Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

It was confirmed that all items would be considered in Part 1.

The minutes of the meeting held on 25 March 2015 were agreed to be accurate, subject to the addition of 'and the Anti-Social Behaviour Investigation Team' between Colin Russell and for the work, and the resulting replacement of 'he' with 'they' (Minute Item 53, Paragraph 6).

The Clerk informed members that the annual budget for footpaths and bridleways was £38,000, and that £39,000 had been spent in the 2014-15 financial year.

The Clerk told members that a copy of the Funeral Procedures booklet, which would eventually be distributed to grieving families by funeral directors, would be circulated to the committee by email for their comments, within two weeks of the meeting.

The Clerk explained that there was an error in the report. The map setting out the ownership of and responsibilities for drainage infrastructure had been completed, and was being used by staff in the Residents Services directorate.

Councillors were concerned that flooding at the following locations had not been included in the report:

-       Botwell Green Sports and Leisure Centre / Central Avenue, Hayes

-       Hallowell Road, Northwood

-       Copse Wood Way, Northwood

-       Elephant Park, Hillingdon

Flooding in these locations had been a regular problem, and members thought that they had also been affected on 28 July 2014.

Members also raised concerns about:

-       the consideration of flooding by those planning new buildings

-       the cleaning schedule for gulleys

-       the report being out of date with regards to the completion of repairs

-       the management of rivers in the borough

-       the high economic cost to the borough of major flood events i.e. A40 closure

-       the management of flooding at sites not affected by reported major incidents

Members requested that a report be brought back to the committee covering these issues, and explaining the Borough's role in flood risk management, and what proactive work was undertaken, in order to prevent flooding.

The Clerk explained that since the report had been written, there had been an incident of vandalism at the ANZAC Cemetery in Harefield, which was maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The Chairman noted that despite the recent incident at Harefield, and the issues at Northwood, there didn't seem to be a general issue with anti-social behaviour at war memorials across the Borough.

Councillors noted the importance of continued education about the meaning of memorials in preventing anti-social behaviour.

Paul Richards agreed to look at the feasibility of installing a suitable barrier that prevents the memorial at Nothwood from being climbed on. These ideas were to be shared with Councillor Melvin.

The report was noted.

The Chair explained that initial research had suggested that shops selling legal highs were not a problem in the Borough, and that those using legal highs tended to buy them online. This meant that there was limited scope for a review. Members agreed with these sentiments, and decided not to progress the proposal.

Councillors suggested the following topics for a review:

-       'Beds in Sheds' and their impact on Council Services

-       Fly Tipping

-       Street Cleaning

-       Street Furniture, Street Scene, and Utility Boxes