To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 20th January 2004

The Minutes of the meeting held on 20^th January 2004 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

A representative from the Police Force will be present at the meeting to give an update in relation to crime figures etc.

            Community Inspector A. Neill was present at the meeting to give details of crime figures for Newton Aycliffe.

            It was reported that the total crime for Newton Aycliffe for the month of February 2004 had fallen by 6%.  The number of dwellinghouse burglaries had reduced by 37%, other burglaries had decreased by 13% and the number of incidents of shoplifting had fallen by 19%.  Theft of motor vehicles had decreased by 24%, thefts from motor vehicles had fallen by 38% and the number of violent crimes was down by 10%.  Incidents of criminal damage had increased by 3%.

The Forum was informed that the Police Communications Office had been relocated from Newton Aycliffe Police Station to Bishop Auckland Police Station.

Concern was expressed regarding the opening hours of the front desk at Newton Aycliffe Police Station.  It was pointed out that at a recent meeting of the Police Consultative Committee, Councillor G.C. Gray had requested that further consideration be given to extending the number of hours the front desk was manned.

Reference was made to the problem of mopeds/motorised scooters being ridden on footpaths, particularly in the area of Waskerley Walk.  It was reported that the matter would be brought to the attention of the Dedicated Beat Officer for the area.

The problem of cars being parked too near the chicanes in Stephenson Way, obstructing visibility for motorists, was also bought to the Forum’s attention.

Reference was also made to the fact that the Council’s bin wagons needed to mount the footpath in Atkinson Gardens, Aycliffe Village as a result of caravans being parked on the highway.  It was explained that if the caravans were causing an obstruction, they should be removed.

A representative from the Primary Care Trust will be present at the meeting to report on progress

P. Irving was present at the meeting to provide an update on various initiatives.

Reference was made to the new GP contract that needed to be in place by April 2004.  Under the new contract, GPs would be remunerated in respect of essential care services, additional services such as minor surgery and vaccinations and enhanced services. It was the duty of Sedgefield PCT to ensure that the residents of the Borough received all of the above services.  The remuneration to the GPs would also reflect the quality of the services they provided, which would be assessed through Patient Satisfaction Surveys and how successful GPs were in meeting the clinical governance performance targets.

Specific reference was also made to the development of the ‘out of hours’ service.  It was pointed out that GPs could opt out of providing ‘out of hours’ services from October 2004.  Responsibility would then fall to the PCT to provide the service from the end of October 2004 through the Urgent Care Centre at Bishop Auckland Hospital.

The Forum was informed that all eleven practices within Sedgefield Borough wished to opt out of providing the ‘out of hours’ service, however, a recent survey showed that there were a number of GPs willing to cover some parts of the out of hours rota at the Urgent Care Centre.

It was reported that nationally the Health Service was improving and waiting lists had decreased significantly.  The death rate from coronary heart disease was falling and more patients were satisfied with the services they received.  It was, however, pointed out that staff morale was still low, however, initiatives such as ‘Improving Working Lives’ and ‘Investors in People’ were being pursued.

A leaflet was made available at the meeting regarding the Tees Review of health services. The review covered Easington, Hartlepool, Stockton, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and looked at the following four areas:

Primary and Community Care

Hospitals north of the Tees

Hospitals south of the Tees

Emergency Care Services

 It was noted that Sedgefield PCT would be arranging a formal consultation meeting regarding the proposed changes.

With regard to the re-provision of Newton Aycliffe Health Centre, it was noted that Sedgefield PCT was in the process of finalising the design of the building.  The new health centre would house the integrated teams, community dentistry and have a crèche and play area.

Concern was expressed regarding the length of time that it took the ambulance service to respond to a non urgent call.  It was pointed out that the ambulance service was having difficulty in meeting its target in relation to responding to incidents within 8 minutes and Sedgefield PCT had committed additional investment to the Ambulance Service.

Members also expressed concern regarding the shortage of dentists in Newton Aycliffe and the decision made by a number of dental practices to only treat private patients.  It was pointed out that the new health centre at Newton Aycliffe would include a community dentistry department and there would be facilities from which NHS dentists could practice.

A presentation will be given by Councillor M A Dalton  

It was reported that Councillor M.A. Dalton was unable to attend the meeting that evening and arrangements would be made for him to give his presentation to a future meeting.

The Chairman will take questions from the floor.

            The question was raised on what the Council’s policy was with regard to the repair and replacement of vandalised/dilapidated fencing. It was reported that residents should inform their local Borough Councillor of any problems they had relating to fencing, who would report the matter to the appropriate Council department.   It was, however, pointed out that the Council did prioritise its repairs to Council houses and unfortunately the repair and replacement of fencing was, in the majority of cases, given a low priority.

Concern was expressed regarding the accumulation of rubbish between Burnhill Way and the Burn.  It was reported that the local Borough Councillors were aware of the problem and arrangements had been made for a litter pick to be undertaken.  It was also reported that the Council was considering extending the number of Officers empowered to issue Fixed Penalty Notices of £50 for offences of dog fouling and public littering under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 and the Environmental Protection Act 1990 as part of proposals to revise the role of Community Force.

The request was made from a resident in Bury Road for more off-street parking to be provided in the vicinity of his property.  It was reported that the Council had under its Tidy Estates Initiative, spent a considerable amount of money on the provision of off-street car parking, however, Councillors could not recall any request being received in the past for such provision in the Bury Road area. 

Concern was expressed regarding the lack of the standardisation in the provision of speed humps within the town and the damage caused to vehicles if motorists did not approach the speed hump at the appropriate speed (10 m.p.h.)  It was requested that officers from Durham County Council’s Highways Department should be invited to a future meeting of the Forum to discuss the provision of speed humps.

Reference was also made to the problem of tenants not keeping their gardens tidy.  It was reported that in the case of serious breaches, the Council could serve the tenant with a Notice of Proceedings for Possession of the property. 

The request was made for ‘Birds Mouth’ fencing to be provided at Eskdale, and Silverdale Place, to prevent motorists parking and driving on the grass and for flowers/bulbs to be planted from the top of Burnhill Way to Stephenson Way.

Next meeting is scheduled to be held on

Tuesday 11^th May 2004 at 6.30 p.m. at Great Aycliffe Town Council Offices.    

To consider any other business which, with the consent of the Chairman may be submitted. Representatives are respectfully requested to give the Chief Executive Officer notice of items to be raised under this heading no later than 12 noon on the Friday preceding the meeting in order that consultation may take place with the Chairman who will determine whether the item will be accepted.