To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 25^th July 2006

The Minutes of the meeting held on 25^th July, 2006 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

In respect of Minute No : AF(5)4/05 Local Improvement Progamme it was noted that since the meeting a letter had been received from Greenfield School and Community College in respect of their request for Local Improvement Programme funding for changing accommodation and admin. area indicating that the situation had changed and unfortunately the application had had to be withdrawn due unforeseen circumstances.

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

The following details of crime statistics for the area were given :-

Members of the Forum expressed concern that there had been no replacement community police officer for the Simpasture/ Neville Parade area.  It was explained that the area was being covered by other officers.

Discussion was held regarding incidents of anti-social behaviour in the Williamfield Area which was particularly being carried out by a small group of youths.  It was explained that the incidents were significant and witness statements were needed.  The co-operation of local residents was needed to combat the issue.

Reference was made to Neighbourhood Wardens and concern was expressed that there were only two to cover the whole of the area including Middridge.  In response Members of the Forum were informed that there was a response team based in the geographical area to respond to issues.  The resources were limited but there was a Street Safe Response Team.  There were also other Wardens available within Street Safety who could be moved to areas where there were particular issues.

A representative from the Primary Care Trust will be present at the meeting to report on progress.  A presentation will also be given on the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report.

Nigel Porter attended the meeting to give an update on local health matters.

It was reported that the County Durham PCT would come into existence on 1^st October, 2006.  The new Chief Executive appointment would take place the following week.  Meanwhile there was a need to ensure that transition was smooth and without disruption.  The final Board Meeting of Sedgefield PCT would be held on Thursday of that week.  Meanwhile it was “business as usual”.

The Chairman of the Forum, on behalf of the Forum, expressed her thanks to Nigel Porter and the officers of Sedgefield PCT for their work and offered her best wishes.

Tony Walsh, from the Health Improvement Team, attended the meeting to present the Annual Report.

The report had been prepared as a stimulus to action and service development that would improve health and wellbeing for the people of Sedgefield.  It provided an overview of the people of the population, tracking changes since last years report, identified inequalities which must be addressed, the gap in the health experience was not allowed to widen and made recommendations for Sedgefield, in the context of the combined County Durham and Darlington Public Health Annual Report.

The presentation covered those areas where “Good”, “Steady” and “Little” progress had been made in the past year, the priorities of the Local Strategic Partnership and Practice Based Commissioning Groups, Practice Business Plans and recommendations.

To receive a presentation from Sedgefield Borough’s Waste Management Officer.

Ruth Clayton, Waste Management Officer, attended the meeting to give a presentation on the above. 

It was explained that the Council was in the processing of developing a new Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan to take the Authority forward to 2012. 

Sedgefield Borough, as the designated ‘Waste Collection Authority’, had a duty to provide a service for the collection of municipal waste, which included household waste and litter.  Durham County Council was the designated ‘Waste Disposal Authority’ responsible for the disposal of all municipal waste collected within the County.

Household waste included material collected from domestic wheeled bins, plus items such as white goods, bulky waste for example furniture and carpets and garden waste.  Municipal waste comprised household waste, plus commercial trade waste.

It was noted that on average, household waste within Sedgefield Borough was increasing by approximately 3% a year, and the Council was determined to take positive steps to tackle the problem.

The Forum was given details of what type of waste was found in bins.  It was noted that 35% of the contents comprised of green or food waste.

 Waste Minimisation Initiatives such as home composting, re-usable nappies, reducing the amount of junk mail, smart shopping and bin size reduction were being examined.

Specific reference was made to a stakeholder consultation, which had been undertaken to gain an understanding of residents’ views on:

Ø               Support towards a number of waste reduction methods including alternate weekly collections

Ø               Current level of satisfaction with the current waste collection service

Ø               Future services residents would like to see provided.

It was reported that a questionnaire had been developed and had been delivered to houses throughout Sedgefield Borough.  Copies of which were circulated at the meeting.

Members were reminded of the Council’s existing waste management service which included domestic wheelie bins/trade waste, special collections, bring sites, white good collection and the Kerb It Scheme.  The Council offered a free special collection service for white goods to all residents across the Borough.

It was reported that the current kerbside recycling scheme - ‘Kerb It’ was scheduled to expire in March 2008 and decisions needed to be made in the near future about the provision of an alternative/replacement service. It was reported that there were health and safety concerns over the manual lifting and handling of the containers both by the operatives and by the householders. 

It was noted that the collection of green waste was very popular with residents, however, Durham County Council did not pay recycling credits for its collection. 

Reference was made to the challenges facing the Council and the existing and future recycling and composting targets.  The target for 2007 was 20% and it was anticipated that it would increase to 30% to 35% in the next couple of years. 

It was reported that any system chosen needed to be convenient to use and accessible to residents financially sustainable and operationally sustainable it also must fit in with the residual waste collection service and the disposal and treatment services available.  It was pointed out that the questionnaire sought the public’s views on which materials they would like collected for recycling. The list included plastics.

Reference was made to the contribution to the Council’s 20% recycling rate by the various collection services.  It was noted that 58% came from the Kerb It Collection Scheme, 9% from Green Waste/Composting and Wood Waste, 5% from White Goods, 4% from Bring sites, 20% from material recovered by the Thornley Digester and 4% from third party and other.

Discussion was held regarding enforcement and it was explained that a lot was being done nationally to make it easier for Councils to carry out enforcement but this was not high on the agenda.

A query was also raised regarding the new digester system and how far the County Council had progressed with the proposals.  It was explained that the County Waste Disposal Strategy had been put on hold.  There were still issues to be resolved and the document was still developing.  Therefore the system that the Borough Council put in place had to be flexible enough to take account of the County’s disposal strategy.

A representative from DISC will be at the meeting to inform Members of the above service.

Frazer Hill from the DISC Drug Service attended the meeting to give a presentation.  He explained that DISC employed approximately 300 and had drugs projects in various areas throughout the region.  There were three managers for the areas.

DISC Drug Service was a specialist agency providing structured interventions for people with substance misuse problems.  It operated in a multi-agency way with the NHS, Social Services, and the North East Council for Addiction.

Clients were given the opportunity to move away from drug problem use and into a healthy lifestyle through one to one key working, group working and workshops.

Specific reference was made to a client’s journey and stages involved which were : referral to the service, assessment of need, formation of careplan, programme review and monitor improved social functioning and proved life and basic skills, increased personal independence, increased personal responsibility, exit strategy.

It was noted that last year there had been 240 referrals for alcohol abuse in the area.  Since April, 2006 there had been 41 referrals for drug abuse and 66 for alcohol abuse.

Clients were given a ten question questionnaire to assess themselves.  Exercises were also used from the Probation Service to look at the effect of taking drugs, how behaviour could be changed and what triggers drug use.  At various stages of the programme further self-assessments were undertaken to allow clients the opportunity to see how they were progressing under the programme. .

A query was raised regarding how DISC was funded and it was explained that the project was SRB funded and there was a part time post also funded by the PCT and the Drugs Action Team.

Next meeting is scheduled to be held on 28^th November 2006

Next meeting to be held on 28^th November, 2006