Minutes

Members Present.

Roy Adams
Lillian Jones
Mary West
Betty Marchant
Mr & Mrs Neville
Margaret Valleley
Mr & Mrs Halfpenny
Jean Fishpool
Mr & Mrs Hince
Mr & Mrs Morris
Nancy Evans
Eileen Houghton
Charlotte Baldwin
Menai Roberts
Ann Downie

1. The meeting opened at 10.40am and the Chairman welcomed Richard Hancock and Alan Burgess, as well as Eddie Clark, all representatives of the Council.

2. Apologies, were received from Stephen Atkins, Mr Walbyoff and Mrs Gough.

3. Minutes of the previous meeting. Chairman asked members if
copies of the minutes were being displayed on the notice boards where they lived. It was clear from the response that most schemes didn't display minutes. Chairman asked Eddie if wardens could be asked to display them and Eddie agreed. It was then agreed by all members that the minutes did represent the last meeting in a satisfactory way.

4. Matters arising from the previous minutes.
Eddie spoke first about the alarms at Longmeadow. This has been a
long-running issue within our group, the subject of postponement and delay for several months. Eddie promised that before the end of the day he would have some positive news for us about this work.

Eddie next spoke about the road signs for elderly people at Smallbrook.
Mrs Halfpenny produced a letter that she had received from Traffic
Department. The letter did not clearly show that they had understood the problem. We asked Eddie if he would get Mr Jenkins (of Traffic) to contact Mrs Halfpenny so that they can walk the ground concerned together and agree how the streets concerned should be signed. Eddie agreed to the meetings suggestion.

Menai raised the issue of the heating work at Southgate Court and explained her own case as an example to Alan Burgess. Alan did not
seem to understand the issue, that the plastering and carpentry after the replacement of a boiler are part of the same job. Menai tried to explain that for a very elderly person, having the contents of one's airing cupboard stacked in black bags about the floor of a very small, crowded flat, is creating the very real danger of a fall. The Group's request that these tasks become more 'joined-up' still applies. Perhaps Mr Burgess would reflect on what we tried to say and respond later.

David Morris said that it was very different for people in small flats from those who lived in three-bedroomed houses and had storage for contents of airing cupboards. Eddie Clark raised the subject of the letters from the Council saying that tenants must lift their own carpets and move furniture for the workmen. Charlotte Baldwin said she had been very worried about that. Eddie promised that help would be available for anyone not able to do the work themselves. Most members present felt that this covered everyone in sheltered housing.

Richard Hancock addressed the question about members travelling in
mini-buses to our meeting. He said that they are covered by the Council's normal insurance policy for official passengers.

Chairman asked Richard Hancock if the Council would meet the cost of the advertisement in the Hereford Times for our AGM. Richard asked why we had taken out the advert. Chairman replied that we had done so because Richard had told us we had a legal obligation to advertise the meeting. Richard said that was so, but only advertise it to our members. Richard's comment was taken as a refusal to help. Richard also complained about the cost of a braille copy of our minutes for Stephen Atkins. Many members expressed their surprise and disgust at the Council being so clearly parsimonious and prejudiced against disability. It is obviously a matter that members will come back to when the have thought about it more.

5. Treasurer's Statement. Treasurer told the meeting that we have £34 in cash and are still in the process of opening a bank account.

6. Any Other Business.
Mrs Halfpenny told the meeting about a neighbour who had had a fall in his home at Small brook. Eddie and the Chairman felt that particular cases were difficult for us to discuss without there being legal implications. The events that Mrs Halfpenny spoke of were being looked at however.

David Morris brought the meetings attention to an apparent anomaly
over door-locks where he lives. This had led to a protracted delay in getting access to a resident whose alarm system was not connected to Herefordshire Council's central control. Alan Burgess said that his department would look at the locks concerned.

Jean Fishpool told the meeting of residents' concerns over footpaths and chimneys at Fowbridge Gardens. Alan thought that repairs had been done to the footpaths. Jean said they had at one side, but not the other. Alan promised to investigate that. He said that chimneys came under a different thing, but he would look at those as well.

Eileen Houghton told us that Stephen Atkins had brought her attention to damaged facia board at his home. She had got a repair done to the
facia board but was concerned because that particular board carried a junction for the local alarm system. She thanked the Council for their prompt action.

Margaret Valleley said that she had been told that there was no more money for a shower fitting at Penyard Gardens. Alan and Eddie both said that if the resident's Occupational Therapist recommended a shower for a resident then it would be fitted. It didn't depend on the Council's finances and it was considered to be a Cat 1 task.

7. Next meeting. Mr and Mrs Hince kindly invited us to meet at Churchcroft in Fownhope for our July meeting which will be on Thursday 4 July at 10.30am. The raffle raised £20.50p for which Mrs Fishpool was thanked by all. The meeting closed at 12.30pm.