The chair welcomed all to the meeting.  Reference was made to the code of conduct and all were asked to abide by the code for the duration of the meeting.

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed.

Updates from the previous meeting’s actions were provided as follows:

Darley Road overgrown vegetation
A resident previously raised concerns about overgrowth of weeds and vegetation on Darley Road which was encroaching the pavement/highway.  Works were carried out to cut back this growth by the Council’s Clean and Green Team.

Inspector Partington provided the update on behalf of GMP and introduced PS Mason as the new neighbourhood sergeant for the area.  The three main priorities for the ward are as follows:

·           Anti-social behaviour

·           Speeding

·           Drug dealing

Officers intend to carry out two traffic speed operations each month to tackle the issues raised by the concerned local community.  GMP now have a speed gun which can be used during dark hours and steps have been taken to deviate the shifts of officers to provide cover in the evenings/night to target drug offenders in the most prolific areas.  Stop searches are being used on known repeat offenders.

Officers have been working in partnership with the Council and Youth Services to obtain names and intelligence on ASB issues at Balderstone Library and Park that have resulted in a large reduction of reports made over the past two months.

The ASB/drug issues witnessed around the Stoneyvale area are being tackled by an increase in stop searches and possible use of CCTV.

A query was raised about the parking of cars on pavements and whether GMP could enforce.  Advice given was that it depended on how much of an obstruction the vehicle was causing to footpath users as to whether further action would be taken.  Also sometimes if an officer witnesses the actual driving act it could be deemed as ‘driving with undue care and attention’.

Inspector Partington reiterated GMP’s Chief Constable’s opinion that proactive community policing should be at the forefront of operations by officers in order to tackle crimes before they occur.  Ward Councillors thanked GMP for their update and efforts.

Always call 999 in an emergency.
Call 101 to report incidents, crimes and matters of concern.
You can report a crime or incident or suspicious circumstances online on GMP website.

Hartley Lane road surface
Query raised as to when future resurfacing works will take place on Hartley Lane and also whether the crater/hole has now been fixed in the road?
Action: Townships to raise the matter with the Council’s Highways Department.

Great Gates Road gulley/grids covers
Two metal covers for the gulley/grids from the pavement sides of Great Gates Road were reported as missing.
Action: Townships to raise the matter with the Council’s Highways Department.

Any residents or organisations wishing to put forward initiatives or ideas of improvements which would benefit the community and ward of Balderstone and Kirkholt to speak to the Ward Councillors or Township Officer with regards to funding.

Councillor Meredith provided the update on behalf of the three Ward Councillors.

Balderstone Library and Park
A good partnership working response was achieved over the summer months by GMP and the Council in order to tackle the anti-social behaviour issues at Balderstone Library and in the park.  Previously burnt out bin area in the park has now been tarmacked and the bin will be relocated closer to the library.  The CCTV camera will be lowered slightly in order to gain better quality footage.  The mobile CCTV camera is still in situ overlooking Oldham Road in an attempt to tackle the previous issues concerning youths throwing missiles at passing traffic.

Richard Farnell
The tree has now been planted at the rear of the cenotaph and the bench has also been installed to the front.

Environmental Management walk round
A site visit has been made by Council Officers and Ward Councillors to discuss play equipment issues.

GMP Speed Operation
A recent speed operation took place in the areas of Queensway, Oldham Road and Queen Victoria Street.

Hartley Lane
Hartley Lane has been placed on the road resurfacing programme for this year.

Sandbrook Primary School
Ward Councillors have had a dialogue with the school to try and reduce the parking issues experienced by residents in the area.

Medical Centre on The Strand
Ward Councillors have raised issues previously reported by residents with the Council’s Highways Officers.

Schofield Street bin
Ward Councillors met with residents and they hope to get a refuse bin installed.

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH)
Councillor Meredith advised that the Chief Executive of RBH had now resigned.  Rochdale Council representatives, Senior Elected Members and also members of the Government including Michael Gove had met this week with RBH to discuss the situation.  Rochdale Councillors are pushing for RBH to take faster action on repairs and remedial actions on their properties.

Councillor Surgeries
Weekly surgeries are now being held at Million Pavilion (were formerly held at The Strand) on Wednesdays at 12 noon.  Residents are advised to email Councillors direct if there is an issue they wish to raise and cannot attend the surgery.

Kirkholt Million
Final stages of the allocation of funding by the Millions to schools is being rolled out with £30k allocation to each of the three local schools.

A new community group ‘Rhodes Ravine’ is being set up and constituted, and it will then be able to apply for funding in order to undertake projects under the ‘In Bloom’ initiative in the area.

The Million Pavilion will stage its official opening sometime in the New Year.  Date not set yet and will be announced.

Residents asked if some flower bulbs can be planted in Balderstone Park along the road side near the railings.
Action: Townships to raise this request with the Council’s Environmental Management Department.

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH)
An update was provided prior to the forum as follows:

New build
Homes nearing completion on The Strand with many trades planning to finish in January and most homes finished by April.  This will provide more family housing in Kirkholt, recognising the local housing need.  Lovell (the main contractor) continue to provide work experience placements for local people and charitable donations to local community and voluntary groups.

Retrofit
Kirkholt has been selected for a pilot retrofit scheme which is designed to increase the energy efficiency of homes and reduce overall carbon output.  This is an important step towards all RBH homes being rated at least EPC grade C or above and it will teach them more about retrofitting – a relatively recent technology in construction.  Information about a similar scheme in Smallbridge can be found on RBH’s website here https://www.rbh.org.uk/news/rbh-news/triple-recognition-for-smallbridge-energy-efficiency-scheme/.  More information about which homes have been selected for the pilot will follow.

Ageing in Place
Following on from successful partnership working throughout the Ambition for Ageing programme, which was delivered in Kirkholt, RBH were selected as one of the organisations to lead on a Greater Manchester funded programme called Ageing in Place.  This will bring around £300K of funding, split between Smallbridge and Kirkholt, over the next three years.  RBH will use this funding to support social events and activities for older people, to improve the physical environment and access to greenspace, and create better transport options.  There is an active resident steering group who will drive this work and support the wider partnership to deliver on the outcomes.  Email louise.tattersall@rbh.org.uk if you would like to be involved.

Strand Community Hub
HMR Circle have been appointed as the building management organisation for the hub.  This means they will facilitate access to the first floor, including room bookings and hire agreements.  An online booking portal will be available for individuals and organisations to book space and evenings and weekends will be available.  Currently around 800-900 people visit The Strand each month and RBH hope that many more will benefit from services provided here in the future.

Kirkholt Christmas Light Switch On
The event this year will be held on 1 December 2022 at The Strand Community Hub.  Arrival from 4.45pm for hot chocolate and treats plus a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Thursday 16 March 2023 at 6.30pm
Kirkholt Community Church