Agenda and minutes

The Chair will introduce those present and make any necessary announcements.

The Chair and any other Councillors who are present will make any declarations as required by the Councillors Code of Conduct.

Councillor Ross Willmott as Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were given.

An apology for absence was received from Kanti Chudasama.

The Action Log of the meeting held on 19 June 2018 is attached for information and discussion.

The Action Log from the previous meeting held 19 June was noted.

Attendees were invited to discuss items on the action log, and during the discussion, the Rt Hon Keith Vaz entered the meeting at the invitation of the Councillors.

Attendees were asked to note:

·      An attendee said that he had previously reported parking problems on the corner of Woodbridge Road, but there had been no improvement to the situation. There was a wholesale business there but no parking spaces and although there were double yellow lines, they were faded. Noted that they need to be re-painted.  Action: Community Engagement Officer to report to Highways.

·      The Rt Hon Keith Vaz expressed concerns at the continual closure of Loughborough Road due to the roadworks and the detrimental impact that this was having on trade on Belgrave Road. He questioned why it was taking so long.  Councillor Willmott explained that the work to put in flood defences was important and was due to be completed at the weekend, however it would now take a further two weeks to complete.

·      Mr Vaz said that it was important that Rushey Mead prepared for Diwali as too much just happened in Belgrave. However, this year there would be a walk for Diabetes from Rushey Mead to the stage, so Diwali would extend to Rushey Mead. Mr Vaz said that he would like to liven up Melton Road as well.

·      Mr Vaz expressed strong concerns over the proposals to move the Level 3 ICU from the Leicester General Hospital to the Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI). He had concerns that whilst the NHS were saying that they wanted to spend money on the LRI, there was no reception open after 6pm, a lack of signposting and people didn’t know where the entrance was. He believed that Leicester needed the three hospitals, it needed the specialist care and it should be noted that Leicester had an ageing population. Mr Vaz urged attendees to sign the on-line petition on change.org

·      Councillor Clair provided an update on Rushey Mead Library. He said that a three-month pause had been agreed to allow for further discussions. The Friends of Rushey Mead Library were due to submit a proposal by 30 September 2018, but this had not been received. Councillor Clair had suggested that the group should ask for an extension and at their request, a week’s extension had been allowed. Cllr Clair said that they were currently waiting for that proposal. He said that an official announcement had not been made, but he had however made the decision that the Rushey Mead Recreation Centre and the Library would remain open. The proposals however from the Friends of Rushey Mead Library would still be needed. When asked whether this would be for a few months, Cllr Clair said that he could not say that the two buildings would remain open indefinitely but he was referring to more than a few months. Mr Vaz said that this was splendid news and all three of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

There will be an update on the issues that the Ward Councillors have been dealing with since the previous meeting.

A resident who lived on Strathaven Road expressed concerns that he and a neighbour had been given a parking ticket, although there were no parking restrictions on Strathaven Road.  There were however parking restrictions on the adjacent Braemar Drive. Councillors advised him to appeal against the decision and if he wanted help with the appeal, he needed to give his address to councillors or officers at the end of the meeting.

A concern was raised that two benches on Troon Way (near to the corner of Gleneagles Avenue) needed some repair work. Action: Community Engagement Officer to forward the concerns to the relevant officers.

An attendee commented that the pavement on Glencoe Avenue was covered in weeds. The Chair asked for this to be added to the Action Log. Action: Community Engagement Officer to report the issue to the relevant officers.

Councillors then delivered their feedback on the issues they had been dealing with. Attendees were asked to note:

·      There had been numerous incidences of anti-social behaviour (ASB) on Bath Street. An ASB camera would be placed there temporarily and trees would be cut back to open up the area.

·      Charges for parking at Watermead Park would soon be operational.

·      There were issues with grass cutting, or the lack of it, and fly tipping around the ward. Councillors were looking at the possibility of using ward money to address the issues. Councillors explained that grass was being cut in a way to encourage wildlife.

·      Numerous school appeals were taking place, where parent / carers could not get their child into the school of their choice.  This might be because they were late in submitting their application or because they had moved into the area.

·      There were ongoing issues relating to overcrowding in houses. It was also reported that people who lived in housing association accommodation had been asking for the same ‘right to buy’ as council tenants had and a pilot scheme would be taking place in Leicester. This would affect some houses in Rushey Mead.

·      An attendee reported an increasing problem with rats outside the Outdoor Pursuit Centre on Loughborough Road.  The problem had been reported to Pest Control but the poison that they had used in the past was no longer available.

The Chair suggested that the problems with rats might be due to the works taking place on Loughborough Road. He said that there needed to be discussions with Highways and Severn Trent as to what would happen when the works there had finished. He suggested that there should be a site visit once the works had completed. Action:  Community Engagement Officer to forward to the City Highways Director.

A Police Officer will be at the meeting to provide an update on local policing issues.

Attendees were asked to note an update from Police Sergeant 1887 Adam Goodenough. Points made during the update included the following:

·      There had been a problem with burglaries, but it was expected that following two significant arrests, the situation would improve.

·      A pro-active approach was being taken to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) with high visibility presence in target areas. Cannabis and alcohol had been seized on Watermead Park. The issue of ASB on Bath Street would be raised with his team.

·      Road Safety operations were being held on Barkby Road and elsewhere. The Police had dealt with two parents who were driving children in cars without using the necessary booster seats or safety measures. 

·      Sergeant Goodenough provided an update on crime statistics and it was noted that crimes committed during the previous week included 1 burglary and 4 incidents of serious acquisitive crime. The Chair asked for the crime figures over a three- month period to be provided at future meetings.

·      There had been no chain snatches in the area over the previous week; this was a crime that the Police took very seriously across all wards. 

The Chair thanked Sergeant Goodenough for attending the meeting.                                                           

The City Warden will give an update on issues in the Ward.

Attendees were asked to note an update from Mohammed Patel, City Warden on street scene enforcement issues. Points raised and comments and questions from attendees included the following:

·      Fixed penalty notices had been issued for offences such as fly tipping.  There had been an increase in fly tipping and it was believed that many of the incidents were committed by one individual who had been caught and now being prosecuted.

·      A large percentage of the population in the Rushey Mead area had English as a second language and the City Warden service were looking at making information available in different languages.

·      Dog patrols had taken place on Jermyn Street and stencils had been put down.

·      There were problems with people spitting paan; the stains were being cleaned  and the possibility of erecting some permanent signs was being investigated.

·      There was some discussion relating to issues on Woodbridge Road, where a factory had burnt down and the Chair asked when work would be carried out to repair the pavements there. Mohammed responded that the pavement was tarmacked some time ago and an attendee reported that the pavement on the near- by Melton Road still needed attention.

·      An attendee reported that the bicycle rack on the Belgrave Road opposite the Rt Hon Keith Vaz’s office was not secure, as the racks were not fixed to the ground.

·      It was reported that there were uneven slabs on Lockerbie Avenue / Kincraig Road and Hardy’s Avenue. Action: Community Engagement Officer to report to Highways.

The Chair thanked Mohammed for his update.

Gillian Jillett will be present to provide information about Healthwatch Leicester and Leicestershire.

Attendees were asked to note an update from Gillian Jillett, Healthwatch Leicester and Leicestershire. Points made during Gillian’s update included the following:

·      Healthwatch arose out of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and whilst there had been some changes to the format, the Healthwatch team aimed to attend meetings such as this to capture people’s views and experiences of the health care system.

·      Healthwatch also attended meetings including scrutiny commissions and could help to influence decision making.

·      As an example as to what they could achieve, Healthwatch had helped to introduce two new dental emergency services in Leicester which were open 365 days per year.

·      Attendees were asked not to be offended if they were unable to see their doctor, as General Practitioners needed to prioritise their workload. Patients might be offered an appointment with a different health professional rather than a doctor.

Anyone interested in volunteering was asked to speak to Gillian or to contact Healthwatch.

There will be an update on local highways issues.

Attendees were asked to note that a series of consultations meetings with local residents would be held in relation to the residential parking scheme on Harrison Road and the roads leading off Harrison Road.

The meetings would be held at Harrison Road Methodist Church on:

Saturday 27 October 2-4 pm

Tuesday 30 October 6 – 8 pm, and

Thursday 1 November 4 – 6 pm.

Details of the consultation meetings would be leafleted in the local area.

Attendees heard that was a big scheme and the ward councillors would make the decision depending on the views of the residents.   Attendees were asked to encourage people who lived in the area to attend and give their views.

Councillors are reminded that under the Council’s Code of Conduct they should declare any interest they may have in budget applications.

An update will be given on the Ward Community Budget.

Attendees were asked to note an update on the ward budget, from Punum Patel, the Community Engagement Officer. Since the previous meeting, five applications had been supported:

·      Pushti Nidhi UK. £500 requested for a food and hygiene course for cooks and volunteers.

·      Geeta Jawa. £495 requested for Osm-tbag (awesome team building activities and games).

·      Rushey Fields Residents’ Association. £495 requested for bird trees and more flowers in the community garden area.

·      Rushey Mead Bhajan Sandhya. £2500 for exercise, bhajans yoga and a trip. Also for dinner for Diwali and Christmas.

·      Milap Group. £800 requested for the Mens’ Milap Group to pay rent for the hall and for a summer sea side trip.

Four applications were in the assessment process as follows:

·      Catholic Church of our Lady of Good Counsel. £500 for a children’s Christmas party.

·      Milap Group. £2000 requested for the Mens’ Milap Group who met every afternoon to  play cards and organise trips.

·      North Leicester Cfr. £500 requested from the group who provide a volunteer response to emergencies.

·      Diabetes Self Help Group. ££500 requested to organise a health event trip, provided by the Diabetes Research and Wellness foundation.

Attendees were asked to note that the Community Engagement team could assist in the application process, if help was needed.

The meeting closed at 7. 50 pm.