THREE RIVERS DISTRICT COUNCIL
At a meeting of the Pensioners’ Forum held in the Penn Chamber, Three Rivers House, Northway, Rickmansworth, on Friday 20February 2009 from 2.00pm to4.00pm.
Present:Councillor Paul Goggins (in the Chair)
Councillor Ann ShawOBE
Councillor Barbara Lamb MBE
Officers:Emma Robinson (Communications Officer)
Janet Ide (Committee Manager)
Speakers:Carol Collier and Christine Wallis, Age Concern
Renato Messere and Steven Farrell, Development Plans, Three Rivers District Council
Diamond Oteghile, Energy Saving Trust
Pensioner representatives from all parts of the District.
1.INTRODUCTION
The Chairman, Councillor Paul Goggins, welcomed all those present to the meeting and thanked everyone for attending.
2.SPEAKERS
The Chairman reported that Carol Collier and Christine Wallis, Age Concern, Renato Messere and Steven Farrell, Three Rivers District Council and Diamond Oteghile, Energy Saving Trust would be making presentations at this meeting.
3.AGE CONCERN
The Chairman welcomedCarol Collierwho worked on the services side and Christine Wallis who worked on the trading side of Age Concern Herts, which had merged with Help the Aged on 1 January 2009 under the umbrella of Age Concern, England. Help the Aged had organised similar projects to Age Concern and it seemed sensible to merge the organisations to gain more knowledge and experience and to pool resources. Both organisations were in negotiation as to how the resources could be utilised. As no new name had yet been agreed the merger was called “New Charity”.
The Scheme was run by volunteers and there were presently 600 in Hertfordshire. People from all walks of life and all ages were recruited and training was provided for employees and volunteers. It was designed to give support to older people living in the community enabling them to stay in their own homes for as long as they were able and wanted to do so.
Solicitors working for the New Charity provided their services free of charge. Financial information and advice was available including explaining benefits available and help with the completion of forms. In addition, there was a hospital discharge scheme. New Charity was primarily linked in with all hospitals around Watford and Hertsmere. Practical and emotional support was provided for 6 to 8 weeks after release from hospital to enable people to get back to independent living.
All volunteers were reference checked and a criminal record check was also completed.
New Charity targeted people that were isolated and living on their own but support was available to the elderly living in Care Homes and helping them to solve any issues they might face.
The Primary Care Trust had provided funding to enable New Charity to recruit two new posts linked with mental health. Specific training would be provided and would link in with providing support and encouragement for people still living at home. Experienced first aiders were trained to assess dementia and recognise the signs.
New Charity ran a few Day Centres within Watford and ThreeRivers district includingChalmers Court, Croxley Green for people with dementia, 10-3 Club atMoneyhill Court, 2 in South Oxhey and a Day Centre at Harebreaks, Watford.
A new Carer Support Group had been set up at Chalmers Court which gave carers an opportunity to have time out for themselves including complementary therapy groups.
All projects had been funded, and each year New Charity had put in new bids for funding. Visiting schemes were funded by Adult Care Services. When applying to the Lottery, documents and business plans to prove that the projects were worthy of funding, had to be provided. Adult Care Services were the biggest funder. There was a need to prove how many clients they had helped and how many benefits in monetary value.
Once a month Age Concern had managed to get a stand in Watford Market on the first Tuesday of every month where one to one sessions were available.
Q.Did the hospital discharge scheme include Three Rivers?
A.Three Rivers was included.
Q.If you lived in Rickmansworth but were being treated in a London hospital how would you go about getting hospital discharge help?
A.Information about Age Concern’s projects and services were given to London Hospitals but they were not always good at contacting them. It was suggested that if you knew someone that was being admitted to a London hospital, contact Age Concern beforehand, who could then make contact with the patient or person caring for them.
Q.Did it have to be the person who would benefit from the assistance who got in touch?
A.If Age Concern had to make contact with a patient through a third party they would need to have the patient’s permission to offer the service.
Age Concern sold Travel Insurance, Car Insurance and Breakdown Services, Home Insurance and a variety of other products and any profits went back into the Charity. A pack of information was circulated at the meeting and one leaflet entitled ‘Who really understands what I need’ outlined the different insurance products and all the products aimed at the over 50’s.
A book entitled ‘LifeBook’ was available free of charge by completing a coupon enclosed in the pack. The LifeBook was an easy way to safely record the practical details of your life such as details of friends, doctors, insurance companies, water board, gas, electricity and all phone numbers in one place, without the need to search through files for important documents and information. Another benefit was information on how to contact Age Concern. An insurance quote could be provided in the office in Exchange Road in Watford.
Help the Aged shops would still exist and premises were always being sought if anyone had any ideas.
A member of the Residents Association, which distributed a magazine twice a year, asked whether Age Concern would be interested in writing an article for the magazine.
Hertfordshire Voice gave people over 50 the opportunity to have their say about local issues and concerns.
A South Oxhey resident stated that a small market was held on Thursday mornings in South Oxhey and if Age Concern was interested in attending once a month, to get in contact with Watford Rural Parish Council.
A lot of people did not like being called a charity case and suggested a new name and not a New Charity.
Members of the Forum noted that all New Charity services were free of charge.
The Chairman thanked Carol Collier and Christine Wallis for their presentation.
4.LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK
The Chairman introduced Renato Messere and Steven Farrell to the meeting.
The Council was preparing a new plan called the Three Rivers Local Development Framework which would replace the District Plan. The Core Strategy formed part of this and a public consultation would be run for six weeks between 16 February and 30 March 2009. The Strategy built on previous consultation and set out how the Council planned for development in the District over the next 10-15 years. The Council had no choice but to meet regional targets for additional housing and jobs in the area. The Council would run out of suitable urban land which would result in having to consider development in the Green Belt. The document identified 40 proposals for large and small housing sites within the District and changes to some of the employment areas.
The Core Strategy included fundamental policies to ensure that future development was more sustainable, through, as an example, reducing carbon emissions. It also set out ambitious and realistic targets to increase the amount of affordable housing in the District. The need for additional infrastructure and services such as transport, schools and open space, required to support growth and development in future years was also addressed.
As one of the Council’s key strategies, the Local Development Framework was vital in delivering many of the Council’s priorities in relation to improving the environment, access to services and delivering more affordable housing. It would affect everyone who lived, worked or visited the District so it was hoped that people would respond to the public consultation by completing a questionnaire included in the Spring edition of the Three Rivers Times.
QWould the consultation document be in the Parish Council Offices we well as Three Rivers District Council Offices?
A.It was confirmed that all parish council offices had been sent copies of documents.
Q.Great concern had been expressed about the possible closure of the fire station and a resident enquired as to whether there was any further information?
A.There was no further information at present.
Q.If houses and flats were built on this site there would be no police and fire station.
A.Councillor Ann Shaw stated that this idea had not come forward from Three Rivers District Council but from the Police and Fire Service.
Q.It was asked if agreement was being asked for houses on the site or not to have a Police and Fire Station on the site.
A.Councillor Barbara Lamb stated that she had carried out a lot of research at County Council and the Senior Property Officers knew absolutely nothing about it. She urged everyone to say no to this proposal.
Q.If you look at the main document further information about the housing sites is in table form and maps,helping to inform your yes/no responses to the questionnaire?
Q.A resident enquired as to whether the Ludlow Mead site had been cleared to buildhouses?
A.The Ludlow Mead site was not a particular housing site. Little FurzeSchool was the only housing site but the officer would investigate.
Q.Would sites identified in the document provide sufficient houses to meet the Government criteria?
A.This was confirmed.
Q.How much Green Belt were we going to lose and is the real need for affordable housing much higher?
A.Regarding affordable housing the Council would like to allow 45% to meet the criteria. The Council would need to provide 83% in order to fully meet needs in the area. However provision at this level would not be economically viable.
In terms of the target for affordable housing, it was set at 45% one of the highest in the area. The Government said the Council must set targets that were ambitious and realistically viable. Realistically the overall level the Council could ask for was around 45% - 50%, although on some sites more may be achievable.
In terms of percentage the District had 77% coverage at the moment and if they all came forward it would result in a percentage drop of about 1%.
Councillor Ann Shaw said this was not Three Rivers District Council identifying sites it would be nice to build on but the Government saying 4000 homes must be built. The least bad had been identified. The Council would like the opinion of the residents on these sites. If the Council did not identify sites the Government would choose them. The Council had no confidence that the Government would choose sites that were acceptable to local people.
If people did not support any particular sites it meant that there would be a shortfall and alternative sites would need to be identified.
Q.In 10 years time there might be a problem finding secondary school places for the new houses?
A.Secondary schools, infrastructure and services were a concern. More houses and school places would be needed. Within the County, there were no immediate problems in terms of primary school places but there might be an issue on secondary school places. The Council would want developers to assess local requirements of a particular scheme and how they could be addressed with schools in the local area. It might need more classroom spaces. The County Council had no plans for new schools in the District.
Q.One of the sites was the Gas works behind St. Joan of ArcSchool. Was this land safe?
A.Assuming the demolition of the gas works, there would be a need to look at the issues of land contamination and there would be a condition on any planning permission to deal with any contamination.
Q.Would extra requirements for water need to be accommodated?
A.The Council had spoken to the local water providers and explained the type of housing likely to come forward and but did not see any strategic problem with providing water in the District.
Q.Could the proposals all be pie in the sky if there was a Government change?
A.The requirement for housing was always going to be there simply because of the growing population. In the longer term, although there was a current slump in the market, there was going to be a shortage of houses.
Q.When you say affordable housing did the Council mean social housing and when these sites were identified the Council would need to give planning permission?
A.Affordable housing covered social rented housing and included shared ownership schemes and when sites had been identified planning permission would be required.
Q.There was an area in Rickmansworth off the Harefield Road which was a pumping station coming from as far as Potters Bar. Recently, sewage had flooded into Harefield Road. If another 4000 houses were added what arrangements were being made to put this sort of infrastructure, water and other facilities into place?
AThe Council had spoken to all the major infrastructure providers in the area including all service providers and provided an indication of the type of housing coming forward. At present, none of them saw any significant infrastructure problems that could not be overcome
Q.Health Services in this area were struggling to meet needs now. What provision was going to be made as hospitals and maternity units were working to the maximum already?
A.The Council had spoken to the Health providers dealing with restructuring in terms of hospitals that was likely to come forward. The main concern was that when the houses were built the residents would need to have good access to Health Centres. Any further comments and suggestions would be helpful as part of the consultation process
Renato Messere urged local residents to attend the forthcoming meetings of Local Area Forums and Local Libraries to have their say and to complete the consultation document.
The Chairman thanked Renato Messere and Steven Farrell for their very informative presentation.
5.SUSTAINABILITY – THE FUTURE
The Chairman introduced Diamond Oteghile from the Energy Saving Trust.
Diamond Oteghile stated that the Energy Saving Trust was a national company giving impartial advice on energy efficiency, waterways and transport.Diamond worked for the part that covered the East of England. Advisors at Head Office were available to answer questions on energy efficiency and insulation.
The company attended events and supermarkets giving on the spot advice on how to reduce energy bills and CO2 emissions.
Information and leaflets were circulated at the meeting offering grants and schemes available to people around the U K. This included grants for loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, ground source heat pumps.A Warm Front grant was available to people who were on certain benefits for loft insulation, draughtproofing, cavity wall insulation, hot-water tank insulation, energy efficient light bulbs, gas or oil central heating and converting solid fuel open fires to a glass-fronted fire.
Advice was available on how to save and reduce the amount of fuel your car consumed and reduce the amount of CO2 cars produce.
The Energy Saving Trust advice cards, sponsored by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, were also circulated.
Energy bulbs and a complete powerdown plug were available at the meeting for residents to take.
The Chairman thanked Diamond Oteghilefor her presentation.
6.ANY OTHER BUSINESS
A member of the Rickmansworth Bowls Club invited Members of the Forum to join the Club. There was an Open Day at 1pm on 12 May 2009. Free tuition was available and a half price fee for the first year. Anyone interested should contact Stan Thomas on 01923 449917.
A member of the Watersmeet Film Society invited Members of the Forum to join the Society. A programme was available through until June. Films for children were shown on Saturdays and transport could be provided.
Councillor Ann Shawupdated the Forum on the current situation relating to the refurbishment of the William Penn Leisure Centre.
A resident informed Members of the Forum that new swimming facilities were available at Watford but the steps into the pool were not suitable for the elderly. These were being modified with extra rails for people to have better access to the swimming pool. Residents could make use of Watford Baths until the refurbishment of the swimming facilities at William Penn had been completed.
Suggested items for the next meeting would be to invite someone from the South West Hospital Trust which might become a Foundation Trust. Members were needed from the age of 16 to elderly.
7.NEXT MEETING
The date of the next meeting wasFriday 19 June 2009.
CHAIRMAN
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