AGENDA ITEM 3

BOROUGH OF POOLE

NEWTOWN AND PARKSTONE AREA COMMITTEE

26 OCTOBER 2005

AT THE COMMITTEE SUITE, CIVIC CENTRE, POOLE

The meeting commenced at 7.00 pm and concluded at 9.10 pm

Present:

Councillor Collier (Chairman) – Parkstone Ward

Councillors Clements, Plummer and Wilson – Newtown Ward

Members of the public present: 16

1.APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs Stribley and Woodcock.

2.MINUTES

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 14 September 2005 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman subject to the following amendment:

M2 Minutes – Change “Corfe Hill Road” to “Corfe View Road”

3.BUDGET, COUNCIL TAX SETTING AND CONSULTATION – 2006/07

The Chairman welcomed the Leader of the Council to the Meeting and stated that he was attending all of the Area Committee’s as part of the Consultation process relating to the Budget/Council Tax setting for 2006/07.

The Leader commenced by stating that once again, at this time of the year, the thoughts of Local Authorities activities were moving towards next years Budget and Council Tax setting. At the present time, no information was known regarding the level of grant which the Authority would receive from the Government. Historically, the whole sub region had been very poorly funded compared to other parts of the country and, for this reason, he had invited all the Leaders of Local Authorities in Dorset, including the County Council Districts, and the Police and Fire Authorities to meet with him so that a joint submission to the Government could be prepared towards better funding for the future.

All of this was against a background of predicted high Council Tax rises. The Leader referred to an article in this weeks Local Government Chronicle in the press which stated that a straw poll of Local Government Officers revealed that 25% thought that they would be above the Government imposed 5% capping limit with some even expecting this to be double figures. This view had also been reported in a recent Sunday paper.

This year, the Government proposed to change the way Local Government funding would be re-apportioned with the School’s Budget being delivered directly to Schools. Whilst this was a technical point, it was an area which could cause confusion when comparing figures with previous years. This constant changing of accounting procedures led to a further confusion when interpreting trends. On the new proposed basis, Council Tax Payers in Poole would have to find approximately 70% of the cost of Local Government Finance with Central Government providing only 30%, given that Schools would be funded directly by Government.

The Leader then detailed the reasons why Council Tax in Poole needed to increase. In order to simply deal with pay and prices (inflationary pressures) this required an extra £2.6M. In addition to this, currently known commitments added a further £0.6M. If the Council Tax were to raise by 3% and the Government were to increase their contribution by the same amount, this would yield £2.3M, leaving a deficit of £0.9M. If this was passed on to the Council Tax Payers, a further 1.7% would be added, giving a figure of 4.7%. However, if the Government did not provide an increase to cover pay and prices increases, this would add a further 3.3%. If the implications of all of this were added up, this would make for a total requirement equivalent to a 8% increase in Council Tax. The Leader stressed that these were purely examples and he was therefore not in any way, giving a guide to what the likely increase would be.

Over the last two years, the Council had constantly looked for efficiencies and Cabinet regularly reviewed all new staff proposals (Vacancy Clearance Panel) and Budgets were also reviewed monthly by the relevant Portfolio holders.

The Committee were advised that Government now required all Councils to make annual cashable efficiency savings (1.25% of expenditure), which for Poole, equated to £1.3M. This could be used to lower Council Tax but even this would give a rise of 5.8%. None of these conditions took account of any improvements to services, which residents or others might request or which would be desirable or essential. These improvements would need to be funded from the Council’s own on-going priorities for services, requiring some areas to make even more efficiency savings.

The Council’s objective remained to deliver quality services at a price that residents could afford and the long term aim was to bring Council Tax rises to about inflation.

The Leader then welcomed questions from the public and the following matters were raised:

  • The Leader explained that the Pension funding shortfall would be repaid to the Dorset County Council Pension Fund over the next 21 years. He also reported that the Council had a representative on the Dorset County Council Pensions Committee which administered the Pension Fund Investments under strict rules to ensure Best Value for investments. Councillor Clements, a former member of that Committee, confirmed that it was a well run Committee administering the Pension Fund to get the best returns fund. The volatility of the investment markets mean that there were good years and bad years and that there was a revaluation of the Pension Fund undertaken by independent Actuaries every four years.
  • A member of the public referred to the apparent lack of co-operation between Departments. He gave as an example, when he requested the removal of contractors rubbish to be cleared from outside his house in Sandbanks Road. It had taken two Council Officers to come and look at the problem before it was finally cleared. The Leader, in reply, stated that the Council was introducing “Customers First” in the New Year which would result in a speedier response to problems like this from the public, save money and be more efficient.
  • The Leader explained that despite the large number of houses being built in Poole, the Government grant formula, took account of the number of Band D equivalent properties, which meant that the Government was the real winner from the increased number of houses built in Poole and not the Council Tax payer. The Leader stated that he welcomed the postponement of the Council Tax banding review because he feared that this would have been detrimental to the residents of Poole because of the high price of property.

4.PRECISION DISC CASTINGS LIMITED, MANNINGS HEATH ROAD – MEETING WITH RESIDENTS

The Committee noted the Minutes of the Meeting held between residents and Precision Disc Castings Limited on Monday 10 October 2005 which were circulated at the Meeting.

AGREED to note the Minutes.

5.YOUTH MATTERS 19 YEARS – GREEN PAPER

The Committee received a presentation from the Principal Youth Officer, Pupil Parent & Youth Services, on the Government Green Paper on Youth Matters covering the age group 13 – 19.

The Officer reported that there had been an extensive consultation exercise undertaken in the Borough with Officers visiting schools and community groups. The response was very good, with in excess of 1,000 questionnaires returned. The closing date for comments was 4November 2005. A Youth Conference had been held in the Civic Centre that afternoon, attended by 45 young people who spoke knowledgeably on issues that affect them.

Members of the public raised the following issues:

  • In reply to a question from the public, the Principal Youth Officer reported that there were currently two dedicated youth workers for the Bourne Valley and Hamworthy Areas and a mobile unit would soon be operating 4 evenings a week, visiting 2 locations each evening throughout the Borough;
  • It was accepted that the vast majority of young people prefered not to go to organised youth clubs. It was therefore essential that the Youth Service catered for current youth needs. It was estimated that currently the Youth Service catered for about 22% of the
    13 – 19 age group in the Borough.
  • It is important that the Youth Service engage with the youth to provide them with what they require and not impose facilities on them.

The Principal Youth Officer, updated the Committee on the closure of the Trinidad Boys Club and reported that the Head of Strategic Planning was preparing a questionnaire to circulate to interested parties prior to a public meeting, to be held in the area, on a date to be agreed.

Members congratulated the Youth Service for the work it did in the Borough and emphasised that members of the public need to work with the Youth Service to provide the youth with the facilities that they require.

AGREED to note the presentation and encourage the public to respond to the public consultation by 4 November 2005.

6.CORE STRATEGY – ISSUES AND OPTIONS –

WHAT DO YOU WANT POOLE TO BE LIKE IN 2026?

The Committee received a presentation from the Planning Policy & Implementation Manager, Strategic Planning Services on the Core Strategy – Issues and Options – What Do You Want Poole to be Like in 2026?.

The Presentation explained that the Council was consulting on the most appropriate way for development to happen in Poole over the next 20 years and encouraged the public to comment on the elements of the Core Strategy Issues and Options, as set out in the leaflet circulated at the meeting as part of the consultation. It was important that the public participated in the consultation exercise because it was the public’s opportunity to help shape the future of Poole until 2026.

The following issues were raised by members of the public:

  • Concern about the over-development of Poole and the control that the South West Regional Assembly was having on planning for the region and, in particular, Poole.
  • The need to develop a robust infrastructure was considered an important part of the future development of Poole and justified being a heading on its own within the document.
  • There was a need for an improved road network between Bournemouth and Poole, especially another crossing of the River Stour and improvements to the A31.

In reply the Officer stated that she agreed that a robust infrastructure was an important part of the future planning for Poole and reported that the Local Transport Plan was currently investigating improvements to the A31.

Councillor Clements, one of Poole’s representatives on the South West Regional Assembly, acknowledged the concerns of local residents about planning matters, and the influence that the Assembly had on planning locally. He advised the public to write to the Regional Assembly and their MP, requesting that no more development should take place in Poole because the infrastructure cannot cope with the extra pressures that development was putting on Council services.

A Member referred to the need to improve parking facilities at local centres such as Ashley Road and to improve bus services in Poole.

AGREED to note the report and the public were encouraged to respond to the Document to the Council by 16 December 2005.

7.MATTERS RAISED BY THE PUBLIC

The following matter was raised by the public:

Lilliput and Lower Parkstone Neighbourhood Watch Group

Mrs Joan Percy, Chairman of Lilliput and Lower Parkstone Neighbourhood Watch Group, reported that her bid for funding for a Community Notice Board in Lower Parkstone had been successful. She stated that one of Poole’s priorities identified in the 2005-2008 Crime Drugs Strategy was the need for public reassurance. She hoped that the Notice Board, when erected, would be used as an effective tool to increase public confidence in the work being done in the community, by both statutory and voluntary groups. The Notice Board would only be as good as the information contained on it. Therefore, she hoped it would lead to a greater partnership and co-operation between the various community groups in Lower Parkstone. To this end she asked the public to give some thought to the positioning of the Notice Board and also to let her have contact names and phone numbers for other groups who might be interested in using the Notice Board. She could be contacted on telephone number 737659.

The Chairman thanked Mrs Percy for the work she was doing on behalf of the community and encouraged individuals and organisations to contact her on this matter.

7.DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING

It was noted that the next Meeting of the Committee would be held on Wednesday 18 January 2006 in the Parkstone Evangelical Church Hall, Ringwood Road, Newtown and would be Chaired by Councillor Clements.

CHAIRMAN

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