Agenda item

7.1

The Committee received the following questions from members of the public who were in attendance to raise them:-

Public questioner 1

What mechanism is there for residents to respond to the Community Plan? Specifically, around the proposal to merge GP surgeries into one new health centre.

In response Councillor Abtisam Mohamed advised that a meeting had been held to consider options for local health services. The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) had the responsibility for the decision and would be holding a public meeting where residents’ views would be heard.

Public questioner 2

(a)  Could GP’s be invited to a Local Area Committee meeting to give their views on the CCG proposals?

Councillor Abtisam Mohamed noted that initially it was important to hear views from the community. The CCG had offered reassurance that there would be open and honest conversations and that they would make an informed decision based on views received.

(b)  Is there a programme for sweeping roads and gullies? Some estates are not in a good state and if no advanced warning is given about cleaning some areas are missed due to parked cars.

The Chair responded by noting that there was a programme for cleaning, which would be shared via a link on the North East Local Area Committee webpages.

(c)  Can we have representatives from all housing areas at Local Area Committee meetings so that questions from each ward can be answered? Reporting of issues is difficult.

The Chair noted this suggestion.

Public questioner 3

Thank you to everyone involved in the organisation of this meeting. It is good to hear people talking animatedly about areas of interest. The Community Plan is ambitious, and it is encouraging to hear of joint working with the Clinical Commissioning Group. A useful meeting had been held to discuss parks - would it be possible to have more public meetings with a single item agenda?

In response, Lindsey Hill noted how the public meetings so far had aimed to provide residents with the opportunity to meet services and partners. Future meetings would evolve and give further opportunities to find out about projects and partners.

Councillor Jayne Dunn advised that Local Area Committees would continue to feed the views of communities into the youth strategy.

Public questioner 4

The questioner raised the following concerns:

(a)  In some areas residents were parking their cars inconsiderately and spoiling grass verges.

(b)  Autumn leaves had not been swept and had led to blocking grates and localised flooding.

(c)  Growth at the bottom of trees were preventing a clear view for motorists.

(d)  Could a single item public meeting be held to discuss parks and green spaces? Engagement with young people was needed to find out what facilities they needed in parks.

The Chair explained that he had contacted Streetsahead regarding leaf clearing and would continue to liaise with them to ensure the work was carried out.

In relation to grass verges, the Chair confirmed that existing bollards were being repaired and new ones installed at certain locations in Shiregreen.

The Chair commended the litter picking volunteer groups and advised that the Council would continue to provide support in terms of providing equipment where possible.

Public questioner 5

(a)  I have lived on this cul-de-sac for 36 years but have never seen a road sweeper here. Could a programme of cleaning be shared with residents?

(b)  When local volunteer groups collect litter they bag it and leave it for collection, but it is often weeks before it is collected by the Council.

(c)  The footpath at the end of the cul-de-sac is suspected to be used for illegal drug activity. This needs addressing.

(d)  Off-road vehicles are a regular nuisance – no silencers, no licences, no helmets. What can be done about this?

In response, the Chair advised that rubbish bags left by volunteers were normally collected within two days. He advised residents to contact their local councillor should this not be the case.

The Chair noted that any incidents of illegal activity could be reported to the representatives from South Yorkshire Police who were present at the meeting.

Public questioner 6

(a)  Grass verges have been neglected due to lack of funding. Could funding be found to restore grass verges?

(b)  When I have reported epicormic growth on trees it has been dealt with, but could this be added to the programme of maintenance work?

The Chair advised that Amey were now responsible for the maintenance of grass verges and had a rolling programme of work.

7.2

The Chair thanked those in attendance for their contributions to the meeting.