Councillor T Gates substituted for Councillor A Berardi.

To confirm and sign, as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 12 June 2024 (Appendix A).

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 12 June 2024 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

There were no apologies for absence.

Members are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or other registrable and non-registrable interests in items on the agenda.

Councillor A King declared an Other Registerable Interest in the item on awarding funding from the Youth Development Fund to, amongst others, the Journey Church of which she was a member.  Councillor King did not vote on the recommendation that concerned the Journey Church.

The Committee was asked to determine a number of applications to the Youth Development Fund which had been through the latest round of consideration by an Officer/Member panel.

Members noted that the total fund allocation was £35,000 from which grants of up to £7,000 could be awarded.  The Committee was advised that 12 applications had been received and one subsequently withdrawn.  Officers were asked to provide Members with more details about the organisation that withdrew its application for funding and why (if such information held).

The panel considering the applications agreed that the first 6 projects on the list below should be recommended for approval and the last project was determined by Officers.  These were:

Four applications were rejected for a combination of reasons including location, previous funding, lack of opportunities for a broad range of young people and lack of detail in the application.  The rejected applications were from Runnymede Chess Youth Association, Eikon, Total Tennis and St Peter’s Church, Chertsey.  Officers agreed to provide Members with a breakdown of why the application from Eikon was rejected.

Officers were asked to consider a second round of funding in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee for the remaining balance [of £17,775] and to re-visit the maximum value of grant available accordingly.

Resolved that –

i)          Members approve the panel recommended successful applications to the Youth Development Fund Grant;

ii)         Members approve to reject the panel recommended unsuccessful applications to the Youth Development Fund Grant; and

iii)        Members approve the Officer recommended successful applications to the Youth Development Fund Grant

The Committee noted the annual report on the work of the Community Safety Partnership.

It was acknowledged that as the report was very detailed, Officers focused on three key aspects.  These were: Violence Against Women and Girls, Domestic Abuse, and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB). 

Officers highlighted that progress had been made with displaying the new ‘StreetSafe’ stickers on lamp columns around the borough and that the Police had attended freshers week at Royal Holloway University of London to distribute reuseable (metal) straws and ‘spikeys’ to help keep individuals safe while enjoying a night out.

Members noted the continued value of the Domestic Abuse Outreach service provided by YourSanctuary, which had received 677 referrals for the Runnymede area for 2023/24.  It was reported that 342 survivors had accessed one to one support, 19 had accessed the specialist Male Service and 65, Hope2Recovery.

In respect of ASB, Members reviewed the statistics and types of incidents; the top three being fly-tipping, noise and litter/rubbish.  There had been a 24% increase in reports of fly-tipping and a decrease of 6% in ASB reports.  Officers agreed to consider how best to provide the Committee with details of ‘hot spot’ locations for anti-social behaviour such as fly-tipping.

Officers confirmed that take-up of Junior Citizen had been affected by the County Council’s remotely delivered Safer Communities Programme, which was intended to replace Junior Citizen.  However, as Runnymede’s schools like the project it was decided to continue with it.

Officers were thanked for their report which was duly noted.

The Committee reviewed progress with the Community Services Service Area Plan 2024/25 Quarter 1 Update.

Officers advised that the Business Centre was on target to complete all of its primary objectives for the year with a greater level of detail in the Appendix to the report on key projects and areas of work.  Some of the completed objectives included the review of Community Transport, completion of the Section 11 Children Safeguarding Audit, the Play Space Improvement Programme, the procurement of a Disabled Adaptions Works Contractor and the launch of the Runnymede Sports Forum. 

A number of projects were in progress and some had not yet started as they relied on other factors including input from colleagues in other business centres such as Assets and Regeneration and Finance.

It was confirmed that all the SANG Management Plans had been written in draft and Officers agreed to provide Councillors with an update on the draft SANG for Hare Hill Open Space when it was available.

The report was duly noted.

The Committee received for information details of the Key Performance Indicators for Quarter 1 of 2024/25 which were approved at the meeting of the Committee in June 2024.

Officers reported that Community Services continued to perform well against the Key Performance Indicators set, with 25 service areas either meeting or exceeding targets.  Particular successes included CD6, which was the number of children supported through subsidised holiday club spaces, SAF1 regarding Anti-Social Behaviour reporting, and positive figures for three of the Meals at Home targets (SCS2, SCS3 and MH1.)

Members noted that the total number of Chertsey Museum users had been higher than usual owing to the special Coronation Assembly visit in 2023/24.  The Museum would be re-launching some soft marketing strategies to boost visits in 2024/25.  However, the number of school visits had fallen slightly owing to school budgets being stretched.  The Museum’s fees and charges would be reviewed, whilst being careful not to negatively impact its budget.  The continuing positive feedback from schools would be considered within the wider review of the Museum currently being undertaken.

In respect of Community Alarms, the progress with moving systems from analogue to digital had ben lower than anticipated at Surrey Heath.  This was owing to the Procurement process being incomplete.  Officers had prepared all the written documentation to appoint a main supplier and were hopeful that this would be achieved in the near future.

Officers reported a reduced number of referrals to the Social Prescribing Service, although overall the number remained steady.  However, the wider review of Social Prescribing taking place by the North West Surrey Alliance was a key contributing factor which might affect the arrangements in due course.

Officers were thanked for their report which was duly noted.

To Follow

The Committee was given an update on the Tiny Forests project.

Members recalled that approval was given by the Corporate Management Committee in June 2024 to be included in a partnership bid to the Local Authority Treescapes Fund, alongside the lead applicants Spelthorne Borough Council and the other partner, Earthwatch Europe.

The funding bid was for the creation of Tiny Forests in Runnymede.  These were groupings of up to 600 trees planted in an area of approximately 0.49 hectares.  Additional trees in the form of Standards, Feathers and Whips for smaller planting arrangements could also be bid for.

Unfortunately, Officers were advised on 9 September 2024 by Spelthorne Borough Council that the bid had been unsuccessful.  The reasons for this were awaited following a request for feedback, from which lessons could be learned for future projects.

Officers hoped to maintain the positive relationship with Earthwatch Europe that had been established should such funding opportunities arise in the future.

The Committee expressed its disappointment and hoped that other projects would be forthcoming which would have positive benefits for the environment, the Climate Change and Health and Wellbeing strategies.

The report was duly noted.

OFFICERS' RECOMMENDATION that -

the press and public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of the following report under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the report in question would be likely to involve disclosure exempt information of the description specified in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

            (To resolve)

Resolved that –

the press and public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of the following report under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the report in question would be likely to involve disclosure exempt information of the description specified in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

In passing this resolution, all report originators were asked to note that in future potentially exempt information should be placed in a Part II Appendix and the substantive report to be in the public agenda wherever possible.

This report is exempt as it contains budgetary information relating to the tendering of contracts.

The Committee was provided with an update on matters relating to Runnymede Pleasure Grounds and approval was sought for a supplementary budget from the Trust reserves, to enable the full refurbishment of toilet facilities.

Members were advised that the procurement process to replace the paddling pool with a new splash pad facility was planned to commence in the later part of the 2024/25 financial year.  A further report would be submitted should cost exceed the sum budgeted for.

In respect of the play area, a combination of the Trust’s reserves and Section 106 contributions had funded a new fence, roundabout, two see-saws and surfacing repairs.  Any further improvements were reliant on there being sufficient income primarily from parking.

Officers advised that upgrading the pavilion and toilet block would cost more than originally envisaged for which a supplementary budget was required.  The Committee was content with the reasons given for this as set out in the report and it was anticipated that works would be completed by the end of the current financial year.

The Café lease was a work in progress and colleagues in Assets were asked to provide one Member with further details.

Plans to install CCTV linked directly to Safer Runnymede were on-going.  It was agreed this would be a positive benefit for the site to deter anti-social behaviour and provide greater re-assurance about on site security.  Officers were asked to re-look at the possibilities of using solar panels for the electricity supply to CCTV on site.  It was noted that a further report on this would be submitted depending on the predicted cost of implementation.

Improvements to the car park surface had been undertaken earlier in the year and further works around the barrier and a review of the current ANPR system would take place in the next financial year.

Members noted the current level of the Trust’s reserves, and agreed that the priority was to focus on the quality of the water play infrastructure and CCTV.

Resolved that –

This Committee, sitting as the Trustees of Runnymede Pleasure Grounds Trust, approves a supplementary estimate in the sum (as reported), to be taken from Trust reserves, to enable commencement with the full refurbishment of toilet facilities at Runnymede Pleasure Grounds.