Minutes of JAG Meeting Wednesday 19th April 2005
Present: Garry, Tim S, Tim F, Tmima, Roger, Mark, Sgt Jason Frith (part of mtg)
Apologies: Chris, Alice, Anne, Hillary, Pelle, Grant, Lia and Sheilds, Hilary, Grant
2. Approval of previous minutes
Minutes of the March meeting were approved.
3. Sgt Jason Frith
Sgt Frith informed the group that the Tulse Hill Safer Neighbourhoods Team had been in operation since the start of April, initially with one sergeant, one PC and 2 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). By December there will be 2 PCs and 3 PCSOs (6 officers in total). The team will be dedicated to Tulse Hill ward, and should give a much more visible police presence. Also the local community will be able to set local policing priorities. A Safer Neighbourhoods Panel is being set up to give residents from all parts of Tulse Hill a say in the work of the Safer Neighbourhoods Team. The Panel needs a representative from the Josephine Ave area.Please contact Garry if you are able to do this. The Panel will meet every 6-8 weeks, with a first meeting in mid-May. To contact Sgt Frith or the Safer Neighbourhood Team, phone 8721 2624 or email tulsehill.snt@met.police.uk
4. Treasurer’s report
Deferred to next meeting
5. Crime Steering Group meeting
Garry reported that the first meeting of this new group had been held a few weeks ago, with minutes on the JAG website. Its purpose is to bring together residents, and various agencies (including the police, the community safety team, other Council departments, Drug Action Team) to discuss local crime and safety issues and solutions. Since then, residents and Kate Newham (community safety) carried out an environmental street audit in Josephine Ave and Helix Gdns to identify problem areas. The steering group already covers Josephine Ave, Helix Gdns and Appach Rd. JAG believed that it would be helpful to cover Leander Road too – and if anyone from Leander Road would like to join the group, please contact Garry Turnbull (g.turnbull@mac.com)
6. JAG Constitution
Hillary, Garry and Tim S had met to review JAG’s constitution and update it. Various old and irrelevant sections had been removed, and the geographical scope had been extended to include all parts of the Avenue, plus Appach Road and Helix Gardens. The draft revised constitution is available on the JAG website.
Action: all to read this please and comment. We will vote on it at next meeting.
7. Leaf sucker
Deferred until next meeting
8. Newsgroup rules
Hillary issued a draft JAG newsgroup protocol on 18 April. At the meeting, it was agreed that the newsgroup be limited to residents of the JAG area. Tim expressed a lament that a request by Garry for residents to attend an important meeting had met a very disappointing response. Some discussion about how to ensure that really urgent messages were picked up by newsgroup members. Agenda item for next meeting
9. Ken’s Autos
The developers had withdrawn their application for a 5 storey residential block.
Action: Garry to contact the Brixton Water Lane Historical Society with a view to working together to ensure future applications are acceptable
10. Urban Art
Tim reported that virtually all of the pitches had been let to artists, and that efforts now needed to focus on publicity to attract visitors. 30,000 flyers printed, of which most would be inserted into The Streatham Guardian. There are no free ‘papers in Brixton, so there was a choice between paying for a separate leaflet-drop or using resident volunteers (in which case we’d need more volunteers). In addition, residents are asked to distribute leaflets and posters at their places of work, to spread the message across London. No-one has yet organised the catering this year, and Tim stressed that this could raise a lot of funds for JAG.
11. CPZ
Tmima had received confirmation from Lambeth Council that the white lines at the entrance to the carriageways were only advisory, and not enforceable.
Action: Tmima to ask Lambeth for double yellow lines at carriageway entrances.
12. Other matters
12.1 Roger informed the group that he had been seriously assaulted by a neighbour and that his attacker had informed L&Q, his landlords, that he had not been taking his medication for some time. Garry expressed JAG’s sympathies to Roger. Tmima reported that Chris would write to L&Q raising her own concerns, and Garry felt it important to involve Kate Newham, so that she could also liaise with L&Q.
Action: Garry to raise at Crime Steering Group and ask Kate to write to L&Q
12.2 The faulty street lamp outside 15-17 Josephine Ave had been fixed, but only after Alice had taken it to a higher level that Lambeth’s fault reporting hotline
12.3 JAG donation. Alice had identified 3 agencies helping with street workers. Decision on which one to support at next meeting.
12.4 JAG communications. If anyone does not have email access and would like to be kept informed of JAG events, please contact Alice 07973 144 681
12.5 JAG Website. This had been suspended since Tim stood down as Secretary, so there is now just the newsgroup. To discuss at next meeting whether we need a full website.
12.6 Bulbs outside No2 Josephine Ave. Roger asked whether L&Q had given permission for an anonymous donation of bulbs to be planted. It transpired that permission had not yet been sought.
Action: Alice to write to Quadron to ask permission to plant the bulbs.
DONM Saturday 20 May, 11 am. Venue to be confirmed.