Services Committee
Is responsible for the strategic management of facilities and services in the town.
Macclesfield Town Council
Services Committee Agenda 7th September 2020
Due to the Coronavirus and Covid-19 restrictions and in line with the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 this meeting will be held remotely, broadcast on youtube.com and can be viewed on the Macclesfield Town Council youtube.com channel
Agenda of the meeting to be held on the 7th September 2020 at 7pm
Consideration of the implications relating to Covid-19 transmission will be taken across all items on this agenda.
1. Apologies for absence
2. Declarations of interest
Public questions
The meeting will be adjourned to invite comments and questions from the public.
The meeting will then be reconvened.
NOTE:
If you would like to speak during public session, please email clerk@macclesfield-tc.gov.uk by 5pm Thursday 3rd September 2020. Every practicable effort will be made to try and arrange your inclusion.
If you would like to submit a written statement, please submit your statement for inclusion and circulation to the committee to clerk@macclesfield-tc.gov.uk by 5pm Thursday 3rd September 2020.
3. Minutes of the Services Committee Meeting held on 20TH JULY 2020
4. Matters Arising From the Minutes
5. Community
5.1 Community Engagement Update
6. Local Service Delivery
6.1 Events Update
6.2 Silk monument
6.3 Silk heritage visits and engagement
6.4 Weston community centre
6.5 Christmas lights
6.6 Floral displays
6.7 Public toilets
6.8 See Macclesfield
6.9 Police drugs intervention
6.10 Chestergate LED festoons
7. Leisure – Outdoor Activities
7.1 Windmill St play area
7.2 Hurdsfield and Broken Cross play areas
7.3 South Park pavilion
7.4 Rugby Drive
7.5 Playing Out
7.6 Allotments
7.7 Street sports
8. Street Scene
8.1 Public realm furniture
8.2 Town Ranger
8.3 Provision of dog foul dispensers
8.4 Noticeboards
9. Town Centre Re-Generation
9.1 Town Centre re-generation
9.2 Footfall mapping data
9.3 Town Centre free WI-FI data
10. Transport
10.1 Bus service working group
11. Council Idenity and Commuications
11.1 Website photo competition
12. Environment
12.1 Future Forest
13. Correspondence
14. Member Items
14.1 Covid-19 poetry book – Cllr Neil Puttick
14.2 Community garden proposal – Cllr Sarah Bennett-Wake
15. Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Services committee will be held at 7pm on 16th November 2020 at a location and format to be confirmed subject to relevant current Covid-19 guidance.
Macclesfield Town Council
Services Committee Minutes 7 September 2020
Due to the Coronavirus Covid-19 restrictions and in line with the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 this meeting was held remotely, broadcast on youtube.com and can be viewed on the Macclesfield Town Council youtube.com channel.
Minutes of the meeting held on 7th September 2020 at 7pm
Consideration of the implications relating to Covid-19 transmission will be taken across all items on this agenda.
In attendance
- Cllr Janet Jackson MBE
- Cllr Chris Wilcock
- Cllr Fiona Wilson
- Cllr Neil Puttick
- Cllr Sarah Bennett-Wake
- Cllr Fin Shenton
Also in attendance were the Town Clerk and the Community and Events Manager.
1. Apologies for Absence
Cllr Mick Warren
2. Declarations of Interest
None
Public Questions
The meeting was adjourned to invite comments and questions from the public.
Agenda Item 14.2 was brought forward to this point.
Gordon Hulme spoke about the community garden proposal for an area of land on Withyfold Drive. He spoke about the benefits community gardens can bring to mental health and helping to alleviate isolation caused by Covid-19. The community garden will be an opportunity for young and old people to work together. A resident’s group will be established to lead on this but there is already a lot of support for this project.
Members spoke in support of the community garden and the added benefit that it will supply food to the Green in the Corner café. Cre8 have offered to support the project with their experience.
All members were in support of this project.
3. Minutes of the Services Committee meeting held on 20th July 2020
The minutes were approved as a true record of the meeting.
4. Matters arising from the Minutes
Agenda item 11.1 was brought forward to this point.
Cllr Chris Wilcock suggested to the committee that the website photo competition should be postponed until 2021 due to officer time capacity and the current need to work on other projects.
Members agreed to postpone the website photo competition.
5. Community
5.1 Community Engagement Update
Cllr Sarah Bennett-Wake thanked CVS for their support in delivering the Mayor’s Summer Summit.
6. Local Service Delivery
6.1 Events Update
The report was noted
6.2 Silk Monument
The report was noted.
6.3 Silk heritage visits and Engagement
The report was noted
6.4 Weston Community Centre
RESOLVED: That the cost of the replacement windows for £12.500 is approved.
6.5 Christmas Lights
Members discussed the benefits of maintaining efficient and fully functional lighting.
RESOLVED: That the essential work to the cost of £3,786 is approved and that he recommended work to the cost of £7,930 is also approved.
6.6 Floral displays
The report was noted.
6.7 Public toilets
The report was noted
6.8 See Macclesfield
The report was noted
6.9 Police drugs intervention
The report was noted
6.10 Chestergate LED Festoons
Members discussed the importance of maintaining the lighting along Chestergate.
RESOLVED: That the repair of the festoons to the cost of £1,987+VAT is approved.
7. Leisure – Outdoor Activities
7.1 Windmill Street Play Area
Members discussed the delay in completion of the play area and expressed disappointment that even allowing for Covid-19, the play area still being incomplete is unacceptable. There will be a site meeting between Macclesfield Town Council and ANSA to discuss the delays and the work which needs to be completed to enable the play area to open safely.
7.2 Hurdsfield and Broken Cross play areas
Members expressed their concern that the community have not yet been invited to input into the play area designs. The Community and Events Manager agreed to follow this up with ANSA.
7.3 South Park Pavilion
Cllr Janet Jackson MBE updated the committee that the heads of terms will be submitted to Full Council in September.
7.4 Rugby Drive
The report was noted.
7.5 Playing Out
The report was noted.
7.6 Allotments
The Community and Events Manager updated the committee on the current state of the site at Park Grove allotments. The committee were also informed that the Projects Officer would now be taking the lead on allotments and would be arranging site visits to assess work which needs to be completed.
Cllr Wilcock informed the committee about the potential of additional land transfer from Everybody Leisure to the Birtles Lane allotments which will increase the number of plots available to let.
7.7 Street Sports
Cllr Puttick highlighted the need for activities such as street sports following the pandemic and ensuring that they are as accessible as possible for young people.
8. Street Scene
8.1 Public realm furniture
The report was noted.
8.2 Town Ranger
Members expressed thanks to the town ranger team for their continued efforts.
8.3 Provision of dog foul dispensers
The report was noted.
8.4 Noticeboards
Cllr Janet Jackson MBE updated the committee that there are plans to look at installing noticeboards in South Park and Christchurch.
RESOLVED: The notice board licence fees of £4.400 are approved.
9. Town Centre Regeneration
9.1 Town Centre Regeneration
Cllr Fiona Wilson updated the committee on the town centre focus group which held its first meeting in July. The meeting went well and out of that, a town centre recovery working group has now been established. This group will be working on a town centre recovery plan. Cllr Wilson expressed that the progress made in such a short period of time is encouraging. There will also be further focus group meeting in the future to update stakeholders. A press release is to be issued this week.
9.2 Footfall mapping data
The Community and Events Manager informed the committee that for future meetings, headline figures will be provided for both 2019 and 2020 to compare and monitor recovery.
9.3 Town Centre free WI-FI data
The report was noted.
10. Transport
10.1 Bus Service Working Group
The Town Clerk explained that due to Covid-19, the group had not met yet. There will be a future meeting to discuss the needs of the community and the ambitions of the council.
11. Council Identity and Communications
11.1 Website photo competition
This item was discussed at item 4.
12. Environment
12.1 Future Forest
Cllr Puttick explained the momentum which is currently gathering for community gardens and orchards.
13. Correspondence
None
14. Member Items
14.1 Covid-19 poetry book – Cllr Neil Puttick
Members discussed the project in detail expressing concern that more information is required before a decision can be made.
RESOLVED: That Cllr Puttick returns to the committee with information on how much the book will be sold for, the final draft of the book and evidence that East Cheshire Hospice have read and approved the book to be sold in support of them.
14.2 Community garden proposal – Cllr Sarah Bennett-Wake
This item was discussed within the public questions part of the meeting.
15. Date, Time and Place of next meeting
The next meeting of the Services Committee will be held at 7pm on 16th November 2020 at a location and format to be confirmed subject to relevant Covid-19 guidance.
Meeting closed: 20.38
Chair: Cllr Janet Jackson MBE
Clerk: Community and Events Manager Helena Gowler