Minutes of February 2008
MINUTES ... February 2008CLOUGH HALL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 19thFebruary2008
AT HOLLINWOOD SHELTERED HOUSING at 7.30pm
PRESENT :-
COMMITTEE: - G Sutton, J Gallacher, C Brammer, C Brough, T Dale, C Gallacher.
GUEST SPEAKERS: - PCSO C Stepney, Cath Wohlers, Damien Flynn.
GUESTS :- Clr J Evans, Clr S Burgess, Clr D Richards, Clr L Griffiths, Clr P Crank. Mr R Burns, Mrs T Evans.
RESIDENTS: - 31
TOTAL ATTENDANCE: - 47
APOLOGIES: - B Collis, M Moore, Paul Fisher, Mrs C Kelly, M G Leese, S & J Rogers, C Poole, B Crutchly, P & M Phillips.
The Chairman opened the meeting, thanking everyone for attending and the speakers, Cath Wholers and Damien Flynn, for giving up their time. He said that there had been a presentation locally that day by ProLogis about the development at Chatterley, and that the same presentation would be offered to residents if they so wished. He then invited PCSO Colin Stepney to speak.
PCSO Stepney gave several updates:
– A person has been apprehended and arrested in connection with recent burglaries in the area, following undercover work.
– The police newsletter which keeps residents informed of happenings in the area will be issued quarterly.
– The community notice board at the Butt Lane Community Centre will display regular updates both from the police and other services.
– The recent Street Meeting generated an excellent response, with concerns ranging from litter to burglary; some of these concerns will be passed on to Aspire or to the Borough Council.
– Antisocial behaviour has been targeted in the Clough Hall area over the last 2 weekends, and this will continue throughout February. The Borough Council are to be involved in issues concerning the wooded area at the back of Clough Hall Park.
Graham thanked PCSO Stepney, invited residents to sign a card for Phil Hopkins
(Neighbourhood Watch Scheme), and informed them that the Friends of Bathpool Park would be holding a meeting about the developments at Bathpool Park on 21 Feb at 6pm at the Ski Club. He then invited Cath Wholers (Trading Standards) to speak.
Cath spoke about:
– The new age limit (18 years) for the purchase of tobacco, tobacco products, fireworks, alcohol, and butane gas. Petrol and spray paint can still be purchased by 16 year olds. Trading Standards are working with shops which sell cigarettes, and operated a test purchasing scheme last week to see if any were flouting the rules by selling to under 18s – no shops did this in the Kidsgrove area. Residents were asked to inform Trading Standards if they suspected any under-age sales.
– Home Information Packs which are now compulsory for all homes for sale; Trading Standards ensure that estate agents have the pack available to supply to potential buyers.
– A new credit agreement which stipulates that there should be a one-page summary detailing pre-contract information.
– Consumer Direct – a new government initiative which has call centres across the UK. Anyone calling Trading Standards is now put through to Consumer Direct, which deals with the simple queries (80% of all calls); more complicated enquiries are forwarded to Trading Standards.
– New leaflets which are now available – the first about clothing collect companies, the second giving ideas on how to save for Christmas.
– The Scam Awareness Initiative which has been taking place through February – the public have been asked to take any scams received by post to collecting bins in local libraries. She advised that anyone unsure of whether an offer was genuine or not should ring Consumer Direct for advice, and added that scams ‘bend’ the law but don’t break it.
– Electric blanket testing which takes place each year in conjunction with the Fire Service – last year of the 952 blankets tested in Staffs 41% failed; the testing will be advertised again this year and residents were advised that they should have their blankets tested every year.
– Doorstep crime (salesmen and bogus officials) which is still a big issue – she emphasised that no-one should buy on the doorstep, that door chains should be used, and that a Trader Register is available from Trading Standards.
Pens, key rings and leaflets were left for residents to take.
Graham thanked Cath and asked
(i) Could Trading Standards send Watchdog Alerts directly to the new CHRA website which should be set up later this year? Answer: Yes.
(ii) Is there a Trader Register for garages? Answer: A register to cover Central England is currently being looked into, and one will be put in place.
He then announced that –
• The Clough Hall School has recently had an OFSTED inspection and he was invited, along with other agencies, to give his views on the school’s involvement with the community; the school received an excellent report.
• He has been invited to take part in Adult Care Panels (headed by Social Services) as a ‘linker’, and he will do this if possible.
Graham then introduced Damien Flynn from Beat the Cold.
Damien explained that Beat the Cold is a charity, a small independent organisation which aims to give people the best information on which to base their own decisions. It was set up to combat fuel poverty and cold-related illness; those who are defined as suffering fuel poverty are people who spend more than 10% of their income on fuel – usually those with young families, those who are disabled, and pensioners. Fuel poverty is now an even bigger problem since fuel prices have rocketed, and it is important to ensure that homes are energy efficient. In 2005/2006 there were 27,500 excess winter deaths (ie above the summer totals) due to cold-related illness, especially cardio-vascular disease; respiratory problems and arthritis problems are also worse in winter. Suffering from cold can also lead to depression and to falling, both of which are big health issues. Loft insulation should now be 10” deep and can be done for £149 at the moment, and cavity wall insulation which can save 1/3 on energy bills also costs £149, but there will be more to pay if extra work needs to be done. This money should be recouped within 12 – 18 months by savings on energy bills. Anyone who is over 70 years and has less than 4” of loft insulation can have new insulation installed free of charge. Staffs ‘Warm Zone’ which covers Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle is currently offering free loft insulation and cavity wall insulation to anyone over the age of 60 living in a private property – this offer may last for 6 months; a survey would be done first but no means testing would be involved. Anyone interested was asked to leave their details with Damien. He went on to suggest other ways of saving energy – fitting a thick jacket on a hot water cylinder, changing to a condensing boiler (the over 60s are entitled to a £300 rebate when replacing a boiler using registered contractors), using low energy light bulbs, choosing energy-efficient appliances. Damien finished by saying that Beat the Cold also have a small budget for emergencies which enables them to lend heaters and to get jobs done quickly when necessary, and he put out leaflets for residents to take.
Graham thanked Damien and announced that the next meeting would be held on April 1st, when John Taylor (Leader of Staffs County Council) and Andy Burns (Director of Finance) would be talking about the Budgeting Process. He also expressed his thanks to John Taylor for his help with the surgeries relating to the Westmorland Unit.
CHRA meetings after that will be held on –
Tuesday May 13th – when Philip Knight of Staffs Wildlife Trust will be talking about Gardening for Wildlife
and
Thursday May 22nd – this will be a joint meeting with the 50+ Forum on the subject of ‘Council tax – is it fair?’ and it will be held at the Clough Hall School at 6:30pm.
The meeting was then closed.
Signed G Sutton (Chairman) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FEB 2008