Josephine Avenue Group Minutes

Annual General Meeting

Wed 8 December 2010

7.30pm

Those present: 

Garry Turnbull (co-chair), Louise Belson (co-sec), Jools Wait (co-sec), OpheliaNazareth,

Christine van Duuren,  Graham Lane, Tim fairhurst, Sibs Walter, Shakirat & Tayo Olumegbon, Oliver Nicolle (Josephine Avenue) Tim Sutton (Helix gdns), Monica & Nigel Whitehead (St. Saviours Rd), Lynette Fraser, Jenny Perring (Arodene Rd), Ricky Osborne ( Leander rd), Cllr. Ruth Ling (LBC). Sgt Michael Meekums, Neil MacGuire (Tulse hill Safer Neighbourhood Team)

1. Welcome. Garry Turnbull (Chair) welcomed all to the meeting and thanked them for coming.

2. Apologies were received from: 

Aysev Ismail (Community Safety LBC), Linda Olivera (ASB Caseworker), Frances Forrest, 

Don Bruce (Brixton Hill) Nick Berry (JAG treasurer).

3. Report from the Chair:  Garry reported: 

There had been 4 very successful street clean up events in the past year, all well attended and he thanked Keith Naish & the Community Freshview Team from LBC, the Payback teams, Veolia, the Parks dept ,LBC and all the residents who had volunteered their time, for their help.

He confirmed that there would be 3 events with Freshview in 2011 on:

5 March, July 2 and October 22.

There was an infestation of Japanese knotweed on Josephine Avenue and on other areas of the Rush Common. Residents and JAG volunteers had commenced work to eliminate it using Round Up, had delivered information leaflets to all residents and had contacted private contractors to cost a professional eradication programme.

Urban Art had staged another very successful art fair event in July on Josephine Avenue.

UA had succeeded after much difficulty and with help from LBC in a partial road closure on Josephine Avenue.

The Josephine Avenue group had funded a new website which would be live early in the New Year. The Yahoo Newsgroup site would continue.

In early July a young resident was killed at his school. Residents were shocked and very saddened. Our planned street party for that week was cancelled.

Residents hoped to be able to plant a tree and help his family build a garden in his memory.

4. Safer neighbourhood Team Report:

Sgt. Meekums said that 2 team members, Raj and Mario had left and would be missed. 

There were no replacements as yet due to recruiting difficulties. However, they would be replaced as soon as possible. Policing policy on Brixton Hill appeared to be effective. Drug dealing and prostitution levels had reduced in most adjoining streets. During the summer, youth problems on Tulse Hill Estate and elsewhere had demanded a lot of police time. The Safer neighbourhood teams had re-organised their operational system under the scheme ‘Operation Hannah’.  The changes would NOT mean that we would lose our local safer neighbourhood teams. They would remain but it was hoped the new system would help to speed police response in the wider area.

Due to his additional responsibilities Sgt. Meekums said that he may not be able to attend future community meetings regularly but a representative from the police would attend. 

Jenny Perring asked if the new organisation would diminish policing of late night disturbances. MM said it would not. MM confirmed that the operation of the vice squad was not affected by the changes. RL asked if there would be more PC’s. MM said there would be.

GT thanked the police for attending and they left the meeting.

5. Election of JAG officers: 

Garry Turnbull stood down as co-chair. Louise Belson stood down as co-secretary.

Nick Berry (by email) stood down as treasurer.

None wished to stand again.

Tim Fairhurst was nominated by Garry Turnbull and elected unanimously by those present as Co-chair.

Peter Claasen ( co-chair) and Jools Wait (co-secretary) stood down, were re-nominated and were re-elected. 

Action: The JAG seeks a new co-secretary and a Treasurer. 

6. Treasurers Report:

Jools Wait distributed copies of the JAG accounts 2006- Aug 2010 to those present. Copies are available from the co-secretary at 21 Josephine Avenue and will be available on the newsgroup files/ website members area.

7.  Open Discussion/ Questions:

7.1 Tim Sutton thanked everyone for helping to make UA 2010 such a success. UA had donated 1000 GBP to two charities and to the JAG. He said that Urban Art needed more volunteers. Visitor number was estimated at 7,500 of which 4,300 were local. One third of the 153 artists exhibiting were from Lambeth. 5207GBP was brought into Lambeth by UA but it had taken 5 months to persuade LBC to reduce its commercial charge for a license to part close the road and there was no agreement with LBC Licensing for a reduced charge in 2011. TS said it was a community event that supported charity and that LBC should support it.

Cllr. Ruth Ling said that she sympathised but that it was unlikely that there would be available LBC funding for UA in 2011.

Tim Fairhurst said that UA was principally an arts event and that although residents were supportive of the event, the JAG’s constitutional aims were to support environmental and community issues locally rather than the arts. 

TF asked TS why the event needed to be bigger and so needed the part road closure.

TS said that UA earned money for charities and the JAG, operated under a sole trader account and that he received a fee as it was a huge event to organise.

Jools Wait said that the problem seemed to be that the council did not accept that the event was not commercial and suggested that TS clarify the financial status of UA for LBC. TS thanked the orgainisers of the sound stage at UA 2010.

7.2 Jenny Perring reported on the continuing major noise disturbance and increased ASB caused by licensed premises on Brixton Hill. The current license review of South Beach bar was imminent. She asked all those present to sign the residents petition. 

Residents thanked her and signed.

7.3 GT explained the function of the Brixton Hill steering group to the meeting and asked residents of the area to attend.

7.4 TS asked when there would be a review of the hours of the CPZ parking on JA. Cllr. Ruth Ling said she would ask.

Garry Turnbull  thanked all for attending and invited everyone to celebrate with a drink at Mango Landing.

The meeting ended at 9.15pm.