Whitchurch Town & Parish

Plan Implementation Committee

Notes of meeting held on Wednesday 7 September 2011

at 7.30pm in Whitchurch Civic Centre

In attendance:

Peggy Mullock (PM)                    Whitchurch Town Council – Mayor

Gerald Dakin (GD)            Shropshire Councillor

Gareth von Dinther (GvD)  Whitchurch Town Councillor

Sue Simper (SS)               Town Plan Steering Group member

Sue McKeon (SM)             Town Plan Steering Group member

Gerald Moss (GM)            Town Plan Steering Group member

Mike Gallacher (MG)         Whitchurch resident

Nicki Young   (NY)             Shropshire Council, Community Action Officer

Apologies:

Elaine Griffiths                  Voluntary & Community Sector

Peter Martin                      Whitchurch Town Clerk

Item 1 – Welcome and Introductions

1.1           Whitchurch Town Council Mayor, Peggy Mullock (PM), welcomed everyone to the meeting and all present introduced themselves.

Item 2 – Election of Chair for the Meeting

2.1           Sue Simper (SS) was duly elected Chair for this meeting, proposed by PM, seconded by GD.

Item 3 – Protocols (draft Protocols attached for your information)

3.1      SS explained that the Protocols will explain how the Plan Implementation      Committee will operate. SS and SM had worked together using the Town      Plan Steering Group’s Constitution as a framework and reworded a draft for      the PIC.

3.2      Name. The group will be knows as the Plan Implementation Committee      (PIC) in all paperwork.

3.3      Purpose.

• Identify priorities and timescale for delivery of Action Plan.
• Action plan is based on community wants and needs following completion of a questionnaire, therefore the community needs to be involved in delivery Actions.
• The Monitoring Group will be an independent group away from the PIC and delivery groups.
• GD requested that opportunities would exist to change the Action Plan as it progresses.
• SS said that as the Action Plan had been printed that it would be the Action that would change and not the outcome.
• SM stated that the Action Plan is the prime document and states what the people of Whitchurch want.
• GD would like to make sure that things get done even if not in the Plan and to make sure that if an Action arises that is not in the plan that it still gets done if the PIC agree
• Amend the 4^th point to read “Establish and develop appropriate organisational structures to ensure delivery is effective.”
• PM informed the meeting that Whitchurch Herald are very supportive of the PIC and will report progress on a regular basis and come to meetings if required.
• To reach the objective of what the town wants, a thriving town – the role of this group is about leading the work. The Action Plan will not happen if the community are not on board.
• The Town Plan was written in partnership with Shropshire Council county plans because the community want joined-up thinking.

3.4      Membership. 15 members maximum suggested, plus anyone co-opted.

3.5      Representation:

          Town Council – at least 2 x Town Councillors

          Shropshire Councillor – minimum one Councillor

          Shropshire Council – Community Action Officer

          Voluntary & Community Sector – at least one representative at each                             meeting – SS to write a letter to Kath Goodchild at Beechtree                             Community Centre for AGM on 14 September            ACTION SS

          Chamber of Commerce – at least one member

          WTPP Steering Group – at least 2 members

• Everyone was requested to actively recruit representatives of organisations who would like to be involved with the PIC.  ACTION All
• The Committee to decide on how many consecutive meetings could be missed before any member would be asked to resign: PM proposed      4 meetings, the draft will be amended accordingly.

3.6      Meetings

• The committee shall meet every month as a minimum – draft Protocol to be amended accordingly.
• A quorum is 5 members, a third of the Committee
• Meeting notes will be distributed within 14 days after each meeting.
• Following approval at the following meeting, the notes will be published

3.7     Finance. A Fund-raising Strategy Group will be the group who source funds, if necessary, to deliver actions. PM reported that the Town Council are in the process of setting up a Finance Group.

3.8     Add the 7 Nolan Principles of Public Life as a Committee member acceptable behaviour guide.

Item 4 – To Provide an Overview of the Town Plan.

4.1     The diagram detailing how it is envisaged that the PIC will sit, with action delivery groups being formed to deliver time-limited projects, was presented to the meeting (attached for your information).

Item 5 – Consider the Priorities:

5a -    Priorities already delivered or in progress of being delivered: It is proposed that a short record of progress be kept using the form attached. This form to be kept up-to-date by all members of the Committee, who should e-mail the Committee Secretary to enable this document to be coordinated. A further, more comprehensive ‘Action Plan Progress Record’ (attached for information) will be kept up-to-date by the Committee Secretary from information supplied by Committee members.

5b -    Identify priority actions: Committee members are requested to read “Action Plan Priority Issues” (attached). This document lists all the priority actions (*S) for the PIC to consider progressing first.

Item 6 – To plan a way forward for the delivery groups.

6.1     The Committee agreed to defer this item until the priorities have been decided.

Item 7 – Date of next meeting

7.1     The next meeting will take place on Monday 3^rd October at 7pm in Whitchurch Civic Centre. Please send apologies to Nicki Young, Community Action Officer, Shropshire Council ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )