Agenda and minutes

Councillors will elect a Chair for the meeting.

The Chair will introduce those present and make any announcements.

The Chair and other Councillors present will be asked to make any declarations as required by the Councillors’ Code of Conduct.

Councillor Master as Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and led on introductions.

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Action Log from the meeting held on 1st December 2020 is attached and Members will be asked to confirm it as an accurate record.

Councillor Master gave a brief overview of the previous action log from the previous meeting held 1^st December 2020. The action log was confirmed as a correct record.

Councillors will provide an update on ward related matters.

Councillor Rahman

Councillor Rahman reported that there were delays with dealing with outstanding planning applications within the ward and that she had raised this with the City Mayors Office.

The case work surrounding housing issues in the ward were still the same as the previous meeting and work is being done towards securing long term housing solutions within the City and across the County.

The cost of living crisis continued to put a lot of people under pressure, with rising costs, the Councillors encouraged residents to contact them, so they could direct residents to the best place for  help and support. A new campaign called “We Stand by the People” was due to be released in the coming weeks.

Councillor Thalukdar

Councillor Thalukdar reported that he had been busy with case work and the main issue in the ward was housing.

Prebend Gardens had reopened after a refurbishment and it was nice to see people out enjoying themselves in the nice weather.

Ward surgeries were recommencing on the last Friday of every month. Residents were encouraged to call or email to enquire.

Councillor Master

Councillor Master updated residents that Evington Place opposite the Spar Shop was near completion.

He had been working with Sparkenhoe Primary School, looking at history and the environment, and worked with the Soft Arts in the City Centre to create a school competition and the winner would be used and displayed in the City. 

Councillor Master added that he was trying to secure funding for Cedar Park to be used to clamp down on anti-social behaviour in the park. The Council would have a broader scheme across the City based on need. He was hopeful Cedar Park would be the first project as there had not been any investment in 35 years. He was looking to meet with the City Mayor and bring an update to the next meeting.

Officers from the Local Policing Unit will be at the meeting to provide an update on police issues in the Stoneygate Ward.

Sgt Pete Colgate and PCSO Waheed Akhtar were present. Sgt Colgate gave an update on policing issues in the ward. It was noted that:

• Seventeen calls had been received in the previous month around anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the Stoneygate Ward.
• Elmfield Avenue and Ashfield Road had been experiencing ASB around discarded nitrous oxide canisters left in the street.
• Seven burglaries had been reported, in which only one had gained entry, when a laptop was stolen.
• Two warrants had been actioned for drug dealing in the previous week, where arrests had been made. £8k of class A and B drugs and £2k worth of cash had been seized and removed.
• A meeting had taken place earlier this year with the residents of the Way Roads, as there had been targeted burglaries of high value vehicles. Three people had since been arrested in connection with the burglaries.
• Officers encouraged residents to use the Neighbourhood link communication method or App, to keep updated on issues within the local area. More information could be found at:

https://www.neighbourhoodlink.co.uk/Content/Pages/About

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

Darren Evans, the City Warden for the ward, gave an update on environmental issues. It was noted that:

·       Work in the Ward had returned to normal after the pandemic.

·       Before the lockdowns, across the 63 streets of Stoneygate there was a significant increase in bins being left out. The focus going forward was to monitor 5 streets per week and educate residents by issuing a section 46 notice.

·       Instructions would be given to property owners on the responsibilities they had with bins being left out and fines could be issued if action wasn’t taken within 24 hours.

·       Residents were encouraged to use the Love Leicester App. More information could be found at:

https://love.leicester.gov.uk/reports/home

The Highways team will be present to update and address highways related issues in the Stoneygate Ward.

Ed Kocik, Highways Officer, gave an update on highways issues in the ward. It was noted that:

·       The street lighting on Evington Place Environmental scheme had lost power and was being reconnected.

·       Tree and Shrub planting would be taking place in the Ward in early autumn.

·       Refuses had been installed in Hopefield Road, which seemed to of had an effect on the litter issues. ,

·       Residents were due to be consulted on the Evington Valley 20mph scheme.

·       The residential parking consultation was due to finish on 28^th August 2022. At the time of the meeting there had been 500 responses.

Councillors are reminded that they will need to declare any interest they may have in budget applications, and/or indicate that Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.

The Ward Community Engagement Officer will provide an update on the Ward Community Budget and bids.

The Ward Community Engagement Officer provided an update on applications submitted for support from the Ward Community Budget.

·       The Urban Equestrian Academy - £500 for Eid Picnic

·       One Nation UK - £750 for Lives Not Knives Family Fun Day

·       Prem Group – £250 for Coach Hire

·       Sensational Vibes Youth And Community Development Group – £1450 for Summer Play Scheme

·       Cup Creative Ltd - £1000 for The Inner City World Cup @lovefootball

·       Prem Group - £125 for Trip

·       Greater Noakhali - £1250 for Shomiti Trip

·       Boishakhi - £1000 for Mela

·       Shree Sarvodaya Samjaj UK - £695 for Jubilee event

·       Highfields adventure playground - £500 for replacement timbers

·       Memon Youth Association –  £1000 for Youth Festival

·       Leicester Welfare Society –  £1000 for Bangladesh Independence Day event

·       Goa Welfare Association –  £500 for Eid Trip

·       Euro-Bangla Welfare Association - £500 for Bangladesh Independence Day event

·       Khidmah Organisation – £1000 for Community event

·       Golden Fellowship – £500 Group activities

The remaining balance of £6235 was noted. The deadline for applications over £500 was the end of September 2022.

The Ward Community Engagement Officer gave a further update on the Ward Budget from April 2020 to March 2022.

April 2020 – March 2021 - £18,765

·       Leicester Nirvana FC – £1500 for Football sessions

·       Ramadan Radio Leicester - £1500

·       CCTV - £5250

·       Build Community Development – £2410 for Street Mentors

·       Friendship Club –  £2000 for Mental health awareness event

·       Bangladesh Youth and Cultural Shomiti – £1140 for CCTV

·       The Urban Equestrian Academy - £815

·       Mbcol Ltd – £450 for Covid support programme

·       Mindful Warriors – £500 for Schools online yoga And mindfulness video

·       Lessons

·       Swar Music & Event Promotion – £500 for Covid 19 Euphonious Music Healing Therapy Project

·       Muslim Community Association Leicester – £700 for Covid-19 support

·       City Warden Service - £2000 for Clean Up of waste and fly tipping

April 2021 – March 2022 - £18,900

·       Stoneygate Councillors –  £500 for 2022 Events

·       South Highfields Neighbours - £1500 for Activities In Prebend Gardens

·       Leicester Community Services CIC – £1000 for Elderly and Youth Development And Well Being

·       Supporting Afghan New Arrivals - £500

·       Parents Together - £1000 for Healthy Tips Workshop

·       Antoin Akpom Achievements Foundation - £1000 for Youth Empowerment and Mentoring Program

·       Elders Community Support Project - £500 for Community Choir

·       The Friends Hub - £400 for Box Out Crime

·       Spinney Hill Drug Alcohol Support Service - £1000

·       African Caribbean Centre - £300 for Community Children's Christmas Party

·       African Caribbean Centre - £250 for Montserrat Event

·       Leicester Jamaica Community Service Group - £570 for Elders Christmas Party and Live Online Link

·       Swar Music & Event Promotion - £480 for Raas Leela (Navratri Festival & Diwali Festival Workshop

·       Young Adventures - £300

·       Green In Ripon Street – £250

·       Highfields Adventure Playground -  £1000 for Celebrating 50 Years of Play

·       Cup Creative Ltd - £1000 for The Inner City World Cup @lovefootball

·       Seerah Academy (Radio Seerah) £1000 for Community Information Radio

·       Greater Noakhali Shomiti - £1800 for Trip to The Seaside

·       Leicester Community Assist/masjid-us-sunnah – £2000 for Eid  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

As firework season was approaching, residents were urged to be cautious of letting them off late in the evening, due to the effect it could have on Ukrainian families staying in the City. It would be raised at the meeting of Council and shared across Council platforms and social media.

With there being no further business, the meeting closed at 8:03pm