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In Attendance: |
Apologies: |
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Rick Smith |
Annie Keane |
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Paul Whiteman |
Richard Steel. |
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John Defoe |
Pallavi Malhotra |
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Linda Salim. |
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Melissa Blackburn |
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Richard Stubbs. |
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Tee Fabikun. |
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In the absence of Richard Steel, John Defoe chaired the meeting.
Copies of the minutes were circulated, read and adopted.
Richard Stubbs apologised for not having a written report. It was due to circumstances beyond his control.
Richard Stubbs reported that the launch was a huge success and 4 – 500 people had attended. 176 residents signed up for the set top boxes and the booking system also worked well. Four members of staff have been employed to install the set top boxes but Blick sub contractors walked out on the job and therefore no one to connect the CAT 5. Another company would be taking over but details unknown. Linda will find out if compensation could be paid to tenants over the delays.
Residents could be connected if the flat is wired. The entire low rise has excellent CAT 5 connections but Lund is riddled with faults. So far 120 set top boxes have been installed.
A support worker would be employed soon. Every one is learning on the job due to the various things found in homes and the various problems cropping up in the attempt to install the set top boxes.
Another event is being planned for a further roll out which will tempt more residents into signing up for the set top boxes. Rick Smith promised to follow up the Yorkshire set top offer.
Cabinets. There are problems with the cabinets because many have broken, faulty or no locks.
Sky IRS Various meetings are underway with the technical people in order to discuss the various options to extend the network to the houses and to other estates in the borough. One option is to put the services out using the Sky IRS system but as this has never been tried before, a lot of talking will still need to go on. But with backup, it looks like we could connect all homes in Newham that have a connection to the IRS system ie some 5,500 Council flats. Any such system would be tested on the Carpenters Estate before being rolled out elsewhere.
Connecting houses. Richard Stubbs has been discussing with Video Networks Limited the possibility of using DSL to get our service into houses on the estate but this depends of them agreeing to extend their pilot scheme in Camden to Stratford.
TV channel. One thing that we can do is to use the Sky IRS system to broadcast a programme on the normal TV channels the first thing we thought worth doing is to put up service information so that if there are any problems with the CAT5 system the first thing residents would need to do would be to tune into a specific TV channel to find out what was happening.
Video Entry System. Blick could connect existing door entry cameras and broadcas the picture on a TV channel over the IRS. We need to ascertain possible costs and liase with TMO to see if they want this facility.
Free to air broadcasting. A University in France is working with us to test new software that would make this an affordable option.
Interactive Video games will not work on the boxes without an upgrade which PACE promised to deliver before Xmas. This has now slipped and a revised date is being sought.
Media Trust would register Home 2 Home. The existing support worker is employed by Canning Town Labour Hire but the new worker and existing would be transferred to the TMO until H2H is set up
Looks like the £50,000 Chris Wood promised may not be provided. This money was earmarked for editing staff salaries.
The IBACK ERDF project, if successful, would provide funds for the continuing employment of Richard Overton to help with the development and management of the system. It would also fund application development. IBACK consists of all the existing Carpenters Connect partners plus three additional partners namely Newham chamber of Commerce, Prevista Ltd and the East London Centre. Agreed to expand this meeting so as to involve IBACK partners. The steering committee will thus wind up.
LDA support is very probable though technically rests on success with the IBACK funding. If ERDF’s money is confirmed LBN would fund us until the money is received. Also there is a possibility of ODPM money though likely not to be until next financial year.
The DfES claims have still to be sorted. Richard Stubbs said that there is about £500,000 ready to be claimed and he would liase with the borough to ensure the claim was submitted..
A meeting is scheduled for 9th Dec where MT and TMO might be able to apply for funding. Ways into how Community Cohesion programme fund could be applied for; would also be looked into.. H2H would also apply for “Tomorrow’s City” an SRB funding programme bases in Canning Town.
A lot of people and companies are very much interested in visiting the Estate and see the demonstrations. A free one-day Open day is being organised for 27th January whereby interested people could come and see a demonstration. As it is planned for the whole day, visitors could come either in the morning or afternoon. Thereafter visitors would have to pay. A proper agenda would be drawn and apart from going round the Estate, people would be able to ask questions.
There were between 15/16 congratulatory messages about the launch. There was a particularly impressive one from Microsoft. The business potentials were realised and it has generated a lot of questions.
The fancy dress parade by the schoolboys and girls could not take place because they had to go home. The £300 prize of is still in hand and so there would be a consultation with the school to discuss what could be done and filmed. The link with the University on the school would still continue.
Paul Whiteman promised to follow up the issue of making Plato primary school content available in the school as Plato had offered to include this within the work that they have already been paid for.
There was no one from the school to give us a report.
Paul Whiteman opined that absenteeism at this meeting seems very rampart and is not fair on those that make the effort in attending the meetings. Something ought to be done.
Next meeting is
at 3.00pm on Mon 16th Dec. 2002at TMO