Appendix 9(a)
BLACKPOOL COUNCIL
REPORT
of the
HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
to
CHERRY TREE AREA PANEL
CHERRY TREE AREA FORUM MEETING
HELD ON TUESDAY 1ST MAY 2012
1.
Introduction
Ms Sarah Elliott, Head of Neighbourhood Services South welcomed members of the
community to the meeting. She introduced the Councillors for the Area Forum,
Councillor Coleman (Marton ward), Councillor Hutton (Clifton ward), Councillors Hardy
and Mrs Haynes (Hawes Side ward) and Police Sergeant Mark Stringfellow. She
explained that her role was to manage the service area delivery team, working in
partnership with the Police, Fire Service and NHS Blackpool and she had recently taken
over responsibility of the Marton ward. She added that a community representative, who
would be elected later in the meeting, would chair future Forum meetings.
Ms Elliott advised the Forum that following a review of the Area Panels/ Forums last
year, applications for six community representatives had been sought. Applications had
been received and the deadline for nominations was Friday 30th March. One of the six
Community Representative positions had been appointed through the Blackpool Young
People’s Council and the Young People’s Community Representative for the Forum was
Lauren Bates, who unfortunately was unable to attend the meeting.
She explained that three nominations had been received from residents and
organisations living and/ or working in one of the three wards for the remaining five
vacancies. The nominees were:
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Ann Allen
Jack Borrino
John Garnham
Ms Elliott sought affirmation of the Area Forum that the three nominees be elected as
Community Representatives. The Forum was advised that as all three nominees had
indicated a wish to become the Chairman of the Area Panel/ Forum, an election was
necessary and upon arrival residents, on the Electoral Register, had been provided with
a purple ballot paper and some additional information provided by the candidates.
Each nominee addressed the Forum and Ms Elliott asked residents to place an ‘X’
against the candidate they would like to vote for to become the Chairman. She
explained that the ballot papers would be counted during the presentation and anyone
was welcome to observe the process. The results of the Election would be announced
after the presentation.
Appendix 9(a)
The Forum was reminded that there were two remaining vacancies for Community
Representatives and further nominations were being sought. The deadline would be
4pm on Friday 15th June 2012 and if necessary, an election would be held at the Forum
meeting on Wednesday 18th July. Ms Elliott confirmed that applications forms were
available at the meeting.
Area Forum Funding
Ms Elliott reported that with effect from the 1st April 2012 the Area Forum funding had
been reinstated following contributions from Blackpool Council, NHS Blackpool and
Blackpool Coastal Housing. There was a total of £22,500 for the Cherry Tree Area
Forum to spend on community related projects. Following a number of questions, it was
confirmed that the funding would not be ring fenced for clean and green projects, as it
had previously had been. In order to develop the “community” ethos the funding would
be for the Forum as a whole and not proportioned between the three wards and unless
the funding was time sensitive, the Forum would be the primary decision maker.
The Forum was advised that a fully completed application, which was available at the
meeting, needed to be returned by no later than 5pm on Friday 13th July for
consideration by the Forum at its meeting on Wednesday 18th July 2012. Ms Elliott
explained that applicants would be given the opportunity to address the Forum on their
application before a vote was taken.
2.
Context
The Area Panel at its meeting held on 28th March agreed that representatives from NHS
Blackpool and Neighbourhood Services, Blackpool Council would be invited to give a
joint presentation, using the interactive voting pads, to identify the community’s priorities,
which would then be fed into both the Health commissioning priorities and assist with the
prioritisation of resources.
The Panel had agreed, in view of recent boundary changes and the inclusion of Marton
residents, to identify a centralised location within the three wards. It was suggested,
subject to availability, that the preferred venue would be St Wilfrid’s Church, Langdale
Road or Clifton Christian Centre (Elim Pentecostal Church), Langdale Road.
3.
Theme
Mr Ian Treasure, Deputy Director of Quality and Engagement, NHS Blackpool explained
that following the changes to NHS Blackpool the Clinical Commissioning Group had
been established and was keen to involve the community in the development of the
Commissioning Strategic Plan.
Mr Treasure explained the purpose of the presentation was to establish the Forums
perception of health priorities, which would then assist in the formulation of a strategy
and priorities of the Health and Well Being Board and subsequently the Clinical
Commissioning Group.
Residents of the Cherry Tree Area Forum were given the opportunity to comment, using
voting key pads, on what they perceived to be the health priorities for their community.
Mr Treasure facilitated this process.
1. Preventing People from Dying Prematurely - What do you think of the priority to
reduce alcohol dependency? 52% strongly agreed, 24% agreed.
2. Preventing People from Dying Prematurely - What do you think of the priority to
reduce CVD mortality? 87% strongly agreed.
Appendix 9(a)
3. Preventing People from Dying Prematurely - What do you think of the priority to
reduce cancer mortality? 71% strongly agreed.
4. Reducing Health Inequalities - What do you think of the priority to increase
smoking quitters? 27% strongly agreed, 27% agreed and 27% neither agreed nor
disagreed.
5. Reducing Health Inequalities - What do you think of the priority to reduce the harm
caused by substance misuse? 45% strongly agreed, 23% neither agreed nor
disagreed.
6. Reducing Health Inequalities - What do you think of the priority to reduce the harm
caused by alcohol consumption? 40% strongly agreed, 25% agreed.
7. Reducing Health Inequalities - What do you think of the priority to tackle sexual
health? 43% strongly agreed, 29% neither agreed nor disagreed.
8. Reducing Health Inequalities - What do you think of the priority to reduce obesity?
32% strongly agreed, 23% agreed, 23% neither agreed nor disagreed.
9. Commission for better outcomes - What do you think of long-term condition
treatment as a priority? 64% strongly agreed, 23% agreed.
10. Commission for better outcomes - What do you think of mental health as a priority?
63% strongly agreed, 17% agreed, 17% neither agreed nor disagreed.
11. Commission for better outcomes - What do you think of reducing demand for
unplanned care as a priority? 36% strongly agreed, 32% neither agreed nor
disagreed.
During the interactive session, a number of comments were made regarding the
questions posed. It was suggested that alcohol dependency should be a recognised
illness and the priority to reduce the harm caused by alcohol consumption, should be
rephrased to read “excessive” alcohol consumption.
It was suggested that long-term conditions, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease (COPD) was not only caused by smoking, but also could be hereditary. Mr
Treasure reported that scientific health evidence had confirmed that 90% of all cases
resulted from smoking. A Forum member asked what percentage of long term
conditions were hereditary. Mr Treasure agreed to investigate and feedback to the
member.
A resident referred to the mental health priority and explained that in their opinion this
needed urgent attention as Blackpool was ranked fifth highest in the country for suicide.
Mr Treasure added that the development of the mental health inpatient unit at Whyndyke
Farm was due to start in the near future.
In response to the priority to reduce demand for unplanned care, it was suggested that
the lack of available doctors’ appointments affected the number of people attending
hospital in the first instance and that provision should be made urgent appointments. A
Forum member suggested that telephone consultations would be available at all
surgeries. Mr Treasure confirmed that residents should be able to see a doctor within 48
hours, if not he recommended residents to use the surgery’s complaints procedure as
this was regularly monitored by the Clinical Commissioning Group
Appendix 9(a)
The Forum was provided with comparative statistics for the national average and
Blackpool and Mr Treasure highlighted that that Blackpool experienced high levels of
deprivation, the worst levels of smoking in pregnancy, drug misuse and smoking related
deaths in the country. He explained that whilst life expectancy was increasing in
Blackpool it was not increasing nearly as fast as it was for the country on average and
the gap was getting wider. It was reported that the average life expectancy of a female
living in Blackpool was 79 years compared to 82 years nationally and 74 years for males
compared to 78 years nationally. The life expectancy of a child born in the Bloomfield
ward was 10 years lower than the national average.
Mr Treasure explained that the causes of the increasing gap were:
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Digestive diseases (including liver cirrhosis)
Heart diseases and strokes
Respiratory diseases
Cancers
Overdose and poisoning (alcohol and substance misuse)
Self harm (including suicide)
Infant mortality
He advised the Forum that the Clinical Commissioning Group had identified the following
priorities:
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Preventing People from Dying Prematurely
o Reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality
o Improve cancer mortality
o Reduce Alcohol Dependence
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Reduce Health Inequalities;
o Increase smoking quitters
o Reduce Harm Caused by Alcohol Consumption
o Substance Misuse
o Sexual Health
o Reduce Obesity
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Commission for Better Outcomes;
o Quality of Life for patients with Long Term Conditions
o Mental Health
o Reduce Demand for Unplanned Care
o QIPP (quality, innovation, productivity and prevention).
Mr Treasure explained that NHS Blackpool was able to improve on all the priorities with
the existing resources and the NHS QIPP (quality, innovation, productivity and
prevention) challenge would ensure that the health pound would be spent more
efficiently. He offered to provide copies of the Commissioning Strategy Plan to
interested parties, which would explain how the Clinical Commissioning Group would
address the identified priorities.
A resident queried the definition of “premature”. Mr Treasure had previously explained
the national average life expectancy figures so anything below those could be
considered premature.
It was suggested that the transient population and the high level of retired residents
relocating to the area could affect the statistics provided. Mr Treasure acknowledged
this fact and confirmed the migration issue was being considered.
Appendix 9(a)
It was suggested that doctors’ surgeries could be more proactive, reporting that some
practices offered health checks from the age of 40 to identify potential health issues
earlier therefore saving money in the long term. Mr Treasure confirmed that practices
also offered health checks from 75 years of age.
Ms Elliott thanked Mr Treasure for his presentation.
Ms Elliott, Head of Neighbourhood Services South displayed the following list of
neighbourhood priorities.
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Anti-Social Behaviour
Dog Fouling
Littering
Fly Tipping and Refuse in Back Alleys
Condition of Roads and Footways
Maintenance of Parks and Grassed Areas
Using the voting key pads, residents were asked what they perceived to be the priorities
in their community. Ms Elliott explained that the results would inform the work of the
Neighbourhood Team and the Area Panel.
1. Do you think reducing Anti-Social Behaviour is a priority for your area? 61%
strongly agreed, 30% agreed.
2. Do you think reducing Dog Fouling is a priority for your area? 77% strongly agreed
and 23% agreed.
3. Is reducing Littering a priority in your area? 64% strongly agreed, 32% agreed.
4. Is reducing Fly Tipping and Refuse in Back Alleys a priority in your area? 64%
strongly agreed, 18% agreed.
5. Is addressing the Condition of Roads and Footways a priority for your area? 82%
strongly agreed, 14% agreed.
6. Is the Maintenance of Parks and Grassed Areas a priority for your area? 48%
strongly agreed, 35% agreed.
Several Forum members referred to the issue of weed growth and whilst it was identified
as a priority, it was acknowledged that the Council was often governed by EU Directive
and weather conditions, which restricted the types of pesticides used and the timing of
the work. A number of residents also commented that weeds were growing on footpaths
recently tarmaced under Project 30 and questioned the standard of workmanship. It was
acknowledged that weeds could grow anywhere, but Ms Elliott offered to investigate the
matter. Another resident reported that she had no complaints with the contractors when
their road was recently tarmaced.
5.
Question Time
A resident asked who had taken the decision to charge private motorists to tip rubble at
the household waste recycling centres, as this would encourage fly tipping. Councillor
Hutton expressed his concerns surrounding this decision and reported he would be
investigating the matter further to establish the background, to this decision.
Appendix 9(a)
A Forum member suggested that Officers responsible for issues should be invited to
attend Panel meetings to provide a response, which would then be feedback at the next
Forum meeting.
A resident raised concerns regarding the poor quality of work at the BMX facility at
Stanley Park and it was suggested that a possible scrutiny of the workmanship of
contractors working in behalf of the Council should be undertaken. Ms Elliott agreed to
investigate the matter and offered to forward the suggestion of a scrutiny to the relevant
Council Committee. Mr Morris-Iliffe, LEP Construction Manager, Blackpool Council who
was at the meeting for another matter, commented that in the contract for the work at the
BMX facility there would be a defects liability clause, which was a possible course of
action for the Council.
A resident reported that the parking around B and M Bargains, Vicarage Lane continued
to cause traffic issues and the potential for an accident. Councillor Mrs Haynes reported
that she had recently attend a site meeting with Ms Elliott and Mrs Galloway, Principal
Engineer, Blackpool Council and it had been agreed that double yellow lines would be
installed, although the timescales were unknown. The resident added that a traffic island
had also been requested to assist patrons of ASDA to cross the road. Ms Elliott agreed
to investigate the request for the traffic island and seek confirmation of the timescales for
the double yellow lines.
A number of concerns were raised regarding the damage of facilities/ infrastructure at
Stanley Park and the misleading information being provided by the Park Management. It
was suggested that the matter would be discussed by the Panel at its next meeting to
identify what the community needed and whether responsible parties should be invited to
the next Area Forum meeting.
A neighbouring resident of Mereside School raised concerns regarding the disruption
caused by the construction work at the school and the intrusion into her property. It was
suggested that as no other residents had attended the meeting, the resident should
discuss it privately with her ward Councillor. Mr Morris-Iliffe, LEP Construction Manager,
Blackpool Council who had been invited to attend the meeting, along with colleagues
from Eric Wright the Construction Company, acknowledged that some inconvenience
had been caused to residents, but explained that the school was in dire need of
refurbishment and had previously spoken with the resident regarding her concerns. He
offered to meet with residents on a group or individual basis to discuss the matter.
A Forum member encouraged residents to work with Councillors and Council officers to
resolve issue in the community together. He explained that he had previously reported
out of date road signs and lighting on road signs that were permanently illuminated and
by working with Ms Elliott and Mr Ashton, PFI Contract Manager, Blackpool Council the
matter had been resolved. He urged residents to report lights that were permanently
illuminated to E On, using the telephone number and reference number provided on the
lighting column as the Council could fine the company if it failed to comply. Councillor
Hutton added that tours of E On sites, which he considered interesting, could be
arranged and offered to take the details of interested residents after the meeting.
A Forum member reported that the directional traffic signal on Preston Old Road at its
junction with Preston New Road providing insufficient time for vehicles crossing the
carriageway. Ms Elliott agreed to investigate the matter.
Councillor Mrs Haynes informed the Forum that BEAT Limited was inviting suggestions
for environmental projects from individuals/ groups to improve the green space in the
community and would facilitate the development of the projects. She invited residents to
attend the meeting in June and encouraged residents to make a difference. Ms Elliott
offered to collect the details of those residents interested in attending after the meeting
Appendix 9(a)
and confirm date and timing of the meeting.
5.
Election of Community Representatives
Ms Elliott announced the results for position of Chairman and Vice Chairman
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6.
Ann Allen
John Garnham
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Conclusion
The purpose of the meeting was to provide residents with an opportunity to set their
community priorities.
The meeting ended at 8.35pm.