Agenda and minutes

Councillor Moore was elected as Chair for the meeting.

Apologies were received from Sue Ellson, local resident.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the previous Knighton Community Meeting, held on 18 July 2011, have been circulated and Members are asked to confirm them as a correct record.

It was noted that apologies had been given by Mick Sharpe, local resident for the last meeting however these had not been recorded.

It was also noted that references to speeding on Eger Avenue and Holmfield Road on page four should have instead read Aber Road and Holmfield Avenue.

RESOLVED:

that the minutes of the Knighton Community Meeting, held on 18 July 2011 be confirmed as a correct record with the above amendment.

There will be information provided on the new orange bag recycling scheme which is being rolled out across the city.

Geoffrey Soden and Prima Patadia Waste Services informed the Community Meeting of the new Orange Bag recycling scheme.

Prima explained that a lot more items were able to be recycled with the new scheme as residents were able to use as many bags as they wished. It was however requested that items were rinsed out before being put out for recycling. Concern was raised that it was difficult to tie up the bags and how glass may damage the bags.  It was stated that the next order of bags may be designed with a wavy top to make it easier for them to be tied. It was also explained that the bags had been specifically designed by Biffa for recycling including glass bottles and jars.  However it was said that broken glass should not be put in your orange bag, but wrapped up and placed in your wheeled bin.

A resident raised a query regarding collections for flats. Geoff stated that Biffa would be visiting every flat to look at arrangements at each location to determine the best option.

There will be advice provided on keeping warm in the upcoming winter months and residents will have a chance to raise any queries.

Milo Cereghino, Energy Advice Centre was present to provide energy saving advice and answer any queries.

Milo explained that the upcoming winter would be expensive due to the high energy prices. He explained that it was important that people understood how their central heating systems worked earlier as many people made calls for assistance when it was too late. It was also stated that it was important that people’s home were properly insulated. Residents were informed that there was a grant scheme available from the City Council which could be applied for by homeowners, private landlords and tenants. Schemes were available in assisting people to make sure their heating was operating efficiently and had been serviced. There was also assistance available to improve central heating through the Health through Warmth scheme. With regards to temperatures, Milo commented that the overall recommendation for setting the temperature was 21C however it should not be lower than 15C. Residents were informed that if they were at home, the thermostat should be set at 18.

Residents raised concern at cold callers offering to improve heating services. Milo recommended that any incidents of cold calling should be passed onto the City Council as the Council only provided services through one company which was Marks.

Residents were informed of another scheme called ‘hot lofts’ which previously was targeted towards particular people however was now open to any home owners.

In response to a query regarding the depth of insulation that should be aimed for, Milo commented that this be 270mm however if 80-85% of heat was prevented from escaping then it was not cost effective to improve this.

There will be an update on the current status of the road safety improvements around Overdale School.

The Chair provided an update on the road safety proposals around Overdale School. It was reported that a formal consultation exercise had been carried out with 114 letters being hand delivered and from this 19 responses had been received, 3 had supported the proposals and 16 had opposed them. In addition to this, there had been a petition with 300 names submitted by the Parents Association supporting some form of safety measures however not necessarily the ones on the consultation letter.

Residents were informed that road layout changes had been previously opposed at Community Meetings and that there had been no recorded pedestrian accidents on Overdale Road during the last 3 years. The Chair reported that there had been an offer to provide a temporary crossing patrol at the site subject to a recruitment exercise.

In addition to the update, the Chair explained that discussions had taken place with the nearby Leicester Bowls Club on Kenwood Road to allow the use of their car park which was less than 5 minutes’ walk from the school.

A resident reported that the flashing lights sign on Overdale Road was not working. David Poxon, Team Leader, Road Safety agreed to look into this.

In addition to the above update, David Poxon, Team Leader, Road Safety reported on the plans to introduce 20mph zones in the city. David reported that the County Council had installed 20mph zones and had seen a 1-2mph reduction in average speeds. Current areas that were traffic calmed were being looked at and consultations were taking place on installing 20mph zones in those areas.

With regards to the consultation, David reported that 7000 households had been consulted and 1200 responses had been received.

The Chair stated that there had been numerous complaints about roads in the ward being used as ‘rat runs’. In order to combat this, the Chair stated that ideas such as a speed watch scheme or perhaps the use of speed guns.

In response to the idea of installing speed humps, it was stated that one speed hump would cost around £3,000 and these had to be installed with 50 metres of each other.

With regards to the vehicle activated sign, David stated that a new scheme was being considered in which the signs were moved from site to site. Residents were informed that vehicle activated signs should only be installed in a location to deal with an accident problem. With the new scheme, speed indicator devices would be installed in sites temporarily then would be moved. In response to a query regarding the cost of the new devices, David stated that they would cost £3500 each with data gathering. With regards to installing the devices, residents were informed that a new cluster site list of areas had been developed which contained sites that had experienced nine or more accidents in the last three years.

In response to the proposals for a speed gun idea, residents stated this was a good idea as there was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 133.

Members of the Local Policing Unit will be present to provide a crime update for the area.

Members of the local Policing unit were present to provide a policing update for the area.

The following update was provided in relation to crime during the last 2 ½ months:

·         Vehicle Crime - there had been 21 incidents of vehicle crime in August and residents were informed not to leave anything on display in their vehicles. It was reported this had decreased in the subsequent two months, where there had been 14 incidents in September and 13 in October. Residents were also encouraged to report anything suspicious.

·         Burglaries – It was reported that there had been 3 reports in August, 10 in September and currently 5 for October. Residents were informed that there was usually a pattern to burglaries and residents were informed to take measures such as telling the neighbours to check on their property when they were away.

·         Burglaries other than dwelling – It was reported that there had been 4 incidents of this in August, 6 in September and 4 currently in October. This included incidents taking place in places such as sheds and allotments.

·         Robberies – It was reported that there had been 3 incidents in August, none in September and currently 1 in October which had taken place in Knighton Park. Residents were encouraged to go out with friends when out and were informed that the Police had stepped up plain clothes patrols.

·         Anti-social Behaviour – It was reported that there had been 4 incidents of this in August, 5 in September and 1 currently in October. This included incidents of smoking and littering however it was reported that anti-social behaviour was not a major problem in the area.

Residents also raised the following concerns:

·         Anti-social behaviour on Aber Road and Francis Walk with specific references to street drinking. Residents were informed to report any incidents of underage drinking. Residents were also informed that they could call the non emergency 101 number or 0116 2222222.

·         Pipework being stolen from empty properties. There were reports of this occurring on Asquith Boulevard and Stoneygate Road. It was reported that these offences were perhaps not reported as people may confuse the thieves for builders however residents were informed to report any suspicious activity they witnessed. Concern was also raised at people driving trucks collecting scrap metal. It was reported that the Police did carry out regular checks on this and the Council’s Environmental Crime Team also conducted checks in this area.

Discussion took place on ‘smart water’. Residents were informed that this was a chemical forensic solution which could mark people’s property and therefore help identify items if they were stolen. Residents were encouraged to register the serial numbers of items online. It was reported that the price of the water was £30 per tube with small quantities available at Welford Road Police Station.

The City Warden for the Knighton ward will be present to provide an update on environmental issues in the area.

Nik Krneta, City Warden for the Knighton Ward was present to provide an environmental services update.

Nik explained his role involved dealing with issues such as dog fouling, litter and speaking to businesses and residents in the area. He informed residents that he had received requests to place more stickers relating to dog waste in the area and would be placing more of these however informed residents there was also a metal sign near the location requested.

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.

There will be an update on the Community Meeting Budget.

The following budget application has been received:

Applicant: Reece Harris, Sam Allen

Amount: £4,000

Proposal: Small goal posts on Chiltern Green, shrub and bulb planting

Summary: Our aims are

1)    To cut down on disturbance to local residents

2)    Inspire our football - Before we submitted our bid we apologised to individuals that we had been informed that we had unknowingly upset with our robust playing of football. We discussed if we applied for the football posts it would slow our game down as the space and goal we were playing was reduced in size. It therefore enabled the younger and older teenagers to play together

We actively thought about the proposal and as part of the bid recognised that that we needed to reduce the risk to younger children playing football when the ball was kicked out of the area through the shrubs on the road.  This presented a danger when retrieving the ball for unseen children running out from between the shrubs in front of cars. So as part of our bid with other adult residents we undertook to shrub out the area to stop the ball bouncing out of the park.

3)    We recognised that we also should invest our time in improving the neighbourhood for local residents, planting Spring bulbs.  This is only one of two open areas, the only one to play in, the play area in Pendlebury Drive was removed and then no Ball signs were put up. We are surrounded by main roads so this is a safe neighbourhood to play in. Whilst we respect the need to consult with those directly around the area and we understand that the decision was made on that outcome. We respectfully ask that the Councillors think of all the Children living in the area that use this designated play area. This proposal will allow the youth and community to engage in a positive manner on a number of occasions. Reinvesting in where we live and play.

The Chair presented the Community Meeting budget.

The following applications were considered:

·         Small goal posts on Chiltern Green, shrub and bulb planting, Reece Harris, Sam Allen - £4,000.

It was explained that the application was for the installation of goal posts on Chiltern Green along with shrub and bulb planting. Members agreed to support the application in principle however stated the approval would be subject to a positive consultation carried out with residents in the nearby area.

RESOLVED:

that the application be approved in principle subject to a positive formal consultation with residents in the surrounding areas.

·         Rent, Knighton Thursday Club (formerly St Mary’s Drop in) - £520.

It was explained that the application was to assist in covering the rent for one year for the hire of the meeting room in the Knighton Parish Centre where the Knighton Thursday Club meet.

RESOLVED:

that the application be supported  and £520 be allocated subject to final approval from the relevant Cabinet Lead.

Residents were encouraged to submit applications for the Crossing Patrol post related to Overdale Road. It was explained that applications should be submitted to Roger Merry-Howe at the City Council.

The Chair explained that the Neighbourhood Services Scrutiny Commission were carrying out a review of rogue traders and if people had experienced such traders they were encouraged to contribute to the review.

A resident stated that concerns had been raised that unregistered charities were collecting and it was commented that when a collection was taking place, it should be ensured that the charities had a valid charity number.

Residents were encouraged to participate in a project with De Montfort University which increased use of IT and it was stated this would be taking place during the Knighton drop in sessions. Additionally residents were informed that the City Mayor had agreed to attend a Knighton drop in on Thursday 15 December at 10am.

The Chair reported that street surgeries would be started with the local MP for the area allowing residents to ask questions or raise queries. It was reported this would be taking place on Saturday 12 November on Northdene Road.

It was reported that the next Community Meeting would be taking place on Monday 16 January 2012.

The meeting closed at 8:11pm.