PRESENT: Councillors Natasha Airey (Chairman), Eileen Quick (Vice Chair), Tom Bursnall, James Evans, Sue Evans, John Fido and Jesse Grey (sub for George Bathurst).

Also Present: Councillor George Fussey, Vivienne Allen (resident), F.Batt (Observer), Sara Berwick (resident), R.Cullingham (resident), Lucy Elder (Windsor Express), David Jessey (resident), Mrs Lenton, David Massen (resident), Sue Massen (resident), Martin Miranda (King Edward Court), Helen Price (resident), Jack Rankin (resident), Trevor Robinson (resident), Mike Samuel (resident), Anne Taylor (Windsor & Eton Society), D.R.Todd (WWRA), Jean Todd (WWRA) and Garry Williams (resident).

Officers: Feliciano Cirimele, Tanya Leftwich and Graham Matthews.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies were received from Councillor George Bathurst.

Apologies were also received from the Windsor and Eton Town Manager, Paul Roach.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

None were received.

MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting of the Forum held on 6 October 2014 were approved as a correct record.

Traffic mitigation measures at Legoland
Helen Price, a resident, explained to Members that at the Windsor Town Forum in June she had expressed her frustration at the lack of info traffic mitigation measures at Legoland. It was noted that a Task & Finish Group had been set up but that reference to traffic mitigation that had been in the terms of reference had been removed. Helen Price explained that again in August and again in October she had expressed her concerns on the subject. It was noted that the Task & Finish Groups agenda for November was impossible as it had included nineteen items so it had been agreed at that meeting to priorities five items and assurances had been made that the Group would fit in three more meetings to cover the remaining items. It was noted that the December agenda for the Task & Finish Group had included two sets of five documents and that everyone had been told there would be no further meetings as previously promised. Helen Price explained that she felt that the Legoland traffic mitigation item had not been met as it was discussed how residents could use the useful resource. Helen Price informed Members that only four of the five sets of documents had been uploaded to the web and she questioned how people knew that the Task & Finish Group existed. It was noted that Helen Price was unsure how the Royal Borough was operating and how decisions were being made and had concerns about the ‘process’.

The Vice-Chair, Councillor Quick, who had been co-opted onto the Task & Finish Group explained that whilst this subject was interesting it was not under the remit of the Windsor Town Forum and should be referred to the Chairman of the Highways O&S Panel.

Councillor Grey added that he was the Chairman of the Task & Finish Group Helen Price was referring to and that believed she was being very negative on the outcomes as it had not been a black and white situation. Councillor Grey assured everyone present that Helen Price’s comments were not the case and explained that this subject needed to be raised at the correct Panel.

The Chairman assured Helen Price that she would address the website issue and ensure all documents were placed on the RBWM website.

Lack of signage
Helen Price explained to Members that at the last Windsor Town Forum she had raised the lack of signage which she found unhelpful to those who did not know their way around Windsor. It was noted that Helen Price had produced a long list of areas lacking signage, produced a spreadsheet and supplied it to the Highways Team. It was noted that Helen Price had been assured that all the work would be completed by January but since those assurances had been made delays had occurred. Helen Price questioned why she as a resident had had to raise the issue and provide the spreadsheet in order for the work to be carried out and asked why she had had to chase for feedback. The Chairman suggested that in future residents copied in Ward Councillors who could chase on their behalf. Councillor Sue Evans stated that she always welcomed residents highlighting issues to her that needed resolving (e.g. lights out, trees that needed pruning, etc). The Vice Chair explained that a two part wayfinding scheme was underway which would enhance directions to major points in Windsor and Eton (stating distances and times) and that funding was being made available to help direct drivers. It was noted that the delays could have been due to bad weather or external companies not delivering on time.

Helen Price thanked Members and stated that she felt it was good to have a way to feedback to them.

MAGNA CARTA CELEBRATIONS

The Chairman welcomed Mrs Lenton to the meeting and invited her to address the Forum.

Mrs Lenton explained that she had provided a briefing note and list of events planned for the celebration of Magna Carta in 2015 which could be found on the RBWM website.

Mrs Lenton informed everyone present that a steering group and a stakeholders group had been working very hard on the 800^th anniversary to ensure it all works seamlessly.

It was noted that the event would attract a lot of visitors from all over the world including a huge number of Americans.
Members were informed that on the 13 & 14 June 2015 there would be a flotilla of boats starting at Hurley and stopping just before Windsor on the Saturday evening then continuing to Runnymede on the Sunday. It was noted that 180 boats would stop at various points on the river which would provide commercial sponsorship opportunities. It was noted that a copy of the Magna Carta would be handed from boat to boat. The Chairman explained that the Royal Borough had engaged Thames Alive who organised the Diamond Jubilee flotilla.

Members were informed that there would be a number of pre-events – details of which could be found on the RBWM website.

It was noted that a range of competitions related to the event were being organised and opened up to all schools in the Royal Borough. The Chairman explained that the winners would have their work displayed in Windsor Castle.

Mrs Lenton explained that there would be LiberTeas taking places all over the Royal Borough where residents could bring picnics and mix with the local community to celebrate the event.

It was noted that a number of dinners and talks by experts if the Magna Carta would be taking place in the Royal Borough.

Members were informed that there would be a number of events taking place in Wraysbury details of which could be found on the RBWM website.

In the ensuing discussion the following points were noted:

• That there would be a two page spread in the Around the Royal Borough newsletter to highlight what was going on over this time period.
• It was suggested that a synopsis of the two page spread be made into a leaflet and made available in the Guildhall Museum, in the booking office and on-line.
• Mrs Lenton was congratulated on her hard work with regard to the celebrations and for helping to raise awareness with the younger population.

The Chairman thanked Mrs Lenton for attending the meeting and addressing the Forum.

AIR QUALITY IN WINDSOR

The Environmental Protection Officer, Feliciano Cirimele, gave Members a short presentation on the air quality in Windsor. The presentation covered the following areas:

o Local Air Quality Management.
o Nitrogen Dioxide.
o Nitrogen Dioxide Monitoring.
o PM10 (fine particles).
o Windsor AQMA.
o Arthur Road AQ modelling.
o St Leonards / Imperial Road AQMA.
o Annual Mean Concentrations from Automatic Monitoring Sites in Windsor and Maidenhead.
o Trends in Annual Mean Concentrations from Diffusion Tube Sites – Windsor AQMA.
o Trends in Annual Mean Concentrations from Diffusion Tube Sites – Imperial / St Leonards Road Junction AQMA.
o The AQAP and the LTP.
o Conclusions.

In the ensuing discussion the following points were noted:

• That the 2014 data would be available at the end of April / early May once it had been collated.
• The Vice-Chair stated that she would like to see an increase in tree planting to help reduce emissions. Members were informed that evergreen trees were often planted to act as a barrier.
• That the increase of Nitrogen Dioxide levels in 2013 could be down to fluctuations that happen from time to time. The Team Leader - Environmental Protection, Chris Nash, explained that readings were fed into the transport plan and monitored for residents. It was noted that the Council worked with other teams and external companies to help mitigate the effects.
• That the transport plan and full action plan could all be found on the RBWM website.
• Councillor Fido raised a concern that so many local schools were on the fringe or in the red areas on the plan - It was requested that efforts be made to help shield these schools from poisonous gases. The Chairman stated that parents driving to and from the school were also contributing to the pollution.
• The Team Leader - Environmental Protection stated that the Council encouraged all schools and businesses in the Borough to look at the travel plans and find a way of reducing the levels of traffic. Members were informed that schools and businesses were also encouraged to install electric charging points in their car parks.
• That the Borough did not suffer from the one-hour mean problem.
• That the Council was looking to install additional electric charging points in the Borough, in addition to the charging point it already had for fleet vehicles.
• That whilst the flight paths did not directly add to the pollution levels travelling to and from the airports did increase levels.
• That there was a monitoring site in Eton.
• That Datchet used to be monitored but the results were found to be very low.
• Helen Price informed Members that she had stopped cycling through hot spots and felt that an M3/M4 link was really needed.
• Helen Price informed Members that she believed a Park & Ride in Windsor should be re-looked at.
• It was suggested that silver beech trees be planted in the place of fountains to help soak up pollution.
• It was suggested that traffic be re-routed from around Goslar Way to around the park to prevent hot spots.

The Chairman thanked the Environmental Protection Officer for attending the meeting and addressing the Forum by way of a thorough presentation.

FLY-POSTING ADVERTS FOR WINDSOR ON ICE

Streetcare Officer, Graham Matthews, informed Members that fly-posting was illegal under the Town and Country Official Act and of the 53 enquiries received since 01/01/2014, 4 related to Windsor /on Ice. Members were informed that fairs and circuses were allowed to put up posters 14 days prior to an event and had to remove them 7 days after the event had closed.

The Streetcare Officer went onto explain that there various hotspots in the Royal Borough and that fly posting was usually reported by Inspectors, Community Wardens and residents. It was noted that the Windsor Triathlon had been charged in excess of £500 to cover the cost of sand blasting the painted signs off the roads in the Borough. A number of example posters / signs were shown to everyone present – these signs included dog walker posters, Eton Brewery posters, Harte & Garter signs, film location signs and the odd Royal Borough sign informing people of improvement work that had taken place.

In the ensuing discussion the following points were noted:

• That fly-posting on highways, which was what Windsor on Ice had done, could be considered dangerous as it caused a distraction to drivers. It was noted that Cities on Ice had been charged £390 for the removal of approximately 130 posters.
• That a poster advertising a valentines fair could still be seen on Kings Road roundabout, to the left of Osbourne Road.
• That fly-posting should be reported to streetcare@rbwm.gov.uk or via customer services.
• Windscreen littering was not something the Streetcare Officer was responsible for.
• That kill your speed signs were removed by the Council when they got ‘tatty’. Councillor Fido requested clarification from the Streetcare Officer that statutory speed signs were not removed as did not want the removal of such signs to be a defence for speeding drivers. It was agreed that clarification would be sought outside the meeting.
• That on-line community forums were not regularly monitored by the Streetcare Team.

The Chairman thanked the Streetcare Officer for attending the meeting and addressing the forum

A.O.B.

Current & future plans for the Leisure Centre
The Chairman explained that an officer was not present to address this late item request due to the short notice, but that Members would try to update everyone present the best they could.

The Vice-Chair in her capacity as Lead Member for Leisure and Libraries explained that the change over from Windsor and Maidenhead to Legacy Leisure had resulted in a large amount of problems / delays with regard to data transferring onto Legacy Leisure’s modern system (known as Gladstone). It was noted whilst this delay had made renewing memberships a bit tricky the problem had since been resolved. The Vice-Chair explained that the range of memberships from Legacy Leisure had also been of concern. It was noted that a number of the Royal Borough protected and safeguarded memberships had not been made available. The Vice-Chair explained that a discounted swimming pass for pensioners had been agreed and SMILE (So Much Improvement with a Little Exercise) would be charged at the same renewal rate (giver or take IPR). The Vice-Chair informed everyone present that Legacy Leisure had given the Royal Borough a net income of £440k.

The Vice-Chair explained that Head of Leisure Services, Kevin Mist, would be monitoring standards throughout the twenty year contract which had a 10 year break clause if needed. The Vice-Chair assured everyone present that the crèche at the leisure centre was simply being refurbished and was not due to be closed.

It was noted that Advantage Card holders would still receive a discount at the leisure centre.

Feedback from the Windsor and Eton Town Manager, Paul Roach
A resident explained that he was having difficulty getting a response from the Windsor & Eton Town Manager after having made contact with him twice. The Chairman apologised on the Windsor & Eton Town Managers behalf and suggested that in future Ward Councillors in on future emails so they could chase a response, if necessary, on resident’s behalves. The Chairman agreed to raise this concern with the Windsor & Eton Town Manager.

Outstanding issues request
A resident requested that a log of outstanding issues be produced for future meetings.

It was requested that the Windsor & Eton Town Manager respond to Mr G Williams as to whether it would be viable to re-instate the Charter Market.

Plaques to encourage walking
It was noted that the location of the 63 plaques around Windsor which encouraged people to walk around the Town could be downloaded off the web and it was noted that a book about this subject was also being printed.

Dates of future meetings and copies of the agenda
The Chairman informed everyone present that the date of the next meeting would be in approximately three months time. It was noted that once the future meetings dates had been approved they would be added to the RBWM website. The Chairman explained that if hard copies of the agenda were required contact should be made with Democratic Services.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

It was noted that the dates of the next meetings were to be confirmed.

Any items suggestions for the next meeting were requested to be emailed to the Chairman (Cllr.Airey@rbwm.gov.uk) and / or the Clerk (tanya.leftwich@rbwm.gov.uk).

MEETING

The meeting, which began at 6.30pm, ended at 8.20pm.