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 Myers (in the Chair) led introductions.

There were no Declarations of Interest.

There were no apologies for absence from members.

The Action Log of the meeting held on 13 February 2018 is attached for information and discussion.

The Action log of the meeting held on 13 February 2018 was agreed as a correct record.

Councillors referred to recent activities in the ward including:

·         Case work involving neighbour disputes and progress concerning previously reported problems at Midland House and concerns at activities in Northampton Street where it was hoped that play equipment for children could be promoted as an alternative to on-street paly.

·         Continued support involving Home Office procedures was being provided to families affected by the ‘Windrush’ situation.  Work to assist the promotion of Black History Month was ongoing.

·         A celebratory event at Nelson Mandela Park had been well attended and was successfully organised and managed.

·         Support was being given to women’s organisations tackling domestic violence.

·         Work continued to assist asylum seekers and the homeless.  In respect of the homelessness situation in the city, enhanced engagement with the voluntary sector was noted.

·         Case work concerning noise and smell/odour complaints at premises in the Clarendon Park area had increased.  Information confirming the need for the public to carefully record all incidents was provided.

Councillors encouraged members of the public to contact them with any future case work or issues of concern.

An update was provided concerning the use of the area behind Knighton Library – ‘Clarendon Park Gardens’.

It was reported that following several discussions with interested parties, a meeting was to be convened and a Task Group created to make improvements.

It was suggested that S.106 monies from planning gain could be made available to fund a project and allow some physical works to commence.

In respect of S.106 monies generally, it was reported that a significant sum may be available following any development at Freemen’s Park, as well as other city centre developments.  Ideas were sought to identify suitable projects.  It was expected that a plan of proposed projects could then be established and prioritised.  The need to refurbish and regenerated Museum Square was given as a n example of a possible future project.

In response to a question, it was noted that the submission of the Freemen’s park planning application to Committee was unknown.  Given the complex nature of the application it was suggested that the consideration at Committee could take some time.

In conclusion it was noted that problems of litter had been exacerbated this summer in the parks due to the prolonged periods of hot weather, particularly at Victoria park.  The possibility of extra or larger bins to increase capacity was suggested as a future item for consideration.

It was reported that a community meeting had been convened on 10 September 2018 to discuss the Universities proposals.  It was confirmed that the University were intending to present their plans and to receive feedback from the public and interested parties.

In response to a concern regarding the amount of detail to be presented, it was acknowledged that if less information had been provided, other complaints may have been generated at the lack of detail.

The position and update was noted.

Councillor Myers read a statement from Highways Officers concerning the key issues in the Ward, as follows:

·         The Knighton Forest Road railway bridge was to be improved and project dates and final proposals were to be confirmed in due course.

·         Further 20mph zones had been requested and had received a good level of support.  In respect of speed limits being ignored, enforcement problems were highlighted and Councillors confirmed that specific areas of concern could be referred to them.

·         The Putney Road scheme had been approved by the Council’s Executive.  The efforts of the ‘End of the Road’ campaign group, in addition to individual responses to the consultation were recognised and noted.  It was suggested that a petition could be presented to a forthcoming full Council meeting.

The updates were noted.

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.  Leaflets promoting the organisation’s activities were circulated for information.

Inspector Atwal provided an update on police activities in the Ward.

The following key points were noted:

·         Work was ongoing to ensure that police activities were appropriately directed to priorities, it was reported that this involved increased use of social media in addition to other methods of information collation and enquiries.

·         Support to residents in the Clarendon Park area, including students, continued to be a priority, particularly in terms of burglary and cycle thefts.

·         The issues concerning Asb and nuisance crime in the city centre, castle gardens and the Riverside areas were being monitored and action taken as appropriate.  The increased on-street begging being witnessed in the Clarendon Park area was noted as a concern.

·         Initiatives to tackle speeding in the area had been enhanced.  It was noted that an increase in reports of speeding and other road safety problems had been experienced and that the numbers of additional road users could be correlated to the recent hot weather.

·         Consultation with the Universities and representatives of Students Unions had been enhanced to ensure that ‘freshers’ events were properly managed.

·         Thefts from motor vehicles had increased and liaison with managers of the city’s NCP car parks concerning improved security arrangements were noted.

·         It was confirmed that the recent event had been attended by officers and been a good, peaceful, community, and multi-cultural event.

In conclusion, Insp Atwal commented on the Police efforts to increase recruitment of officers and PCSOs.

Members of the public requested that their thanks and appreciation be recorded and commented on the noticeable increase in police presence in the Ward.

The report and update was noted.

Harvey Roberts (City Warden) provided an update on environmental and enforcement activities in the Ward.  He reiterated the points made by the Police (above) concerning the enhanced liaison and improvements to service delivery.

The following current activities were reported:

·         Efforts to reduce fly-tipping, particularly from student-let properties were ongoing.

·         Duty of Care requirements of commercial premises in relation to their waste management practices were continuing.

·         Bins on streets continued to be a challenge in the Ward. 

The update was noted.

Councillors are reminded that they will need to declare any interest they may have in budget applications.

a)     An update will be given on the Ward Community budget; and

b)     A list of grant applications submitted for consideration at this meeting is attached.

Councillor Myers reminded those present that the purpose of the Community Ward Budget was to support projects/events that would specifically benefit the residents of Castle ward.

The meeting was informed that £18,000 had again been made available to support suitable applications.

Potential applicants were reminded that all applications must be made online and the Community Engagement Officer could be contacted for assistance with completing forms.

a)    Park Lodge Project

The Chair of the Park Lodge Project expressed thanks to Councillors and the community for their support in funding activities which supported vulnerable people in the Ward.

b)     Former BT building – South Albion/Dunkirk Street

A resident expressed concerns at security issues at the above building, with repeat break-ins and alarms being sounded.  It was noted that the building may have changed ownership or agent recently and any information would be provided separately.

c)      East Street LED Advertisement shop signage

A resident expressed concern at the impact of flashing LED advertisement signs at premises on the corner of East Street.  It was suggested that the signage was a distraction to passing traffic and affected the appearance of the street scene generally.

It was noted that the signage should be the subject of advertisement consent.

d)      Space Standards – New Walk Conversion

Residents reported concerns at the conversion of the former Moore Stephens building to flats, with small living areas.  The need for an introduction of minimum space standards as previously reported at ward meetings was reiterated.

The possible introduction of space standards as part of the new Local Plan was noted.

The meeting closed at 7.40pm.