Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Lunn and Welburn, and Steve Carr and Michael Rodger.

A copy of the Register of Interest for each Selby District Councillor is available for inspection at www.selby.gov.uk.

Board members should declare to the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest in any item of business on this agenda which is not (in the case of Selby District Councillors) already entered in their Register of Interests.

Board members should leave the meeting and take no part in the consideration, discussion or vote on any matter in which they have a disclosable pecuniary interest.

Board members should also declare any other interests. Having made the declaration, provided the other interest is not a disclosable pecuniary interest, the member may stay in the meeting, speak and vote on that item of business.

If in doubt, Board members are advised to seek advice from the Monitoring Officer.

Fiona Conor declared a pecuniary interest in agenda item 13, Impact Reports - Hambleton Players, as she was the Chair and Producer.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Southern CEF Partnership Board held on 25 July 2019.

The Partnership Board considered the minutes of the meeting held on 25 July 2019.

RESOLVED:

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Partnership Board meeting held on 25 July 2019.

To consider any reports and updates from the Chair (oral report).

The Chair indicated that he would be amending the order of business to allow agenda item number 9, Flood Risk in the Southern CEF area to be considered as agenda item number 11; the rest of the business would be as set out in the agenda.  This was agreed by the Partnership Board.

A discussion took place regarding the amount of funding that each Community Engagement Forum received annually, it was confirmed that the allocated funding of £20k per CEF had not risen since the CEF’s inception in 2009-10. The Board were reminded that two funding applications heard in March 2019 had their payments deferred to the new financial year; as the full budget had been spent in 2018-19.

It was suggested that the Chair draft a letter, on behalf of the Southern CEF Board, to the Council’s Executive to request an increase in the annual CEF budget funding, to be agreed by the Board prior to circulation. 

RESOLVED:

The Chair to draft a letter to the Executive to request an increase in the CEF budget funding provision.

To consider the Southern CEF budget.

The Partnership Board considered the Southern CEF budget, which confirmed a remaining balance of £12,272.74.

To remind members of the Partnership Board, of the CEF Code of Conduct.

The Code of Conduct was noted.

To consider the following funding application received, with reference to the funding framework:

The Partnership Board noted the Funding Framework and considered the following funding application:

The application was for £1,000 towards the cost of a replacement boiler and works to the boiler house.

The Board was informed that the full cost of the project was £10,000, however the applicants had already raised £3,000 themselves through fundraising, and had applied to a church grant body for a further sum of £3,000.   

Members noted that the church provided a community hub for the village, and a new boiler would allow the church to review opportunities for the building to be used for other activities by creating a space that was warm and welcoming for all concerned.

The Board were supportive of the project as the boiler was deemed essential for the continued use of the church; it would be unusable without heating for small children and vulnerable elderly residents in winter.  The Board confirmed that the application met the aims and objectives of the Community Development Plan, and also confirmed that the application was in accordance with the Allocation of Funding Framework.

The Partnership Board agreed to fund £1,000 for the project.

RESOLVED:

To approve funding of £1,000 to be awarded to St Mary’s Parish Church, as outlined in the application.

To receive feedback from the Forum meeting held on 19 September 2019 (oral update).

The Board discussed the recent Forum which took place on 19 September 2019 at Whitley and Eggborough Community Primary School; it was noted that the presentations on ‘crime and how we collect your waste’ had been very good; with some excellent questions being asked. 

To consider progress and developments relating to the Southern CEF Community Development Plan.

The Development Officer presented a draft of the new format Community Development Plan (CDP), the Board noted that the outer page would provide general information on the CEF’s and how to access funding, while the inner page would focus on the four main priorities of the Southern CEF area.

The Development Officer explained that an electronic version would be emailed to Board Members once finalised, and the Board were asked to consider how many copies of the CDP should be printed for circulation around local villages and groups. It was further explained that the new fold out format would be rolled out to other CEFs for a consistent style across all the areas.

It was confirmed that the Partnership Board would still receive an update at each meeting of the original CDP, to ensure that they were kept abreast of developments in the projects that were still in progress.  

The Board received updates on the current CDP.  Friendship Friday continued to go from strength to strength, and members were asked to inform the Development Officer if they knew of any villages which would benefit from the initiative.  The Southern CEF Disability Action Group had requested to make a presentation at a future Southern Forum to share the work they had been doing in the area following the funding they had received from the Southern CEF in 2018.  The service offered by Selby Community Transport had proved to be very popular, the Development Officer explained that the service was currently looking for volunteer drivers. 

RESOLVED:

i.              To note the Community Development Plan update.

ii.            To inform the Development Officer of any villages which would benefit from Friendship Friday.

Fiona Conor left the meeting and did not return.

To discuss ideas to promote the Southern CEF.

Discussion took place regarding different methods of promoting the Forum’s to the community to maximise the opportunity they offered.  The Chair requested that each member consider ideas for how better exposure could be achieved to promote future Forums to increase attendance, for discussion at the next Partnership Board meeting in January 2020.

RESOLVED:

Members to consider different ideas for promoting the Southern CEF Forum, in readiness for the next meeting of the Partnership Board.  

To look at options available, and discuss a future date for a Forum on flood risk, with attendees from the Environment Agency and Selby Internal Drainage Board.

The Chair explained that he had invited Howard Ferguson, Helen Brownbridge and Jim Boyle to attend the meeting to discuss flooding in the Southern CEF area, as he had become aware that the village of Newland had been affected by overtopping of water caused by high water levels in the Aire and Ouse rivers.  

Howard explained that he was in regular contact with the Environment Agency (EA) who is the principal flood risk management operating authority in England.  In regards to the recent flooding at Newland he confirmed that water had been overtopping in three separate places, the EA had identified that the tidal flood defence had developed a crack, sand bags were deployed and recovery work was being carried out, with different solutions being looked at.

The Board noted that the role of the Council in the event of flooding was to provide sandbags, support local communities, and provide the clean-up operation following the flood. 

Howard emphasised the importance of local flood wardens, who provided the eyes and ears on the ground for the EA, reported on river levels and affected areas with the benefit of local knowledge, whilst also helping local residents to prepare if they were found to be at risk of flooding. 

Board members were encouraged to download the application what3words to their mobile phones, the application had assigned each 3m square in the world a unique 3 word address that would never change to be used for communicating locations. The EA used what3words as it pinpointed the exact area that the flooding was occurring in.

The Board were asked to engage with the EA Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy, the strategy sets out the EA’s approach to managing the estuary flood defences to provide a good standard of protection from tidal flooding for the next 25 years and beyond. 

It was confirmed that the internal drainage boards (IDB) also had a role to play in the water level management within the district, with the Board pleased to note that the IDB had recently purchased two temporary water pumps which could be towed to any location to assist with draining water and reducing water levels, for a cost.

Discussion took place around the best way that the Southern CEF could help communities who could be at risk of flooding.  The Board asked the Democratic Services Officer to upload flooding information to the Southern CEF section on the Council’s website.

RESOLVED:

To ask the Democratic Services Officer to upload flooding information to the Southern CEF section on the Council’s website.

Howard Ferguson, Helen Brownbridge and Jim Boyle left the meeting and did not return.

To discuss any points of interest relating to the Southern CEF that should be forwarded to Selby District Council’s Communications Team to undertake publicity work.

The Development Officer updated the Board on the video and short films; the films had received final approval and would now be publicised by the Communications Team, placed on the Council and AVS websites; and passed to Parish Councils and Community Groups for sharing.

To consider the following completed impact reports:

·         Selby Park Run – Quarter 3 Report

·         Carlton Rainbows and Brownies Girlguiding

·         Hensall Wednesday Club

·         Hambleton Players

·         Womersley Parish Council

·         Thorpe Willoughby Cricket Club

The Partnership Board considered the following impact reports that had been submitted and were included in the agenda:

• Selby Park Run – Quarter 3 Report

• Carlton Rainbows and Brownies Girlguiding

• Hensall Wednesday Club

• Hambleton Players

• Womersley Parish Council

·         Thorpe Willoughby Cricket Club

The Development Officer explained that the completed impact reports were used to inform the Annual Report, which was in the process of being produced for 2018-19.  It was further explained that the CEF Chairs had requested that a piece of work be done on the present report form, to look at and refine the key questions to be asked, which would help to capture more data from future applicants.

RESOLVED:

                    To note the impact report.

To confirm the date and location of the next Southern CEF meetings:

The Board confirmed the next Forum meeting on Thursday 14 November 2019 would be held at Thorpe Willoughby Sports and Social Club, and agreed the theme as “Crime and How we collect your Waste”, repeated from the September meeting.  

It was noted that the next Partnership Board meeting would be held on Thursday 12 December 2019, 6.00 pm – Funding Sub-Committee and 6.30 pm – Partnership Board, at the Civic Centre, Selby District Council.

The Southern CEF Disability Action Group (SDDF) had requested to attend a future Southern CEF Forum to update the Board and local community on the work that they had been doing to bring local people together, to make life better for people with disabilities, since receiving CEF funding in 2018.  The Board agreed to the request and the date was set for Thursday 16 January 2020.

A discussion took place regarding a future Forum event themed around the University of the Third Age (U3A), the Chair informed the Board that he had attended a local event themed on adult learning facilitated by the U3A which had been successful.  The Board noted that following a Tadcaster and Villages CEF Forum themed on adult learning, a U3A group had been established for the Tadcaster CEF area.

RESOLVED:

To note the dates and venues for the next meetings of the Forum and Partnership Board.