MINUTES of the meeting of the Community Affairs Committee on Thursday 16 March 2017 at 8:00 pm in the Village Centre, Hurstpierpoint.
Members Present: Bob Sampson (Committee Chairman)
David Evans
Amanda Geel
Steve Whitehead
Also Present: 1 member of the public
Roberta Taylor (Assistant Clerk)
CA16/062. Apologies for absence and declarations of interest: Apologies for absence were received prior to the meeting by: Tony Lank, Rosemary Burns. No declarations of interest were given at the meeting.
CA16/063. Minutes of the Community Affairs Committee Meeting held on 26 January 2017: The Committee received and accepted the minutes which were then signed by the Chairman.
CA16/064. Matters arising from Community Affairs Meeting held on 26 January 2017: There were no matters arising.
CA16/065. Adjournment for questions from the public: There was 1 member of the public present; however the Committee was not required to adjourn the meeting in accordance with Clause 1(d) of Standing Orders.
CA16/066. Police issues and information: The Committee received the crime figures for the Parish provided by PCSO Joel Havicon. The members commented that there was no police presence on Remembrance Day 2016, causing a concern for safety.
CA16/067. Short Presentation by Jenny Letton, Waste Prevention Advisor. The Committee received a short presentation by Jenny Letton, Waste Prevention Advisor. Jenny talked about her role as a Waste Prevention Advisor and about rubbish (recycling and black bag) in the County. There are two facilities in West Sussex: Materials
Recycling Centre (MERF) for recycling household waste (blue-topped bins) and Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant (MBT) for rubbish (grey-topped bins). The recycling rate is currently 42%; MERF is running at 75% capacity so there is scope for more recycling at that facility. Green waste was discussed as well as the ability of recycling small electricals (WEE – Waste electrical & electronics equipment). Visits can be arranged to both facilities, MERF and MBT.
CA16/068. Parish Council Small Grant Applications: Small Grants applications are considered at every
Community Affairs Committee meeting. £4000 is available for the current year 2016/17. See attached list of past grants.
(Ref: List of Community Grants Awarded by Parish Council in 2014, 2015, 2016, January 2017 and requests for March 2017)
January 2017 Budget for Grants 2016/17: £4000. Amount remaining in 2016/17: £1628.02.
| Organisation | Amount Granted (Requested) | Grant Request for: |
| Mid Sussex RED (Remembrance, Education & Development) | £0 (£400) | To pay for venue hire in either Hurstpierpoint or Hassocks to enable delivery of events there to the local community in 2017. [Mid Sussex RED is a community group of residents of Lindfield, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and Ansty, with the aim of delivering events to the public and school children about past military history, focussing on the role ‘Mid Sussex’ residents and towns played in those conflicts. They are keen to grow their membership in the Hurstpierpoint & Hassocks area. www.midsussexred.co.uk ] |
| Cancervive | £300 (£500) | Money to go towards the running costs of the office, providing stability while they continue their work and look for other funding. (Cancervive provides emotional support and practical help for people affected by cancer. Support is through 1-2-1 support sessions at the clients’ home or in their office; support groups; 24-hour phone helpline; and online forum.) [Ref: £500 grant June 2015] |
| Victim Support | £150 (up to £150) | To help recruit, train and supervise new volunteers to work with victims and witnesses of crime in Sussex. (Volunteers are allocated to support in your Parish.) Approx £700/recruit is needed for initial 4day core training and first year’s courses and supervision. [Ref: £100 May 2016, £100 June 2015, £50 May 2014] |
| Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust | £250 (£250) | Money to be put towards ongoing running costs of their advanced prehospital life-saving service in Kent, Surrey or Sussex. |
Amount granted: £700. Amount remaining in 2016/17 budget: £928.02
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A lengthy discussion took place concerning the request from Mid Sussex RED. The members decided that they would not grant the request at this time and would like the Charity Chairman to reapply at the next Community Affairs Committee meeting. They want to know how the first Mid Sussex RED event goes in Lindfield and they would like more specific information about the events planned in our area including more accurate costings.
RESOLVED: that the Committee agreed to grant the following amounts: Cancervive £300; Victim Support £150; Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust £250.
CA16/069. Litter picking for Nature project update. The Committee received the following update: The Parish
Council has taken responsibility for the Litter Picking for Nature project that was previously under the umbrella of the Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group. Volunteers will continue to do evening litter picking in the rural lanes of Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common, and will be covered by the Parish Council public liability insurance. It is expected that the volunteers and Parish Council staff will meet in mid-March to discuss risk assessment and sign papers, with the aim to begin the spring/summer events in late March/early April.
CA16/070. Parish Councillor Surgeries. The Councillors received the following update: The surgeries will take place on the following dates: (all Saturdays) 8 April (HPP), 13 May (HPP), 10 June (HPP), 8 July (SC) // 12 Aug (HPP), 9 Sept (HPP), 14 Oct (HPP), 11 Nov (SC) // 9 Dec (HPP). Councillors have been asked to put their names down on a rota. The locations of the Surgeries will be in the Conference Room of the Hurstpierpoint Village Centre building and a location in Sayers Common still to be confirmed. This is a trial of 1 year to see how this means of communication with Councillors is received.
CA16/071. Community 21 project. The Councillors received the following update: The Council had been approached by Community 21 with an offer to run a project of engaging local children and young people into planning for the future of their community. Community 21 is a non-profit Brighton-based organisation, borne out of a venture from Brighton University and Action in Rural Sussex. They have undertaken previous projects for towns and parishes in East and West Sussex. The organisation has previously made a presentation to Community Affairs Committee and informal meetings have been held with Cllrs Sampson and Whitehead. The Parish Council Office raised the following questions: a) Would a local school be involved? b) What would be the outcome? c) How can this be linked with current Council objectives? d) How can raised aspirations be met? It had been suggested that a project focussed on planning for a young peoples’ wildlife/conservation ‘zone’, installed in the new parkland, might be worthwhile. It was understood that Community 21 would expect £3,000 to £5,000 for their input, in addition to inputs from the Parish team. Some budget is planned in the Community Affairs 2017/18 year (£1,000) but it is also understood that some funding might be possible from the National Lottery.
Discussion about this project took place at the Strategic Policy Working Group meeting of 7 March 2017and it was agreed that the principle of engaging with young people and encouraging their involvement in the community was commendable, and consistent with the Community Life Plan 2016. However, there remained questions about the approach of Community
21 and whether there was value to their contribution. It was agreed that a further meeting would be arranged with Community 21 to include the Chairman of Council, Chairman of Community Affairs, and a request would be made to others who could offer advice.
(Ref: Website: www.community21.org; Community 21 email 13 December 2016; Briefing Note Community21 21 Feb 2017)
CA16/072. Albourne Road Allotments. The Committee received the following update: There is currently 1 vacant plot on the allotments. The waiting list has12 people listed.
CA16/073. Older Persons’ Event: The Committee received the following update: The tea party on 13 February 2017 took place at a lovely home on Western Road, Hurstpierpoint. Due to illness and cancellations, the numbers of people attending fell to 9 people. Entertainment was provided by Penny Jenkins who sang beautifully and played the keyboard. It was the perfect number of people to make this event both cosy and relaxing for the attendees. An additional tea party took place on 15 March at a home off Albourne Road, Hurstpierpoint; it was very much enjoyed with lovely food and a very entertaining short talk on Hurstpierpoint history.
CA16/074. Information Items and Correspondence Received: to note the receipt of the items below (all items available to be seen in the Parish Council Office).
CA16/074.1 Correspondence from Mr Andy Perry, Trusts and Legacies Fundraiser, St Catherine’s Hospice, giving thanks for their grant of £200. Parish Councillors S Hand and B Sampson presented the cheque to Andy at St Catherine’s Hospice on 27 Feb 2017. Photos were taken and will be used to publicly acknowledge the Council’s donation.
CA16/075. Any Other Business. Councillor Geel asked that HKD Transition Group be asked to give a short talk to the Committee.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 10:04 pm.
_______________________________ Chairman