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Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Rushey Mead Recreation Centre, Gleneagles Avenue, Leicester

Contact: Julie Harget : 

Items
No. Item

30.

ELECTION OF CHAIR

Councillors will elect a Chair for the meeting.

Minutes:

Councillor Ross Willmott was elected as Chair and welcomed everyone to the Rushey Mead Community Meeting.

31.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Clair who was on holiday.

32.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

The first main item on the agenda is Declarations of Interest where Councillors have to say if there is anything on the agenda they have a personal interest in. For example if a meeting was due to discuss a budget application put forward by a community group and one of the Councillors was a member of that group, they would not be able to take part in the decision on that budget application.

 

Councillors are asked to declare any interest they may have in the business on the agenda, and/or indicate that Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

33.

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the previous Rushey Mead Community Meeting, held on 14 May 2012 have been circulated and Members are asked to confirm them as a correct record.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 14 May 2012 were agreed as a correct record.

34.

UPDATE ON THE GIPSY AND TRAVELLERS' SITE

Minutes:

The Chair announced that in response to requests from members of the public, there would be an additional item to provide an update on the Gipsy and Travellers’ site.  Ian Jordan, Senior Planner addressed the meeting and made the following points:

 

·         The proposal was for three potential sites on Greengate Lane, Beaumont Way and Red Hill Way.

·         The consultation commenced in February and ended on 13 July (the day after the meeting). So far 1500 responses had been received.

·         The results would be analysed and a report submitted to the City Mayor.

·         The City Mayor and Executive would also consider scrutiny recommendations.

·         Planning permission would also be required and if granted, the work would probably commence in 2013.  Highways and traffic issues would be taken into account.

 

A member of the community question why the potential sites were situated so close together. Ian explained that approximately 350 sites had been assessed city-wide, details of which were on the City Council’s website and the three potential sites in question were considered to be the most suitable.  Most of the unauthorised sites were in this part of the city and existing travellers already used schools in the area.

 

Concerns were expressed that there was an unofficial traveller site on Hoods Close, Beaumont Leys Lane and a local resident explained that she had submitted a petition regarding this.

35.

UPDATE ON THE PLANNING APPLICATION FOR THE SAINSBURY'S DEVELOPMENT ON MELTON ROAD (THE FORMER GE/THORN LIGHTING SITE)

Members of the public will receive a brief update on the new Sainsbury’s Development on Melton Road.

Minutes:

James Schadla-Hall, the Member Support Officer to the Rushey Mead Community Meeting gave an update on the planning application for the Sainsbury’s development on Melton Road (the former GE/ Thorn Lighting site).   James explained that the application had been approved at the Planning and Development Control Committee meeting on 21 June 2012 and had been referred to the Secretary of State for approval. A change of use was required which the Government would need to agree to. Residents queried whether, if the development was approved by the Secretary of State, local people would be employed at the new store.   The Chair responded that this would be good for area and he would raise this with Sainsbury’s.

36.

HEALTHWATCH

 

Representatives from Leicester LINk will be attending the meeting to outline the forthcoming changes in Health and Social Care and of the setting up of 158 Health Watch Groups across England. They will gather the experiences of local people on health and social care services and will also have powers to scrutinise and make referrals to Health Watch England and the Care Quality Commission.  

 

Minutes:

John Gater and Barbara Czyznikowska from Health Watch (formerly known as LINk) gave a presentation to the meeting.  This presentation referred to the current changes in Health and Social Care arising from The Health and Social Care Act 2012, which was considered to be the biggest reform of the National Health Service since it began.

 

The meeting was informed on the principle provisions of the Act which included the change of the Local Involvement Networks (LINks) to Health Watch.  Other changes included the abolishment of Primary Care Trusts, which would become Clinical Commissioning Groups and the formation of Health and Wellbeing Boards.

 

Members of the community were informed about the Leicester City Commissioning Group and the Health and Wellbeing Board and the liaison work with the City Mayor where social need and aims and objectives were being mapped.  Community representatives and members of the public were asked to contact Health Watch with suggestions of any areas where it was felt that a gap in service currently existed.  Members of the community were also urged to contact Health Watch with their experiences of health and social care.

 

A feedback questionnaire was circulated to the meeting in respect to of the ‘Health Watch Leicester – Interim Vision’.  Attendees at the meeting were asked to indicate whether they agreed with the Vision Statement and the questionnaire included a section for completion where consultees were asked to comment on any suggested alternative wording.  An invitation to the Shadow Board’s engagement event was also circulated.  It was noted that the development of a Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Leicester had begun and the importance of this consultation exercise in the process was expressed. 

 

At the conclusion of the presentation, attendees were invited to complete an evaluation sheet whereby they could indicate what they felt the principle values of Health Watch should be.  As part of the evaluation attendees were also asked to complete their contact details in order that they could be invited to future public meetings. 

 

A resident asked where Health Watch would be based and Barbara explained that this was still unknown although the Council had put out a contract for tender.

37.

WILDFOWL FEEDING AWARENESS CAMPAIGN UPDATE

There will be an update on the Wildfowl Feeding Awareness Campaign, which was discussed at the previous Rushey Mead Community Meeting on 14 May 2012.

Minutes:

Paul Barker (from Leicester City Council’s Parks Services) provided an update on the Wildfowl feeding awareness campaign. He made the following points:

 

·         The aim of the campaign was to reduce the feeding of wildfowl at Watermead Park.

 

·         Too much food was being brought to the park. Most of the food was bread which was not good for geese because it did not contain nutrients. Ian explained that geese could consume large quantities of bread yet still be starving and in addition large amounts of bread could lead to deformities in the birds.

 

·         Staff had been talking to people and swapping their bread for bird food. The bread had then been taken away and weighed and had totalled 835 kgs, which equated to approximately 665 loaves of bread.

 

·         On one occasion, one person was seen to bring 12 loaves of bread to the park to feed to the wildfowl.

 

·         The awareness campaign had now finished and wardens would be issuing fixed penalty notices to anyone who brought excessive amounts of bread or cooked rice.

 

·         Paul urged people not to give bread to the geese, but to use proper bird food which was available in pet shops.

 

·         People were also asked not to feed birds in the car parks.  There had been a large volume of droppings in the car parks which could become slippery and additionally, the geese could be intimidating to some people.

 

The Chair asked members of the community to pass on this advice to their friends and families and commented that unfortunately by feeding the birds inappropriately, people were harming them rather than helping them.

38.

CITY WARDEN'S REPORT

The City Warden for the Rushey Mead Ward will be present to report back on street scene enforcement issues and members of the community will be given an opportunity to raise any concerns or queries they may have.

Minutes:

Bharat Patel and Chirag Ruda, City Wardens for the local area gave a report on street scene enforcement issues. Bharat explained that he had been working at Watermead Park and four people, with excessive amounts of food for the birds had been issued with fines. It was hoped that by educating people the problem at Watermead would be kept under control.  The majority of issues the City Wardens dealt with were relating to dog fouling and cars for sale on the streets.

 

The following issues were raised:

 

·         There was a badly damaged car parked on Rosedale Avenue – Pc Rob Pountney reported that the Police were aware of this.

 

·         People were putting bread out for birds in public places. Concerns were expressed that songbirds were being frightened off because people were encouraging pigeons and magpies.

 

·         There was a problem with large dogs running loose on Appleton Park.  It was requested that a sign should be erected advising that dogs should be kept on a lead.

 

·         There were problems on part of Woodbridge Road, and the area looked very untidy. A garage had opened and there were often numerous cars there, some of which were in very poor condition. Chirag explained that if the cars were taxed and insured, they might not be able to take any action but they would take a look to see if there was anything that could be done.

 

·         There was a problem with people parking their cars in an irresponsible manner on Gleneagles Avenue near to Soar Valley College. In some instances, driveways were blocked as people either took students to school or waited to collect them.  The Chair explained that local residents had raised a number of concerns and in response he had written to the Principal of the College. The Chair asked the City Wardens to talk to the drivers if possible and ask them to be mindful of the need to be courteous to the local residents close to the college.

 

Members of the community suggested that there should be a ‘No Parking’ regulation at the school, at the start and the end of the day. The Chair responded that it might be possible to implement some parking restrictions with yellow lines painted on the road, but these were sometimes ignored by drivers and in addition, local residents might not want them. He added that one of the issues was ensuring that people abided by parking regulations at schools.  Further suggestions were offered that parents should be encouraged to car share, or that the students should be encouraged walk or catch the bus to college.  In addition to the parking problems, a resident expressed concerns that groups of students from Soar Valley congregated in Gleneagles Walk, smoking and leaving litter. This could be disturbing for the local residents.

 

The Chair acknowledged that a concerted effort was required to resolve the parking problems at Soar Valley College.

 

·         Mellor Primary School – there were also parking problems at Mellor Primary School. It had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

39.

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING AND COMMUNITY SAFETY UPDATE

A representative of the local Neighbourhood Policing Team will be present to provide an update on policing issues. Members of the community will be given an opportunity to raise concerns or ask questions on related issues.

Minutes:

Pc Rob Pountney provided an update on local policing issues. He explained that over the past few months, there had been a reduction in crime generally and the number of assaults although there had been an increase in the number of burglaries.

 

The Police had been tackling anti-social behaviour and mostly dealing with groups of youths, some of whom had been congregating on Fairfax Road.  A group that had been congregating around the Lockerbie shops had moved onto Rushey Park.  There had been an issue on Clarke Street with youths playing football and also parking problems on Alderton Close during the opening night celebrations of a new place of worship.

 

Pc Pountney asked people to be tolerant if the children were just playing and not causing any damage, but to let the police know if they were experiencing problems from anti-social behaviour.

 

A member of the community commented that more Police were needed and Pc Pountney responded that there was a reduction in staffing across the board, but the staffing structure was changing and there would be less officers during the week, but more on duty at the weekend. 

 

In measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, the Police had taken a pro-active approach and had participated in assemblies in schools, spoken to students with challenging behaviour and directed young people to activities during the summer holidays.

 

Concern was expressed that some people, for example with addictions, took up a lot of Police time which prevented them working on other problems in the neighbourhood. Pc Pountney explained that there were vulnerable people with different problems and issues and the Police, along with other agencies needed to work together to help resolve their problems.

40.

COMMUNITY MEETING BUDGET

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.

 

Funding Bid Supported under the fast track scheme:

 

Summer Fete 2012 – submitted by Sandfield School Parent Teaching Association.

 

Amount Requested: £381

 

Details of the application:

 

The Sandfield School PTA is requesting support towards cost for holding their annual summer school fete.

 

The PTA have organised a summer fete for the last 3 year which has been a small event bringing together the local community, parents, local agencies, organisations and the school. The aim of this year’s event is to celebrate the forthcoming Olympics through the provision of a range of activities for families, better interaction between communities and a greater awareness of what is on offer through groups, community organisations and the school.

 

The grant will support the following:

 

Entertainment area (performances from local dance and music groups)

Games designed and made by school children

Fairground rides

Information and activity stalls,

Food and drink stalls,

Sports activities facilitated by local sports organisations.

 

The grant will enable them to develop the activities on offer further by supporting the entertainment element of the fete through hire of a DJ and sound system, development of a dance show of local performers, hire of equipment such as gazebos, tables and chairs. Furthermore the grant would pay for a range of sports activities and equipment which will reflect the spirit and celebrations of the games.

 

Details of funding requested:

 

Item

Cost

Estimate / Actual cost

Request to Ward Meeting

Tables and Chair hire

 

£135

 

Gazebos

 

£100

 

Face painting

£66

 

£66

Publicity and promotion

£175

 

£175

Printing of flyers

 

£100

 

Children’s Entertainment

£140

 

£140

Total

£381

£335

£381

 

The applicant has accounts (but not audited) and does not have a constitution

 

There will be feedback from the successful Diamond Jubilee event and the Sandfield Summer fete both of which previously received funding from the Rushey Mead Community Meeting Budget.

 

The following budget applications have been received:

 

Sakhi Milan Ladies Group – submitted by Smita Radia and Ramila Ruparell

 

Amount Requested: £600

 

Details of the funding bid:

 

·         The group will be meeting at Rushey Mead Centre on Fridays from 6.30 – 8.30pm.

·          Women aged 30 plus will be attending the group, and they will try to encourage ladies to come, talk about any problems and socialise.

·         They will celebrate all festivals.

·         They will run exercise workshops with professional people and health and safety sessions.

·         There will be a better understanding of the wider communities.

·         There will be cooking workshops, healthy eating and well being. They will also utilize other voluntary organisations such as ‘The H Café’.

·         It is hoped to organise trips and outings.

·         They would like some equipment for dancing, such as a CD player. Dance sessions will help members keep fit.

·         For cooking they need a toasty maker, disposable plates and cups.

·         They will know the project is working by taking  ...  view the full agenda text for item 40.

Minutes:

Members of the public received feedback on projects that had been supported through the community meeting budget:

 

Rushey Mead Diamond Jubilee Event (funding of £500 previously approved).

 

The meeting heard that the event, which had been held in conjunction with a similar event at the nearby Old People’s Home, had been very successful with an attendance of approximately £350 – 400 people. The party had promoted community cohesion and requests had been made to hold a similar party in 2013, although without the Diamond Jubilee theme. 

 

Summer Fete 2012: £381 funding request from Sandfield School Parent Teacher Association fast tracked and approved.

 

The meeting heard that the fete had been successful. Activities had included a fashion show staged by the children, dance performances, a cricket challenge and face painting. The event had also been supported by the local business community and thanks were given to the Community Meeting for the funding support that they had also given.

 

Applications for grants from the Community Meeting Budget were considered as follows:

 

Dance Workout

 

Submitted by Lucy Bailey.

 

Amount Requested: £230.40

 

The Chair explained that the dance classes would be held at the Rushey Mead Recreation Centre and funding was requested for the hire of the hall.

 

RESOLVED:

that the funding application be supported in full to the value of £230.40.

 

Summer Playscheme / Activity Sessions

 

Submitted by Vijay Patel

 

Amount Requested £500

 

Mr Veejay Patel who had submitted the funding application was in attendance at the meeting and presented the bid. He explained that the sessions were for young people age 13 years and above, and that the scheme had been held before and had been very successful.

 

RESOLVED:

                        that the application be supported in full to the value of £500.

 

 

Diwali and Navratri Community Safety Campaign

 

Submitted by Shobana Patel, Community Safety Team , Leicester City Council on behalf of the multi-agency group consisting of Leicestershire Police and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

 

Amount Requested: £500 from Rushey Mead and £1000 from Belgrave and Latimer Wards.

 

 This was a late application which had arrived after the agenda had been circulated. The aim of the campaign was to reduce burglaries and robberies and funding was requested for the printing of leaflets, posters and Diwali cards.

 

RESOLVED:

that the funding application be supported in full to the value of £500

 

The Friends of Watermead Family Discovery Day

 

Submitted by: The Friends of Watermead Country Park

 

Amount Requested: £783

 

This was a late funding application which arrived after the agenda had been circulated. The event is planned for 11 August 2012 and activities will include the use of a shave horse with traditional tools, willow weaving and storytelling.

The Chair commented that the event had proved to be very successful in the past.

 

RESOLVED

                        that the application be supported in full to the value of £783

                       

Summer Fitness Inclusion

 

Submitted by Owen Johnson

 

Amount Requested: £820

 

This was a late application which had arrived after the agenda had been circulated. Owen Johnson was in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

41.

DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS

The dates of future Rushey Mead Community Meetings are as follows:

 

Thursday 11 October 2012

Thursday 10 January 2013

Thursday 14 March 2013

Minutes:

The Chair explained that the next meeting would be held on Thursday 11 October. A member of the public requested that the meeting be held at Mellor Primary School and it was agreed to look into this possibility.

42.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Minutes:

Mellor Primary School

 

A member of the public commented that Mellor Primary was billed as a community school and she queried what facilities they offered to local people. She asked if it could be ascertained when the school might be doing something for the community and the Chair responded that that question could be raised with the Head teacher.

 

Rushey Mead Park

 

Concerns were expressed over rusty railings on the Melton Road side of the park.

 

First Bus

 

Members of the community expressed dissatisfaction with the service provided by First Bus, as the 21 and 21A no longer serviced the area around Nicklaus Road. This created problems for approximately 60 students who attended Gateway College.

43.

CLOSE OF MEETING

Minutes:

The meeting closed at 8.30 pm.