Agenda and minutes

Venue: Virtual Meeting - Online access

Contact: If you have any questions about this meeting, including any opportunity for public participation, please contact Fatima Rehman (Phone: 01628 796251 Email: fatima.rehman@rbwm.gov.uk) 

Video Stream: Click here to watch this meeting on YouTube

Items
No. Item

169.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

To receive apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Paul Roach, Windsor Town Manager.

 

170.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST pdf icon PDF 219 KB

To declare any Declarations of Interest.

Minutes:

Councillor Price declared a personal interest in the ‘Windsor Neighbourhood Plan’ item, as she was a member of the steering group for the organisation.

171.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 341 KB

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting.

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2020 be approved, subject to the following change in the former minutes:

  • “Councillor Davies said she was pleased that the concentration of NO2 was declining but noticed the numbers were adjusted to account the distance to the nearest residential property.”

 

Councillor Davey asked for an opportunity to discuss the second tranche of group funding raised by Councillor Price in the last Forum meeting, due to its timeliness with the current Active Travel Measures consultation. The Chairman said it could be discussed later in the meeting.

The Chairman informed Members of progress on actions arising from the previous minutes:

ACTION FROM LAST MEETING

Update

David Scott agreed to ask colleagues who were involved to inform Councillor Davey of the grant size for home charging point for electric cars.

 

David Scott, Head of Communities, said Sue Fox, Principal Commissioning Officer, was to provide the details to Councillor Davey. As the information was not provided, David Scott would chase for the update.

ACTION: Sue Fox to inform Councillor Davey of the grant size for home charging point for electric cars.

Danny Gomm to share details for the Girl’s Policy Forum with Councillor Tisi.

Completed.

The comparison of response rates from other consultations open at the same time as the WTC consultation to be shared

The Borough does not have a central consultation officer; therefore, it would not be possible to provide a comparison.

 

 

Councillor Price asked if timings would be placed on agenda items to progress the meeting, and the Chairman said this would be attempted. Councillor Price asked if the Chairman had contacted residents Claire Milne, John Bastow and Matthew Scott to facilitate the Forum, and the Chairman said he did not have any discussions.

172.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

Minutes:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the order of business as detailed in the agenda be varied.

173.

Thames Valley Police Update pdf icon PDF 337 KB

To receive the above item.

Minutes:

Inspector Tracey Croucher, Thames Valley Police (TVP), introduced the item and said residential burglaries were down, except in Windsor West. This was due to the lockdown restrictions and residents being home.

 

Theft from motor vehicles was also down due to COVID-19, with cars safely in garages or driveways. It was requested to not leave valuables on display in cars. It was advised to double check cars were locked, to not leave a car turned on unattended and to defrost cars for greater visibility.

 

Business burglary had increased due to empty premises, and an increase of patrols were taking place around these premises.

 

Vaccine centres were patrolled daily. The number of COVID-19 related incidents in the borough that were attended (including gatherings, house parties, not wearing face masks) were:

-       81 between 6-12 January 2021

-       82 between 13-19 January 2021

-       61 between 20-26 January 2021

 

The number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued related to COVID-19 incidents were:

-       8 between 6-12 January 2021

-       24 between 13-19 January 2021

-       13 between 20-26 January 2021

 

Incidences had increased since Christmas 2020, which was taking up both officer time and resources. FPNs would only be issued if there was a breach of legislation and there were repeat offence locations such as the Long Walk. The Crown Estate and residents requested for more police patrol.

 

Inspector Tracey Croucher said she was leaving her post in March 2021, and Inspector Mike Darrah was returning.

 

The Vice Chairman asked if there was a breakdown of FPNs and incidents within Windsor and what the most common offence was, and the Forum was informed that this Windsor breakdown would be circulated offline. The Form was informed the most repeated offence was gatherings and not wearing face masks indoors. 

 

ACTION: Inspector Tracey Croucher to share the number of FPNs and COVID-19 related incidents in Windsor offline.

 

Councillor Tisi asked if it was possible for the borough’s Communications team to increase messaging on social media in hotspot areas for COVID-19 related incidents, and the Forum was informed the TVP was working with the team to spread the message.

 

Councillor Tisi said she noticed anti-vaccination stickers on bins and asked how residents should report this. Inspector Tracey Croucher said the TVP should be informed and David Scott said the precise location of the stickers could be reported on the borough’s website to be removed.

 

Councillor Price said areas like the Long Walk that were advertised widely by the borough may attract non-residents and therefore should be reviewed. The Chairman specific posts of this nature could be referred to the Communications team. He said it was not just the borough’s posts, but social media at large that and individual posts that advertised local places.

 

Councillor Price asked if assaulted victims of crime had access to victim support services, and the Forum was informed that they were referred to services, with their consent. Victims First was the service for adult victims and another service for under 18s.

 

Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 173.

174.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

Minutes:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the order of business as detailed in the agenda be varied.

 

175.

Windsor Neighbourhood Plan

To discuss the above item.

Minutes:

Claire Milne, Windsor resident and Co-Chairperson of the Windsor Neighbourhood Plan (WNP), said the WNP draft plan was passed in January 2020 and went to Cabinet in December 2020. Under normal circumstances, after an examination, the decision notice would be issued within 6 weeks by the council; yet they were still awaiting the decision notice. Without a decision notice, planning decisions could be made without a reference to the WNP.

 

John Bastow, Windsor resident and Co-Chairperson of the Windsor Neighbourhood Plan (WNP), said there was uncertainty if the referendum on 6 May 2020 was still taking place due to COVID-19 and asked for any confirmation. Claire Milne said the referendum was already delayed from May 2019 and there may be important planning applications to come that residents may want a say in through the WNP.

 

(Adrien Waite, Head of Planning, joined the meeting.)

 

David Scott said whilst the referendum was scheduled for 6 May 2020, there was a majority view to delay the elections until there was a greater rollout of vaccinations and a reduction in asymptomatic carriers. The decision was yet to be made. Adrien Waite was apologetic about the delay in the decision notice and said it would be issued imminently.

 

Councillor Price said Cabinet praised the WNP due to its community engagement and investigative work. Councillor Hilton said that the WNP would have no weight in the planning process until it was adopted as a Neighbourhood Plan after the referendum. Adrien Waite said that once a formal notice to proceed to referendum was given, the WNP had a degree of weight in the planning process.

 

Councillor Hilton asked if the WNP would be available on the borough website once the decision notice was given and the Forum was informed this would take place. Claire Milne said special regulations ensured that any Neighbourhood Plans that had been delayed due to COVID-19 and had not been through the referendum were still given some weight in the planning process. Therefore, the decision notice was important.

 

The Panel noted the item.

176.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

Minutes:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the order of business as detailed in the agenda be varied.

177.

Town Manager Update pdf icon PDF 870 KB

To receive an update from Paul Roach, Windsor Town Manager.

Minutes:

The Chairman introduced the item and said the Small Business Saturday Campaign was launched and £4.6mn was delivered to small businesses via the business financial support. Car and coach parking and footfall were low due to the lack of tourists. There were vacant spaces in Windsor Yards, some shops had closed permanently, and the future was unknown. My Royal Borough and other campaigns had also been enrolled.

 

Councillors Tisi ad Price said My Royal Borough focussed on town centre business and requested for businesses in wider Windsor to be addresses as well. Councillor Price recommended businesses from her ward before Christmas 2020 for My Royal Borough and requested to have this reflected in the report going forward. The Vice Chairman said she encouraged businesses and ward counsellors to encourage local businesses to register on My Royal Borough to make it a stronger platform. 

 

ACTION: My Royal Borough to focus on businesses outside of Windsor town centre.

 

The Panel noted the item.

 

178.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

Minutes:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the order of business as detailed in the agenda be varied.

179.

Parking Strategy

To receive the above item.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Neil Walter, Parking Principal, introduced the item and said on 26 November 2020, the council adopted a 5-year strategic framework. Car travel remained the most prevalent form of transport in the borough and the strategy sought to minimise congestion, improve air quality, maximise the use of existing assets and support economic growth. The strategy was intended to be dynamic, with periodic reviews. In Windsor, the focus was on the upcoming removal of self-administered parking schemes, the removal of the majority of on-street pay and display parking machines, and the future review of residential schemes.

 

The Chairman said car parks had opened for resident parking due to lockdown restrictions. Councillor Cannon, Lead Member Public Protection and Parking, said any suggestions and observations were welcome.

 

John Webb, Windsor resident, said he wrote an email seeking clarity on what a minor amendment was, and Councillor Cannon said all ideas were welcome to be put forward. Matters could be raised in the Forum, brought forward by a ward Councillor, by the resident themselves or directly to Neil Walter. It would then be discussed if it was viable.

 

Councillor Knowles said parking charges were introduced by the government to control traffic and access to places, so prioritising revenue gain for charges was not good. He said the problem in Windsor was the high traffic flow and pollution on Arthur Road and suggested a park and ride scheme to control the visitor parking and access to town. It was also suggested that the Parking Strategy worked alongside the Transport Plan, and review how people travelled into Windsor. Councillor Price agreed that the Parking Strategy should be integrated with the public transport policy. Neil Walter said various plans had been considered for Arthur Road to help reduce congestion. The issue with park and ride was the lack of site available to execute.

 

Chris Holland, Windsor resident, asked for consideration to be given to making the York House car park available to the public from 5pm instead of the existing 7pm start time. He said the empty car pack could be used in the critical time, in accordance with the strategy to maximise the use of assets. Neil Walter said York House car park was managed though a property company and the current lease did not permit the use of the car park before 7pm. He would liaise to Chris Pearse, Head of Capital Projects and Asset Management, to see if there was a potential to change the lease.

 

ACTION: Neil Walter to liaise with Chris Pearse on changing the public parking time at York House.

 

Councillor Tisi asked if the season ticket model could be provided to residents who used car parks regularly, which would benefit the council due to the upfront or monthly income. Neil Walter said administrating the tickets would need to be reviewed and deciphering if the purchaser was a Windsor resident. The Council was currently considering RingGo, which did not collect the address of customers.

 

ACTION: Neil Walter to explore  ...  view the full minutes text for item 179.

180.

COVID-19 Update

To receive a presentation on the latest available information regarding to Covid-19.

Minutes:

David Scott introduced the COVID-19 epidemiology for RBWM report published by the Berkshire Public Health using data drawn from Public Health England. The report showed a comparison for the period between 14 to 20 January to the previous seven days. In the borough:

  • 446 individuals were tested per 100,000, the mid-range in comparison to other neighbouring Berkshire boroughs. This was on a reducing trend.
  • 12.8% individuals tested positive, which was a reducing trend.
  • 334 cases per 100,000 of all ages, which continued to drop to 302 on the date of the Forum.
  • 359 cases per 100,000 of over 60s cohort. The elder generation was the greatest strain on the NHS due to an increased risk with poorer outcomes and requiring longer term treatment.
  • Cases of COVID-19 increased in December 2020 in RBWM but were below the Southeast and England figures until mid-December 2020. The figures rose above these levels just before Christmas 2020, but as of 1 January 2021, cases dropped below the England and Southeast average once again.
  • Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury had the highest confirmed COVID-19 cases, and cases had increased in care homes and residential dwellings.
  • There was a rise in mortality rates and patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. If the current more recent trend of data continued, there was hope for a fall in the number of inpatients.
  • Data from 21 January 2021 showed reduced figures, and Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury had also improved. Clewer East had a higher rate of COVID-19 due to an outbreak in a care home.

 

Berkshire authorities submitted a proposal to set up a Lateral Flow Device Testing Centres (LFDTC), which were centres for the national programme to be executed at a community level. The results from the lateral flow device tests would be given in half an hour rather than several days. Should the proposal be approved, Braywick and Windsor leisure centres would become the centres for those who could not work from home and had contact with the public. They would receive two tests per week and could book in advance but if unable to use digital route they could turn up, but this would take longer to obtain the test. The centres would be open 7 days a week between 6am and 8pm during the weekdays and 10am to 4pm during the weekends.

 

A third of all positive COVID-19 were asymptomatic. If a test was positive, the individual would self-isolate and the details would be passed to the national track and trace system. The Contact Tracing and Advisory Service (CTAS) would make the initial contact; however, if unsuccessful, the Local Contact Tracing Service (LCTS) would follow-up. Set up in November 2020, the LCTS was where all those who were unable to be reached by the NHS were followed up. The number of daily referrals had increased to 25-30 referrals daily. It was hoped that residents would respond to a local number and there had been up to 50% in engagement of those referred from the national service.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 180.

181.

Windsor Town Council Update

To receive the above report.

Minutes:

Councillor Cannon introduced the item and said the next meeting was the day after the Forum, in which Members would make a final decision that would be brought to Cabinet in February 2020, to then be approved by Council and then progressed for  a consultation.

 

Councillor Price asked if the process was progressing as desired and the Forum was informed this was the case. Councillor Hilton said he recently joined the Group, the Members were working well together, and thanked Councillor Davies for her work.

 

The Panel noted the item.

 

182.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 111 KB

To consider the Forum’s work programme.

Minutes:

The Chairman gave Councillor Davey the opportunity to raise his points. Councillor Davey said the posters put up to reach residents who were impacted by the low traffic neighbourhood consultation were removed. The posters were paid by the council and those who removed them would be prosecuted. The Chairman said to take this matter offline.

 

Councillors Price and Davey proposed to have the current consultations item in the next meeting agenda, to update the residents. Councillor Knowles proposed the discussion on the Royal Borough Development Management Panel to also be considered as part of the consultation items.

 

Councillor Price requested for the Electric Charging Points and Housing of Multiple Occupations (HMO) Impact items be considered for the Work Programme. Councillor Davey said the lead officer was working on the electric charging points; therefore, this could be postponed. The Chairman asked what the HMO item was regarding, and Councillor Price said the insufficient parking space for the volume of cars in an area had a knock-off effect on neighbours. The Chairman said the item would be put onto the next meeting’s agenda.

 

Councillor Tisi asked for the Army Covenant Update item to be placed on the Programme. Councillor Knowles and the Vice Chairman said the guards were currently busy but would like to attend in future.

 

The Panel noted the item.

 

183.

Dates for future meetings

All future meetings to be held on the following dates (at 6.15pm):

·         24 March 2021

·         26 May 2021

Minutes:

All future meetings to be held on the following dates (at 6.15pm):

  • 24 March 2021
  • 26 May 2021

 

The Chairman thank all officers, Panel Members and residents.