Minutes of March 2007
MINUTES ... March 2007CLOUGH HALL RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 27th March 2007 AT BUTT LANE COMMUNITY CENTRE AT 7.30pm.
PRESENT:
COMMITTEE: - G. Sutton, C. Brough, C. Gallacher, B. Collis, T. Dale, M. Moores.
GUEST SPEAKERS :- Mr Mike Reynolds – 50’s Plus Forum. Cath Wholers Trading Standards.
COUNCILLORS :- J MacMillan, S Burgess, J Evans,
INVITED GUESTS:- Mr Rex Burns. Mr Peter Shenton – 50’s Plus Forum.
RESIDENTS: 30
APOLOGIES:- Mr J Gallacher, Mrs K Viles, PC D.Woodward, PCSO C. Stepney. Tina Evans. Mr P Hamson, Mr L Barker,
TOTAL ATTENDANCE - 43
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD 20th February 2007 were circulated and accepted as
a true record. Proposed as a true record –L Sutton : Seconded –M Moores.
WELCOME/INTRODUCTION and THANKS
Chairman opened the Meeting and thanked Members and Guests for their attendance.
Chairman thanked Speakers for joining us in their own time which is always very much appreciated
Chairman also referred to the following:-
• MINUTES – Only a few copies produced for tonight’s Meeting. At our last Meeting £18 was spent on photocopying Minutes, 2/3rds of which were not used. Therefore, in the future, only a few copies of Minutes and Agenda’s will be produced in paper form. Minutes are published on our two Web Sites.
• AGENDA
Chairman welcomed our two Speakers. Chairman advised that he had met Mike Reynolds some months ago at a Neighborhood Forum and was impressed with the work they are doing. Have kept contact and are very pleased that Mike joins us tonight to advise us of what the aims are for The 50’s+ Forum.
Chairman also welcomed Cath Wholers Trading Standards – Cath provided a talk for us last year and is always welcome to speak at our Meetings.
• CHRA COMMITTEE
Chairman thanked Committee for their work and support. Our next two Committee Meetings involve a Meeting with Parks and Open Spaces to discuss a number of issue’s and a further Meeting next week with representative from Neighbourhood Initiatives Foundation to discuss Urban Grants.
• GRANTS
Grant of £150 recently awarded to us by The Robbie Williams Give It Sum Organisation. We are grateful for this, all grants are welcome and are a tremendous help.
• LIST OF ISSUES FROM OUR 20th FEBRUARY MEETING
List is now complete, we have started to work on this, will have some feed back on some of the items at our Meeting on the 8th May 2007.
• POLICEAlthough not represented here tonight, Chairman thanked the Police for re-acting very promptly to incidents in the Park on Friday Evening the 23/03/2007.
• SMARTWATER
Any Residents interested in purchasing the Smartwater Property Coding System, please complete your details on the provided Spread Sheet to allow us to pursue.
Guest Speaker – Mr. Mike Reynolds – Chairman – 50 + Forum.
Chairman introduced Mike who provided an excellent and very interesting talk.
This forum seeks to establish, and maintain, dialogue with local government and statutory and non – statutory providers. To seek solutions to problems as they arise by way of discussion; recognizing that funding is finite but may not always be prudently allocated.
The objectives of the Forum are :-
To respond to and influence changes in policies and services affecting people over 50.
To represent the views of people over 50 on policies and services and other issues affecting their lives, ensuring their voice is heard.
To encourage older people’s groups and organizations to work together to provide the most effective services to people in the area.
To receive and share information on services, activities and opportunities for people over 50 living in the Newcastle Borough.
This Forum deals with Issues which affect all of us and cover such topics as: - Transport, Closure of Post Offices, Health, Policing, Council Tax, Care for the Elderly … to name but a few.
Mike pointed out the work they are carrying out in relationship to the recent announcements in respect of closure of Care Homes. Presumably consultants were used by the Council in this exercise, a rapport with Forums like the 50+ should have made the County aware of the strength of feeling in respect of this decision.
There is a great difference between a Residents Association which quite rightly will focus on local issues and this Forum which takes on Issues in a very different way, the 50+Forum do not take on individual issues.
Graham thanked Mike for his talk and commented that now we have established a link with this Forum, if any members have issues outside the local ones, please bring up at our Meetings and this established link will facilitate answers /comment.
Guest Speaker – Cath Wholer – Trading Standards.
Chairman introduced Cath who provided a very interesting, informative and entertaining talk. Cath covered a number of items :-
Trader Register –Home Improvement Traders in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Over 600 Traders have signed up to the Register and they are committed to fair and honest work and good Customer Service. Since the introduction of the scheme only 3 complaints have been made in 10 months ( 2 unjustified and 1 settled amicably).
The Trader Register is a register of local home improvement traders which has been created with Age Concern and other local agencies are committed to doing a good job at a fair price.
Traders participating in the scheme are not approved by Trading Standards or any other agency. However in the event of any issue or dispute arising, traders have all pledged to work with Trading Standards and partners to agree a solution.
Claims Management Companies ( No Win No Fee ). Cath gave a few examples where
people had basically been left “ very dissatisfied”. Yes, the case won, but when Costs were taken into account, the person making the claim was left with nothing, or, in debt. Central Government have Ok’d Trading Standards to regulate such companies.
Silent Phone Call Guard. Silent calls are caused by companies using random dialing machines to call more than one person at once. The person who answers the call first is connected to a telesales operative while all the other calls become silent. Staffordshire residents can stop these unwanted calls by contacting the Silent Call Guard on- : 0870 4443969. Registration is free, lasts for one year and takes no more than 28 days to become effective.
Telephone Preference Service. Which helps prevent unwanted telesales calls, is also free of charge. To register with Telephone Preference Service please call them on
0845 0700707.
Chairman thanked Cath for her comprensive talk covering many items of interest.
Chairman thanked both Speakers and Closed the Meeting.
Next Meeting :- Tuesday 8th May 2007 – 7.15pm for 7.30pm start.
Guest Speakers
- Jane Finnemore – Waste Management/Re-Cycling
- Peter Kent Baguley – Fairtrade
March 2007