held on 18th April 2012

at 7.30pm in the Council Chamber at the HDC offices, North Street, Horsham.

Present:

Members:

Jane Apostolou, Forest Neighbourhood Council (Diane Sumpter), Nigel Friswell, Cllr David Holmes, The Horsham Society (Nigel Friswell), Patrick Meaghan, Robert Michalowicz, Saxon Weald (Peter Mander), Trafalgar Neighbourhood Council (Mary Crosbie), Cllr David Holmes, West Sussex County Council (Greg Merrett).

Non-Members and Visitors:

Arthur Carden (Neighbourhood Watch), Julian Carrington (HDC), Cllr Malcolm Curnock, Cllr Leonard Crosbie, Cllr David Skipp, Liz deCruz, Cllr Frances Haigh, Cllr Godfrey Newman, Sarah Mustard (HYPER), Derek Pratt, Sue Pointer (Sussex Police), Jill Shuker, Tracey Wilkes (YMCA).

Minutes Secretary:

Ann Friswell.

 1. Welcome:

The Chairman welcomed everyone to this the first AGM of HTCP and thanked the HDC for the use of the Council Chamber.

 2. Approval of the Agenda: This was proposed by Mary Crosbie and seconded by Nigel Friswell.

 3. Apologies: Sue Brundish (HTCP Director & Horsham in Bloom), Martin Bruton (Denne Neighbourhood Council), Clare Ebelewicz (Senior & Young Persons Officer HDC), James Makepeace (Horsham Police), Cllr Roger Paterson (HDC Cabinet member for the Local Economy), Clare Ewins (Volunteer), Chris Morris (Volunteer), Nigel Dennis (WSCC Councillor), David Moore (Chairman, The Horsham Society), David Gill (Volunteer), Roy Worskett (Volunteer & Member of Horsham Society), Carol King, Jan English (Work Experience Coordinator, HDC).

 4. Review of Progress of HTCP to March 31^st 2012:

4.1 The Chairman’s report is attached as Annex 1, below.

 4.2 Neighbourhood Watch: Derek Pratt  of Sussex Neighbourhood Watch spoke to the meeting. He praised the description of the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme as outlined in the HTCP Action Plan. He described the objects of the Scheme which would be 30 years old this month. The aim was to build a safer and coordinated community, helping each other with no one excluded. They were there to give guidance and help, not to give orders. The police liked to be kept informed and were ready to help and advise. He felt there was a “very good fit” between what HTCP and the Neighbourhood Watch were trying to do.

 4.3 A question session was held on completion of the report:

David Skipp asked whether the website was being run in conjunction with the HDCP site for people coming into Horsham.  The Chairman replied that at present they were separate but there could be links set up. Mary Crosbie added that it was hoped to have links with the other District Partnerships. At present we attend their meetings but the website would make the links easier.

 4.4 David Holmes asked whether there were any ideas to link with the Neighbourhood Councils to get them on board.There had been some conflict between these and the six other Community Partnerships. The Chairman said that it was hoped that by having Directors from the Neighbourhood Councils we could avoid such conflict and she expressed the ongoing importance of regular communication between all groups. She added that meetings were being held with those involved and they were working together to the best advantage.

 5. Accounts and Treasurer’s Report:

5.1 The Treasurer spoke to the Accounts, a copy of which is attached (Annex 2).

 5.2 She reported that following the incorporation of Horsham Town Community Partnership as a Private Limited Company on 7^th September 2011, in line with other Community Partnerships in the District, Horsham District Council had awarded a start up grant of £5,000 to HTCP. From this amount Horsham District Council had deducted at source expenses incurred by them from 1 April 2011 (expenses prior to 1 April 2011 were written off by HDC). A cheque had been received from HDC on 1 December 2011 for £4,128.

 5.3 There was little to report in the way of expenses except those in connection with the start up costs and a small amount of out of pocket expenses such as ink cartridges and stamps. Accounts had been prepared to 31 March 2012 and there was a bring-forward balance of £3350.16. These accounts were to  be filed at Companies’ House no later than 31 December 2012. Horsham District Council would be issuing a further grant of £500 for this financial year.

 5.4 Questioning on the Treasurer’s Report followed. Frances Haigh asked how the money for the projects was being found. The Chairman replied that for the Riverside Walk Project there was s106 open space money and they were also working through a list of fund providers to find the best way of funding. They were also looking to local businesses for possible sponsorship and bringing key stakeholders together to seek funding. This could help bring forward possible help for project management and printing costs etc.to set up new groups where they did not exist. HYPER had a grant of £500 a year and possibly the Neighbourhood Watch project did not require funding. HTCP was receiving £500 a year from HDC for running costs.

 5.5 In answer to a further question as to how the finances would be handled, the Treasurer said that HYPER finances would be kept separately as would finances for other projects. The project team for the Riverside Walk would come together and apply for funding required through HTCP.

 5.6 Nigel Friswell proposed the adoption of the accounts and the meeting agreed.

 6. Election of Directors:

6.1 It was reported that Eve Mauchell was stepping down and did not wish to be re-elected. Nigel Friswell was also stepping down but would stand again. He was proposed by David Moore of the Horsham Society and seconded by Jane Apostoulou for re-election. This was agreed.

 6.2 Martin Bruton of Denne Neighbourhood Council was also seeking membership of the Board. He was proposed by Jane Apostoulou and seconded by Nigel Friswell. This was agreed.

 6.3 There were no other persons at the meeting interested in being elected.

 7. Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman from the Directors:

The re-election of Jane Apostoulou for a further year as Chairman was proposed by Nigel Friswell and seconded by Diane Sumpter. This was agreed. There was no-one at the meeting interested in becoming Vice Chairman.

 8. Any Other Business:

8.1 Appointment of Auditor: The Treasurer reported that an auditor was not required (in accordance with s476 of the Companies Act (see note below Accounts: Annex 2)).

 8.2 General Secretary: A plea was made for someone to take on this task to help with the everyday administration tasks of the Company.

 8.3 A webmaster was also required. [Two people came forward at the end of the meeting to offer help}.

 8.4 Subscriptions: None had been requested when the Company was set up but they would have to be faced in future as it was unsure what funding we would continue to receive from HDC. There were two classes of membership, individual and as an organization. There were no suggestions from the meeting.

 9. Any Further Business:

Arthur Carden asked that everyone should introduce themselves around the table. This was done.The Chairman admitted she had forgotten to do this in her eagerness to get the AGM under way.

 10. The meeting closed at 8.20pm.

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ANNEX 1

ANNUAL REPORT:

 REVIEW OF PROGRESS OF THE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP FOR AGM

18^TH APRIL, 2012

 The Horsham Town Community Partnership was officially set up in October 2011 after lengthy consultations with residents of the Town.  At present the HTCP directors represent member organisations of the three Horsham Neighbourhood Councils, Horsham Society and Horsham in Bloom as well as an interested individual standing in her own right.  HTCP has been formed as a company limited by guarantee which enables us to apply for grant funding to address projects that the individual organisations would not necessarily be able to obtain.

            By HTCP working together with the member organisations it enables all interested parties to work to best advantage as a unified team to obtain the best for the area in which we live. Our Action Plan was drawn up from issues that were highlighted by residents during these  consultations as well as issues raised in the Town Appraisals and the All Our Futures research work done by Horsham District Council.

             In our Action Plan we have grouped  projects under the headings “Staying and Feeling Safe”, “Better Health for All”, “Opportunity for All” and “A Better Place to Live” to tie in with the Horsham District Community Partnership format. We have been careful to liaise with other groups represented in the Town to make sure we work to best advantage and do not duplicate work. The Action Plan is a work in progress, with some proposals readily achievable and some will take more planning before they can be implemented. We expect the Action Plan to cover our work over the next three years.

            We have been currently working on three projects:

 The Riverside Walk project

The HYPER youth council and

Working towards re-establishing lost Neighbourhood Watch Schemes and setting up new ones in new ones in new housing developments.

We are also represented on the working party which has been set up to find ways to find and provide solutions on how to maintain the current youth club provision in the Town. This is following the decision by WSCC to close all youth club provision in the Town, except the one in Hurst Rd.

 The Riverside Walk project:

This is a major project which is working towards making more amenity value of the Riverside Walk. The Walk, which is approximately 11 miles long, circumnavigates the Town following the course of the rivers around the Town.

The vision of the project is:

-          to improve the Walk in terms of walking surface

-           better and more coherent way marker and distance signage

-          the installation of benches at suitable points

-           the installation of interpretation boards at suitable points to inform users of the nature and historical elements of the Walk

-          to encourage the conservation of nature along the Walk by encouraging a wildlife corridor along the river, protecting the existing important wildlife corridors which link our Nature Reserves at Warnham, Chesworth Farm, and Owlbeech and Leechpool woods. These form an important corridor and link with further nature reserves downstream towards the sea.

       -   Presently there are several volunteer groups that do an extremely good job in clearing the rivers and maintaining the areas along the Walk. However, there are some areas that do not have such volunteer groups. Part of this project is to help set up groups in the areas that do not have such cover to ensure all areas of the Walk are maintained.

       -  We hope to install a better path surface to provide a recreational green cycle trail at certain  sections of the Walk. This is especially so at the section that runs from Redford Avenue to Guildford Road. This section has been approved by WSCC Local Transport Plan as a Cycle Route.

      -   By making a better path surface at this section it will provide an excellent and usable route linking existing cycle paths east and west of the Town, help in connecting with the South Downs  link and also enable children to cycle to Tanbridge House School in safety.

      -   We hope to make all of the Walk more accessible for walkers, parents with buggies and for disabled users as well as

      -      providing more accessibility for users to see nature on their doorstep and

      -      create better connectivity between the Riverside Walk and Town Centre.

With all of these objectives in mind we see the project as promoting the Riverside Walk as a key attraction in both the marketing of the Town and for recreational purposes.

The project team working on this project are representative of groups already doing maintenance work on the Walk:

-          the TRITAR group,

-          Hills Farm Conservation Group,

-          Boldings Brook Conservation Group,

-          Cootes Pond Conservation Group,

-          as well as representation of the Horsham Cycling Forum,

-          Horsham in Bloom

-          HTCP representatives

-          and the HDC Parks Dept.

We have been very fortunate in that two experienced volunteer WSCC footpath wardens have surveyed the site, highlighting the points that require addressing. From this we are now able to formulate a list of what needs attention and possible placement of signage, benches and interpretation boards.

            Fund sourcing for the project is currently underway. This is from private sources, s106 open space funding as well as sponsorship from local businesses. We are organising a meeting with stakeholders in local business and organisations to see what they can bring to this project.

Our next step is to consult with

-           the existing groups working on the Walk,

-           HDC and WSCC officers and district councillors

-          Stakeholders in business and organisations in the town and surrounding areas

-          residents living near the Riverside Walk and

-          we will be holding a public consultation to ensure we have everyone`s approval and backing in what we propose

 HYPER youth council:

HYPER youth council is currently coming under the umbrella of HTCP. The group was established in 1997 to give young people in the Town a “voice” on issues that effect them so that their views could be heard. The group also works on projects which they choose to raise funds for projects or to raise awareness on issues.

            Up until this point the group has come under the management of HDC. However, HDC have been very aware that similar groups do not exist in the rest of the district. To address this, they are now working with the other six district community partnerships to set up youth councils in these areas to ensure that all young people in the district have their views heard.

HTCP were approached last year to see if we could take the management of HYPER under our wing. We felt this was a worthy cause and tied in with our Action Plan. HTCP have worked to help find two excellent volunteers to run the group: Sarah Mustard and Jan English. Sarah Mustard was present this evening.

            The HYPER group have raised recently £250 for the Horsham Can Do project, are pursuing the possibility of a Summer Holiday Pass to entitle a discount at certain leisure venues (the current pass available offers limited discount and costs £50 to buy). They are also being consulted on the cuts in WSCC youth provision and have taken part in the school and youth council conference at County Hall North.

            The numbers of the group tend to fall as the summer term approaches and the older members leave for work or further education. HTCP have approached the secondary schools in  the Town to be able to visit the schools to inform students about HYPER to raise their profile and attract more and varied members to the group.

 Youth Provision:

Following the announcement by WSCC that they will be cutting the financial support within the next year of all of the youth club provision in the Town except the youth club in Hurst Rd, a working party has been established to look at ways that the youth provision could be maintained and funded. HTCP is part of this working group.

The group is looking at:

-           how other clubs have overcome such obstacles,

-          what is already being provided by other organisations,

-          how to fund a paid youth worker,

-           how well utilised  the existing premises are,

-          what is needed by the community and

-          how to deliver on these points

 Neighbourhood Watch Schemes:

HTCP are working with the District Neighbourhood Watch Scheme co-ordinator with a view to help in re-establishing lost Neighbourhood Watch schemes and to set up new ones in new housing developments. We held a very useful and constructive meeting with representatives from the NHW Scheme:

-          Derek Pratt, Deputy chair of Sussex NHW Federation

-          Arthur Carden, Vice-Chair of Horsham NHW and

-          Sue Poynter., local PCSO

Horsham NHW Group has appointed a Registrar of NHW schemes in Horsham. There are 500 NHW schemes in existence in Horsham covering 10,000 households. As part of that registrar`s role, the dormant schemes are being identified. The Group will look to reactivating them. Sussex police via its PCSO`s will identify new developments suitable for NHW and inform Horsham NHW Group.

            All groups will liaise and attend all relevant meetings to progress the increase in NHW schemes. Progress will be monitored over the next 12 months. We will be working with together to help build better and safer communities in Horsham and all groups and we have Derek Pratt, chair of the Sussex branch of the NHW Scheme, here this evening to tell you a little bit more of how we will be able to work together.

 Website:

At the moment our Horsham Town Community Partnership website is being built. This is being done for us by a dedicated volunteer. We hope to go “live” with the website within the next few weeks. However we need a webmaster and would be pleased to hear from anyone willing to volunteer.

 Directors:

The company set up allows us 12 directors. At this time we have 7 directors. We are keen to extend the amount of directors to help us in widening the scope of projects we as a team will work on. Being a director allows you to have an input in the type of projects we tackle and also to vote on decisions taken by the board on the running of the company. If you are interested in becoming a director of the company, we look forward speaking to you further on this.

 Membership:

Membership of the company is also open to interested individuals and organisations. Being a member allows you to vote on resolutions and to take an active interest in the Partnership. Again, if you are interested in becoming a member of the Partnership, then do please let us know. We have the necessary application forms to hand.

 Secretarial help:

We are in need of secretarial help to cover some of the day to day running of the Partnership. If you can offer any help we would really like to hear from you.

ANNEX 2 

HTCP Accounts for the period ending 31^st March 2012

                                                         ========                                                               =======

For the year ending 31^st March 2012 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under s477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors’ responsibilities:

the members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with s476;

the directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts;

these accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

Director (Diane Hainsworth Sumpter)                                                                    02-Apr-12

A Management Committee was established, the membership being the same as that of the former Core Group of the Partnership before the company was registered. It is intended that the membership of the Management Committee would change from time to time.

It was agreed that initially no Membership Fees would be charged for either Individual Members or for organisations that joined the Partnership. Membership application forms will be available at the volunteers’ Meeting on 27th October.

The Treasurer reported that the setting up of the Account with NatWest Bank was going through and it was agreed that all six Directors should be signatories, any two of which needed to sign a valid cheque. The Partnership’s accounting period will be 1st April to 31st March.

The Partnership will need Public Liability Insurance and quotations are being sought.

At this stage, it was felt that there was no need for a formal fund-raising committee but there was a need to find for someone with fund-raising experience to be on the Management Committee.

There was also a need for a Hon General Secretary and for someone to build a website and keep it maintained. One of the Directors volunteered to act as Press and Publicity officer for the time being.

The Annual General Meeting was held on 18th April 2012 in the HDC Council Chamber, starting at 7:30pm.

NCF: revised25.4.12