To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Sultan Ali, Rashid, Sheerin and Zaman.

Members are required to declare any disclosable pecuniary, personal or personal and prejudicial interests they may have and the nature of those interests relating to items on this agenda and/or indicate if S106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.   

There were no declarations of interests.

To determine whether there are any additional items of business which, by reason of special circumstances, the Chair decides should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

 There were no urgent items of business for the Committee to consider.

To determine any items on the agenda, if any, where the public are to be excluded from the meeting.

To receive an update from Greater Manchester Police

Inspector Darren Callaghan (Greater Manchester Police (GMP)) updated the Township Committee on activities and initiatives that were undertaken by GMP in the Rochdale Township.

a.    Operation Infinity – an operation to counter the large number of reported instances of anti-social behaviour on the Metrolink service between Rochdale and Oldham

b.    Operation Treacle – an operation to be undertaken during the autumn period to work against anti-social behaviour that is often associated with ‘Halloween’ and ‘Bonfire Night’ and with the use of fireworks (to be run, in part, with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service).

c.    Operation Dark Nights – an operation that GMP will be undertaking in the late autumn and winter nights to attempt to reduce the numbers of burglaries that are carried out during those longer nights, ‘after the clocks go back’.

d.    GMP are carrying out a series of initiatives across the Township to Initiatives to prevent the theft of mopeds many of which are subsequently used by criminals to aid and abet their activities.

e.    Operation Bee Hive – a successful operation to convict individuals on a charge of attempted murder following an attack in Rochdale in 2017.  

f.     Operation Elf – to guard against criminal activity and anti-social behaviour in Rochdale town centre during the evening, so as to provide support to Rochdale’s ‘night time economy’.       

Members of the Township Committee asked questions of Inspector Callaghan seeking information as to the effectiveness of GMP’s 101 telephone number, especially with regard to abandoned calls due to the length of time that callers often have to wait.  

A Member of the Committee noted that there had been changes in senior personnel at Rochdale police station in recent times and requested that information relating to the identity of police officers and their responsibilities be forwarded to Members of the Committee.

Resolved;

1.    The Greater Manchester Police update be noted and welcomed.

2.    Greater Manchester Police be requested to forward to Members of Rochdale Township Committee abandoned details of calls to their 101 telephone number due to the length of time that callers often have to wait.  

3.      Local representatives of Greater Manchester Police be requested to write to Members of Rochdale Township Committee detailing the identity of police officers based in the Rochdale Township area and their areas of responsibility.

Up to half an hour will be set aside for members of the public to raise any issues relevant to the business of the Committee and the Township.

There were no issues raised in the Committee’s Open Forum session.

To consider a proposed upgrade to Bridleway (footpath RocEFp13a) from Northdene Drive to Bury Road, Rochdale

The Director of Neighbourhoods reported that in accordance with section 31 Highways Act 1981 and Under section 53(2) Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, a member of the public can submit a statement to the Council for it to consider a claim to add a footpath or bridleway to the definitive map and statement held by the Council or to upgrade an existing route to a higher status than shown on the definitive map and statement by providing evidence of 20 years or more use of a route, recognised as presumed dedication of the way if the use is carried out as of right, without permission and without interference.

The Council has received such a statement to support the upgrade of a footpath (footpath RocEFp13a) running from Northdene Drive to Bury Road to bridleway status. The supporting evidence provided with the claim provides satisfactory reports of use ranged from 3 – 57 years by 25 members of the public. In accordance with the Highways Act 1980, the Council could accept this evidence to assist in their decision making in respect of making the appropriate Order for the upgrade of the footpath.  

The Council had implemented a highway order to adopt the land as a footway in approximately 1994; however, some of the evidence pre-dates this highway adoption and it is considered appropriate to proceed with the claim.

Landowners were consulted and were asked to submit evidence to support the claim or to describe the actions they have taken to prohibit use by horse riders. No such evidence has been received from the landowners. 

Members of the public will be informed by the posting of notices on site and in local newspapers as part of the order process.

The order process incorporates an objection period where members of the public may raise relevant objections to the order. Should these objections remain unresolved the matter is referred to the Secretary of State for a final decision as to whether the Council should make the order to upgrade the footpath to bridleway or not.

In considering the report, Members received oral representations from an objector to the proposals, detailed in the Committee’s report, Mr. T. Mayne and from a supporter of the proposals, Mrs.  G. Morrell. In light of the oral representations received at the meeting a Member suggested that consideration of the Director of Neighbourhood’s report be deferred pending further consultation on the proposals detailed therein. 

Resolved:

That the Director of Neighbourhood’s report be deferred, for consideration to the Committee’s next meeting on 23^rd January 2019, pending further consultation on the proposals contained therein.

Eligible for Call-in: No.

A presentation by the Assistant Director (Economy) on the Rochdale Draft Allocations Plan.

The Township Committee received a presentation for the Director of Economy regarding the Borough’s Draft Allocations Plan. The Allocations Plan contains the sites to deliver the scale of growth set out in the Borough’ Core Strategy that was adopted in 2016.  The Allocations Plan also designates areas for particular types of development, such as employment and also areas where development may be restricted, recreational open spaces for example. The Allocations Plan therefore forms part of the Local Plan for Rochdale, together with the Coe Strategy and the Greater Manchester Minerals Plan.

The key issues covered in the presentation were: housing, employment, retail centres across the Borough’ green belt and green infrastructures and transport.

The proposals, set out in the Allocations Plan, are currently subject to a public consultation exercise that commenced on 10^th September 2018 and will conclude on 5^th November 2018 and which includes a number of public ‘drop-in’ sessions. Following the close of the consultation exercise all comments received will be considered in the production of the finalised version of the Plan that is due to be published for consultation in the summer of 2019.

Members of the Committee commented on various proposals within the Rochdale Township area.

Resolved:

That the presentation be noted and welcomed.    

Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale CCG to present

The Township Committee received a presentation from Mr. M. Hicks (HMR CCG) regarding ‘Our Rochdale’ an online directory of health and social care services, that are provided by the NHS in the Borough and by the Children’s and Adults Directorates of Rochdale Borough Council. The service was designed to give help and advice, if needed, to the website’s visitors and was proving to be very popular with several thousand visits to the website each month.

At the conclusion the presenter was asked questions by the members present and he was thanked for an interesting and informative presentation.

Resolved:

That the presentation be noted and welcomed.

To consider the Minutes of the meeting of Rochdale Township Committee held 13^th June 2018.

The Township Committee considered the minutes of the meeting of Rochdale Township Committee held 13^th June 2018. Further to Minute 7(c) of the meeting (Former TBA Site, Rochdale) a member advised that the Council had attempted to arrange a between residents and the (TBA) site’s owners but had received no response from the site’s owners and therefore had been unable to convene the meeting which Members of the Committee had requested. 

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting of Rochdale Township Committee held 13^th June 2018 be approved, as a correct record.

To note the Minutes of the of meeting of Rochdale Township Action and Resources Delegated Sub-Committee held 5^th July 2018

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting of Rochdale Township Action and Resources Delegated Sub-Committee held 5^th July 2018 be noted.

To consider a review of polling districts and places.

The Township Committee was advised that a statutory review of Polling Districts and Polling Places had concluded, since the last meeting of the Township, on 27^th July 2018. The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 requires, that local authority Electoral Registration Officers to review their areas polling districts and places every five years. A final report on the recommendations arising from the review was to be considered by the Council at its meeting on 17^th October 2018 for approval. The Township Committee received a report of the Assistant Director (Legal, Governance and Workforce) which outlined the results from the consultation exercise and which noted suggested recommendations in respect of Rochdale Township’s Healey, Spotland and Falinge and Bamford Wards.

In considering the report Members of the Township Committee suggested further changes to the Spotland and Falinge Ward, proposing that the proposed new boundary between FC and FD (on the map attached to the report - original boundary highlighted red, proposed boundary highlighted orange, new agreed boundary highlighted green).

A further proposal was to investigate the use of the new Kirkholt Community hub as a polling station for polling districts DB, DC and DF in the Balderstone and Kirkholt Ward and this was to be further considered by Rochdale Township Committee.

Resolved:

1.            That the report be noted

2.            The recommendations contained in the submitted report relating to the Council’s Healey, Spotland and Falinge and Bamford Wards, including the further recommendations noted above relating to Spotland and Falinge Ward be presented to the Council’s meeting on 17^th October 2018

3.            The proposal regarding the use of the new Kirkholt Community hub as a polling station for polling districts DB, DC and DF in the Balderstone and Kirkholt Ward be referred to a future meeting of the Committee.

Eligible for Call-in: No.

To consider proposals for the future operation of the Council’s Township Committee structure

The Township Committee received a report of the Assistant Director (Information, Customers and Communities) which advised members that in January 2018, the four Township Committee Chairs and a cross-party group of Elected Members had formed a working group to look at how the Council engages with local communities, and on the workings of the Townships.

The group was facilitated by Sir Steve Houghton, Leader of Barnsley Council, and officers from the Local Government Association. Its purpose was to consider the following in the context of cooperative values – self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity, and behaviours playing a key part in the future role of the Townships.

The report of the Township Review Members Panel contained a number of recommendations for consideration - which were attached at Appendix 1 to the Committee’s report. The views of the Township Committee’s membership were sought as part of the consultation exercise, noting that any changes to the Township Committee governance structure would be subject to approval by full Council.

The report detailed six specific recommendations:

a.            Members to have a broader role in having oversight of issues such as Health and Social Care and other issues at a township level, and should play a stronger role in developing more resilient communities.

b.            Continued recognition of different needs and priorities throughout the Borough, across townships and at a neighbourhood level.

c.            Members to have a role in encouraging co-creation within communities

d.            A re-structure of the Rochdale Township (the establishment of two Township Committees to cover the current nine Rochdale Township Wards)

e.            Consideration to be given to developing greater core capacity of Township staffing levels

f.             Creation of Ward Alliances

The Committee considered the report and its recommendations in detail. The Committee felt that there was insufficient information in the report at the current time to support the establishment of Ward Alliances and in this regard the Committee felt that they needed more information and time to form a view on this matter.  Members also expressed some reluctance to replace the current system, whereby each of the Township’s Wards had a dedicated Area Forum, with a Ward Alliance.

Generally Members of the Committee appeared supportive of the proposal to re-structure the current Rochdale Township by establishing two separate Township Committees for Rochdale, as the size of the current Committee, with 27 members, was felt to be too large, noting that the next largest of the Borough’s Township Committees, Middleton, had 15 Members.

Members of the Committee also requested details of any savings to the Council that the proposals in the report would accrue.

A Member suggested that consideration of the report be deferred to the Committee’s next meeting on 23^rd January 2019 and that the Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Neighbourhoods, Community and Culture Portfolio be invited to the meeting to discuss the proposals with Members of the Committee.

The Assistant Director (Information, Customers and Communities), informed the Committee that a report would be presented to the Informal Cabinet, following  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.