Agenda and minutes

Councillors will elect a Chair for the meeting.

Councillor Hunt was elected as Chair for the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillor Grant, Reverend Patel and Bernard Stone.

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.

No declarations were made.

The minutes of the previous Knighton Community Meeting, held on 15 February 2010 have been circulated and Members are asked to confirm them as a correct record.

RESOLVED

that the minutes of the Knighton Community Meeting, held on 15 February 2010, be agreed as a correct record.

An Officer from the City Council’s Highways and Transport section will be present to feedback on Highways and Transportation issues that have been previously raised at the Community Meeting.  

Jeff Miller, Director, Regeneration, Transport & Highways was present to feedback on highways and transportation issues that had been raised at previous meetings.

Overdale Road Safety Scheme

Jeff stated that every scheme was delivered by the Local Transport Plan. The plan set out how much funding was available and when schemes could be delivered. Jeff informed the Community Meeting that there had been a scheme designed for Overdale Road last year however concerns had been raised about it. The previous Cabinet Lead for Highways and Transport had asked for a review to be carried out on what resources were available for schemes. It had then been decided to switch the Overdale Road scheme to the Netherhall Road area of the city as that had been deemed to have a greater priority for the scheme.

Jeff explained that there had since been a change of Cabinet Lead Member for Highways and Transport. There had also been changes to the Capital Programme from which funding for schemes came. Jeff informed the Community Meeting that it was now hoped to design a scheme for Overdale Road where a Vehicle Activated Sign was constructed. Jeff informed the Community Meeting that the new programme of schemes needed to be agreed with the Cabinet Lead Member.

Residents queried if they would be shown a plan. Jeff commented that he was currently trying to canvass opinion on the scheme however they were now in a position to go ahead. It was hoped to come back to a future Community Meeting with a range of options. The focus of the scheme was on children’s school safety. It was agreed that plans would be brought to the next Community Meeting.

Residents stated that a 20mph might be beneficial, as it had made a huge difference in the Clarendon Park area of the city. It was stated however that this may be difficult to enforce.

St Thomas More School

Concern was raised at the location of the school being on a ring road and the problems this posed for parents. Residents felt a Vehicle Activated Sign was needed in the area. Jeff stated that a temporary Vehicle Activated Sign could be placed at the site to see if he helped slow the traffic down.

Overdale Road/Welford Road Junction

Concern was raised that this junction posed a great risk of possible fatalities and statistics were requested on how many accidents there were on the site. It was agreed that information should be provided with regards to the whole of the junction.

The new City Warden for the Knighton Ward will be introduced and information will be given on some of the duties carried out by the City Warden. There will also be an opportunity to identify priority issues for the City Warden to be working on. Information will also be given on the ‘ONE CLEAN LEICESTER’ initiative and the new Graffiti Removal Program.

Barbara Whitcombe, City Wardens Manager introduced Jane Foster, the new City Warden for the Knighton ward.

Barbara stated that the main priorities of the City Warden included raising awareness of environmental issues and working with schools and communities. Work was also done with students in the city. Cards with the contact details of the Warden were circulated to residents.

Barbara explained that fines could be issued for offences such as dog fouling, littering, bins on streets and for not having dogs on leads in areas such as play areas. With regard to bins on streets, Barbara commented that the task was to remove 5,000 bins off the streets and currently since April 250 had been removed.

Other work included:

·        Free Distribution of Printed Matter – work was done with bars in the city centre to reduce the litter caused by flyers.

·        Flytipping – It was mentioned that the City Warden team dealt with small scale flytipping.

·        Graffiti – Residents were informed of the launch of a campaign to clean up graffiti in the city entitled ‘You report it, we sort it!’ It was also stated that any offensive graffiti was reported to the Police. Barbara commented that Community Meetings would be provided with graffiti kits.

·        Vehicles for Sale on streets.

·        Fly tipping – Business had to produce valid documents detailing who their waste collectors were and there had been some prosecutions of businesses who were fly tipping. A free bulky collection was also offered to members of the public.

·        Dogs – Residents were informed that dogs could be micro chipped which could help identify their owner. The City Council’s Dog Warden Team could be contacted for more information.

·        Litter – Barbara stated that litter picking kits were available for residents to participate in their own litter pick events. Residents were informed that the City Warden team were able to assist with organising events and carrying out risk assessments. The City Wardens were also able to help with press/media coverage.

Jane informed residents of the problems she had encountered while participating in patch walks in the area. These included graffiti and litter and dog fouling on Knighton Park.

Residents were informed that this week was Recycling Week and the Ball Mill was open for members of the public to visit.

It was queried whether free bulky collections were extended to community buildings. Barbara commented that community buildings did not receive free collections as their waste was classified as business waste.

A query was raised with regard to bonfires. Barbara commented that if rubber and plastic was being burnt then the environmental health or pollution team could deal with this issue however with regards to normal bonfires only advice could be given.

In response to a query about graffiti, Barbara commented that if the building on which the graffiti was on was Council owned then it could be removed and any offensive material was removed within 24 hours and the police were contacted. If the building was privately owned  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.

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.

Steve Letten, Members Support Officer will give an update on the Knighton Community Meeting Budget.

The following budget applications have been received:

·        Installation of Replacement Windows, Kay Newland/9^th Leicester Scout Group - £5,000                                                                   Appendix A1

·        Community Crop Swap, South Knighton Community Group, Judith Hibbert - £378                                                                                         Appendix A2

·        Writing Group, South Knighton Community Group - £502     Appendix A3

·        Streetvibe Youth Sessions, Pendlebury Drive Residents Association - £609                                                                                       Appendix A4

Steve Letten, Members Support Officer presented the Community Meeting budget. He reported that there would be just over £17,000 to spend up until March 2011. This included £10,000 for the Ward Action Plan Fund, £5,000 for the Ward Community Fund and £2,000 for the Community Cohesion Fund. 

The following bids had been submitted for consideration:

1)     Installation of Replacement Windows, Kay Newland/9^th Leicester Scout Group - £5,000

Steve explained that the application was for the installation of replacement windows to the 9^th Leicester Scout Group building on Stoughton Road. Steve stated that he had spoken to the applicant and it had been agreed that more quotes for the work would be sort. The applicant would also be put in touch with the City Council’s Planning section as the area was inside a conservation area.

RESOLVED:

that the application be deferred until more quotes have been sought.

2)     Community Crop Swap, South Knighton Community Group, Judith Hibbert - £378

The applicant explained that the application was for a ‘crop swap’ event which would involve the swapping of surplus fruit and recipes. It was agreed to reduce the amount funded for refreshments from £150 to £50.

RESOLVED:

that the application be supported and £278 be allocated from the Ward Community Fund subject to final approval from the Cabinet Lead for Front Line Service Improvement and Neighbourhoods and the Leader of the Council.

3)     Writing Group, South Knighton Community Group - £502

The applicant explained that the application was for the organisation and running of a week day of writing workshops during the summer holidays for young people in the locality. It was agreed that the amount funded for refreshments would be reduced from £110 to £50.

RESOLVED:

that the application be supported and £442 be allocated from the Ward Community Fund subject to final approval from the Cabinet Lead for Front Line Service Improvement and Neighbourhoods and the Leader of the Council.

4)     Streetvibe Youth Sessions, Pendlebury Drive Residents Association - £618.

The applicant explained that the application was to fund two three hour sessions run by Streetvibe bus for youths on the estate and the surrounding area. It was noted that there was an error on the application as the amount requested should have stated £618 not £609. It was queried when the events would be taking place. The applicant commented that one would be held in summer and one in half term.  Members requested that an update be brought back to a future Community Meeting on how the events went.

RESOLVED:

that the application be supported and £618 be allocated from the Ward Community Fund subject to final approval from the Cabinet Lead for Front Line Service Improvement and Neighbourhoods and the Leader of the Council.

Future meeting dates will be as follows:

·        27 September 2010

·        29 November 2010

·        14 March 2011

Venues will be confirmed in due course.

Future meeting dates were noted as follows:

• 27 September 2010
• 29 November 2010
• 14 March 2011

Concern was raised at the junction of Holmfield Road and Aberdale Road being used by a great deal by lorries and this may be related to a satellite navigation issue. Concern was also raised that the junction was used as a ‘rat run’ in the mornings. It was agreed that a response to this would be obtained by the next meeting.

Concern was raised that parents were parking dangerously outside the high school on the top of Holbrook Road and at the speeding on Holmfield Road. Residents suggested that the Police Community Support Officer for the area could monitor both issues.

A resident raised concern at the back land development on Shanklin Road and the pressure this would cause on the wash brook in the area. Steve Letten, Members Support Officer informed the Community Meeting that a Flood Management Review was being carried out in the area and the report would be published on 8 July.

The meeting closed at 8:05pm.