Annual Town Meeting 29th May 2003

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Cllr Chris Barnes chaired the meeting, beginning by thanking all for attending this second Town Meeting. As the Town Council had new members they were asked to introduce themselves to the audience of around 20 people.

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Cllr Barnes then gave a review of 2002-3
There was a big change with the retirement of Parks Foreman Alfred Steele, whose knowledge has greatly benefited the Town Council over the years. However, the Council look forward to the new ideas which Stephen Lewis will bring as the new head of the parks department.

The last part of Goytside Meadows has been purchased with financial help from DCC, English Nature, Wildspace and Tarmac. The Ollersett playing fields development is going ahead after consultation. Health and safety enhancements have been made to the access to the Town Hall clock tower, but more work remains regarding the access to the flag pole. The town would be getting a Health Check under the Market Towns Initiative. The Council are considering applying for Quality Parish Status.

There has been a change in the Town Clerk, with the appointment of Susan Stevens. It is hoped that those will bring a period of stability to the running of the Town Council and its business. There has been continuing support for the New Mills Festival, the One World Festival and the Community Bonfire.

Regarding the Magistrates Courthouse, concerning which he had received a letter, the Town Council have agreed to sell the land at the rear and to license access over the front. Many residents concerns have been incorporated into the proposals. However, the situation is in limbo as no agreement has been signed by the applicants.

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Chair Cllr Barnes then asked for reports from the Committee Chairs.

Cllr Martin Huddleston reported on the work of the Leisure and Parks Committee. The 12 months started with the formal opening of Whitle play area with help from New Mills County Primary School. This refurbishment cost £20,000, half coming from a WREN grant. There was a public consultation at Low Leighton Methodist Hall on the Ollersett Sports Development. Since then a there have been a number of meetings with interested parties including HPBC and DCC representatives. There are two parts to the scheme - 1) the allotments, by arrangement between the Allotments Society and HPBC; 2) the football pitches, with the crucial matter of maintaining the use of the ground for recreation by the wider community. Planning permission is now being sought, and the next step will be to seek funding. Progress has been slow, but it is important to get things right on a proposal as large as this. Hopefully things will speed up now there is a new Town Council.

Maintenance of footpaths continues and there has been tree-felling in the Torrs with replacement by rowan and mountain ash, which should add colour. An information board has been put up at the Heritage Centre viewing platform. Commemoration plaques have been put up at the Fire Station for WW2 victims and at Torr Top for WW1 commendations. Hanging baskets are now contracted-out to a private firm, allowing for extra baskets, better safety for parks staff and savings in cost and time.

Regarding the appointment of Stephen Lewis as head of parks, they will be looking to extend his role to the town in general, not just the parks. High Lee Park toilets have been refurbished and they are looking to renew the paddling pool and to make a Community Orchard at Seddon Fields alongside the park. They are considering what to do with High Lee Hall now that the upper floor is vacant. The walled garden at the rear is being considered for community use.

The priorities for the new Town Council are Ollersett Fields, the High Lee Hall decision and Newtown Recreation Ground play equipment - here there are also some problems with subsidence.

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As the Chair of the Welfare and Administration Committee had apologised for absence, there was no report from this committee.

Cllr Raymond Atkins reported on High Peak Borough Council (HPBC). Following the elections a coalition has been agreed between Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Independents (excluding those from Glossop). HPBC is run by a cabinet of 6 executives, with the other 37 councillors on select committees to monitor. Cllr Atkins is on the executive as Corporate Performer, to make sure the Council conforms to central government targets. This is important as money and control can be withdrawn if performance is inadequate. In the coming January there will be a Comprehensive Performance Assessment. This is a major effort, the assessment being graded at the end.

His first job will be to make sure all departments are performing well. Secondly on customer service it is necessary to make sure that people get a sensible and helpful answer over the phone, without being passed on, even when the matter is not a direct HPBC responsibility. There will be a customer call centre at Buxton with one common number. His third role will be in e-government. Computerisation in the authority will save money, be environmentally friendly and give an efficient response to the public. It is necessary to spend in the short-term to save in the long-term. All this will be enacted over the next 2 years.

The election changes will have no immediate dramatic effects as HPBC will be working on the inherited budget for the next 9-10 months. In the long-term they will be looking for efficiency changes and involving communities. The new executive will seek to be more responsive to the Central area of the borough rather than just Glossop and Buxton - in addition to himself from New Mills there are two of the executive from Whaley Bridge.

Cllr Martin Doughty raised the matter of proposals to reintroduce car park charges in New Mills, and hoped that this would be opposed.

Cllr Lance Dowson spoke of his role with HPBC over the past year. He had served on the Community Services select committee; in regard to changes in council housing; on the benefits review; and on the Standards Committee. In New Mills he had represented HPBC on New Mills Volunteer Centre Management Committee, on HERS, at the Heritage Centre and on the Tenants' Panel. He had dealt with concerns about the change of use of the Kids' Club. And liaised with police regarding drugs, culminating in raids and arrests. As Mayor he had promoted New Mills around the Borough.

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Cllr Sir Martin Doughty reported concerning Derbyshire County Council (DCC). Ray Atkins had spoken about Comprehensive Performance Assessment - DCC has been through this and is one of 22 judged to be excellent, and the only such in the East Midlands Region. The major areas of involvement for DCC are Education, Social Services & Health, and Highways & Transport.

On education, there is a budget problem at New Mills School and Sixth Form Centre, due to this year's settlement. For primary schools there are no particular pinch points, though there are some funding considerations - primaries have had good money since 1997. Adult Education in New Mills has impressive statistics. There was talk of moving it to Torr Vale Mill, but this has had great difficulty getting of the ground, so it will stay at Spring Bank. A Jobcentre kiosk has been installed there.

On Social Services and Health our main considerations are the Jubilee Centre and Goyt Valley House. The elderly are looked after excellently. For young people there is a way to go. New Mills is judged to be a drugs hotspot, including hard drugs. There was an initiative early this year with co-ordination of police and health, so that drugs dealers were picked up and users (victims) were supported through a centre at Woodside St.

On Highways and Transport there have been significant improvements at Bridge St with traffic calming intended to slow traffic and avoid accidents, particularly of the young. Drivers do now go slower and it is more safe. Laneside and Torr Top have been resurfaced, and back Union Rd will be done after the cottage developments are complete. There is a new bus service to Buxton, from Glossop. Services to Macclesfield have been improved, and some now extend to Lyme Park Hall. Trains seem to be running better, it being quicker to go from Central Stn to Manchester as there are less stops on the way.

The footpath at Goytside Meadows (known as 'Nanny's Nick') has been resurfaced, but cattle have trampled it. It will be necessary to fence-off the path when the fencing contract goes ahead next month. There is a DCC waste disposal planning application at Arden Quarry to be heard next month. The Town Council have objected, as he has himself, and Cllr Susan Barrow is active in a detailed objection.

Cllr Doughty has chaired the Heritage Centre Management Committee. There is a hole in the budget, since HPBC used to provide the rental cost of £3000, however, they now give less, though the rent has been raised to £5300. He asked Ray Atkins to look into this.

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The meeting was the opened to questions from the audience.

Ethne Bailey questioned where else this meeting was publicised apart from the Town Hall. Cllr Dowson said it had been in the Chronicle as a press release.

Mrs Pulman raised concerns about the bad state of the footpath behind Aldersgate up to Scaliot Close - the surface is in a poor state and there are many weeds. The path is much-used by children going to school. Cllr Martin Huddleston said the parks department will get this work done.

Christine Howe (?) asked if this meeting could be held earlier and not in the school holidays. Martin Huddleston said there was a problem this year with the timing of the election. Cllr Ray Atkins felt the meeting could be moved to March. In an election year questions could then be asked of councillors, so that it is not divorced from democracy. Cllr Ian Huddlestone stated that the meeting is supposed to be about the town.

Mr Ken Smith read a letter he had sent to the Council about the courthouse. The appeal of 17 May 2002 had allowed the development to proceed, against its previous refusal. On 28 Feb 2001 David Carter had stated that the three courts at Derby, Chesterfield and New Mills would be delivered by April 2003. Four weeks have passed since this deadline. It is time the Council gave a full and open account of what is happening, it has been clouded in secrecy for too long, which causes public mistrust.

Chair Cllr Chris Barnes said the Council had agreed to sell, documents had been sent to Babcock & Brown, but they had done nothing. We don't know if B&B will be the contractor. Cllr Barnes said he would make known what was going on. Cllr Lance Dowson said there is a perceived secrecy. He questioned Chris Barnes' declared intention to make known what is going on - has that not been happening? Councillors of different political parties have attended these meetings and have revealed what they are allowed to. That is the way it has been handled.

Penny Simons felt that the opposition to the court have tried to be helpful at every opportunity, they asked to be involved with the Trustees' meetings regarding the front, but were asked to leave, even though they had suggested the meeting be in two parts, one public and one private. Cllr Barnes said that the money concerns had been kept secret, but eventually everything will be out in the open. Penny said they only wanted to be involved in the design of the front, but had been obstructed, even though it was Peter Simmonds who brought to light the problems. Cllr Lance Dowson said he had himself looked into the matter of the high wall at the front once he had the time. Cllr Sir Martin Doughty thought Penny Simons comments to be a distortion of the truth, as the meetings had only been private when legal matters were discussed. They had been consulted over both the front and the back. The cost of the appeal had been substantial, and resulted in delay of the deadline set by David Carter. The contract now has to be renegotiated and there may be a different PFI supplier.

Cathy Dent asked if the 2001-2002 audit is back yet. Susan Stevens answered that it had not yet been returned.

Ethne Bailey was concerned about Bridge St, where generally traffic is having to stop due to parked cars on either side of the road - the result of the traffic calming is not all that brilliant. Chair Chris Barnes admitted that there had been some heated debate in Council regarding this. The Town Council have written to DCC asking that parking be on one side only, but have received no reply. Martin Doughty considered there to be two issues. The bumps were to slow traffic following the fatality of a young child. There had been no parking at all on the bend, but with the traffic calming the opportunity was taken to remove the double white lines, so that now parking can be on both sides. This problem is one for all terraced houses, as on Mellor Rd. His view is that parked cars slow the traffic. It may be an inconvenience, but there are no accidents - you can take your pick. Mr Ken Smith wondered if the bumps were a problem for snow ploughs - Sir Martin advised that they were OK.

A resident requested an update on the development of Torr Vale Mill (TVM), which had been launched with much acclaim, but nothing has happened and it has deteriorated badly. Chris Barnes said he was saddened by the lack of action. Sir Martin said it is all very sad after the encouraging meeting on the mill at which the new owner, Peter Cunningham, explained his vision for the development. The TVM Building Preservation Trust had sent back a 6-figure sum to the East Midlands Development Agency after there was no agreement to transfer the building. A further 6-figure sum is in jeopardy. Meanwhile there has been the fire and now the mill is badly deteriorating, such that there is concern in the town and from the conservation architect. The thought is to disband TVMBPT and use HPBC and DCC to enforce repairs to the building. This is not the best way matters could have gone - a partnership of public and private money would have been better. But the owner had not found it possible to co-operate. Cllr Lance Dowson stated that at the last HPBC Heritage Meeting compulsory purchase had been suggested.

A vote of thanks to Councillors for their hard work on our behalf over the past 12 months was proposed by Mr Alan Jackson (who has represented New Mills Community Festival at Council meetings, the organisation being recently awarded over £1000 by Councillors).

In closing the meeting Chair Chris Barnes reminded the public of the right to raise points in the 15 min section at full Council meetings (this must be in writing 2 weeks before the meeting). The next meeting being 16th June and all are welcome to attend. Lance Dowson stated that emergency concerns within 2 weeks of a meeting can always be put to Councillors for them to raise.

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