Agenda and minutes

Councillors will elect a Chair for the meeting.

Councillor Potter was elected as Chair and welcomed everyone to the Humberstone and Hamilton Community Meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Shah.

The first main item on theagenda 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.

Councillors were asked to declare any interest they had in the business on the agenda, and/or indicate whether Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applied to them.

No such interests were declared.

The minutes of the previous Humberstone and Hamilton Community Meeting, held on 22 September 2010, are attached and Members are asked to confirm them as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

that the minutes of the Humberstone and Hamilton Community Meeting held on 22 September 2010 be agreed as a correct record.

A resident referred to the minutes of the meeting held on 22 September 2010 in respect of the local bus service.

There was some discussion over the No 52 bus with members of the community expressing different opinions as to whether or not the bus route was appropriate. In particular a resident expressed concerns that the No 52 bus had been routed along Barling Road and as a result there were concerns over the safety of children and problems with parking and sharp turns on the road. The Chair commented that the City Council did not control bus routes, however councillors had tried for several years to get a bus service in Hamilton but recognised that the were issues with the current service.

Julian Heubeck, the Public Transport Co-ordinator from Leicester City Council was present at the meeting along with a representative from Thurmaston Bus. They explained that they recognised the concerns of residents, which they were trying to resolve.

A member of the community questioned the current situation with some of the roads in Hamilton still not being adopted. Councillors explained that it was up to the developer to inform the council when a road was up to standard and ready for adoption.  Councillor Potter stated that she was chair of the Planning and Development Control Committee and was aware that it could take many years for the council to adopt a road.

Martin Forbes, Senior Youth Worker gave a brief update on the ball court on Armadale Drive. Martin explained that there had been issues surrounding the refurbishment of the ball court but these were gradually being resolved. Flood lights would be installed at the ball court on 7 February and thanks were given to the ward councillors for their help in getting the matter resolved.

In relation to the youth club, the Chair commented that young people had expressed concerns that although a considerable sum of money had been spent on the gym there was no qualified instructor.  Martin responded that there was a gym instructor with an enhanced CRB disclosure and the Chair asked Martin to carry out some advertising, as people appeared to be unaware of the fact

A member of the community asked that a further update be brought to the next community meeting, as to how many people were using the facilities at the gym and ball court.

Nick Morris from the Council’s Home Energy Team will give a brief presentation on the advice and services available with regard to making savings on home energy use.

Geoff Hutchins from the Leicester City Council, Home Energy Office gave a brief presentation on the services that the Home Energy Team provided. Geoff made the following points:

• The team aimed to help home owners out of fuel poverty.

• The team could help to improve the fuel and heating efficiency in the home.

• Grants were available to people who were on benefits and advice was also available to help people obtain a loan.

• They could give advice on saving energy.

• They could help people to access the warm front scheme.

• They could also provide information on the best energy suppliers.

Geoff invited members of the community to help themselves to some free samples, products and leaflets giving more information of the services available.

Geoff was thanked for coming to the meeting.

Robert Bateman from the Council’s Highways and Drainage Design Team will be present to give an update on this scheme.

Robert Bateman, Team Leader for Highways and Drainage Design, Leicester City Council was present at the meeting and gave an update on the Netherhall Road/Ivychurch Crescent Traffic Calming Scheme.  Robert explained that the work would commence on 14 February 2011 and it was anticipated that it would be complete by mid March 2011/

The following questions and comments were made:

·        Will the buses be re-routed?

Robert responded that the bus companies would be aware of the situation and that he thought it was very likely that they would re-route the buses.

·        Why is there no traffic calming scheme at Keyham Lodge School?

Robert responded that the traffic calming scheme was based on where the accidents were and traffic calming was not planned outside the school. Residents commented that there had been a number of accidents outside the school and they believed that a traffic calming scheme there was warranted.

·        Why is there a 20 mph limit outside Hope Hamilton School and a 30 mph limit through Humberstone and outside the Humberstone schools.

Councillor Mugglestone commented that there was also a 30 mph limit outside Kestral Field’s School and he added the ward councillors would like to see a 20 mph limit outside all schools.

·        Problems are exacerbated by parents who drive their children to local schools, when they live within walking distance. In addition they frequently park their vehicles irresponsibly.

Councillors stated that they agreed with the concerns raised by residents and also supported the need for traffic calming on Keyham Lane and would continue to campaign for these issues.

Representatives from the Probation Trust will be present to give details of the Community Payback scheme, where offenders can do unpaid works in the community.

Irek Staszak from the Probation Trust gave a presentation on the community Pay Back scheme. Irek made the following points:

·        The Pay Back team organised work for people who had been given between 40 and 300 hours of unpaid community service.

·        They went out to charitable organisations and to people’s homes and could help older people.

·        Offenders were assessed for their suitability in carrying out any work and health and safety issues were taken seriously.

·        The team could help with painting projects, gardening and also had a woodworking workshop.

·        The team did not charge for labour although materials would need to be provided.

Members of the community made the following points:

·        I am aware of the predecessor service and know that they had carried out some high quality unpaid work in a church in Leicester.

·        The memorial footpath near Keyham Lane is very overgrown and the gate is broken. Can the Payback Team help with this?

Irek confirmed that they could help with this type of work and asked for the resident to contact the service with more details.

·        The Royal British Legion Humberstone, have submitted a funding bid to make improvements to their memorial garden. Could the Payback Team help with this work?

Irek confirmed that they could and that he had already spoken to the people who had submitted the bid.

Irek was thanked for his presentation.

Sergeant Garry Johnson and PC Martin Peberdy will give the meeting an update on recent Police activities.

Police Constable Martin Peberdy gave an update on policing in the Humberstone and Hamilton Ward. 

Martin explained that this was a challenging time for local police. Cranesbill Road in Hamilton remained a priority area, and together with the Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, the Police were spending a considerable amount of time dealing with problems there.  Two people had been arrested and were waiting to go to court.  Martin added that there were various ongoing issues concerning Cranesbill Road and he couldn’t comment further for the time being.

Other policing priorities were Bessingham Close and also speeding vehicles in the area. Speed operations were carried out approximately once a month and Martin added that as residents had expressed concerns about speeding problems in Keyham Lane, this road would also be included in those speed checks. 

Martin added that members of the community had also mentioned problems with parking outside schools and explained that schools could implement a scheme entitled ‘Star Walkers’ to encourage children to walk to school. Star Walkers had been adopted at Kestrel Fields and children could earn stickers by walking to school and those stickers could then be exchanged for rewards. Martin explained that he could work with schools to implement the scheme; and for example the Police could launch the scheme during an assembly. The scheme was funded by Leicester City Council for the first 12 months and after that could be funded through the Parent Teacher Association.

Martin asked members of the community to keep the Police informed of issues or concerns in the area.

Shilen Pattni from the Council’s Community Services will give details of the refurbishment of Netherhall Neighbourhood Centre and information on new activtities.

Shilen Pattni gave an update on the refurbishment that had taken place at the Netherhall Neighbourhood Centre.  Shilen explained that the refurbishment was not quite complete and there were some snagging issues to address.  Staff had been consulting with the community to find out what they would like to see offered at the centre and ideas for new activities or groups were still welcome. 

Shilen added that a leaflet was available giving details of the facilities and activities that were being offered.

A member of the public questioned whether the outside of the centre would be painted as well and Shilen responded that this would be done when the weather improved.

The Chair added that they would continue to try to obtain funding to improve the outside of the centre and thanks were given to Hiten Patel and Sally Taylor for their work within the community.

Kathy Bourassa, Development Officer from the Council’s Housing Service will give details about the process for naming of roads in the new Manor Farm development.

Kathy Bourassa, Development Officer with Housing Strategy Options was present to give an update on the Manor Farm Development and to seek residents’ views on the naming of roads.  Kathy explained that the developer was aware that residents would like to name the roads and therefore suggestions were invited for 6 or 7 road names.

Kathy explained that road names should not be difficult to pronounce or spell and if they were named after a person, that person should either be deceased or there should be overwhelming support for the suggestion.

The following suggestions were made:

• Guy Joseph Patrick McKenna Collis (an ex-Lord Mayor)
• Squirrels (the Humberstone village logo)
• Dilkes
• A Humberstone village resident (name not given) who had worked very hard for the local community but was now suffering from poor health.

Kathy stated that the suggestions would be further investigated and checks would also be made with the Post Office before any decisions could be taken.

Housing Area Manager, Chrissie Field will give an update on housing capital schemes in the ward.

Andy East, Housing Services submitted a brief update on the Housing Area Management, Capital Schemes Funding and explained there was an aim to improve the general appearance of the Netherhall shops by better lighting and improvement to the concrete steps. Work had been delayed because of the cold weather.

The Chair requested that improvements be made for access to Costcutters, because many older people used the post office there and currently had to walk the long way round. The Chair asked if this could be a priority for 2011/12 or sooner if possible.

Andy stated that they would look into this further and obtain some estimates.

Charlotte Glover, the City Warden for Humberstone and Hamilton gave an update on environmental issues in the Ward.

Charlotte explained that:

• Three fixed penalty notices had been issued for fly tipping.

• Work had been carried out to reduce the amount of dog fouling.

• The City Wardens were about to launch a new campaign to clean up whole streets which were considered to be ‘grot spots’.

• Work would also be carried out to help private owners and landlords to clean up their own areas.  Permission from the landowner was required before any private land could be cleaned up.

• It was hoped to encourage people to take more responsibility for their own property.

• Members of the community could feedback to the City Wardens by email or by speaking to the local Ward Councillors.

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.

Application 1

Applicant:       Essensual Rejuvenation Youth Pod Village

Amount:          £1843

Proposal:       Hosting a Community Pod Village Event

Summary:     The Pod Village is a brand new initiative that has been piloted in The Braunstone Area with huge success and support from local voluntary organisations & the public sector.

The pod villages are a mix of different size portable pop up shelters, each shelter hosting a different activity and includes something for everybody from DJing workshops, Cheerleading, Aerobics’, Street Dance, Boccia (Disability Sport), Arts & Crafts, partnership information and joined up working with the local Police and Fire service.

Monitoring takes place of all the work that is undertaken by photographic and video evidence, the total number of people who attend is recorded along with age, ethnicity, sex and postcode for each participant of an activity. This enables evidence the success of each event to be obtained.

The main target groups for the pod villages are disengaged young people, ethnic minorities and females.

Application 2

Applicant:       Rapport (Hamilton Youth Club)

Amount:          £3580

Proposal:       Setting up a new youth club

Summary:     We are planning to set up a new youth club in the community room of Hope Hamilton School to continue the youth work started at The Unit in October 2008, which was also ran by Hope Hamilton Church.  Since the closure of the Unit in August 2010 we have explored and subsequently identified the continued need for youth work in Hamilton and have started to build relationships with some new young people in addition to working with those who previously accessed the provisions at the unit.

This proposal is to re-launch a youth club in Hamilton based at Hope Hamilton School on Thursday evening from 6-8pm. It will accessible to all young people, regardless of faith or belief, from 11-18 years. The young people will be a mix of students from Gateway College, as well as residents of Netherhall, Humberstone and Hamilton. We intend to begin with some detached youth work sessions around Hamilton as well as producing flyers that can be delivered around the community and local shops and businesses. Finally we have some details of young people that have previously attended session ran at the unit who can be contacted directly.

Once the club is running and established we will be looking to run a tuck shop and have a nominal entrance fee for the young people. In time the young people will be able to take responsibility for the running of the tuck shop including stock to be sold and handling monies. All the money generated from this and the entrance fees will be re-invested back into the youth work.

Each session will be evaluated by the youth worker and helpers, using a review sheet to record both general information and allow reflections on a session.  ...  view the full agenda text for item 105.

Peter Cozens, Member Support Officer presented the community meeting budget.  Peter stated that there was currently just under £6,000 remaining in the budget; the bids submitted exceeded that amount and therefore Councillors would be unable to agree then all.   

Peter then introduced the following funding applications:

Essensual Rejuvenation Youth Pod Village

Funding of £1843 had been requested to set up a community pod village event, where a mix of different size portable pop up shelters offering different activities would be available.  The applicant who had submitted the funding application was not present at the meeting.

Peter explained that the bid had been deferred from the last meeting because both he and the Councillors needed more information on the project. The information had not been received and without more details on the application, Peter stated that he was unable to recommend to Councillors that the application be supported.  In addition, the event was due to be held in the summer, if funding was granted, it should come from the new financial year.  For those reasons, the Councillors were recommended to refuse the funding application:

RESOLVED:

                        that the funding application be refused.

Humberstone Infant School – “Groundforce Humberstone Infants”

A funding application for £1500 had been submitted to set up an allotment in the school grounds. It was planned that produce could be grown which could be used, donated or sold to raise money for local charities.

RESOLVED:

                        that the funding application be supported.

Rapport (Hamilton Youth Club)

Peter explained that this funding application had been withdrawn.

Hamilton Residents’ Association

A funding application for £3771.09 had been submitted to set up Hamilton Residents’ Association and also for the association to hold a Family Fun Day.

Dr Henwood from the Hamilton Residents’ Association was present at the meeting and explained that the people of Hamilton felt isolated and the association had been set up in response to that concern. Funding was requested to cover room hire, administration costs and the printing of a newsletter. The Joint Action Group (JAG) had originally proposed to provide funding of £1,000 towards the fun day, but because the event would be held in the new financial year, were unable to make that commitment.

Councillors explained that they would support funding for the fun day to the value of £2,274.16 but the community meeting budget protocol did not permit funding for set up costs for the association and the newsletter.

Members of the public queried the decision not to support the funding application for the association and commented that other community meetings had supported similar ventures.

Councillors responded that there was a need to cut costs and economies could be made by holding meetings in people’s houses to avoid hiring rooms and paying rent; however they would check on the budget regulations.

Dr Henwood stated that the approval of £2,274.16 towards the Family Fun Day would be a good start but queried the Councillors decision not to support funding for the association’s set up costs and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 105.

The meeting closed at 8.26 pm