Minutes:
Councillor Peter Barnes (Environment)
· A Local Government Association challenge team is currently visiting the Council and looking at the Gedling Country Park. A report will be brought to Cabinet at a later date to update Members on this.
· Line marking work is being carried out at the Civic Centre site, including all car parks in Arnot Hill Park.
· Would like to thank Officers for arranging for him to take part in a ward walk with partner organisations.
Councillor Darrell Pulk (Leisure and Development)
· Killisick ward has been chosen to receive Connecting Communities Funding to pilot a school/community partnership which aims to improve community health and wellbeing.
· A tender will open for the provision of Obesity and Weight Management Services in Nottinghamshire. Gedling’s exercise promotion team is currently looking at opportunities to submit a collaborative tender with other district Councils.
· The “Get Going Gedling” programme of volunteer led walks has now been extended to include the Mapperley area.
· Charlotte Henshaw, the Paralympic silver medallist, will be attending the “Go for it!!” Camp that is held for children with disabilities at Redhill Leisure Centre in half term.
· Sports Development have attracted additional Sportivate funding of over £5000 to target semi-sporty 11-25 year olds.
· Ceramic art produced last year by families from Gedling will be exhibited at the Nottingham Light Night on the 28th of February. The art has already been shown at Rufford Park before Christmas and will be shown, where it was made, in Arnot Hill Park in March.
· Walking Football sessions will be held at Redhill and Carlton Forum on weekends from the first weekend in March. The sessions are aimed at men and women over 50 that can’t quite manage the pace of a fast game of football.
· Gedling Borough Council has been awarded a Silver Award for its Well at Work programme by the NHS Sports and Physical Activity Challenge. Only 3 Local Authorites were awarded accreditation.
Councillor Kathryn Fox (Community Development)
· A Funding Fair will be held on the 12th of March from 2-7pm at the Richard Herrod Centre, following the success of last year’s event.
· A no-smoking event will be held in Netherfield on the 15th of March from 10am-3pm.
· The Killisick Locality Launch took place on the 27th January and was attended by local ward Councillors, the Portfolio Holder, the Leader, Council Officers and representatives of 22 partner organisations.
· A Chinese New Year event took place at the Civic Centre in February. The event was organised in conjunction with the Gedling Play Forum and Debz4Coffee and was attended by over 300 people.
Councillor Jenny Hollingsworth (Health and Housing)
· The Ley Street Choir are planning to record a song and will be performing in the Civic Centre foyer on the 20th of February before the next meeting of Cabinet.
· There are currently just over 930 active cases in Housing, however bidding activity has decreased which is making housing allocation more difficult.
· No approaches have been made under the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol since the previous Member update at Cabinet.
· 1 temporary accommodation property is currently being refurbished.
· All temporary accommodation is currently occupied, with one family currently in Rushcliffe’s temporary accommodation.
· Actions are currently being taken to resolve anti-social behaviour issues on Wollaton Avenue.
· A186 homelessness interviews have been undertaken and 12 have been accepted as homeless.
· There is a demand for 2 bedroom homes at present.
· The next Landlord Forum will take place in May.
· The first round of Safeguarding training has now been completed at Gedling Borough Council and Gedling Homes. This has led to an increase in reporting of safeguarding and domestic violence issues.
· Two Council Officers and Councillor Ellis are now trained to deliver Dementia Friendly training and training will begin in March.
· The Council has now applied to be accredited as “Dementia Friendly”, this will rely on take up of Dementia Friendly training by Councillors and Officers.
· Attended the opening of the Borough’s third food bank. The food bank has signalled its intention to signpost customers to various organisations that might also be of assistance to them and are interested in working with the Credit Union.
Councillor Michael Payne (Public Protection and Communications)
· A first meeting of a cross party Member reference group regarding the World War I commemoration events has successfully taken place and lots of ideas have been gathered.
· A Member’s Briefing will take place on the 17th of February to present the results of the 2013 Gedling Conversation.
· A new bin collection calendar will be delivered to residents soon due to the change to how bins will be collected. There will also be a change to the design for clarity.
· A taxi knowledge test has now been introduced and Members are welcome to approach the Licensing Team to discuss or take the test.
· The neighbourhood wardens have received a new , specially equipped, van.
· A cash machine has been installed in the Civic Centre foyer for the payment of bills. This will allow the Council to go cashless and the cash office will, as a result, close.
· A tree recently fell down due to the high winds at the edge of the Gedling County Park site. Thanks should be paid to Officer, John Clayton, and his team for their prompt response and clearing of the road within the hour.
· Thanks also to Officers who resolved a problem with a wall in Newstead, which had been reported to Councillor Andrews by residents, despite it not being a Council responsibility.
Councillor John Clarke (Finance and Performance)
· Work on the Druid’s Car Park is now well underway and looks good.
· A recent article on the Radio, highlighted the ingenuity of a Woodborough man who had purchased an inflatable flood defence and was now supplying these to others.
· Members of the Council will be aware of Councillor Tunnicliffe’s retirement from the Council following almost 19 years’ service. Thanks should be noted for Councillor Tunnicliffe’s contribution to the Council and community.
Councillor Clarke invited the Policy Advisors for Younger and Older People to provide an update as to their work since the previous meeting of Cabinet.
Councillor Roxanne Ellis (Policy Advisor for Older People)
· The Older People’s Plan was sent to Cabinet members for comment. The plan is the first for Gedling and the wider Nottinghamshire area. The Plan will be brought before Cabinet in April.
· So far, take up on Dementia Friendly training has been low. Would like to encourage Members to attend and Group Leader to encourage their Members.
Councillor Henry Wheeler (Policy Advisor for Young People)
· A working group will be set up to look at how to deliver the health and wellbeing agenda for young people.
· Nottinghamshire Boxing School are meeting with partners that are interested in developing diversionary activities for young people.
· Debz4Coffee and Gedling Play Forum are currently looking at how to access additional funding streams.
· There will be a web database detailing the services available for children and families in the County, as a result of the Children and Families Bill.