Agenda and minutes

Councillors will elect a Chair for the meeting.

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.

The Chair welcomed all present to the meeting and invited Councillors and officers to introduce themselves.

No declarations of interest were made.

All present stood in silence for one minute as a mark of respect for Mr Ramnikbhai Jogia, a jeweller in Belgrave who had been murdered.

None received

The Action Log for the last meeting, held on 11 July 2017, is attached for information and discussion

Agreed as correct

The Chair will welcome all present to the newly refurbished Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre

The Chair welcomed all present to the newly refurbished Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, congratulating all concerned on the Centre’s appearance.

The Facility Manager at the Cossington Street Swimming and Sports Hall will give a presentation on the relaunch of the swimming and sports hall facilities

All to note:

·           Officers from the Centre did not attend the meeting, so this item was not discussed.

·           Councillor have received complaints that the swimming lanes at the Centre were not suitable for all to use, as people swam at different rates, but the lack of a “slow lane” meant that other swimmers were being held up.

This item to be included in the agenda of the next meeting.

The Council’s Head of Community Safety will be at the meeting to discuss Community Reassurance / Safety

All to note the presentation given at the meeting, a copy of which is attached for information.

All to note:

·           Despite the perception that the Belgrave Ward has a high level of crime, statistics show that it is quite a safe area.

·           The Police and Council work together to address matters of concern.  For example, shop workers were loaned radios to improve contact between them during a period of thefts from local shops.

·           Work is done to raise awareness of safety during festivals.  For example, reminding people not to leave diva candles burning unattended and making sure that jewellery is not conspicuously displayed.

·           Ward funding has been used to help improve safety through funding alley gates and locks.

·           Additional funding to share with the Police recently has been agreed for Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

·           Two CCTV cameras have been purchased with funding from wards in the east of the city.  These are mobile cameras that can be deployed to areas of concern on a temporary basis.

·           To help people leave lights on when their property is empty, the Council has supplied the Police with timers to be sold to residents at cost price.

·           Grants are available for some small events that bring the community / neighbours together and improve interaction.

· 

Residents invited to contact the Council or the Police if they are interested in developing a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in their area.

Leicestershire Police will be at the meeting to discuss Neighbourhood Policing in the Ward

All to note:

·           The new Neighbourhood Sergeant for Belgrave South is Sgt Lyndsey Booth.

·           17 officers currently are based at Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre and another police constable will be starting there shortly.

·           Thanks were extended to the community for the way in which it worked together on the murder of Mr Ramnikbhai Jogia.  The information provided enabled the investigation to be fast moving.  Four people had now been charged and others were under investigation.

·           The Police were supporting the Lions initiative to encourage people to put a pot containing details such as health conditions, medications and details of contacts in the fridge.  This information could then be used by those attending emergency situations.

·           Belgrave is a safe area in which to live. However, prevention of crime is important and people need to consider their own safety through measures such as taking care not to have jewellery on display and leaving lights and a radio on when away from properties.  Advice on other crime prevention measures is available.

·           Issues currently being addressed by the Police include:

o    anti-social behaviour in Latimer;

o    robberies in Rushey Fields, (the victims of these appeared to be young people walking home from school with phones in their hands);

o    the slight increase in burglaries in Rushey Mead;

o    disorder in Martin Street; and

o    ATM distraction thefts.

·           There had been approximately 20 arrests in the last month, including one for the Rushey Fields robberies.

All asked to let the Police know any information relating to disorder in Martin Street by groups of young people.

All asked to make others aware of the recent occurrences of ATM distraction thefts and assist others to improve their own security where needed.

All encouraged to speak to the Neighbourhood Police team about any concerns, including issues that the team could focus on.

The City Warden for Belgrave Ward will be at the meeting

All to note:

·           The City Warden for Belgrave Ward is Mo Patel.

·           A joint enforcement day had been held with various agencies.  Action taken included 19 untaxed vehicles being clamped, four Fixed Penalty Notices being issued for littering, a fixed penalty notice being issued for obstructive parking and various parking fines being imposed.

·           Although there has been a reduction in fly tipping in the city as a whole, there has been an increase in businesses dumping waste in the Ward.  Several of these have been fined and work is ongoing to help businesses make appropriate arrangements for the disposal of their waste.

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

All to note:

·           £1,384 was carried forward from the 2016/17 grant fund, making a total of £19,384 available for Ward grants for the 2017/18 financial year.  Of this, £24 is unspent and will be carried forward to the 2018/19 financial year.

·           The total value of applications received for grants in 2017/18 was over £46,000.

·           Applications for grant funding need to be for projects that are of benefit to the whole community and are not for religious purposes.

a)     Tree Maintenance

Officers to look in to:

·           who is responsible for maintenance of the tree at 20 Linford Street;

·           what action, if any, can be taken to reduce the impact of tree roots raising the pavement in Linford Street; and

·           whether trees in Cossington Park can be trimmed from the top, to reduce their height, in the winter when there are fewer leaves.

b)   Pest Control

People experiencing problems with pests such as mice and rats to speak to the City Warden to see what action can be taken.

c)    Pot Hole near Cossington Street Pedestrian Crossing

Highways officers asked to investigate what action can be taken to remedy the large pothole near the pedestrian crossing in Cossington Street.

d)   Activities at Abbey Pumping Station

All to note that a continuously running programme of activities for children at Abbey Pumping Station will be available during school holidays this year.  Leaflets giving details of these are available.

The meeting closed at 7.51 pm