MINUTES FROM SPECIAL SUBJECT MEETING

HELD ON NOVEMBER 30th 2005

Attendance.

Nadine Greenwood, Nancy Briggs, Rita McWhirter, Iris O'Donnell, Sheila Whiteley, Mary Battye, Eric Sutcliffe, Bert Swaine, Mary and Stanley Ashworth, Kathleen Graham, Mrs Egrinberge, Ruth Rider, Wendy Buxton, Ken smith, Sue Molineux, Doris Maden, Audrey Waterhouse, Sue Hodgson, Allan Randell, Don Mclean, Ann Durkin, Gillian West (council)

1. Another vacancy on the management team due to the resignation of Liz Stephenson, Sue Hodgson is now on the team.

Times of management meetings were discussed and it was decided for a trial period they would be held alternately evenings and mornings. The next management meeting to be held 11^th January at 7pm

2. In the absence of Mark Thomson, Gillian West from the council came to answer questions we had to put to her. Gillian agreed to send written answers to all our questions that she could not answer tonight.

Why are more plans being passed for new housing when we are told that Calderdale have reached the target figures?

A new target is set annually.

Planning applications, Affordable housing.

10% floor area at discount should be offered on all new build, but this is not always feasible, too costly especially on luxury apartments, however 100 new properties are in the pipeline to be handed over to social housing.

Housing requirement information has just been published.

Where has the money gone from the right to buy which the council claimed?

£11.000.000 from the right to buy is not going back into housing; some of the money is going into bringing Council Buildings up to the legal requirements (disabled friendly)

Do the council pass plans to build on the green belt?

No but will on green land, it is usual to grant plans for brown field land.

Green field is land between two buildings.

Brown field is land where a building has stood before.

Valley View Flats what is going to happen to these?

No one can or will give an answer to that one.

It was said that PH2K and the Council should be working closer to-gether to conquer the housing problem.

There is a very good working relationship between the Council and Pennine Housing; meetings take place at least once a week.

Can anything be done to stop the sale of properties that were bought under the right to buy being sold on at much higher prices?

Leasehold governance will be looked into, Pennine are looking at land sale agreement, the land that a home is built on 80% of the cost price.

Thanks were given to Gillian for attending in place of Mark Thompson. She assured us that any questions to which she did not have an answer

Would get a written answer as soon as she had obtained it herself

3. The management asked permission to purchase a new fridge for the office as the one we have no longer working. It was agreed that we could go and get one. ASAP

4. Wendy said, "How she could contact a housing officer"? As there was never any one in the office. (Sowerby Bridge) They have 2 part time housing officers and they are never available.

It was wrongly thought that each tenants group had a P. Mail list of contact numbers. Only Pennine members and staff have these. As every one is told when they ask Pennine officials, housing officers no longer sit behind a desk all day; they have to make estate visits. Other area also have this problem, this needs to be sorted out.

5. Have any photos from the presentation night been seen.

No we had forgotten about them, but we will ask for them.

6. A name and telephone number were given out for anyone who thinks that his or her community would benefit from the mobile library service.

Meeting closed at 8.45

7. Date of the Next Full Fed meeting 25^th January 2006.