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.

Councillor Willmott, elected as Chair, welcomed everyone and led introductions.

None received.

The Action Log of the meeting held on 17 February 2015 is attached and Members will be asked to confirm it as a correct record.

Any update on actions taken since the last meeting will be reported at the meeting.

The action log of 17^th February 2015 was circulated and confirmed as an accurate record.

Matters arising:

·       School signs on Woodbridge Road  were now in place,

·       The barrier that closed the footpath on Woodbridge Road had now been removed and new trees planted but a permanent repair to the footpath was still outstanding,

·       New gates had been installed at the Library to address problems associated with fly tipping. The gates had cost £1200 and were originally for a private contract but as no longer required the contractors had offered them to the council at a reduced price. The Chair commented that the gates were working well and had served their purpose stopping fly tipping in that area.

·       Re: Pavement parking on Clarke Street near Mellor Primary School – a meeting was to be arranged but had not taken place. The Chair confirmed that if this was still an issue the meeting could be arranged but had not happened yet due to election period and school summer holidays. Action: Head teacher to be contacted.

Sgt Simon Walters from Leicestershire Police will be at the meeting to provide an update on local policing issues affecting the Rushey Mead ward.

Sgt Simon Walters gave an update on local policing issues in the ward and reported crime statistics were noted.

It was reported that the neighbourhood policing team had undergone some changes since the last meeting, Claire Tothill was currently on maternity leave and PC James Thomas had been promoted to Sgt and moved to the Braunstone area. PC Steve Douglas was joining the team.

The following points were raised in discussion:

·       Bath Street – complaints regarding poor street lighting, overgrown shrubs and anti-social behaviour (ASB) had been addressed, new lighting had been installed along with bollards and a metal barrier and shrubs cut back and the area had seen a big drop in ASB.

·       Garages in Buckhaven Close, people were congregating and alleged to be smoking drugs in that area. Residents with concerns were encouraged to phone in such complaints for police to act on.

·       Rushey Fields Recreation Ground, groups were congregating to drink there in the evenings. Sgt Walters informed the area was on the boundary with Belgrave and the police teams for both wards could look into those issues.

·       “Park Watch”, a local police initiative would be launched in the area and would operate in a similar way to Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

·       Concerns were raised about the anonymity of calls to 101 – it was confirmed that if someone called and wanted to be anonymous their name would be but not the number they dialled from as this would show on the digital calling system, however, if matters went to court then evidence/statements would be redacted so that telephone numbers/addresses were not shown.

Residents were reminded to be vigilant, keep valuables out of sight in vehicles and remember to secure their properties.

A progress report will be given at the meeting.

The Chair informed the meeting that problem parking was still an issue and there was not a simple solution that would fit all. The council had looked at a number of suggestions and 2 pilot schemes to mark out where cars could park would be adopted in the Rushey Mead ward on Harrison Road and Braemar Drive. The public would be consulted between September and December and the aim was to stop blocking pavements and try to come to a compromise. Once areas were marked it would become an offence to park outside those areas and the council would enforce that. Civil Enforcement officers now had scooters and would be coming out to wards to tackle problems.

There will be a visual and verbal update on the public artwork to be placed by Troon Way junction.

Councillor Clair circulated images of the artwork that had been commissioned to be placed at the Troon Way/Melton Road traffic junction. The steel structure on a concrete base would depict a tree with branches that extended into lightbulbs; this was to reflect the connection to the Thorn Lighting building that had existed for many years before Sainsburys was constructed on that site. There would also be a connecting walkway, benches and a plinth which would have a map on to reflect the multi-culturalism of the city.

An officer from the City Wardens Service will give an update on issues in the Ward.

Mo Patel, City Warden gave an update on issues in the Rushey Mead Ward and distributed information leaflets to those present.

It was noted that Jethro Swift, City Warden had now moved to another ward area.

to the meeting and reported that:

·       Recycling banks at Lockerbie Shops were still being monitored.

·       Dalkeith Road garages had been visited and all were found to be locked and secure.

·       Rubbish on Private land continued to be an issue in the ward and work was ongoing to get areas cleared, positive results had been seen on Huntsman’s Way which had been cleared by Community payback.

·       Bird Feeding – advisory letters had been sent to some residents, feedback suggested these had made a difference.

·       Littering/Dog Fouling – early morning patrols were done on Rushey Fields with a colleague from Parks Services in relation to Dog Fouling complaints.

·       Fixed Penalty Notices of £80 could only be issued for littering if City Warden had evidence to prove who had done it.

·       Litter was an issue on Rushey Fields particularly Saturdays and bins were often very full – ACTION Feedback to Parks Service.

Residents raised a number of concerns which included:

The Community Engagement officer will provide information on instructor led sessions currently taking place.

The Community Engagement Officer had successfully arranged for funding of training sessions using the outdoor gum equipment over a set period and this had now been extended and would resume again in Spring. More details could be obtained from Amita Miles, tel: 4544139 email: amita.miles@leicester.gov.uk

Recipients of previously funded bids will be present to provide feedback on their events or projects.

Sandfield Teacher/Parent Association provided an update on the use of funds they had secured through the ward bids to hold a community Fun day in July; this had become a large annual event and was well attended by over 1000 people. The fun day had included school arts and crafts, representatives from local associations, food stalls, clothing stalls and a funfair. The funding had been used for flyers and distribution, hire of children themed characters, tables and chairs.

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 at the meeting on the Ward Community budget and applications received. A summary of bids received since the last meeting is attached.

Councillors were reminded that under the Council’s code of conduct, they should declare any interest they may have in the budget applications.

Applications Fast Tracked since the last meeting:

Sandfield School Parent Teacher Association (5094) – a bid to support annual fun day on 4^th July 2015. Application £420 – Grant £420 Fast Tracked.

Rushey Fields Residents Association (1470) – a bid to subscribe to YOG magazine for Belgrave and Rushey Mead libraries. Application £93.60 – Grant £93.60 Fast Tracked.

Applications considered at the meeting:

Sakhi Mandal Women’s Group (5081) – a joint bid to run a 26 week Health and Wellbeing programme for older women. Application £500 – Grant of £350 Supported to match funding agreed by Belgrave Ward.

Rushey Mead Bhajan Sandhya (5088) – a joint bid to support a mixed seniors group. Application £679 – Grant of £300 Supported, bid to be reconsidered after Humberstone & Hamilton decision.

Leicestershire Police (1432) – a bid to fund a bike to assist in daily duties of PCSO in the ward. Application £500 – Grant of £250 Supported with police to match fund.

Rushey Mead Milap Group (1433) – a bid to help with hire charges of room hire. Application £4,772.32 – Grant of £1061.76 Supported. The Chair noted that discussions were ongoing concerning hire charges through the council.

Rushey Fields Residents Association (1434) – a bid to grow flowers and plants in Rushey Park. Application £2,700 – Grant £1468 Supported.

Hamilton Youth (1483) – a bid to support Hamilton Youth Volunteer development. Application £660 – Grant £660 Supported.

Jeetesh Chauhan- Shree Sarvodaya Samaj (5107) a joint bid to support a family fun day at Soar Valley School on 13^th September 2015. Application £450 – Grant £450 Supported.

Our Lady’s Parish Church (????) – a bid to support a Christmas Party for local children. Application £500 – Grant £500 Supported.

Dancefit Class (????) – a bid to support Dancefit Classes for people in the ward. Application £500 – Grant £500 Supported.

Councillors will respond to questions from residents of the Rushey Mead ward.

·       Residents queried CCTV for the Rushey Mead ward. The Chair informed that the council determine and prioritise CCTV installation based on number of reports of incidents in an area. If no report then no evidence to justify CCTV. The CCTV on Belgrave Rd was for traffic monitoring purposes as an arterial route into the city.

·       Rushey Mead boundary had changed and copies of the new ward maps would be brought to the next meeting and attached to the action log for circulation.

·       Bus routes were a concern to residents, there was also issues with access by the elderly/infirm to bus stops – the Chair agreed to take details outside of the meeting.

·       Residents were concerned at the length of time between ward meetings, especially as the last one in this ward had taken place in February. It was noted there had been a longer than usual start to meetings in part due to the election period. Residents were advised where there was a need for an additional ward meeting that could be arranged and ward councillor surgeries were also continuing in between meetings for residents to see councillors and raise issues and concerns.

·       Umesh Patel, Community Wellness Practitioner reminded residents to be careful and not leave unattended candles and divas especially at this time of year when Diwali was approaching.

·       Concerns about the Noise Team availability were raised, the Chair advised that it was regrettable that a number of cut backs had affected services and it was important to receive that feedback from residents.

·       The issue of travellers along Watermead Way and Redhill Circle and the legal and clean-up costs was raised. Residents were informed that honest costs had been reported in the past, a petition had been presented by Cllr Riyait of the Abbey Ward which would go to Council however the issue had to be managed in the best way possible.

The meeting closed at 8.40pm