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 Grant, Chair for the meeting, welcomed everyone and led the introductions.

The Chair informed all present the order for the agenda would be changed to allow the Police present to leave the meeting.

Apologies were received from Angela Martin (Community Engagement Officer) and Harvey Roberts (City Warden).

Attached for information and discussion.

The Action Log from the meeting held on 29 August 2017 was received and noted.

Officers from Leicestershire Police will be at the meeting to provide an update on police issues in Knighton Ward.

Sergeant Julian Lowe introduced himself to the meeting. New to Knighton and Saffron Wards, Sgt. Lowe can be contacted on Ext. 762 or via email (link on the website https://leics.police.uk/local-policing/knighton/team, along with other members of the Neighbourhood Team.

All to note:

·         Issues at Lancaster Academy had now settled down, in and out of the school.

·         Burglaries in the area were a problem. Over the last 30 days there were 16 burglaries. There had also been an increase in burglaries in Oadby and Wigston areas. In particular Asian houses had been targeted, but curtailed due to police present and extensive coverage in the media.

·         In the previous 30 days, 17 vehicles were broken into, compared to 25 in September. Vehicle crime was an ongoing problem, with Knighton traditionally being targeted, with expensive cars being left unlocked with items in. CCTV in the area had shown people trying car doors. Two people were arrested in October.

·         Theft of vehicles – thieves were particularly targeting vans with tools.

·         Someone was stealing doorbells, in particular the old fashioned brass or metal bells. The Police would look at Ebay to see if any were being sold online.

A resident made reference to an accident on Carisbrooke Road / Shanklin Avenue at which a car drove off. The police were not aware of the incident, but any safety issues on the road would be taken up by the Highways section at the Council. If police officers were dealing with an incident which they believed was due to road furniture, would also be fed back to the council.

Cllr Grant thanked the police for the update, and invited them to stay, but acknowledged the Police were busy.

Councillors will provide information on events / news for Knighton Ward.

Feedback from Councillors was covered in other agenda items.

Highways Officers will be present to provide an update.

Martin Fletcher (City Highways Director) and Graham Seaton (Transport Development Officer) were present.

All to note:

·         During Summer, a programme was undertaken around all the schools in the city, tackling issues around school parking, getting people out of cars, walking and cycling, and road markings, and included works around Overdale School and Ash Close. The Council requested feedback if there were still issues.

·         Works were undertaken to tackle speeding on Welford Road, in particular at the junction with Chapel Lane where a lot of right turn incidents had happened. It was recognised that some people did not appreciate what had been done, but it had slowed down traffic, and allowed people to cross the road safely. A resident said the works had impacted on traffic leaving the city during rush hour, adding time to journeys, and people using side roads. The meeting was informed that data on any impact of the works on traffic times and pollution was being collected.

Action Point – the Chair asked that data be published to show changes in traffic volume if any, and a before and after comparison of data regarding pollution.

·         Works had been undertaken to provide safety refuges in different parts of the ward. Officers were looking at a scheme of improved road markings to highlight the danger of the bend on Chapel Lane.

·         Hatching highlighting was considered, but might push cars further into the road. As a minimum the anti-skid and road markings would be redone.

·         A programme of temporary speed signs would be considered.

·         Shanklin Drive – drawings were being developed on where the refuges might go. It was noted that refuges would not have helped with the incident on Carisbrooke Road. If someone was injured in the incident, council officers would receive information from the police.

·         A resident stated they did not believe the pavement on Welford Road was wide enough for both pedestrians and cyclists, with no demarcation of walking and cycling lanes, and asked if there was any scope to take back some of the grass for cycling.

·         Residents stated that if vehicles could park on the pavement, it would allow traffic to flow on roads. It was noted, however, that Knighton Church Road had an issue with pavement parking. A compromise would be to allow a two wheels on / off solution, which would not be an issue on Shanklin Drive which had wider pavements.

·         Shanklin Drive was a high priority road (red) due to speeding. Humps with bolt down features were easier and cheaper to install, and could be moved if necessary. It was noted though that road humps increased pollution.

·         The Council was going through the process of introducing a bylaw for parking on zig-zag lines outside of schools. It was hoped it would be in place for the new year.

·         The Chair asked for feedback on where residents believed there were issues with speeding in Knighton. There was an opportunity to use vehicle activated temporary signs to find out the average  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.

Highways Officers will be present to provide an update.

Discussed in the previous agenda item.

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

The City Warden sent apologies for the meeting. A leaflet was circulated at the meeting (attached).

An update on recent activities by the Knighton Neighbourhood Forum will be given.

Dennis Foxon, Knighton Neighbourhood Forum, delivered an update (attached for information).

In addition the meeting was informed there would be a Christmas Walk on 28^th December, at 1.30pm, which was open to all, starting point Palmerston Way car park, Knighton Park.

·         Councillors were pushing for speed activated cameras in Knighton (portable ones) so they could be moved round the ward. The cameras could also record speeds.

·         It was suggested an organised litter pick and clean-up operation be arranged. It was noted the Knighton Wild group organised litter picks, and College Court were prepared to act as a base for litter picking.

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.

A summary of the Ward Community Budget was reported and approved amounts listed as follows:

·         Leicester Special Olympics Multi-Sport Club – Joint application – Supported with £750

·         John Jones – application for an additional refuse bin. The request was for £400. Not Supported. The Chair reported that officers had agreed to empty the bin twice a week.

A balance of £15,178 was reported. Residents were encouraged to put in bids to Angela Martin, Community Engagement Officer.

The meeting closed at 7.56pm.