Minutes of the Meeting held at
Farnham Town Council Offices on
Tuesday, 25 November 2008, at 4.00 pm
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Present:
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Cllr V Duckett
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(Chairman)
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Cllr Mrs C Cockburn
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Mr J King
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Cllr Mrs J Maines
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Mrs P Marriott
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Mrs S Rayner
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Mr R Terry
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In Attendance:
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Mrs V Miller
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(Secretary)
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1.
Attendance
Apologies for absence from the meeting were noted
from Mr R Potter, Mr D Quick, PCSO T Matthews, PC C Skillicorn-Aston and Mr I
Grist. It was noted that Mr Grist is job-sharing with Mrs Eve Bartlett and will
not be available to attend meetings in the first half of the week. It was hoped
that Mrs Bartlett would be able to attend Tuesday meetings in future.
Mrs Cockburn reported that she had spoken to Cllr
John Ward who had confirmed that he was happy to become a Town Council
representative on the Task Force, and the Secretary reported that Miss Maria
Pryor continued to be the appropriate Students’ Union representative from UCA.
Both had been sent notification of the meeting together with the relevant
papers and Task Force members expressed the hope that they would be able to
attend future meetings.
2.
Minutes of the last meeting
The minutes of the last meeting, held on 4 September
2008, were agreed and signed by the Chairman.
3.
Matters Arising
3.1 Website
The Secretary reported that there had been no “real”
messages sent to the Task Force via the website since the last meeting, only
spam.
3.2 Brackets for Mobile Cameras
There being nothing further to report on this matter,
it was agreed to remove it from the agenda for the time being.
3.3 Publicity
Mr Duckett reported that he was in touch with the
editor of the Herald but that he had not yet invited him to attend a Task Force
meeting.
3.4 Chantrys Neighbourhood Panel
Mr Duckett reported that he had attended two
Neighbourhood Panel meetings as an observer and that it was going well. The
major concern at present was fly tipping.
3.5 Safer Waverley Partnership
Mrs Cockburn reported
that it is hoped that there may be opportunities for closer liaison with the
Community Safety Team in the future.
3.6 Task Force Membership
Mr Duckett reported that he had spoken to the
Commanding Officer at Farnham Fire Station who will be happy to come along to
Task Force meetings occasionally when invited. He was unfortunately unable to
attend the present meeting.
4.
Future Development of Community Safety Role
4.1 Crime Prevention Panel (CPP)
Mr King will take copies of the recent CPP leaflets
(relating to Home Security, Garden Sheds and Car Crime) to the Farnham Town
Council offices so they can be scanned onto the Council’s website.
4.2 Mini Survey of Crime and Safety Issues
This survey is being undertaken by PC
Skillicorn-Aston and Mr Potter. It was hoped that a report would be available
at the next meeting.
4.3 Public Meetings
Task Force members noted that no progress had been
made with developing a programme for a
“Community Safety Awareness Day”. Mrs Cockburn agreed to take this
forward and will discuss the matter with the Community Safety Team at her forthcoming
meeting. Previous suggestions had included involving the Safer Waverley
Partnership, providing opportunities for people to learn more about the Crime
Prevention Panel & Neighbourhood Watch and to volunteer to join, running a
session for UCA students etc. Mr King will provide Mrs Cockburn with further
information about CPP activities.
5.
Current Projects
5.1 Graffiti
Mrs Maines reported that PC Skillicorn-Aston would be
meeting the Farnham area Youth Worker in a few days time and would be discussing
the possibility of a graffiti wall in the Woolmead underpass. Both the lighting
and the drainage in the tunnel still need to be improved. Mr Duckett will
pursue this with Surrey County Council and draw the problems to the attention
of the local SCC councillors.
5.2 Litter Pick & Bins
Mrs Cockburn reported that, during the last litter
pick, volunteers had noted the shortage of litter bins between the Library and
the lights at the Borough, and also the difficulty of disposing of lighted
cigarette butts. Areas near shops were particularly bad with clusters of butts
in alleys close by. Mrs Rayner took note of these points and reported that the
problem of dealing with butts was currently being worked on. Mrs Cockburn
stated that although the Town Council had asked for volunteers to help with the
litter pick, there had not been an easy way of indicating one’s willingness to
join in and she thought that it should be made easy for people to leave their
names, for example via the website. Mrs Rayner promised to look into this. The
Town Council will be repeating the litter picks regularly as part of “Pride in
Farnham”. Task Force members agreed that they provide a good opportunity to
collect comments as well as litter.
5.3 Anti-Litter Poster Competition
It was agreed to repeat the competition with another
school during next summer term so that the presentation could be made at the
end of the term. Mrs Cockburn will approach the Head Teacher at Pilgrim’s Way.
Mr Duckett will find out if Sir Ray Tindle would be willing to sponsor the
competition again.
5.4 Street Cleaning
Mrs Maines reported that she had asked for an update
on street cleaning to be put on the agenda for the next meeting of the Town and
Parishes with Waverley Borough Council.
5.5 Fly Posting
Mr King expressed his concern about the number of
banners festooning the fences around the water company site at the top of
Firgrove Hill, which are a dangerous distraction for motorists approaching the
crossroads. It was not clear whether this was a Highways or a Planning issue
(or both) but Mr Duckett will investigate and speak to the appropriate Waverley
Enforcement Team official. Mrs Rayner will arrange for someone to contact the
water company on behalf of Farnham Town Council. Mr Duckett will also
investigate whether the Town Council is empowered to remove fly posted material
generally.
Mrs Cockburn stated that someone from UCA had
reported having difficulty finding the appropriate official to speak to about
legitimate signage for the University and it was suggested that he should be
told to liaise with Waverley Borough Council rather than Surrey.
6.
Funding
The Chairman reported that the bank balance at 24
August 2008 amounted to £1170.46. This
sum includes the contribution of £400 from the PCPG which is ring-fenced for
the provision of CCTV equipment. After meeting the secretarial expenses and
administration costs already incurred this year, there is an uncommitted
balance remaining of £299.19 available
to cover further costs arising in 2008/09 and subsequently. The Town Council
has indicated that it would provide funding for the administrative costs of the
Task Force as and when required, and it seems possible that this will need to
be called on around the end of the current financial year.
7.
Neighbourhood Watch & Crime Statistics
Mr Terry reported that four new Neighbourhood Watches
are in course of being set up. Recent crimes have included thefts of York stone
and items from garden sheds, and there has been an increase in the number of
house burglaries. Task Force members
thanked Mr Terry for the information that he regularly circulates and agreed
that it is very clear and informative.
8.
Any Other Business
8.1 Venues for Public Meetings
Mr Terry reported that
he was still looking for a venue for a Neighbourhood Watch meeting. Mrs Maines
suggested that 40 Degreez might be suitable as the building can accommodate a
seated group of 50 or 60 people.
9.
Date of Next Meeting
Tuesday, 27 January, 2009 } at 4.00 pm in the Town Council offices.
Tuesday, 28 April, 2009 }
Mrs Rayner agreed to
make the necessary bookings