Agenda and minutes

These were received from Councillors Edwards and Leadbetter, Simon Bowkett and John Laramy.

In the absence of Councillor Leadbetter, the meeting was chaired by Councillor Bull, the Deputy Chair.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 21 November 2017 be taken as read and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

The Chair agreed to take the following matter as an urgent item because of the need to repair a broken boiler at the Phoenix Centre as quickly as possible, bearing in mind that the official opening was scheduled for 4 February.

Councillor Hannan reported that the boiler at the Centre had been condemned as unsafe and beyond repair but had not been used since the transfer of the building from Devon County Council to Wonford Community and Learning Centre on 13 June 2016 as part of the closure of youth centres in the City. The centre had now been transferred via a sublease and had been left unused until the attempt made by Wemco gas engineers to recommission it this January. The one quotation received to date from Wemco was in the sum of £10,080, and Councillor Hannan was able to contribute £1,275 from his County Council locality budget. It was suggested that similar contributions from other Exeter County Councillor budgets could be investigated.

RESOLVED that the County Councillors investigate supporting the funding of a replacement boiler via Locality Budgets from the County Council.

The following question was put to the Board by Graham Hysett, the response to which was given as part of the wider discussion on cycling provision as set out in minute number 6 below

Cycle Network

Question: Can we be confident that development is taking place for the whole length of the routes E3 and E4, that Progression of scheme development through financial year 2016/17 was on track to ensure construction plans are available when funding becomes available, and that Growth Deal 3 funding available for the period 2017/18 to 2019/20 has been secured from the LEP for implementation of the cycle routes?

The question with preamble is attached to the minutes.

The Chair welcomed the following to the meeting who spoke on the above theme:-

Jamie Hulland : Transportation, Planning and Road Safety Manager, Devon County Council

Mike Walton : Exeter Cycling Campaign

Jemma Hodgins : Exeter City Futures

Devon County Council Cycling Strategy : Jamie Hulland

Jamie Hulland outlined the County Council’s current and future proposals for cycling in the City and its ambitions for creating a primary and secondary network of high quality routes and shared cycle/pedestrian paths, subject to available funds. Although not having benefited from Government funding through the Cycling Ambitions Cities Programme such as Oxford and Cambridge, nor through the recent National Parks “Granite and Gears” programme for rural strategic cycle routes serving Dartmoor, Exeter compared well in national terms in its commitment to improved cycle provision across the City.

Funding for future initiatives would come from Growth Deal 3 of £3.4 million topped up to £5.4 million from other County Council funding streams for the period to 2019/20 and the Department of Transport’s Access Fund provision of £1.5 million funding over the next three years towards Devon’s Walking and Cycling Strategy to Prosperity scheme which would also be backed by £60,000 from the County Council. The latter focused on key areas of housing and employment growth in Exeter to change behaviour and promote more creative travel to work and places of education. The project would also support a further extension to the electric bike hire scheme from on-street docking stations in Exeter and deliver annual walking and cycling challenges.

He thanked the Exeter Cycling Campaign for their commitment to and ideas for the network and, referring to the question of Graham Heysett in respect of routes E3 and E4, advised that part of the rationale for the latter was to improve access to the City for cyclists from the growth areas of Newcourt and Monkerton from the Redhayes Bridge/M5 area. Much of the £100,000 commitment in this financial year would focus on the eastern part of the route with subsequent work to occur along Prince Charles Road and Union Road. The E3 route was not as high a priority and would focus on improving linkages from Heavitree and Whipton Barton into the City Centre. He also reported that, both the County Council and City Council, were signatories to the Exeter Cycling Charter.

He responded as follows to Members’ queries:-

·         other than the London Design Guide, there were no official sanctioned Department of Transport planning guidance and use was therefore made of best practise. The City Council’c Principal Project Manager (Infrastructure Delivery) advised that the City Council’s Sustainable Transport Supplementary Planning Guidance assisted the planning process;

·         although demand on CIL contributions was oversubscribed, significant sums were being identified for cycle schemes;

·         shared cycle/pedestrian paths could offer low cost solutions in areas such as Whipton and Heavitree, for example linking Hanover Road and Ladysmith Road through Higher Cemetery could be a possible scheme; and

·         80%/90% of the road network was gritted but logistics and funding considerations prevented  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Dawn Rivers reported on progress with the Exeter Youth Strategy which, with the completion of the consultation process, would be launched on Wednesday 22 March 2017 at 6:00pm at the Guildhall. Next steps included signing up to the strategy by relevant agencies and commencing work with young people to action the strategy as well as developing an evidence base to identify need.

RESOLVED that Board Members be invited to the launch.

The minutes of the Funding Sub–Group of 12 January 2017 were noted.

(a)  Community Safety Partnership – Executive Group

Minutes of the meeting held on 19 October 2016.

(b)   Exeter Community Forum – Feedback from Diana Moore.

Community Safety Partnership

The Board noted the minutes of the meeting held on 19 October 2016.

Exeter Community Forum

Diana Moore reported that the first meeting of the Exeter Community Forum Grants Panel had been held and that its recommendations were to be considered by the City Council’s Executive and the Council. She encouraged Board Members to bring forward applications for consideration by the Panel.

There had been great interest in the Community Builders Programme with Community Connectors, co-ordinated by Exeter CVS, working with Wellbeing Exeter and seeking to bring people together in the community covering health issues and working with GP’s. She also referred to the need for the Greater Exeter Strategic Partnership to have regard to the status of community involvement.

It was noted that Councillor Paul Bull had previously been nominated for a Local Government Information Bureau Award for work with communities.

The following dates of future Board meetings were noted, all commencing at 5.30pm in the Civic Centre:-

Monday 27 March 2017

Thursday13 July 2017

Thursday 21 September 2017