Agenda and minutes

Tenants', Leaseholders' and Residents' Consultative Forum - Tuesday 28 April 2015 7.00 pm

Venue: Kenmore Park Community Hall, Warneford Road, Harrow, HA3 9HY. View directions

Contact: Maria Farrell, Democratic & Electoral Services Officer  Tel: 020 8424 1367 E-mail:  maria.farrell@harrow.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

43.

Attendance by Reserve Members

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

 

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

 

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  To note the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Members:-

 

Ordinary Member

 

Reserve Member

 

Councillor Glen Hearnden

Councillor Niraj Dattani

Councillor Manjibhai Kara

Councillor Jean Lammiman

 

44.

Declarations of Interest

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary or non pecuniary interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

 

(a)               all Members of the Forum;

(b)               all other Members present.

Minutes:

RESOLVED: To note that there were no declarations of interest made by Members.

45.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 64 KB

That the minutes of the meeting held on 10 February 2015 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting of 10 February 2015 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

46.

Public Questions, Petitions and Deputations

To receive any public questions received in accordance with Executive Procedure Rule 50 (Part 4D of the Constitution).

 

Questions will be asked in the order notice of them was received and there be a time limit of 15 minutes.

 

[The deadline for receipt of public questions is 3.00 pm, Thursday 23 April 2015.  Questions should be sent to publicquestions@harrow.gov.uk  

No person may submit more than one question].

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put, or petitions or deputations received at this meeting.

RESOLVED ITEMS

47.

Local activities at Kenmore Park Estate

Oral report of the Chair of Kenmore Park Tenants’ and Residents’ Association.

Minutes:

The Chair of Kenmore Park Tenants’ and Residents’ Association welcomed attendees to the meeting, and gave a short oral report about activities at Kenmore Park Estate, which included the following:

 

·                     activities for young people and children included a youth club and a children’s club;

 

·                     the Community Hall was available to hire for events;

 

·                     the mural on the outer wall of the building was painted by local young people, and members of the youth club had painted their own silhouettes;

 

·                     a certificate was awarded to the young people who had worked hard to complete the mural.

 

RESOLVED:  That the oral report be noted.

48.

Improving Estates Through Estate Action Days

Oral report of the Interim Head of Resident Services.

Minutes:

An Officer presented an oral report and presentation regarding Estate Action Days, which included the following:

 

·                     Estate Action Days involved Harrow Council staff, contractors, and residents, who would all work together to tackle problems on the estate such as broken lights or untidy gardens;

 

·                     the benefits of Estate Action Days had included a decrease in anti-social behaviour and flytipping, and an increased profile and awareness of the Tenants’ and Residents’ Association and opportunities for resident involvement;

 

·                     the first Estate Action Day had taken place on Honeybun Estate;

 

·                     future Estate Action Days were planned for South Parade, The Heights, Tillotson Road and Overbrook Walk;

 

·                     if residents wanted an Estate Action Day on their estate, residents were asked to complete a form to fill setting out the issues on their estate that they wanted to be tackled.

 

RESOLVED:  That the oral report and presentation be noted.

49.

Domestic Abuse and Where To Go For Help

Oral report of the Police Superintendent, Harrow Metropolitan Police.

Minutes:

The Police Superintendent presented an oral report and presentation regarding domestic abuse, which included the following:

 

·                     definitions of domestic abuse and information about how to recognise it;

 

·                     four out of five incidents of domestic abuse are not reported;

 

·                     one-third of women and one-sixth of men would experience domestic abuse in their lives;

 

·                     children who witnessed domestic abuse were more likely to become victims or perpetrators of domestic abuse as adults;

 

·                     reporting of domestic abuse was increasing, which was positive as it showed raised awareness of the issue;

 

·                     there was no prevalence for domestic abuse among any particular community, this was an issue that affected all communities;

 

·                     Harrow has one of the highest rates in London in terms of prosecuting perpetrators of domestic abuse;

 

·                     there were many agencies in Harrow to support victims of domestic abuse.

 

After taking questions from residents, the Police Superintendent advised that the police do have access to interpreters to assist victims with language needs, but it was not known whether these interpreters were specifically trained in dealing with victims of domestic abuse.  He also advised that there were means on the Metropolitan Police website to report domestic abuse, as well as a contact phone number.  A handout with contact details was distributed to attendees.

 

RESOLVED:  That the oral report and presentation were noted.

50.

Employment Opportunities in Harrow

Oral report of the Head of Economic Development and Research.

Minutes:

An Officer presented an oral report and presentation regarding employment opportunities in Harrow, which included the following:

 

·                     employment and training fairs were regularly hosted at Harrow Civic Centre, and support and information was available from Xcite;

 

·                     one-fifth of working people in Harrow earned wages below the national average,

 

·                     the town centre was a “jobs hub” in Harrow,

 

·                     Harrow had one of the highest rates of entrepreneurs in London;

 

·                     230 people had been assisted with finding work, and 753 businesses had attended workshops;

 

·                     Harrow Council had negotiated for pop-up shops to be hosted in empty retail units in Harrow, to give small businesses a chance to assess the demand for their business;

 

·                     vacancy rates for retail units were falling;

 

·                     one-to-one advice and support was available at the workshops and job fairs, and there were also representatives from Xcite attending this meeting who could provide additional advice.

 

RESOLVED:  That the oral report and presentation be noted.

51.

Homes For Harrow - Latest News About Building New Homes

Oral report of the Head of Regeneration, Asset Planning and New Supply.

Minutes:

An Officer presented an oral report and presentation about building new homes in Harrow, which included the following:

 

·                     no new council homes had been built in Harrow for around 30 years;

 

·                     planning permission had been granted in March 2015 for the first new council homes, and builders were now being appointed to start building the new homes in Summer 2015;

 

·                     4 new houses would be built to begin with, and there were plans for another 74 houses and flats in the pipeline;

 

·                     the designs of the first 4 new houses were modern, and the size of the 4-bedroom homes would be 122 m2;

 

·                     plans for the regeneration of the Grange Farm Estate were progressing, and there would be an event for estate residents to attend as part of the architect selection process;

 

·                     there were around 250 homes on the Grange Farm Estate at the moment, and the new development might have around 500 homes in total;

 

·                     some homes would be built for sale to cover the cost of redeveloping the estate;

 

·                     grants were available for residents who wished to move to a private rental property, purchase a property, or move out of the London Borough of Harrow under the Grants to Move scheme.

 

RESOLVED:  That the oral report and presentation be noted.

52.

Harrow Estates in Bloom 2015 Competition

Oral report of the Head of Business Development and Transformation.

Minutes:

An Officer presented an oral report and presentation regarding the Estates in Bloom 2015 competition, which included the following:

 

·                     there had been some changes to the competition for 2015, including the introduction of an “Edible” category for fruits, vegetables and herbs;

 

·                     free plants were available, and for the first time free seeds would be provided for young gardeners;

 

·                     entry to the competition was not mandatory to everyone who requested the plants and/or seeds;

 

·                     the closing date for entries was 30 April 2015;

 

·                     there would be an awards ceremony with the Mayor of Harrow in August 2015;

 

·                     information about the competition could be found on Harrow Council’s website, or directly obtained from the Resident Involvement Team.

 

RESOLVED:  That the oral report and presentation be noted.

53.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting will be 8 July 2015.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  To note the date of the next meeting, which would be held on 8 July 2015.