The Forum shall receive any apologies for absence.

The Chair, Councillor Carpenter, welcomed everyone to the meeting. Forum members then

introduced themselves.

No apologies for absence were received.

Forum members are asked to declare any interests that they may have.

No interests were declared.

The Forum is to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 9^th November 2023 as a true and accurate record.

The Chair reminded attendees that the Forum meeting originally scheduled in January 2024 was cancelled due to flooding taking place at this time.

The Chair went through the actions from the last meeting:

Outstanding actions:

·       Paul Roach to investigate information on any improvements to lantern lights in Windsor.

Councillor W. Da Costa raised that the previous minutes should include an action on Andrew Durrant, Executive Director of Place Services, opening the coach park to improve access from the Footbridge to The Arches to save walking distance as well as facilitate businesses under The Arches.

Councillor A. Tisi, Vice-Chair, replied that she brought the subject to attention to Andrew Durrant to consider, elaborating that it would be part of a wider view of place making and routes through Windsor. She was not certain on what Andrew Durrant would present at a Forum meeting. Councillor W. Da Costa responded that there was money potentially available from the Gateway to Windsor Fund and would like him to come to the Forum to elaborate about the proposition of opening such a route. The Chair suggested Councillor A. Tisi could ask about it.

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY: That the minutes of the meetings held on 9^th November 2023 were a true and accurate record.

To receive a presentation on flooding and emergency response from Ben Crampin, Principal Flood Risk Manager, Chris Joyce, Assistant Director of Placemaking Partnerships and Sustainability, and Carolyn Richardson, Service Manager – Joint Emergency Planning Unit.

Chris Joyce, Assistant Director of Placemaking Partnerships and Sustainability, informed that it was only himself and Carolyn Richardson, Service Manager – Joint Emergency Planning Unit, attending the meeting as Ben Crampin, Principal Flood Risk Manager, was presenting this item at Maidenhead Town Forum on the next day.

Chris Joyce informed that the presentation was to outline the roles and responsibilities which the Council had in relation to flooding and emergency responses in backdrop of the flooding event in January 2024.

The Borough had two key roles within flooding and incident response. The first is being the Lead Local Flood Authority which included the following responsibilities:

·       Maintain a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy,

·       Being the relevant authority for surface water and groundwater flooding,

·       Investigate flooding events,

·       A consultee on planning applications, such as new homes and business proposals to ensure they were not increasing flood risk,

·       Maintain RBWM-owned drainage systems,

·       Ensure riparian owners on ordinary water course were maintaining their responsibilities.

The second role from RBWM was its responsibilities in Emergency Planning which encompassed:

·       Review risks in the area,

·       Prepare plans relating to these risks, such as Adverse Weather Plan, which was implemented during the recent flooding event,

·       Undertake training and exercising with the Council and with multi-agency partners to ensure preparedness,

·       Support information sharing and engagement to help the public and community groups prepare for emergencies,

·       Work with Parish Council and local groups to help create community plans and encourage flood resilience, including property-level protection.

The Environment Agency (EA) were the Strategic Flooding Authority who had the following responsibilities:

·       Strategic oversight, including modelling for flood risk and maintaining a National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy,

·       Relevant authority for Fluvial Flood Risk, notably flooding from the River Thames,

Thames Water were the Sewerage Provider, who were responsible for:

·       Managing and maintaining the public sewer network,

·       Being the relevant authority for Sewage flooding.

During an emergency response, the relevant aforementioned authorities work in a multi-agency environment. After the Cabinet Office had set up Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR), the Borough would establish the following structure:

·       At gold level, a Mult-Agency Strategic Coordinating Group (SCG) and a Strategic Emergency Management Team (SEMT),

·       At silver level, the Mult-Agency Tactical Coordinating Group (TCG) and an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC),

·       At bronze level, Multi-Agency Operational Coordinating Group and a Reception/Rest/Humanitarian Assistance Centre etc.

The Borough was in the process of developing a new Local Flood Risk Management Strategy, with the current one having been published in 2014 and thus requiring an update to bring it in line with current policy and to ensure it was line with current local flood risk (defined as surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses).

The new strategy would include:

·       Identification of Risk Management Authorities and their roles,

·       Known flood risk in the Borough,

·       Aims and objectives to mitigate local flood risk,

·       Action Plans detailing how these objectives would be achieved.

The strategy would be developed into a multi-agency document with other risk management agencies, Town Forums and Parish Councils  ...  view the full minutes text for item 330.

To receive an update from Chris Joyce, Assistant Director of Placemaking Partnerships and Sustainability, on the Vision for Windsor.

NOTE: This item follows up from Vision for Windsor being discussed in previous Forum meetings:

·          ‘Vision for Windsor’ – Meeting on 19^th September 2023

·          ‘The Windsor Vision’ – Meeting on 20^th March 2023

Chris Joyce first off informed that he had taken feedback from the last time Vision for Windsor was presented at the Forum, namely what the Windsor Vision entailed and further details on the project. He added that he would welcome a discussion on the next steps and priorities.

Giving the context, Chris Joyce explained that the Vision for Windsor, adopted by Cabinet in February 2023, was a high vision statement which involved a lot of community and stakeholder engagement. While the intention was to move the project to the delivery phase following the adoption by Cabinet, this had been put on hold as the new administration focused on setting a balanced budget for the financial year 2024-25.

Chris Joyce explained the vision statements. The overall vision statement was “[a]n attractive, thriving and welcoming town for the local and global community”, balancing out the recognition of the Windsor brand as a world class visitor destination as well as the impact on the local community. The five Vision Statements were:

•       Transport and movement: “Develop sustainable, convenient & affordable options to travel into Windsor town centre.”

•       Built environment: “Protect and enhance the heritage, character and identity of Windsor.”

•       Natural environment: “Promote, activate and improve access to the natural assets and resources.”

•       Local community: “Create a thriving local economy of business and community partnerships that benefit from Windsor’s global brand.”

•       Global community: “Deliver a world-class visitor experience supported by a diverse and resilient hospitality industry.”

Chris Joyce then went through each strategy area, their action points and any developments taking place for them.

For Gateways and Arrivals:

1)    Develop satellite parking sites – Recognising the difficulty in providing sufficient parking in the Town Centre and investigate whether satellite parking sites around the town edges could be developed.

2)    Celebrate Arrival into Windsor – Belief that the vehicle routes into Windsor were not giving a welcome.

o   Maintenance works on the Coach park footbridge and lifts (with some funding from the Welcome to Windsor project).

o   Surface car parking improvements, including resurfacing, relining and signage improvements.

o   Welcome signage at entry points.

3)    Invest in improving transport connections – Investigate improving public transport connections, recognising the changing travel patterns which affect the bus and trains.

o   Bus enhanced partnership meetings established to engage with bus operators.

4)    Encourage a shift in active travel – Implement the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) in Windsor as well as consider accessibility and movement around Windsor.

o   Stovell Road/Barry Avenue scheme, promoting active travel investments.

o   Windsor Leisure cycle parking hub

o   Improve crossing points at Thames Street/Datchet Road junction.

o   Windsor Great cycle link.

For Town Centre Movement:

5)    Discourage unnecessary vehicle movement and through-traffic in the Town Centre – Investigate options on where to prioritise traffic and movement of people.

6)    Improve cycling and walking connections – Focus on movement around Windsor.

o   Stovell Road/Barry Avenue scheme.

o   Improve crossing points at Thames Street/Datchet Road junction.

o   Update wayfinding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 331.

To receive an update from Thames Valley Police.

PC Matt Gleave, Neighbourhood Officer for Windsor East, Datchet, Horton, Wraysbury and Old Windsor (Thames Valley Police, TVP), firstly informed that he was assigned to the meeting at the last minute. Starting off by giving the crime statistics in the last three months:

·       Windsor East: antisocial behaviour (ASB), 12; business burglary, 1; residential burglary, 8; criminal damage, 22; theft from vehicle, 13; theft of vehicle, 8; and theft of pedal cycle, 2.

·       Windsor West (including Dedworth and Clewer): antisocial behaviour (ASB), 14; business burglary, 2; residential burglary, 11; criminal damage, 18; theft from vehicle, 20; theft of vehicle, 16; and theft of pedal cycle, 2.

·       Windsor Central: antisocial behaviour (ASB), 12; business burglary, 6; residential burglary, 9; criminal damage, 29; theft from vehicle, 19; theft of vehicle, 7; and theft of pedal cycle, 10.

·       Town Centre: Shoplifting, 51.

The Chair raised that she had seen a large amount of graffiti everywhere from Clewer East to Clewer and Dedworth East and West in the last month; and when she reported it to TVP, they responded that they could not do anything. She asked what could be done. PC Matt Gleave replied that graffiti should still be reported to TVP as it allowed them to record them and build a picture of where its most prevalent. Graffiti was still nevertheless considered criminal damage.

Richard, a resident, asked to what extent had crimes had been resolved. PC Matt Gleave replied that Land Rovers and Jaguar cars were particularly targeted for theft whereby organised gangs exploited vulnerabilities in the car design and would often then dismantle them for parts. He anticipated that many were sent to a chop shop in Slough, which was revealed to be the largest chop shop in the UK. Some stolen vehicles were retrieved due to having trackers attached on them.

When Richard asked how many vehicles were recovered, PC Matt Gleave replied that he did not know the specific number, but it was a high percentage for stolen vehicles. Richard then asked if any statistics get published, stating that a neighbour of his was waiting for their stolen vehicle to be recovered; by which PC Matt Gleave replied that this was not the case and that the crime statistics were based on reported crimes which were ongoing.

Nigel Griffin critically commented that the Forum were not doing police/crime updates properly, namely crime data not being published in advance of the meeting and being assigned to an officer at the last minute, and asked whether the Chair would notify TVP on the format of updates. The Chair responded that there was no desire for a lengthy presentation for the meeting due to receiving many presentations already, but nevertheless suggested that the format could be improved upon.

PC Matt Gleave highlighted that the TVP website gave details of crime within specific areas, including an illustrative map.

Sarah Walker raised that there was an announcement before the May 2023 local elections of 4 new police officers being recruited and asked what  ...  view the full minutes text for item 332.

To receive a presentation from Danny Gomm, Family Hub Manager (Achieving for Children, AfC), on the Family Hub Service in Windsor.

Danny Gomm, Family Hub Manager (Achieving for Children, AfC) gave an overview of the Family Hub Service in Windsor.

The Family Hub Service was launched on 1^st May 2021 through the merging of Children's Centres, Youth Service, Family Resilience and Parenting Service to form the Hub. While the Family Hub sat within the Early Help service, it supported children, young people and families on statutory plans, such as social interventions like child need plans or child protection plans. The work was focussed on supporting targeted families across the age range of 0-19 years, but also focussed up to 25 years-of-age if the young people had learning difficulties and/or disabilities or was a care leaver. A majority of staff were divided into 2 main hubs (Windsor and Maidenhead). Despite this, the teams were not restricted to working with families in their area. There were also the Families Together Service, which worked to stop children from going into care and keep them in their families or return them to their families if they were already in care.

There were two hubs/buildings within Windsor, with the main building being the Windsor Family Hub (near the Police Station and Holiday Inn). The Hub provided parenting groups and 1-1 support for children, young people and parent groups and a safe space for young people (e.g., pool tables, kitchen). It was also used by community groups who paid a fee as well as AfC partnership services like the Domestic Abuse Charity. The Manor was another building used by the Family Hub to meet families, deliver services and be used by community groups. Contrastingly, unlike the Family Hub building, it was not open from 9:00am-5:00pm for families to drop in.

Chris Caughey, Family Hub Lead (AfC), gave an overview of what was on offer from the Family Hub Service in Windsor. For children/young people, service offers included:

·       Esteem Project to help young people who were struggling with their emotions, self-esteem self-confidence and social isolation by building their confidence, give them experiences, meet and make friends and encourage them to join clubs.

·       Educational workshops across schools in Windsor and the Borough, covering Child Criminal Exploitation, Child Sexual Exploitation, Substance Misuse, Digital World and Safety, Realities of Pornography, and Youth Violence.

·       BREATHE program to support young people experiencing parental conflict and domestic abuse.

·       Youth Participation Groups, such as the Girls Forum and Youth Council, with regular meetings and one-off events.

·       Positive activities for children in care during weekends and holidays, such as meeting other children in care groups from other local authorities.

For parents, service offers included:

·       SPACE support group to support parents and carers’ emotions, and Triple P support parenting strategies.

·       Baby Massage (Datchet and eventually Windsor and Ascot) which provided a 6-week health check as well as help with parent-child bonding.

The FUEL holiday activity and food programme which offered children who claimed free school meals activities and food during Easter and Christmas holidays.

The Family Hub had community links with local charities and organisations, providing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 333.

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

Paul Roach, Windsor and Eton Town Centre Manager, presented his Town Manager update. Beginning with the monthly footfall count in Peascod Street in February 2024, he informed that there had been a significant drop in footfall in the last few years by 8.7% year on year. Meanwhile, there was a decline in 5.5% in terms of the year to date. Paul Roach stated that this trend was reflective across Windsor. While Windsor Town Centre fared better across south-east England, it fared worse compared to across the UK, describing it as unusual. He speculated that the reasons include February 2024 being the wettest month on record as well as a limit on disposable income amongst visitors in midst of the cost-of-living crisis. Another likely reason was the refurbishment works at the Coach Park, which affected the movement and therefor causing footfall counts to be measured differently, as well as refurbishment works of the car park at Windsor Yards.

Overall, while Windsor had experienced a good footfall over the last 12 months, January and February 2024 had experienced a drop. Paul Roach informed that the Windsor Town Team would stop comparing new footfall statistics with those from 2019 (pre-Covid pandemic), instead statistics would be compared in the last three-to-four years.

Car parking followed a similar trend to footfall: a drop in car parking usage in the Town Centre had dropped in January 2024 by 9%. Meanwhile, coach parking had seen a steady increase, which Paul Roach added that an increase was expected in 2024-25 due to countries reopening after the Covid pandemic and thus tourists would start to pour in.

In terms of vacancy rates, Paul Roach reported that the rates in Windsor and Eton had remained stable at 9.4% since Christmas 2023 with Windsor not losing many businesses. The only vacated unit in the last month was Leo Mancini; meanwhile in the same period, Mango had been opened. The units which were in development and were about to open were Trailfinders in the old 24 High Street unit (formerly Cath Kidston), Build-a-Bear in the old jewel unit, a likely restaurant in the former Halifax bank unit, a Karen Millen unit, and several units in Windsor Royal Station.

Paul Roach mentioned that he regularly talked to agents representing the various units around Windsor. He stated that there was a potential offer on the Harte and Garter Hotel after a long period of it being empty.

Moving forward, the Council had changed the way it collected data on visitor numbers in the Town Centre by using Visitor Insights, which tracked visitors by picking up GPS devices like phones, tablets, and smartwatches. This allowed the Windsor Town Management Team to collect more sophisticated and granular visitor data for the whole of the Town Centre rather than only on Peascod Street. The system also provided information on where visitors had come from, visits to specific buildings, dwell time, and a break down by day and time.

Paul Roach informed that the Council had funding for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 334.

Residents and Forum members are invited to make suggestions on agenda items for future Forum meetings and ask any questions that they may have.

John Holland asked whether the Aviation Forum would be revitalised. Councillor Knowles answered that an email had been circulated which announced the date of the next meeting: Tuesday 23^rd April 2024 at 7:00pm at York House, Windsor. John Holland elaborated that the new Chief Executive of Heathrow announced that he wanted to make Heathrow Airport more efficient (theorising that it meant increasing the number of flights) and thus suggested that someone from Heathrow attend the Forum and explain what this meant. Councillor Knowles informed that the intention of the revived Aviation Forum was to ensure Heathrow Airport was better engaged as well as the Forum being more resident-led.

Nigel Griffin stated that a tourist tax had been imposed in Paris. Referring to the financial situation of the Borough, he wondered whether a tourist tax could be considered. Councillor A. Tisi responded that a tourist tax could not be imposed in England (like with Paris), but she added that a semi-voluntary ‘tourist tax’ could be applied, such as a business improvement district, which officers were considering. The Chair added that she believed that this scheme was taking place in Manchester and Liverpool.

Highlighting that the meeting had been going on for a couple of hours, John Bowden suggested that resident questions should be placed first rather than receiving presentations and updates from Council officers and then alleged that Councillor questions were being answered rather the residents. He then expressed disapproval at the management of the Aviation Forum, namely the fact that no meeting had taken place in a long time in spite of a major airport nearby affecting Windsor, alleging that it was a failure of the current administration. The Chair responded that the Aviation Forum was being addressed and countered that she usually asked residents for their questions first before receiving questions from Councillors. Councillor Knowles added that a consultation had taken place after the May 2023 local elections and that there was much activity taking place at Heathrow, thus making it crucial to revive the Aviation Forum.

John Bowden then stated that there was the Community for the Independent Scrutiny of Heathrow which he attended in October 2023 and that a Borough Councillor from Maidenhead attended as well but the responsible Councillor for the Aviation Forum did not attend. Stating that no one attended these Community meetings, he asserted that it was a failure of the Lead (Cabinet) Member.

Highlighting that there had been a maximum increase in Council Tax over the years (in spite of repetitive assertions of low Council Tax) as well as an increase in parking fees, Sarah Walker asked whether the Councillors in attendance were concerned about the impact of parking. In addition, she asked whether the budget included any income generating opportunities which were missed, alleging that the Borough were charging residents without investigating alternative solutions to raise funds. The Chair replied that the answers may have to be investigated and then presented at the next Forum meeting.

Sarah Walker reiterated her  ...  view the full minutes text for item 335.

To note that all future meetings to be held in-person at York House, Windsor on the following dates at 6.30pm:

·       8th May 2024

The Forum noted that the next meeting would be held on 8^th May 2024 at 6:30pm at York House, Windsor.

The subsequent meeting dates (all 6:30pm) were:

·       23 July 2024

·       18 September 2024

·       26 November 2024

·       28 January 2025

·       18 March 2025

·       13 May 2025