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Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Knighton Parish Centre, Church Lane, Leicester, LE2 3WG

Contact: Simon Walter, Community Engagement Officer, (Tel: 07811 973141) (Email:  simon.walter@leicester.gov.uk)  Angie Smith, Democratic Support Officer (Tel: (0116) 454 6354) (Email:  Angie.Smith@leicester.gov.uk)

Items
No. Item

1.

INTRODUCTIONS

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.

Minutes:

Everyone was welcomes and introductions were given.

 

Councillor Unsworth was in attendance.

2.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Peter Shepherd (Minister for Stoneygate Baptist Church) and Richard Cheetham.

3.

ACTION LOG pdf icon PDF 311 KB

Attached for information and discussion.

Minutes:

Received and noted.

4.

UPDATE ON THE NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

Minutes:

Mr Hamish Whiteley, Member of the Knighton Neighbourhood Forum Steering Group, gave an update on progress made towards the formulation of a neighbourhood plan, which would sit alongside the local authority’s plan, and could cover issues such as green spaces, housing and transport. The meeting was asked to note:

 

·         Local residents were invited to a meeting via leaflet circulation and posters. 45-50 people attended the meeting and were positive towards the development of a Neighbourhood Plan.

·         Stalls at Overdale School Fete / Knighton Park Fun Day had attracted 155 people who asked to be kept updated. Residents could search Google for contact details for Knighton Forum, or emailed at info@knightonforum.org.uk for information. Letters distributed to residents also gave email and address contact details.

·         The Council were formally consulting the community within or close to the proposed boundary on whether the neighbourhood area submitted was appropriate. The consultation would run from 3rd September to 15th October 2015. Supporting documentation and map of the proposed boundary could be found on the Council’s website under ‘Consultations’.

·         Two sub-groups would be set up, one to look at developing a constitution for the plan, the other to look at funding.

·         It was estimated the process would take 18 months to complete.

·         The next meeting of the Knighton Neighbourhood Forum was scheduled for 29th September at 7.30pm, Knighton Parish Centre, Church Lane, Leicester.

·         A further meeting would be held on 27th October following closure of the consultation.

5.

CITY WARDEN pdf icon PDF 105 KB

The City Warden will give an update on issues in Knighton Ward.

Minutes:

Caroline Walsh, City Warden, informed the meeting it was her final Community Meeting as she had accepted another job offer. Members thanked her for all of her hard work over her period as the Knighton City Warden.

 

Members were asked to note the update (attached).

 

More projects were planned to tackle dog fouling, and residents were asked to provide information to City Wardens, which could also be done through the ‘Love Leicester’ app on smartphones. Descriptions and times where possible were useful evidence. Residents asked for signs to be installed at either end of Dawson Way, to remind pet owners of their duties to clean up after their pets. It was suggested residents contact their local MP Jon Ashworth to include the issue on his publicity leaflets.

 

Residents raised concerns about increased overgrowth in Washbrook Nature Reserve in Knighton, between Welford Road and Lancaster Boys school.

6.

POLICE ISSUES UPDATE

Officers from Leicestershire Police will be at the meeting to provide an update on police issues in Knighton Ward.

Minutes:

PC Jim Mungovin gave the following update on police issues:

 

·         There had been some staff changes. PC Rachel Franklin had joined the police from Oadby. Sgt. Darren Little had left the force to resume teaching, and was replaced by Sgt. Chris Beech. Part of the team now worked from Wigston Station.

·         Over the period of 40 days from 1st August 2015, there were seven dwelling burglaries, and two people had been arrested. Extra patrols of the South Leicester policing area (including Wigston and Oadby) were in place.

·         Vehicle crime continued to be a problem, with 13 thefts from motor vehicles, mainly in the Knighton Church Road area. There were 15 burglaries other than dwellings, mostly bikes from gardens, and one vehicle theft.

·         One person had been arrested following an offence of robbery when young lads were robbed of their phones.

·         There were some pockets of drug use in the area, but nothing major.

·         Police continued to engage with the vulnerable and elderly in the ward. They had also attended events over the summer at Overdale and Thomas Moore schools, and the Knighton Park Fun Day.

 

Residents were advised to ring the police using 101 for vehicle parking issues.

 

Residents should report issues regarding speeding and road surfaces to the Highways Section at the Council.

7.

WARD COMMUNITY BUDGET pdf icon PDF 65 KB

Councillors are reminded that under the Council’s Code of Conduct they should declare any interest they may have in budget applications

 

a)     An update will be given on the Ward Community budget; and

 

b)     A list of grant applications submitted for consideration at this meeting is attached.

 

 

Minutes:

The meeting was informed that Ward Funding of £18,000 had been agreed at the beginning of the Municipal year.

 

The following funding applications had been agreed:

 

·         Knighton Parochial Church Centre – fire Alarm (submitted by Paul Bonnet): £1,000 part funded (original request £2,997)

·         Knighton Spinney footpath improvements (submitted by Clive Forty) – £1,070

·         Knighton Park Community Fun Day (submitted by Gary McMillan) – £1,958

·         2 x Dementia Cafes (submitted by Alzheimers Society) – £3,000. The Knighton Memory Café will be held at St Thomas More Community Rooms, and the Holbrook Memory Café will be held at St Guthlac’s Church.

 

A balance of £10,972 remained after the above funding applications had been approved.

 

The following applications were discussed, and would be considered outside of the meeting:

 

·         Replacement of equipment (68th Leicester Scout Group) – funding request £2,001.40. A resident present at the meeting said he could provide the group with contact details of supermarkets to assist the scout group in their fundraising activities.

·         Allandale Road / Francis Street Community Market (Kevin Urquhart) – funding request £3,769.

8.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Minutes:

Residents raised the following issues:

 

·         An update had been requested regarding a breach of a planning application at 15 Elms Road. The meeting was informed a new planning application would be submitted.

 

Councillors Dr. Moore and Unsworth, who sat as Members on the Planning and Development Control Committee, withdrew from the meeting before the next item was discussed.

 

·         A planning application for the conversion of the previous Gables Hotel building on the corner of London Road / Stoughton Road into a store was discussed. Residents believed the development, if approved, would cause problems on domestic roads, and had insufficient parking on the plan. Residents were urged to place objections as early as possible.

 

Councillors Dr. Moore and Unsworth, returned to the meeting.

 

·         Residents reported issues around vehicles parked on the junction of Lamborne Road, Woodcroft Avenue and Cairnsford Road, and were advised to call 101 if vehicles caused an obstruction.

 

·         A resident drew to the attention of the meeting an issue faced by Wigston Football Club, who currently leased land from Leicester University at Welford Road Playing Fields. The football club had until December to place a sealed bid for the purchase of the land which the University had decided to sell. A campaign and a petition was underway to stop the University evicting the football club and selling the land for redevelopment.

9.

CLOSE OF MEETING

Minutes:

The meeting closed at 8.16pm.