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MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE FINANCE & RESOURCES COMMITTEE HELD ON 21ST MAY 2008
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE FINANCE & RESOURCES COMMITTEE HELD ON WEDNESDAY 21ST MAY 2008 AT 7.00 P.M. AT THE TOWN HALL, GREAT WESTERN HOUSE, 9 DEVON SQUARE, NEWTON ABBOT
PRESENT Councillor Mrs D Watts (Chairman) Presiding
Councillors H.L.J. Cole
D Corney-Walker
Mrs A Fry
Miss J. Fry
M. Hocking
D. Howe
K.C. Lewis
C Parker
K Purchase
A D Vizor
In attendance: Inspector Mark Backhouse, Devon & Cornwall Constabulary
11. CHAIRMAN OF FINANCE & RESOURCES COMMITTEE
Nominations were received for the election of the Chairman of the Finance & Resources Committee for the year 2008/2009.
Accordingly it was
RESOLVED that Councillor Mrs Daphne Watts be elected Chairman of the Finance & Resources Committee for the year 2008/2009.
12. APOLOGIES
An apology for absence was submitted on behalf of Councillor Mrs S Maddicott.
13. VICE-CHAIRMAN OF FINANCE & RESOURCES COMMITTEE
Nominations were received for the appointment of the Vice-Chairman of the Finance & Resources Committee for the year 2008/2009.
Accordingly it was
RESOLVED that Councillor Ken Lewis be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Finance & Resources Committee for the year 2008/2009.
14. MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting of the Finance & General Purposes Committee held on 26th March 2008 were received and signed as a correct record.
15. INTERESTS
None declared.
16. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
None.
17. POLICE MATTERS
The Chairman welcomed Inspector Mark Backhouse to the meeting.
Inspector Backhouse reported on the following:
Crime Statistics within Newton Abbot for the period March 2007 – April 2008
Violent crime (homicide, GBH, ABH, common assault and harassment)
Number of incidents in Newton Abbot at
March 2007 - 683
April 2008 - 653
This equated to a reduction of 4.4%
48% of these crimes were detected.
Vehicle crimes
March 2007 – 293
April 2008 - 237
This equated to a reduction of 19.1%
27% of these crimes were detected.
Burglaries (both domestic and commercial)
March 2007 – 312
April 2008 – 264
This equated to a reduction of 18.1%
18.1% of domestic burglaries were solved.
15.6% of commercial burglaries were solved.
Shoplifting
March 2007 – 234
April 2008 – 257
This equated to an increase of 9.8%
With the assistance of the NABS group and CCTV 79.4% of these crimes were detected.
Criminal Damage
March 2007 - 894
April 2008 – 804
This equated to a reduction of 10%
16.8% of these incidents were detected
Total Crime
March 2007 – 3243
April 2007 - 2862
This equated to an overall reduction in crime of 33.2%, which ranked Newton Abbot Police Station at 2nd position within the entire Policeforce.
Latest update of PACT (Partners And Communities Together) meetings
Inspector Backhouse reported on a number of PACT meetings that had been held throughout Newton Abbot and summarised the main neighbourhood priorities that had been identified in each of the five wards within the town.
Buckland & Milber Wards – 14th May 2008
Over 40 people were in attendance (including District Councillor Gordon Hook and representatives from Teign Housing) Only one representative from Milber ward was in attendance at the meeting (Cllr Colin Parker).
The main priorities within the Buckland ward were identified as follows:
Antisocial behaviour
This was mainly concentrated within the area of underage drinking
Criminal damage
Parking
Inspector Backhouse confirmed that the responsibility for parking enforcement (excluding obstruction) had been taken over for the Teignbridge District Council with effect from 5th May 2008.
Speeding
It was noted that Cllr Gordon Hook had presented the Police with a cheque for the amount of £2340.00 that was used to purchase a hand-held interactive speeding device, which had primarily been used within the Buckland ward, but was to be used in other wards in the future.
College Ward - May 2008
The number of Councillors at this meeting outnumbered the amount of general public.
It was stated that College ward was one of the safest wards to reside in (in terms of crime).
The main priorities within College ward were identified as follows:
Parking
Speeding
Antisocial behaviour
This was considered to be within the areas of underage drinking and smoking
Inspector Backhouse commented that there was a need to re-think ways of engaging the general public within College ward due to the lack of representation at the meeting.
Bradley Ward - 19th May 2008
The main priorities within Bradley ward were identified as follows:
Speeding
Inspector Backhouse reported that his team had carried out many operations and had utilised the hand-held speeding device and it appeared that excessive speeding was not evident within Bradley ward.
A Bradley ward Councillor disagreed with this statement, and, as a result was to arrange a time to accompany Inspector Backhouse and his team to another speeding operation within the Bradley ward.
Damage to motor vehicles / parking
Littering
Bushell Ward – This PACT meeting was due to take place on Wednesday 4th June 2008 and was therefore was not able to be commented upon.
Update on Police Volunteer Cadet Force (as part of the Community Plan)
Inspector Backhouse reported on his involvement within the community plan with the running of the “Young at Heart” operation.
This involved recruiting 19 young people (between the ages of 11 – 16) to conduct environmental visual audits within every street in the Bushell ward of Newton Abbot.
As a result of this operation it was decided to form the Newton Abbot Police Volunteer Cadet Force.
The aim of this group was to provide a positive role model for the young people in Newton Abbot and for them to consider a career within the public sector.
The induction day for this new initiative was planned for 14th June 2008 and was extremely well supported by the local authority.
It was planned that the Cadets would meet on a two-weekly basis at the Mary-Rose Centre, Buckland and would undertake various activities, including attendance at parades such as the Remembrance Parade in November.
Concern was raised regarding funding, particularly in respect of the initial induction, which was costed at £105.00 and the monthly cost of meetings, together with planned recreational activities which was costed at approximately £60.00 per month.
Inspector Backhouse confirmed that he was able to fund the cost of the uniforms and insurance from his budget, but made a plea on behalf of the Cadets for the other costs.
Councillor Mrs Anne Fry confirmed that as Mary Rose centre was being utilised for a community group the charge would be waived.
The Chairman confirmed that the Committee commended the Cadet initiative and would consider the request for funding from Inspector Backhouse under item 8(c) Other Financial Matters.
Following Inspector Backhouses’ presentation, members asked questions around the following issues:
Website crime figures
Obstruction enforcement in Newton Abbot
Speeding along the Ashburton Road, (Bradley Ward)
At the conclusion of the report the Chairman thanked Inspector Backhouse for his attendance, whereupon the Inspector left the meeting.
18. ACCOUNTS PAID SINCE THE LAST MEETING
(a) Accounts paid since the last meeting
The Committee noted the accounts together with the balance sheet for the months of 2008:- March and April 2008
31st March 2008
Opening Balance Business Call Account/Current Acc £ 75,527.03
ADD Misc. Income £ 2,902.89
TOTAL INCOME £78,429.92
LESS:
Expenditure £27,422.42
TOTAL EXPENDITURE £27,422.42
BALANCE 31st March 2008
Business Call & Current Account: £51,007.50
Balances as at 31st March 2008
Current Account 100.00
Business Call Account 50,907.50
Treasury Account 0.00
Petty Cash Account 75.17
Total Reserves £ 51,082.67
Alliance & Leicester 170,000.00
(Reinvested to 03.06.08– interest accruing £5667.63)
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Total: £221,082.67
30th April 2008
Opening Balance Business Call Account/Current Acc £ 51,007.50
ADD Misc. Income £ 4017.15
First Half of Precept £152,163.00
Reimbursement from sale of Indoor Bowling Centre £ 12,500.00
TOTAL INCOME £219,687.65
LESS:
Expenditure £57,445.29
TOTAL EXPENDITURE £57,445.29
BALANCE 30th April 2008
Business Call & Current Account: £162,242.36
Balances as at 30th April 2008
Current Account 100.00
Business Call Account 162,142.36
Treasury Account 0.00
Petty Cash Account 75.17
Total Reserves £ 162,317.53
Alliance & Leicester 170,000.00
(Reinvested to 03.06.08– interest accruing £5667.63)
--------------------
Total: £332,317.53
(b) Application for Grant – Tenants Association – St Mary’s Court. The Office Administrator reported on an application for a grant by the Tenants Association at St Mary’s Court, Newton Abbot for a grant towards the cost of the refurbishment of the back courtyard of the sheltered housing complex for the enjoyment and participation of the older and less able residents.
Accordingly it was
RESOLVED that a grant of £250.00 would be remitted to the Tenants Association of St Mary’s Court.
(c) Any Other Financial Matters
(1) The Office Administrator was requested to provide details on 3 transactions listed on the expenditure table.
(2) Consideration of grant for Police Cadet Initiative
Following discussion it was
RESOLVED that a grant for £250.00 would be awarded to the Police Cadet Initiative.
19. DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS EQUIPMENT
The Town Clerk requested the Committee to approve a policy for the disposal of surplus equipment/furniture.
Accordingly it was
RESOLVED that the policy was to be approved.
20. TOWN CENTRE MANAGEMENT
The Committee gave consideration to a report by the Town Clerk (previously circulated) regarding the identification of means of delivering support services to Newton Abbot businesses and stakeholders, following the decision of Teignbridge District Council not to renew the Town Centre Manager’s contract from 1st April 2008.
The Town Clerk confirmed the following:
That the main focus of the new role would be that of economic development within the town
The post holder would be accommodated within a main retail outlet within the town
The post holder would be employed by Newton Abbot Town Council but would be supported financially by Teignbridge District Council
Financial contributions towards the salary of the new post holder would be provided by Teignbridge District Council, Devon County Council, Newton Abbot Town Council and a number of key retail businesses within Newton Abbot
The post would be on a fixed term contract for a three year period
The post holder would have clear targets to achieve within the year period and would be required to report to the Town Clerk and the Newton Abbot Town Council on a regular basis
Arising from the debate it was
RESOLVED that the Town Clerk’s report be adopted subject to approval from Teignbridge District Council to proceed with the recruitment for a suitable post holder.
The Chairman, on behalf of all members congratulated the Town Clerk on his excellent report.
21. APPOINTMENT OF COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES ON OUTSIDE BODIES
Further to minute 8 of the Annual Meeting of the Council, further consideration was given to the filling of the following vacancies:-
• Adult Education Centre Management Committee (Known as Newton Abbot Life Long Learning Centre);
• Coombeshead Community Arts Theatre Trust;
• Newton Abbot, Teignmouth & Dawlish Victim Support Scheme.
The Committee noted that Adult Education Centre Management Committee (Known as Newton Abbot Life Long Learning Centre) and Newton Abbot, Teignmouth & Dawlish Victim Support Scheme no longer existed.
Accordingly it was
RESOLVED that Councillor Mike Hocking be appointed as the Council’s representative on Coombeshead Community Arts Theatre Trust.
22. NEWTON ABBOT POST OFFICE
The Committee noted correspondence between the Town Council and The Post Office regarding the service at the Costcutter Store, Queen Street, Newton Abbot (previously circulated) and congratulated the Town Clerk on his correspondence.
23. LATE CORRESPONDENCE
None.
24. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
It was noted that the Finance & Resources Committee would meet on Wednesday 16th July 2008.
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Chairman