Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies of absence were received Councillor Wilkinson.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the previous meeting.

RESOLVED: The minutes from the previous meeting held on the 23^rd January 2025 were agreed as a correct record.

Please indicate if there are any interests which should be declared.  A declaration of an interest should indicate the nature of the interest (if not already declared on the Register of Interests) and the agenda item to which it relates.  If a disclosable pecuniary interest is declared, the Member should withdraw from the room whilst the matter is discussed.

These declarations apply to all Members present, whether the Member is part of the meeting, attending to speak as a local Member on an item or simply observing the meeting from the public seating area.

There were none.

To consider any business which, by reason of special circumstances, the Chairman proposes to accept as urgent under Section 100(b)(4)(b) of the Local Government Act, 1972.

There was no urgent business under Standing Order 7.

Members wishing to speak pursuant to Standing Order 34 should inform the Chairman of their intention to do so and on what items they wish to be heard before the meeting commences.  Any Member attending the meeting under Standing Order 34 will only be permitted to speak on those items which have been previously notified to the Chairman.

There were no members present under Standing Order 34.

There was none.

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Inspector Ben Jarvis  gave a presentation to the Committee, a copy which is attached.

The Chair thanked Inspector Ben Jarvis for the presentation and invited questions and comments from the Committee.

Councillor Heneghan commented she had experienced asking the questionnaire with Councillor Jones. She commented there was pride within the community and it related to Marmot. She sought clarification this would be replicated in other areas such as South Lynn and Fairstead.

Inspector Ben Jarvis confirmed the model was portable and therefore the aim was to implicate projects such as rise within other areas of King’s Lynn. He commented further, once the foundation was identified, investment was needed from the community.

Councillor Heneghan commented Councillors within these areas needed to engage.

Inspector Ben Jarvis agreed and advised community mapping was needed.

Councillor Collop commented St Augustine’s was a doctor surgery within North Lynn. She sought clarification on plans for the old community centre area opposite the Beacon.

Inspector Ben Jarvis confirmed this had been raised with Freebridge Community Housing as the area needed to attention and investment.

Councillor Rust commented , in relation to do nothing, it was raised by Sir Michael Marmot about inequality of agency in which people do not feel they have the power or resources to do anything. She added it was important to identify the key people within the area that would make a difference. She referred to the importance of the beacon with the community and the impact the people who run the beacon are members of the community in which they work and live in. Councillor Rust thanked Inspector Ben Jarvis for all the work he had done.

Councillor Jones echoed Councillor Rust comments and added it was a pleasure to work together with Inspector Ben Jarvis to make the community stronger.

Councillor Joyce commented it was resources from all organisations to work together to improve a community and building confidence took time.

Inspector Ben Jarvis commented further it took people within a community to participate and a community was built within. 

The Chair, Councillor Bone referred to his own experience growing up in North Lynn and commented the community did engage and there was youth services being replicated and developed such as the Pizza Project and the Beacon.

Under Standing Order 34, Councillor Kemp commented small steps needed to be taken to engage people and make them feel empowered. She referred to projects which had been done in South Lynn such as the Purfleet Pantry, enhancing play arears and the cycling and walking area. She questioned if there had been consideration to the Kick the Dust project which was a Borough and County project too include young people and help develop their skills.

Inspector Ben Jarvis advised he was not familiar with the kick the dust project but would explore and consider this project.

Councillor Rust reminded the Committee of the Food for Thought project which was ran at the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.

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Inspector Ben Jarvis gave the presentation to the Committee, a copy which is attached.

The Chair thanked Inspector Ben Jarvis for the presentation and invited questions and comments from the Committee.

Councillor Heneghan commented the Bus Station was requested to be made a priority at the Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel (SNAP) meetings. She sought clarification on how the perception could be changed on the Bus Station as the data suggested different to perception.

Inspector Ben Jarvis commented perception changes over time. He added different avenues were being explored to resolve the issues at the Bus Station. He commented further it was a priority.

Councillor Joyce commented the Bus Station was the gateway to the Town and therefore needed improvement such as to be cleaned, painted and signs. He added a police present was important. He agreed with Councillor Heneghan’s comments on the perception of the Bus Station. 

Inspector Ben Jarvis advised there were discussions about the visuals of the Bus Stations and improvements needed and key partnerships were working together.

Councillor Rust commented the Bus Station was the responsibility of Norfolk County Council and highlighted there was potential for a new travel hub. She commented there was currently work taking place and referred to the previous meeting where the Committee discussed the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

The Vice-Chair, Councillor Everett referred to the data provided in the presentation and sought clarification if the data included crimes that were reported and investigated or no further action (NFA).

Inspector Ben Jarvis confirmed it was all crime which had been reported therefore included NFA’s. He added there could be missing data when crime was not reported.

The Vice-Chair, Councillor Everett queried further Inspector Jarvis’s thoughts on an old, vacant building as part of the Bus Station being used as an additional police station. He suggested further for Parking Attendants be CSAS trained as an additional presence or additional pair of eyes.

Inspector Ben Jarvis commented it would need to be considered realistically and Officer safety considered which could mean there was not enough resource, but the sentiment was good. He added, in relation to the Parking Operators, further information would be required with what their responsibilities were to assess risk.

Under Standing Order 34, Councillor Kemp commented the layout and landscape allowed people to congregate and more needed to be done to change the culture of the Bus Station.

Inspector Ben Jarvis commented the Street Rangers were additional support but they had no police powers.

 In response to Councillor Kemp’s further question Inspector Ben Jarvis advised the data provided a challenge as even though the perception and local knowledge suggested otherwise until an increase in the data happens a project would be difficult to start.

Councillor Rust clarified the Bus Station was owned and maintained by the Borough Council and not by NCC as per earlier comments. The Chair, Councillor Bone thanked Councillor Rust for the clarification.

Under Standing Order 34,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67.

The Committee is asked to consider items for a future Work Programme for

The Committee is also asked to consider the Cabinet’s Forward Decision List.

RESOLVED: The Committee’s Work Programme and Forward Decision List was noted.

Councillor Heneghan requested the Neighbourhood Board and Car Parking Strategy was added to the Work Programme.

Councillor Rust requested the Neighbourhood Plan as part of the Local Plan be added to the Work Programme.

The next King’s Lynn Area Committee meeting is to be held on the 22^nd May 2025 at 5:15pm in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, King’s Lynn.

The next meeting of the Committee was scheduled for 22^nd May 2025 at 5:15pm in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, Saturday Market Place.