Minutes of the Parish Plan Steering Committee Meeting
held on 26th November 2008 at 7.30 pm at 53 Bar Lane, Stapleford
Present:
Kathleen Foreman, Karen Andrews, Geoff Hale, Michael Farrar (Parish Council Representative), Stephen Poyser, Peter Scofield (arrived 7.45 pm), Lynda Warth
Following introductions it was agreed that for the current meeting, Kathleen Foreman would take the Chair and Lynda Warth would act as Minutes Secretary.
The purpose of a Parish Plan was discussed. It was established that it is a community led document, normally created from a questionnaire based survey, giving everyone a chance to say what they think about the social, economic and environmental issues affecting the community. It was noted that the subject of a Parish Plan had initially been raised by the Parish Council in March 2007.
The aims of a Parish Plan is to complement and help deliver local planning policies and frameworks and link with Local Strategic Partnerships (but it cannot override adopted planning policy). It can influence local housing and land management strategies, contribute to the way local services are managed and delivered and identify which features and local characteristics people value. It can also identify local problems and opportunities, promote community involvement and develop residents’ plans for the future.
Having established the reason for a Parish Plan and its overall aims, the question of having identified recommendations to meet the requirements of the community, who would then be responsible for implementing those recommendations, was discussed. Michael Farrar made it clear that the Parish Council would only be responsible for areas within its remit. There could be other matters which would need addressing by different bodies such as District and County Councils, Highways etc.
The role of the Steering Committee in implementing any recommendations identified by the Parish Plan was discussed. It was felt by the majority of the members that the Steering Committee’s remit would be to achieve the recommendation stage and then hand over to other established or possibly, newly formed committees / interest groups to take the recommendations forward.
The majority of the committee indicated that, at this point in time, they would only be prepared to commit their time and effort to the recommendation stage and that the Steering Committee’s task was to gather information, identify the views of the village and present them. It was felt that a discussion with a representative from ACRE might be able to provide further guidance on this subject.
It had been established that the original grant from South Cambs DC was no longer available although it was possible that a grant of £500 would be available from ACRE.
From research of other Parish websites, it was clear that £500 would insufficient to fund the whole project. It was agreed that contact would be made with other bodies, e.g. Parish Council, District Council etc. to try to find out whether further funds could be made available. The matter would be discussed further with ACRE at a meeting to be arranged. Karen Andrews offered to make further enquiries.
It was felt that the Witchford Parish Plan questionnaire would be a good tool on which to base the Stapleford Questionnaire. Copyright and the requirement for permission to use the information contained in their document was discussed. It was agreed that the Witchford Parish Plan Committee should be contacted and any necessary permissions sought. Karen Andrews agreed to undertake this task.
After discussion, it was agreed that interest groups within the village should be consulted to establish what issues should be covered in the questionnaire. To this end, it was agreed that a meeting should be set up with an advisor from ACRE in the New Year to which local groups and organisations would be invited.
Prior to the meeting, these groups / organisations would be identified and a letter would be sent advising of the meeting and requesting them to consider what issues they would like included in the Parish Survey.
Lynda Warth agreed to draft a letter for consideration by Committee Members. E-mail would be used to communicate between Members as there would be no opportunity for a committee meeting prior to the New Year meeting.
A number of questions had been raised during the meeting which could not be answered. It was felt that the New Year meeting with ACRE would be an opportunity for a fact finding session and to establish what support ACRE could give the Steering Committee.
The forthcoming meeting would also be used to attempt to recruit some more Committee Members from the local organisations / groups. It was felt that, as there would clearly be a considerable amount of work involved, another two or three committed individuals would be advantageous.
It was felt that appointment of Officers would be best left until after the forthcoming meeting when, hopefully, a full Committee would have been identified.
Michael Farrer agreed to report back to the Parish Council on the Steering Committee’s achievements thus far and would enquire about the possibility of further funding.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.50 p.m.
Minutes of the Parish Plan Steering Committee Meeting
Held on Thursday, 19th February, 2009 at 8 pm
in Cox’s Close Community Room
Present
Steering Committee: Kathleen Forman (Chair), Stephen Poyser, Michael Farrar (Parish Council and Royal British Legion), Geoff Hale, Lynda Warth (Minutes Secretary)
Cambridgeshire ACRE: Alan Hampton
Village organisations and groups representatives: John Street (Bird Club), Michael Nurse (Horticultural Club), Chris Cooper (Church, Johnson Hall), Mavis Carr and Jessie Salter (Chestnut Club), Jill Butler (Singers)
Apologies
Steering Committee: Karen Andrews, Peter Schofield
Brief introductions were made by everyone attending.
Jill Butler expressed the concern of one Stapleford resident that he had not been invited to the meeting and suggested that the invitations had been ‘selective’. It was pointed out that the creation of a Steering Committee had been ongoing for a number of years. Appeals to residents by the Parish Council to take part had included a public meeting and articles in the Messenger resulting in only two residents offering to assist, both of whom were actively working on the Committee. In a further attempt to generate interest, the Committee had approached Stapleford based clubs and organisations direct (36 in total) with the intention of reaching as wide an audience as possible. A number of organisations which had declined to be represented at the meeting had requested further involvement. It is intended to use the Messenger and other means to keep residents and organisations informed of progress. It was felt that the process would offer interest groups and residents further opportunities to contribute in due course. Every effort had been made to be as inclusive as possible.
The Chair then asked Alan Hampton to address the meeting.
A Parish Plan is an action plan for the future. Its purpose is to identify the action required within the community. It should be community led – working from the people up and expressing their views. The Steering Committee’s task is to identify those views.
Ideally, a Steering Committee should include two Parish Councillors because many local issues could come under the remit of the Parish Council and therefore need the Council’s support.
The Steering Committee should ensure that the areas and issues forming the Parish Plan are as wide ranging and inclusive as possible. The time frame should be forward looking – at least five years.
Whilst everyone brings their own particular skills, the Steering Committee should have at its disposal competent IT skills because of the nature of the work involved.
Cambridgeshire ACRE would be available to the Steering Committee for support and advice at every stage.
There is very little else that gets views from the bottom up (i.e. individuals to Government). Government at all levels are very keen on Parish Plans – it is very important for ‘Quality Parish Councils’ to have completed their Parish Plan. Parish Plans can be very useful in acquiring funding as they are ‘evidence’ of need, numbers etc.
Parish Plans are forward looking – in excess of five years. By the nature of their workload, current Parish Councils do not have the time nor funds to undertake such a task.
Parish Plans highlight the existence of various groups / organisations within a community and can revive their popularity.
Using the Parish Plan as a ‘wish list’ for the community can only be successful if the wishes are realistic. It has been found that having identified projects through the Parish Plan, interest groups have been formed to carry projects through. Parish Plans provide Parish Councils with evidence of the issues which are of importance to the community.
Some communities who have completed their Parish Plans are now reviewing them. The Parish Plan should be viewed as a living document and ideally, reviewed annually by the Parish Council.
It is important that the Parish Council and Steering Committee are supportive of each other to ensure the best success of the resulting action plan. The Steering Committee should keep the Parish Council well informed of the progress of their work.
Given the size of Stapleford (approx 800 households) it was recommended that a questionnaire would be best way to gather the information required. It was pointed out that with sufficient volunteers, doorstep delivery and collection (most important to achieve good return rates) would be possible.
It was suggested that in order to raise awareness of the project, coffee mornings or stalls at village functions might be a way forward.
Some funding is available from ITV grants to set up the Steering Committee. Further funding may be available from the Parish Council and other sources. It was agreed that the ITV Grant Application would be made as soon as possible (Geoff Hale).
Chris Cooper, Michael Nurse and John Street all offered to join the Steering Committee. Gill Butler, Mavis Carr and Jessie Salter declined join the Committee but offered their assistance to the Committee. It was noted that a Women’s Institute member, (Anne Hammerton) had offered to join the Steering Committee although a prior commitment had prevented her from attending the Meeting.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, 10th March, 2009 at 8 pm at Lordship Cottage, 53 Bar Lane, Stapleford.
The Chair thanked Alan Hampton for his advice and support. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.45 pm
Minutes of the Parish Plan Steering Committee Meeting
Held on Tuesday, 10thMarch, 2009 at 8 pm
at 53 Bar Lane, Stapleford
Present
Steering Committee: Kathleen Foreman, Stephen Poyser, Michael Farrar (Parish Council), Geoff Hale, Lynda Warth, Karen Andrews, John Street, Michael Nurse, Peter Schofield, Chris Cooper
Apologies
Anne Hammerton
Kathleen Foreman took the Chair for the first item. It was decided that to assist Committee Members to get to know each other a little better and to identify the interests and skills base, each Member gave a brief resume of their background and particular interests. It was felt that this insight would help identify potential officers for the Committee.
Geoff Hale offered to take the role of Chairman. This was proposed by Peter Schofield, seconded by Michael Farrar and carried unanimously.
Geoff Hale took the Chair at this point.
Chris Cooper offered to take the post of Treasurer, Lynda Warth offered to be Minutes and Meeting Organisation Secretary and Kathleen Foreman, Karen Andrews and Peter Schofield offered to form a Publicity Sub Committee. All these appointments were agreed unanimously.
The Minutes of both these meetings having been previously circulated to Committee Members were accepted as a true record. The Chair signed the Minutes which were placed in the Minute Book.
There were no Matters Arising not included in the Agenda.
There was some discussion about the way forward. It was agreed that the main objective was to create a questionnaire in order to extrapolate the required information to create the Parish Plan. However, it was felt that a questionnaire would not be a good tool to target all the interest groups. An example was young people within the community. From research of other communities who had produced a Parish Plan, there was considerable evidence of low input from this group. It was agreed that some groups may need a personal approach from committee members and that these groups needed to be identified.
It was agreed that a great deal of information about the Parish Plan needed to be circulated amongst the community. It was suggested that this could be achieved by:
It was therefore agreed that Committee Members would try to identify a list of ‘big issues’ which would need to be included in the questionnaire which would be discussed at the next meeting.
Groups would be identified which would benefit from personal contact. Lynda agreed to circulate an amended Groups and Organisations List as a number of the original groups contacted no longer existed.
It was felt that a Project Plan would help keep track of action and aims. Geoff agreed to prepare a draft for the next meeting.
Prior to the meeting Geoff had circulated a draft for inclusion in the Parish Council AGM notification. It was agreed that Members would review the draft and send any suggestions to Kathleen by Monday, 16th March.
A draft for an article to be included in the Messenger had also been circulated. It was suggested that, possibly, this article could be written from a different perspective in order to achieve more impact. It was agreed that suggestions / amendments would be sent to the Sub Committee via Kathleen by 23rd March.
Michael Farrar offered to include the AGM article on the Parish Website.
It was reported that both grant applications had been submitted. The Parish Council grant application was an agenda item for the meeting to be held on 11th March. It was agreed that Geoff and Lynda would attend the meeting in order to introduce the Steering Committee and its Officers to the Parish Council and explain their request for funds.
There was no other business.
Tuesday, 7th April 2009 at 7.30 at 53 Bar Lane. It was hoped that the next meeting would be restricted to a two hour session.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.50 pm.
Minutes of the Parish Plan Steering Committee Meeting
Held on Tuesday, 7th April, 2009 at 7.30 pm
at 53 Bar Lane, Stapleford
Present
Chris Cooper, Kathleen Foreman, Michael Farrar (Parish Council), Geoff Hale (Chair), Anne Hammerton, Stephen Poyser, Lynda Warth (Minutes Secretary)
Apologies
Karen Andrews, John Street, Peter Schofield
The Chair welcomed Anne to the Committee.
2.0 Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 10th March 2009
The Minutes of the meeting having been previously circulated to Committee Members were accepted as a true record. The Chair signed the Minutes which were placed in the Minute Book.
3.0 Matters Arising
3.1 Withdrawal of Committee Members
Geoff advised that Michael had contacted both him and Lynda to let them know that he felt unable to contribute a great deal at the development stage of the Parish Plan but that he would be willing to help with other aspects if required. In particular, he offered a table / display in his garden for the Parish Plan at the Open Gardens on 5th July. Whilst the Committee felt that Michael had already made a contribution to the Steering Committee they understood his position and thanked him for his offer for 5th July which was felt to be a good idea.
Karen Andrews had also advised that she felt she would be able to make a more worthwhile contribution later in the process and requested to withdraw from the development stage of the plan. This was accepted by the Committee who wished to thank Karen for her contribution to date and would request her assistance later on.
Geoff reported that he and Lynda had attended the Parish Council meeting and had made a small presentation bringing the Council up to date with the work of the Steering Committee. The Parish Council stated that they were happy to support the request for a grant of £300. It was agreed that the Council will be kept informed of the progress of the Steering Committee on a regular basis through liaison with Michael Farrar and also presentations to Council Meetings. It was also agreed that the Committee would open a bank account and keep accurate records of how the grant is being spent although there was no restriction on what aspects of the Committee’s work the grant could be spent.
Geoff advised that the funding grant had arrived in the Parish Council bank account.
It was agreed that an account would be opened in the name of the Stapleford Parish Plan with a local bank. Chris would select the most appropriate bank. Chris, Geoff and Lynda would be the signatories to the account.
The method and rules for claiming expenses were discussed. It was agreed that any reasonable out of pocket expenses capable of being substantiated would be acceptable where possible, supported by a receipt.
A draft time sheet had been produced by Geoff. It was felt that the activities were about right but the timescale indicated may be difficult to meet. It was suggested that it might be useful to approach other villages who have completed their Parish Plan and try to ascertain the timescale they achieved.
The distribution and collection of the Questionnaires during dark, winter months was highlighted as a potential problem if the current timings slip.
It was agreed that the time sheet was a good start but that the actual achievement times may need to be modified as the Plan progresses.
John’s suggestions as to a starting point were discussed. It was felt that ‘leading questions’ should be avoided. The Plan should be lead from the bottom up therefore it was felt that public meetings to get individuals’ input and approaches to Groups would be a good source of ideas for the type of questions to go into the questionnaire.
It was suggested that a first step should be that Committee members researched their own interest areas to establish ‘where we are now’, talk to interest group / individual representatives and with the benefit of that information, create a series of possible questions for the questionnaire.
A list of ‘big issues’ was discussed and each member identified topics which they were willing to investigate (see attached).
It was agreed that members would report back on their findings at the next meeting.
Geoff, Michael and Lynda agreed to attend the meeting. Geoff would make a presentation to introduce the Parish Plan with the intention of emphasising that the Plan is for the people, should express their wishes and needs community participation. This would provide an opportunity to encourage people to support the Steering Committee if they wished to do so. A flyer would be produced for each attendee showing the currently identified ‘big issues’ with an invitation for anyone to add new subjects. Currently, there is a 10 minutes presentation slot followed by a 10 minute Q&A session. It was felt that this might prove to be a little generous!
One report had already been included in the Messenger and some copy would be included on the Annual Parish Meeting flyer. It was agreed that the next report in the Messenger should be the June issue with the intention of advertising upcoming opportunities for Parish Plan displays manned by Committee members.
The School Fete on 20th June, Village Show on 27th June and Open Gardens on 5th July were agreed as suitable events. Chris offered a display board which was accepted.
It was agreed that publicity material would be created for these events – short reports on the ‘where we are now’ research, the ‘big issues’ list, with yellow stickers available for people to make anonymous suggestions etc. Examples of other villages’ Parish Plans may be useful for information.
There was no other business.
Tuesday, 12th May 2009 at 7.30 at 53 Bar Lane. It was hoped that the meeting would be restricted to a two hour session.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.50 pm.
Minutes of the Parish Plan Steering Committee Meeting
Held on Tuesday, 12th May, 2009 at 7.30 pm
at 53 Bar Lane, Stapleford
Present
Chris Cooper, Kathleen Foreman, Michael Farrar (Parish Council), Geoff Hale (Chair), Anne Hammerton, Lynda Warth (Minutes Secretary), John Street
Apologies
Stephen Poyser
1.0 Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 7th April 2009
The Minutes of the meeting having been previously circulated to Committee Members were accepted as a true record. The Chair signed the Minutes which were placed in the Minute Book.
2.0 Matters Arising
There were no Matters Arising not covered under Agenda Items.
Geoff advised that the report had been well received. There was one expression of interest from John King which would be followed up.
It had been recommended that completed parish plans borrowed from other areas should be displayed at our publicity events to give residents an idea of what we are hoping to achieve.
Annie Laing had offered to act as liaison with the school. Robert Heap requested that the questionnaire questions should not be open ended. Further information in the Messenger was requested. It had been useful to make contact with the Youth Worker as it was felt very important to engage young people with the Parish Plan. It was felt that the Parish Council were very supportive of the Stapleford Parish Plan Steering Committee (SPPSC).
A number of the research reports had been circulated prior to the meeting.
These were reviewed. Some concerns were expressed where statistics had been obtained from the local authority but which may already be well out of date and were not totally inclusive. For example, employment / business statistics did not necessarily include people who ran businesses from home. It was recognised that the true numbers could well alter the official figures. It was felt that this type of information could be acquired from a questionnaire circulated to members of the village as part of the Parish Plan process. It was agreed that certain information could be available but would need to be specifically requested from the relevant organisations as it may not be generally published.
In discussions concerning community issues it was felt that some of the local charity groups and what they could offer was not well advertised. Again, it was felt that the Parish Plan may well be a conduit for promoting their existence.
It was noted from research of other Parish Plan questionnaires that very little importance was given to leisure related matters including access and the countryside.
The subject of ‘community’ and ‘communication between residents’ was an issue that should be explored.
Shopping and services research had highlighted some unexpected statistics e.g. 245 residents of Stapleford had a limiting long term illness of which 216 need care. It was felt caution should be exercised in interpreting these figures although it was recognised that Stapleford is an older community with a higher than average life expectancy for its residents.
A report on the school’s activities noted that breakfast and after-school clubs are being explored, and the existence of a school council which could be an avenue to explore. It was agreed that there should be better communication with the school.
The environment report stated that although in general Stapleford and the environs are very green with high levels of agriculture, mature trees, hedges, the moat and allotments giving high levels of wildlife, there is limited accessibility. In particular the river area was highlighted.
This view was reinforced by the access report.
Road safety issues were researched. These had been investigated by the Parish Council and although some recommendations had been made, funding was not available. Current public transport facilities were also reviewed.
It was agreed that those people not having produced a brief, written report would do so for circulation. Everyone was requested to produce more questions on their research areas for the next meeting.
Committee members listed below agreed to help out at the events below.
School fete (20 June) - Lynda
Village Show (27 June) - Lynda and John
Open Gardens (5 July) - Anne and Chris (in Michael Nurse's
Garden)
Chris to provide display stand, Geoff to obtain some parish plans as examples, Lynda to provide Parish Map. Post It notes, pens and drawing pins would be required.
Geoff agreed to obtain permission to attend the events.
It was agreed that the Parish Council AGM report would be displayed on the village website (Geoff / Michael).
It was agreed that a SPPSC account would be opened at Lloyds Bank in Gt. Shelford. It was agreed that the signatories would be the Chair (Geoff Hale), The Treasurer (Chris Cooper) and Lynda Warth (Secretary).
Once the account is set up, the ITV community grant and the funds offered by the Parish Council can be transferred from the Parish Council’s bank account.
The Account Application forms were left with the Secretary for completion and signature.
Transition Villages
An approach had been made to the Chair concerning Stapleford becoming a Transition Village. It was felt that this matter would be more appropriate for the Parish Council.
Attendance of Committee Members
In view of the workload of the SPPSC, it is important that each committee member undertakes the role diligently. Members should make every effort to attend meetings or otherwise advise the Chair that they are unable to attend.
Wednesday, 17th June, 2009 at 7.30 at 53 Bar Lane. It was hoped that the meeting would be restricted to a two hour session.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.50 pm.
Minutes of the Parish Plan Steering Committee Meeting
Held on Tuesday, 17th June, 2009 at 7.30 pm
at 53 Bar Lane, Stapleford
Present
Chris Cooper, Kathleen Foreman, Michael Farrar (Parish Council), Geoff Hale (Chair), Anne Hammerton, Lynda Warth (Minutes Secretary), John Street, John King (Co-opted)
Apologies
Stephen Poyser, Peter Schofield
1.0 Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 12th May 2009
The Minutes of the meeting having been previously circulated to Committee Members were accepted as a true record. The Chair signed the Minutes which were placed in the Minute Book.
2.0 Matters Arising
There were no Matters Arising not covered under Agenda Items.
John presented his report – copy attached.
He highlighted that there was support for more kerbside collection of plastics and the economic and environmental benefits of the various types of water collection. In particular, new build housing should include recycling of grey water.
Compositors can reduce the amount of green waste collected and solar panels can offer long term benefits although this is difficult to evaluate. Wind turbines have been shown to be less efficient.
A positive way to reduce waste would be to encourage manufacturers to reduce packaging. John felt residents should be made aware of the financial savings available for diverting rain water for use in the garden.
It would be useful to establish what percentage of properties in the village have water meters.
John King agreed to identify relevant questions on recycling which could be included in the questionnaire.
The Committee spent some time discussing the format that the questionnaire might take with particular emphasis on whether it should be a ‘tick box’ system or more of a free speech approach.
The difficulty of evaluating free speech answers was highlighted. It was felt that the most appropriate system is likely to be a mixture of the two.
It was felt that progress was only being made slowly in identifying questions for the questionnaire so it was agreed that use would be made of other Parish Plans by identifying questions / sections which would suit our Big Issues.
Each committee member is therefore requested to review their section again using another plan’s questions and adapting them to fit Stapleford. It was emphasised that everyone should come to the next meeting with some concrete questions that could be discussed by the committee.
Lynda agreed to try to obtain a copy of the Witchford questionnaire. Geoff offered to see if Cambridgeshire ACRE (see 6. below) could also provide any electronic versions of questionnaires that could be used as a format to base our questions on.
The committee agreed that it would be wise as part of the introduction in the final report to have a section which shows how the village fits into the local Structure Plans. It was hoped that Stephen Poyser would be able to provide some guidance here.
Plans were in hand for the School and Village Fetes on 20th and 27th July. Lynda agreed to collect the display boards and create a display. Geoof agreed to obtain laminated copies of some appropriate documents.
It was agreed that for the Open Gardens event, it would be more appropriate for the display to be located at the Church which was the rendezvous point at the end of the event. Geoff agreed to let Michael Nurse know that the display would be located elsewhere, and thank him for his willingness to provide a space in his garden.. He would also check with the organiser (shown as Debbie Mack in the Messenger) would be OK.
It was agreed that Sarah Johnston of Cambridgeshire ACRE would be invited to the next meeting. It was hoped she would be able to provide us with assistance to progress the questionnaire.
Chris reported that the bank account forms had been completed and Lynda and Geoff would need to go to Lloyds Bank to complete the identity check.
The question of expenses was discussed. It was agreed that printing / copying could be charged at 3p per A4 sheet.
Wednesday, 15th July, 2009 at 9 Joscelynes.
Wednesday 12th August was agreed as the date for the following meeting.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.45 pm.
Minutes of the Parish Plan Steering Committee meeting
held on Wednesday 15 July, 2009 at 7:30 pm
at 9 Joscelynes, Stapleford
Present
Chris Cooper, Geoff Hale (Chair), Anne Hammerton, John Street (minutes)
Sarah Johnston (Cambridgeshire ACRE)
Apologies
Michael Farrar (Parish Council), Kathleen Foreman, Stephen Poyser, Peter Schofield, Lynda Warth
Karen Andrews
Before addressing the agenda, the Chair noted the recent death of Karen Andrews. She had played a valuable part in the initial stages of getting the Parish Plan moving. The Steering Committee expressed their regret.
1 Apologies for absence
The apologies of Michael Farrar, Kathleen Foreman, Stephen Poyser, Peter Schofield and Lynda Warth were noted.
2 Minutes of the previous meeting, held on 17 June 2009
The minutes of the meeting having been previously circulated to Committee members were accepted as a true record. The Chair signed the minutes.
3 Matters arising
There were no matters arising not covered under other agenda items.
4 Cambridgeshire ACRE – Sarah Johnston
The Chair outlined to Sarah the background leading up to the decision to develop a Parish Plan, the process adopted and the progress made. Chris and John emphasised the importance of taking a structured approach to consultation: they were concerned that the village survey should not be launched until we were clearer about what we needed to ask and why. Sarah observed that the processes being followed were sound and the project was making reasonable progress.
Sarah highlighted some points based on approaches described in the ACRE Community Planning Toolkit (a copy was left with the Steering Committee):
It was agreed that input from Stapleford Community School and Sawston Village College would be important. For the primary school Chris proposed seeking views from the School Council, who could be quite creative.
The Chair thanked Sarah for her comments and suggestions. She offered to provide further copies of the Toolkit, and emphasised that she was always available to provide advice and answer questions. She also undertook to give us contacts in a couple of villages where Parish Plans were already in place so that we could get a better idea of what had actually happened as a result.
In further discussion after Sarah left, the Steering Committee decided
The Steering Committee also concluded that more work was needed on identifying the issues to be covered by a whole-village survey before further progress was attempted on questionnaire design. The August meeting therefore should concentrate on planning for an autumn campaign of consultation and information-gathering, using some of the techniques Sarah mentioned, such as love it / hate it sheets with collection boxes at the Spar and in the pubs. This would enable us to ensure that the eventual questionnaire was well-focused and relevant. In preparation, all should work through the Toolkit, which would be circulated in hard copy – Action: all to consider consultation coverage and techniques in the light of the Toolkit guidance for the 12 August meeting.
5 Outcomes from village events
6 Assessment of draft questions
In the light of the previous discussion, the Steering Committee agreed that these items would be better pursued as part of the August consultation planning session. All four members present had attended at least one of the village events and considered that they had been a success, though they had not generated any entirely new issues.
7 Financial position
Chris reported that the Chair and Lynda needed to go in to Lloyds Bank so that their identities and addresses could be verified – Action: Chair to complete forms at Lloyds Bank then pass to Lynda.
8 Date of Next Meeting
Wednesday 12 August at 19:30 at Geoff Hale’s house (76 Haverhill Road).
The meeting ended at 9:35 pm.
Minutes of the Parish Plan Steering Committee Meeting
Held on Wednesday, 12th August 2009 at 7.30 pm
at 76 Haverhill Road, Stapleford
Present
Chris Cooper, Kathleen Foreman, Michael Farrar (Parish Council), Geoff Hale (Chair), Anne Hammerton, Lynda Warth (Minutes Secretary), John Street, Stephen Poyser, Peter Schofield
Apologies
None
1.0 Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 15th July 2009
The Minutes of the meeting having been previously circulated to Committee Members were accepted as a true record. The Chair signed the Minutes which were placed in the Minute Book.
2.0 Matters Arising
The ACRE Toolkit folder had been circulated but had not been seen by everyone. It was felt that this was an extremely helpful document. SPPSC had completed many of the initial tasks but it was felt that a further review of ‘where the community is now’ would be of use for discussion with the various interest groups. Having identified the current position, it would then be easier to determine what needed to be changed. John Street agreed to draft a document using the various reports already submitted by committee members.
It was agreed that before the next meeting, the various groups would be identified and a decision would be made on the best way to communicate with them. It was felt that face to face discussion would probably be the best way.
Concern was raised that interest groups / clubs / societies could well contain non Stapleford residents and that the Parish Plan should represent residents’ views only. However, it was felt that these groups form part of the community and shape Stapleford. It was pointed out that the purpose of discussion with the groups was to identify the type of questions which should be included in the questionnaire. The questionnaire would only go to residents.
It was agreed that a Love It / Hate it survey would be circulated to all households during September. The document would introduce the purpose of the Parish Plan with the request that householders return the completed forms (which could be anonymous) to various locations (Spar shop, pubs, garage, school, Coxes Close, Bradford’s Farm shop etc) around the village to ease and encourage response.
Kathleen agreed to produce a list of village groups. Lynda agreed to forward what information she had on record.
Stephen and Geoff agreed to try to source paper boxes for returned surveys.
A schedule of events/meetings through to Xmas 2009 should be prepared. The Chair offered to make a start on this once a list of groups was available.
Advance notice of the Love It / Hate It questionnaire would be given in the Messenger and by posters positioned around the village. Messenger copy was agreed by the committee for inclusion in the September issue.
It was agreed that the Love It / Hate It questionnaire and supporting text would be drawn up before the next meeting. Lynda to produce draft questionnaire, Kathleen to produce draft text.
The committee had received two copies of the Toolkit from ACRE. Both Lynda and John commented on its usefulness and the possibility of obtaining further copies was discussed. Geoff agreed to contact ACRE.
[Since the meeting, the Chair has looked at a CD supplied by Sarah Johnston from ACRE and has realised that this contains a lot of the pages from the Toolkit. He can produce copies if required.]
Chris reported that Lloyds Bank had failed to authorise the forms correctly. Lynda was requested to return to the bank to enable them to finish their admin and the account should then be activated.
The possibility of producing a joint village plan with Gt. Shelford was discussed. It was felt that while there are a number of issues which are of joint interest, a joint plan would not be beneficial.
This matter had been raised in the Toolkit. After discussion, it was felt that a constitution would not be required.
Wednesday, 9th September, 2009 at 76 Haverhill Road.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.30 pm.
Minutes of the Parish Plan Steering Committee Meeting
Held on Wednesday, 9th September, 2009 at 7.30 pm
at 76 Haverhill Road, Stapleford
Present
Chris Cooper, Michael Farrar (Parish Council), Kathleen Foreman, Geoff Hale (Chair), Stephen Poyser, John Street, Lynda Warth (Minutes Secretary).
Apologies
Anne Hammerton, Peter Schofield
1.0 Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 12th August 2009
The Minutes of the meeting having been previously circulated to Committee Members were accepted as a true record. The Chair signed the Minutes which were placed in the Minute Book.
The Chair advised that the non appearance of the article in the Messenger was due to an IT fault. It was agreed that Kathleen would arrange for the article to be displayed on the Parish website.
No report had been received from Peter Schofield. The Chair agreed to follow this up and investigate the possibility of creating a separate Parish Plan page on the Parish website.
John Street was congratulated on the draft Parish Profile. He explained the basis on which had drawn up the document.
It was agreed that the document could serve a number of purposes, particularly to reminding residents of the overall Stapleford context so as to support a process of informed consultation. It would also be a useful information-base for Steering Committee members as they discussed issues with residents. It might also in due course serve as an introductory chapter to the Parish Plan. But more thought would be needed on how to get the information in the Parish Profile into general circulation.
The document highlighted a number of issues which the committee felt were important:
It was agreed that currently-available statistics, as quoted in the report, were unlikely to change dramatically in the short term.
More information on local housing was needed. Stephen agreed to approach local Estate Agents, District Valuers and Land Registry to get a more up to date picture. Figures on the homeless would be more difficult to obtain.
John and Michael agreed to work together to try to obtain crime stats including accident stats (likely to be only those involving injury). Chris agreed to quickly provide information on young people. The Chair agreed to obtain information on recreation facilities. Anne was to be asked to obtain more specific information on the elderly. Kathleen agreed to report on village hall bookings. Kathleen also agreed to tabulate the statistical information given in the draft Parish Profile to help with clarity.
All the above information to be sent to John by 28th September. The committee felt it important that their work, including working documents should be in the public domain so that local residents could provide valuable feedback. However the Parish Profile document still required some of the gaps filling in before it is displayed. It was felt that some of the information currently missing might be provided by village residents.
The draft survey document was reviewed and some changes suggested. It was agreed that the document would be finalised by 15th September and 800 copies obtained. A distribution list would be finalised by 18th September and the survey distributed week commencing 21s September with a closing date of 5th October. A variety of collection points would be set up around the village for ease of survey return. Lynda agreed to undertake the finalisation of the survey form and arrange the distribution list.
The question of how the committee would seek to engage the views of village groups was discussed. The likely usefulness of information gathered was considered. As time was running short, it was agreed to expand this discussion at the next meeting.
Chris reported that the bank account was open and that he would shortly be contacting Nick Pett, Clerk to the Parish Council to get the Steering Committee’s funds transferred.
Tuesday, 6thOctober, 2009 at 17 Gogmagog Way, Stapleford.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.45 pm.
Minutes of the Parish Plan Steering Committee Meeting
Held on Tuesday, 6th October 2009 at 7.30 pm
at 17 Gog Magog Way, Stapleford
Present
Chris Cooper, Kathleen Foreman, Geoff Hale (Chair), John Street, Stephen Poyser (Minutes Secretary)
1.0 Apologies
Michael Farrar, Anne Hammerton, Lynda Warth
2.0 Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 9th September 2009
The Minutes of the meeting having been previously circulated to Committee Members were accepted as a true record. The Chair signed the Minutes which were placed in the Minute Book.
3.0 Matters Arising
A total of 84 replies had been received with collections still to be made at the School, Bradford’s Farm and The Longbow. A brief analysis of some of them resulted in the usual topics being raised but a full analysis is to be undertaken by Lynda and Ann before the next meeting.
A thank you message via Lynda is to be sent to the people involved in the deliveries and the locations of the collecting boxes in order that we can approach them again in the future for assistance with the full survey.
A short article is to be prepared for inclusion in the November issue of The Messenger indicating thanks to those village members who submitting the survey and a brief indication of the feedback.
John had discussed the Parish Plan with the Bird Group during one of their monthly morning walks over the Magog Down. This had proved successful as many of the conversations had been on a one to one basis.
Some of the main points raised were -- access to Cambridge, house prices, dying shops, no change wanted, attract employers to the village.
In discussions with individuals , John pointed out that no change meant the average age of the occupants of the village would become older. When probed on this basis, people were willing to accept change as it will bring younger people and families into the village.
A village meeting would enable all groups to be represented and we could offer to subsequently meet any group who wanted us to attend their meeting. The plan would be to advertise the meeting to “The Village” in The Messenger, Notice Boards etc. with a view to it being held in early March 2010. It may be necessary to hold two meetings, one on a Saturday pm and a second on a weekday evening.
Talks could be given to the Women’s Institute, the Chestnut Club and the School Council.
Geoff offered to check the ACRE folder for any other advice or suggestions on holding broad village interactions.
An article for the November Messenger will be based on an initial analysis of the Love it / Hate it survey forms. This will also be put on the Website and hopefully, can be added to the Parish Notice Board.
For December another brief note could be sent out indicating “Look out for further news” or an article if appropriate.
A report on the meeting with the Parish Council could be written for the January issue of The Messenger.
In February, ana rticle could be preapered to make people aware of the “Village Meeting “ to be held in March.
Chris reported that payment into the bank account was still awaited from the Parish Council. Geoff offered to speak to Nick Pett. Expenses incurred by Lynda Warth were approved.
Thursday 12th November at 7.30 pm at John Street’s (9 Jocelynes)
Thursday 10th December at 7.30 pm at Stephen’s (17 Gog Magog Way)
Thursday 14th January at 7.30 pm at (location to be agreed).
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.40 pm.