”, Westminster briefing, LAT chairs.

c. The Level: renovated Level should be kept up to current high standard. Mentions “ROC” which is an initiative from a group of Brighton and Hove churches possibly to place responsible caring adults in the context of the Level – rather like “Street Pastors” in West Street.

4. Portas Pilot – update from Joe Nichols

• Crime reduction efforts continuing, mostly involving liaison officers, who have received lots of positive feedback and are productively cooperating with police officers. There will be a review at the end of December and there is funding for them until the end of June. They are targeting known offenders and are involved in a business crime reduction partnership.

• There will soon be a big marketing campaign involving a logo, branding etc. A website/twitter is about to be launched http://www.visitlondonroad.co.uk. There will also be banners, a radio campaign on juice – rebranding area. Meant to be timed with opening of Open Market next year.

• Large research project been done to work out who uses area. Vacancy rates have dropped – trade is up.

• Several events are planned for 7th December Christmas-inspired arts installations “shine on London Road”. Small Business Saturday.

• Town team – new working town team – working on new action plan – first meeting next week.

• Free parking this Saturday and Sunday and next 2 Sundays in the London Road carpark.

If you have a few moments, please do complete the Town Centre Health

Check. The more feedback the better.

http://www.towncentrehealthcheck.org.uk/survey/select.php

5. “The Home Heat Helpline” – item from Charlotte – this is an excellent helpline which can let people know if they are entitled to discounts off their winter fuel bill. The helpline is also able to do a benefits entitlement check over the phone.

The helpline number is 0800 336699.

6. Matters arising, ongoing and updates.

a) Co-op redevelopment update.

Kara Ward: Baker Street elevation progressing well. Showsuite (!) open end of February. There have been visits from University of Brighton construction students. 2-week work experience for local unemployed person. Raffle tickets for SB school solar panels. Brief discussion about lack of light on crane presenting aerial hazard. – [after-meeting note: received communication that this has been rectified]

b) Oxford Street – a traffic regulation order has been lodged which takes account of the points made in the LAT meetings.

2. RECOMMENDATIONS:

1.1 That, having taken account of all duly made representations and objections, theEnvironment, Transport and Sustainability Committee approves as advertised the Brighton & Hove (Oxford Street) (Bus Lane & Prohibited Turns) Order 201* subject to the following amendment:

Delete Schedule 2, item 2 (prohibition of left turn from London Road into Oxford Street).

Cllr West – traffic engineers took notice of London Road LAT comments. Council advertised the proposals and amended them – PW’s opinion that this represents a positive contribution from the LAT in airing issues, discussing, contributing to consultation process.

c) Elder Place

Simon Bannister – opportunities still being pursued. There have been promises of money – six locations identified. Profiles have been drawn up of uplifting art. Charlie is going to put stuff on a website. Talking to wall owners. Talks by artists (including Simon and Charlie) in Moksha on Small Business Saturday (7th Dec).

Tony Firmin comments on very long waiting times at pelican crossings. (* PW to write in)

d) London Road Traders Association – no representative

f) Open Market – work continuing

g) grant funding info:

St.Peters and North Laines Community FIrst grant funding is open for applications from groups providing projects and services to meet local needs and priorities within this Ward. Funds of up to £2,500 per project are available from groups and organisations able to provide match funds in cash or kind (volunteer time can be counted). General Details of Community First funding can be found at: http://spnlfirst.wordpress.com/what-is-the-community-first-fund/

While the application form and priorities information are downloadable

from: http://spnlfirst.wordpress.com/eeing-grant-deadline-dates/

Closing date for applications is 17.00 on December 5th. All applications must be submitted by email on the downloadable form – if your organisation needs help with this contact SES the Panel Partners

for all Brighton and Hove Communities first Funding

7. AOB.

Andy Winter: First residents have moved into container houses. Difference of opinion as to graffiti on the sides. Open days coming over next 3 days.

Dates of next meeting: Feb 4th 2014.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LondonRoadLAT

Website https://londonroadlat.wordpress.com/