Agenda and draft minutes

i.          The Green Deal  - 6.35pm – 6.50pm

The Forum will hear from Minka McInerney from the Council’s  Carbon Management Services who will answer questions

ii.         Local Initiatives  - 6.50pm – 7.30pm

Local Representatives will talk about current and future green initiatives and answer questions

Each Group will be given approx 10 minutes to speak with questions at the conclusion of the third group’s address.

(i)                             Muswell Hill Low-carbon Zone – Peter Thompson

(ii)                           Muswell Hill Sustainability group – Cara Jenkins & Alan Morton

(iii)                         Highgate Society Sustainable Homes Group – Catherine Budgett-Meakin & Jackie Jones

iii.        The Council’s 40/20 scheme – 7.30pm – 7.50pm

Nick Powell – Head of Carbon Management and Sustainability will be in attendance to advise the Forum on implications for the four wards and answer questions.

Issues to be covered will include:

·        Transport Initiatives

·         Council-funded green and ECO initiatives

·        Schools initiatives

iv.        Composting, Water butts and Community allotments  - 

7.50pm- 8.05pm

Single Frontline Service will be in attendance to give an update on progress in the four wards, and answer any questions.

            Issues to be covered will include:

·        Details of take-up of home composting and what is available from Council.

·        Details of take-up of water butts and what is available from Council.

·        Progress of Community Allotment schemes in the four wards.

v.                   Repositioning of Bus Stop at Muswell Hill – 8.05pm – 8.25pm

Officers from Transport Policy & Projects will advise on the new bus stop location at Muswell Hill and will answer any questions.

There will be a 5 minute break before the Area Committee commences.

See minute MH55.

Apologies were received from Cllrs Allison, Bloch, Jenks and Williams.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 27 June be approved and signed by the Chair as an accurate record of proceedings.

Matters arising

·      MH41(iii): an updated list of Local Implementation Plan (LIP) schemes by Area Committee area had been appended for information to the agenda pack.

·      MH47: an officer response had been circulated to Highgate Cllrs following concerns raised by a local resident regarding cycling on pavements. Enforcement in this area was within the remit of the Metropolitan Police (MPS).

·      MH48a: the Chair confirmed she had written to Patricia Hayes, the Director of Road and Vehicle Safety and Standards at the Department for Transport on the issue of bye-laws for crossovers. The Chair would chase for a response.

·      MH49(iii): Cllr Newton had written to the Borough Commander at the MPS regarding concerns in relation to the reorganisation of local police deployment. A copy of the letter would be appended to the minutes for information.

·      MH49(v): Cllr Erskine confirmed that she had convened a local ward meeting to progress issues relating to refuse and waste collection.

·      MH51(i): the Chair confirmed that she had met with Zoe Robinson, Community Engagement Manager, to provide feedback on the Area Plan which had subsequently been updated.

·      MH51(iii): an updated contact list had been received from the Community Engagement team incorporating revisions made by from ward Cllrs.

The Green Deal

The Forum had noted with interest the introduction of a new Green Deal initiative for energy efficiency refurbishment works. Although some concern was expressed over the anticipated interest rates to be charged by Green Deal Providers, the Committee recognised the value in encouraging local people in a suitable financial position to take part in the initiative. A query had been raised over opportunities for local providers to become accredited Green Deal providers and installers, potentially through the Muswell Hill Sustainability Group. As a result it was

RESOLVED

·      That Cllr Newton write a letter to the Council’s Carbon Management Team to seek clarification on the potential for local providers to gain Green Deal accreditation.

Local initiatives and the Council’s 40/20 scheme

The Chair extended the thanks of the Committee to the presenters and the informative presentations given.

Composting, water butts and community allotments

RESOLVED

·      That officers be asked to explore the feasibility of adding compost stirrers for sale on the Haringey Get Composting website to complement existing products sold. 

Re-positioning of bus-stop at Muswell Hill

The Committee noted that a six month trial would be undertaken by Transport for London (TfL) in conjunction with the Council to re-locate the Muswell Hill bus stop for the W7 route to the Broadway at the apex of the hill in order to secure level access for passengers. Concerns were expressed over the discrepancy in information being produced by TfL and the Council on the changes, with the TfL consultation document appearing to suggest that the 144 bus route could also be accommodated at the relocated stop. In lieu of clarification on this point, it was emphasised that the trial would be kept under continual review which would also include the feasibility of accommodating the 144 at the same location which the Committee expressed their support for.  

RESOLVED

·      That clarification be sought as to whether the information circulated by TfL and the Council regarding the new pilot arrangements was in alignment, particularly in relation to the potential tandem relocation of the bus stop for the 144 route. 

·      That the Committees formal support for the W7 bus stopping at both the original stop and also the new location be noted to feed into the monitoring of the pilot.

On a related issue, the Committee discussed transport provision to the Park Road Health Centre and queried the progress of the NHS in taking action under the dedicated Transport Plan.

RESOLVED

·      That officers be tasked to seek an update from the NHS to confirm whether the Transport Plan for the Centre was up to date and remained a working document.

To receive a report from the Area Committee Champion and the Director of Place and Sustainability in response to the Lists of long-standing highway, parking and transport issues tabled at the 27 June 2012 meeting, MH41 (iii). including which of the schemes are being recommended for inclusion in the LIP submission to TfL in the autumn of 2012.

The Committee noted the tabled update paper submitted by officers in response to highways, parking and transportation issues previously raised in the area. Officers also offered to provide an additional briefing to a future meeting on the Committee on the highways budget and how the programme of work had been developed for the current year and the expenditure to date.

In response to a question regarding the process for the replacement of street lamp columns, confirmation was provided that the Council had in place an ongoing programme for renewal on a street by street basis to ensure consistency. In addition, the service were currently assessing the potential savings associated with new energy efficient street lighting including developing a business case for the use of LED bulbs. The Committee would be kept informed of progress in this area.

The Committee queried as to whether the consultation process for LIP funding had started. Confirmation was provided that a plan was not in place at the current time and as such it was

RESOLVED

That the Head of Carbon Management and Sustainability be asked to provide the Committee with a briefing on the process for approving future LIP funding.

To receive a briefing on devolved funding streams available for the Area Committee to make local decisions on

Mun Thong Phung, the Council’s Director of Adult and Housing Services, had written to the Assistant Chief Executive in his capacity as the Area Champion for the Forum to seek clarification on the devolved funding position for Area Committees. The response received had confirmed that a decision had yet to be made in this regards. The Director would continue to seek a definitive response.

Zoe Robertson – Community Engagement Manager will be in attendance to take comments /amendments

The Committee considered the latest version of the Area Plan covering Muswell Hill, Alexandra, Highgate and Fortis Green. The Plan had been updated in conjunction with the Chair since the last meeting.

Community planting projects 

Concerns were expressed on the progress made by Homes for Haringey (HfH) in fulfilling their task under the Allotment Strategy in identifying potential sites for community planting projects. An update was provided that HfH were looking at an initiative to encourage resident’s associations to lead on a communal approach to managing an area of abandoned land in Bolster Grove Gardens.

To further try and assist in moving this work forward, it was agreed that the Chair would compile a list of potential sites suggested by ward Cllrs that could be forward to HfH for response. It was also considered that resident’s associations should be contacted to recommend potential hot spots that could be tackled.

Community hubs

An update was provided that Cllr Newton had attended a walkabout with Cllr Strickland, the Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Social Inclusion, and Muswell Hill traders to look at their concerns. The session had also included a visit to the library to discuss issues with disabled access and use of the car park. Cllr Strickland had agreed to provide feedback on the issues raised in due course. 

It was moved and then

RESOLVED

·      That the Committee’s formal support for the trader’s concerns and the issues with the library be noted.

The Committee discussed the request from the Cabinet Member for Finance and Carbon Reduction to take a presentation on the Council’s budget to the next meeting as part of the consultation process. Feedback had been sought during the Forum on this proposal and the Committee concurred that it would be more appropriate to signpost residents to the dedicated budget scrutiny panel meetings rather than take it as an item at the next Forum.

It was agreed that the next meeting would, if possible, be held in Highgate, with ward Cllrs tasked to suggest some suitable venues to the Clerk. The British Legion Club would be held in reserve should a suitable Highgate venue not be found. Alexandra ward would be the location for the meeting after next, with St Andrews Church Hall on Alexandra Park Road put forward as a suitable venue.

Agenda items for the next meeting were discussed. A report on local nursery child care places was proposed incorporating issues such as availability, affordability and quality of provision. An item on youth provision was also put forward, potentially to take the form of a presentation from Exposure, the charitable youth media enterprise based in the borough.

The Committee agreed that it would be valuable to schedule a report for a future meeting on progress with the transition of Public Health services from the NHS to the Council. Potentially this could be linked to the signposting health item provisionally identified for the March meeting. The Director AHS agreed to discuss this with the Director Public Health.