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GHRA Meetings

Minutes of GHRA Meeting 19th October 2017

Galley Hill Residents Association

Minutes: Committee meeting #7Thursday, 19th October (18:45) Small Meeting Place

We built this city….!

  1. Welcome and H&S – Done
  2. Apologies – Paul Bartlett, Debbie X, Paul F and Peter Barry
  3. Formal approval of previous minutes
    1. Done
    2. Minor Changes (New Vice Chair elected not selected)
  4. Items for Discussion
    1. Financial update
      1. Tree carving (£1,500 grant received)
      2. Events (£400 grant received)
        1. £80 will go to insurance for events from this (100 people in SMP)
        2. What will be the first event we run?
          1. GHRA 1 year anniversary (November)
          2. Christmas Carols
          3. Summer event (but next year)
          4. Disco
      3. Coffee morning (£30)
      4. Possible donation via Liz Gifford (£300)
        1. Suggestions for use include: (1) newsletter sponsorship; (2) mural for Galley Hill’s History around the Large Meeting Place; (3) official stamp for GHRA; (4) other suggestions welcome
      5. In the pipeline:  £400 (outcome unknown currently)
    2. Tree carving
      1. Carving has not yet happened; Sally will talk to School about finalising a plan; tree-carver has shown images of similar work
      2. Likely to be started in half-term
      3. An offcut will be donated as a timeline plaque for the school
      4. Publicity around this (newspaper, newsletter, Town Crier, Look East, photos)
    3. Communication
      1. Response to emails: Complaint
        1. We are not replying to email apparently
        2. Please response quickly.
        3. Copying everyone on the committee in helps avoid problems if one person misses it.
      2. Noose
        1. Hasn’t been printed this month due to lack of sponsor
        2. Committee agrees that if no comments on a draft are received in 7 days, the newsletter will go to print.
        3. Court reps will now also be added to the editorial circulation list for checking the newsletter.
      3. This month the noose will be paid for by GHRA as there is no sponsor.  (Approval was also granted to pay for a second unsponsored newsletter)
    4. Anti-Social Behaviour
      1. Incidents have been reported.
      2. Paul Bartlett has been looking into this. Suggestion made that all parties involved work together to promptly resolve rather than passing problem from one to the other.
    1. Neighbourhood Watch

Milton Keynes Neighbourhood Watch invited scheme co-ordinators to their AGM in the Civic Offices on Saturday the 14th of October.

DPT attended and saw presentations from Chief Inspector Neil Kentish TVP and MKCouncil Safer MK http://www.safermk.com/ Colin Wilderspin

MKNHW want to expand within communities and SaferMK want to incorporate Community resilience.

Colin Harmsworth of JCAC (who also attending the meeting) has asked GHRA if he can attend our next public meeting to introduce this charity and its aims as they intend to provide community training that will help community resilience.

DPT also attended meeting in Wolverton on Tuesday evening to see a new Community Forum being introduced by TVP. The purpose of the Community Forum is to bring together, at a local level, the right organisations and members of the public to tackle the top community safety priorities identified through consultation.

      1. MK NW AGM attended by David – There was a discussion of crime in MK
      2. There is interest in having a community disaster planning
      3. Training may be available for First Responders – there will be a presentation about this at GHRA’s next (November) GHRA.
    1. GHRA Official Response
      1. To Peter Marland – MK Council says that the parish council must do the work instead.  It was agreed that a reply needs to be drafted.  GHRA and Mick and Paul should be obviously copied in on our reply.  GHRA would like to express their displeasure with this disengagement.
      2. To SSTC Town Hall (Council Offices) Refurbishments – it is understood that the £290k cost is to be covered by the parish council; there is concern that this cost will be passed onto local residents via an increase in local tax rates.  A vote was carried for GHRA to send a letter to the parish council stating that there is ‘concern about possible impact on increasing local tax rates’.
    2. Inspiring involvement of more GH residents
      1. Give gifts to children at Christmas with GHRA info on to raise awareness.  200 children at South Site School.  Ideas include pens, pencils, book marks,
      2. Christmas carol event may raise profile of GH and our residents association.
      3. Possible future NAG (Neighbourhood Action Group) may be set up.
      4. Do we want to run a survey?
  2. AOB
    1. Estate maintenance
      1. GHRA and Pastor K to look into talking to the council on having maintenance.
    2. Event: 1st Anniversary Party at Conservative Club – Mick to organise.  Some level of ticketing (can be free) to confirm numbers will be needed.
    3. Event:  Carol Singing (check doesn’t clash with SS Church).  Look into police permission.
    4. Notice board (Thursday 8:30 a.m.) will actually be moved.
  3. Next Meeting
    1. 16th November
GHRA Meetings

GHRA Meeting Report Thursday 15th June 2017

The first thing to say about the meeting was that everyone was pleased to see Mick Allsopp there. For those who don’t know already, our local councillor and outgoing vice chair of Galley Hill Residents association, Mick, had another heart attack a couple of weeks ago and was hospitalised. He has once again bounced back and was in tremendous form for the meeting, so much so that at one point several of us were concerned at his level of enthusiasm and tried to get him to settle back for fear of further setbacks!

The meeting had an uncertain start as the small meeting place hall was filled with another group of people, eventually an executive decision was taken to use the kitchen area for our meeting as we weren’t expecting a huge number to attend as it was a committee meeting. That was also a bit of a misjudgement as several court reps also turned up, which despite the cramped conditions was very welcome as it shows the people of Galley Hill do care and the Residents Association does have strong support.

The meeting started with the usual H&S blurb about fire exits and evacuation etcetera, then moved swiftly to the Any Other Business portion of the proceedings to get that set aside quickly.  The items discussed were

  • the new application for a License to sell alcohol by the Peri Peri take away in Barford
  • Antisocial behaviour in several of the local courts and any action which could help to settle disputes
  • Neighbourhood watch scheme which has been enthusiastically received
  • Concerns over the possibility of Galley Hill becoming a listed area
  • Stony Stratford Town Council rate increase and if they go unchallenged does this pave the way for ever larger increases?
  • The possibility of other Councillors representing Galley Hill turning up to meetings and being more visible to the people they represent. (the point at which Mick Allsopp became worryingly vocal and passionate giving us all cause for concern)

The committee has also recognised that more could be done between meetings to speed up some decisions by using email and smaller meetings to discuss and action some of the more minor details. Motorcycle noise, vulnerable residents and security cameras were also briefly discussed with more in depth discussion to follow.

The reason it had been decided to move AOB to the front and get it put to bed as quickly as possible so the matter of raising issues at the upcoming SSTC meeting could be discussed. This is important as it is the residents chance to grab the attention of the local Council and get any problems aired with a view to getting some assurances of action from the Council. 3 people are to stand up and state the case for the following issues to be addressed:

  1. Adam to speak on the issue of trees needing cutting back and leaves being left on the ground creating a slip hazard in the Autumn.
  2. Debbie to bring up the poor maintenance of the pathways and Red Routes around GH
  3. Nyomie to speak on behalf of Mrs Reidy on poor waste management by neighbours in the area leaving rubbish bags out at the wrong times.

Following the organisation of these much appreciated volunteers we moved on to the possibility of a disco taking place in September. So far we are in agreement that this needs planning but we need funds to purchase the necessary public liability insurance to cover the event. Once again Dave has pulled together an issue of the Newsletter which will be printed and delivered soon. Speed limits and dealing with those who blatantly disregard them was also discussed along with some possible alternatives to speed bumps to slow down repeat offenders but not inconvenience everyone in the area.

Full details will be available in the minutes which will be posted soon but we did have a little time to discuss that the GHRA is now recognised by the MK Council and we have been added to the list of Residents Associations on their website. The next meeting will be on 20th July 2017, two days after the SSTC meeting, both of which will be held in the small meeting place above the shop and which we would like as many residents of Galley Hill to attend.

As always, thanks for your support.
The Committee Of The Galley Hill Residents Association.