Agenda and minutes

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 Kitterick led introductions as Chair.

There were no Declarations of Interest.

The Action Log to follow in due course.

It was noted that the Action Log of the previous meeting was not available due to an administrative error but would be made available at the next meeting.

Councillors Will provide an update on their recent activities in the Ward.

Councillor Kitterick praised the Knighton Library staff involved in the refurbishment.

Councillor Myers referred to the pavilion café in progress in Victoria Park, noting that it was currently an item on the capital plan and a timetable for its development would be expected shortly.

Councillor Myers was enthusiastic about the project, noting its beneficial impact on the area and the provision of a dedicated café, changing facility and community space for the local community. Furthermore, it was hoped that the revenue gained from the project could assist the threatened Council services.

The pavilion was expected to be completed within two years.

Leicestershire Police will provide an update on policing priorities in the Ward.

Sergeant Robert Rollings (Leicestershire Police) introduced himself to those present. Apology for absence of the second lead officer for the inner section of the Castle Ward was noted.

Sergeant Rollings summarised the priorities for the Castle ward, noting that robbery, drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and bike theft had seen an increase in the past month.

It was noted that various operations targeting prioritised concerns were ongoing and funding was being sought to assist the operations underway. Uniformed and plain clothes officers undertook regular patrols in areas of high concern for robbery. Drug detection dog patrols were used to tackle drug dealing and possession of controlled substances, which had led to good results from stop and search operations. It was noted that rental properties and Air B&Bs were a cause for concern for drug use and production.

Operation Goshawk, an operation targeting hotspots for violent crime in the city by ensuring resources were placed in the most effective places at the most effective times, received good results and since received additional funding.

It was noted that most of the youths of concern at the centre of the anti-social behaviour issue had been identified and were noted to live outside of the city. Patrols had increased and engagement with the families local to the areas the youths reside in had been ongoing.

The cycle theft operation was ongoing and led to a number of arrests, which would be continued over the next year. It was noted that Leicestershire Police would be holding bike registration and marking events, free for members of the public, which would log the registration number of a bicycle to an online database for police access, as well the provision of tamper proof stickers, which research had noted an 83% decrease in theft on recipient bikes. 

Collaborative work with Leicestershire Police and Leicester City Council in assisting the homeless, disadvantaged and sex workers was ongoing, with two dedicated police officers and a community support officer working with the public to reduce reoffending, with the aim to help progress into stable work and accommodation. Support was noted to be available for the public in disadvantaged situations and focus was placed on encouraging those into the support network available.

It was noted that a displacement of sex work issues had moved to the area of Narborough Road, Princess Road and Kent Street, although members of the public noted that street prostitution was still an ongoing issue elsewhere at a reduced rate. Warnings were provided to users of street prostitution, which may lead to prosecution.

Leicestershire Police BEAT surveys were being held regularly at the Clock Tower, St Georges Retail Park and Curve Theatre. Further details could be found online on the Leicestershire Police website.

It was noted that a new police inspector, Nadia Rana, had taken office.

Sergeant Rollings was thanked for his attendance and report.

Members raised concerns about continued drug dealing issues at Lee Circle car park, as well as the older areas of London Road and Highfields.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

The City Warden will give an update on environmental and enforcement activities in the Ward.

The City Warden, Mikail Mandhu, was present to provide an update on the Castle ward. Apologies from City Warden, Darren Evans was noted.

The City Warden provided a summarised update of issues in the ward, which were noted as follows:

·       Castle ward had increasingly become a more residential area, which resulted in a rise in issues arising with landlords and flat tenants. Further engagement and provision of education with local landlords and tenants was ongoing.

·       The prior fly tipping issue at 80 Queens Road had since seen the installation of a gate and had no further fly tipping issues.

·       Overall, there had been a marked decrease in fly tipping across the ward.

·       The issue of bins being left on streets was an ongoing project and would continue to be monitored.

The Chair thanked the Warden for the report.

A member of the Traffic Operations Team will provide an update on Highways related matters in the Ward.

Highways officers, Ed Kocik (Transport Development Manager) and Jolanta Obszynska (Transport Development Officer), were present to provide an update on Highways issues in the Castle Ward, which included:

·       The application for a right of way at Wyggeston Queen Elizabeth I college was being processed and an outcome should be available by November 2022.

·       Phase 3 of the Clarendon Park residential parking scheme was underway and would be live 1 October 2022. Letters had been posted to affected residents and objections to the scheme were welcomed up until 7 November 2022.

·       A request from residents on Springfield Road had been received for residents only parking between 9:30 and 10:30am and was waiting approval.

·       New infrastructure for a tree that had been planted on Montague Road in November 2021 was ready to be deployed.

·       A new planter would be deployed on North Avenue in the next few weeks.

·       The cycling permeability scheme in Clarendon Park had been completed and a new drop curb had been installed alongside a newly painted wide ‘H’ marking.

·       An issue was identified with parking on drop curbs by local wardens, which blocked access to houses and businesses. Wardens enforcing parking restrictions requested that residents avoid parking on drop curbs for the future.

·       A community grant for the Boule Road extension was being reviewed and discussed, however was noted to be legally complex.

·       Regarding Queens Road improvements, a traffic count would be held on 24 November to provide more information to members of the public. The timescale had been decided and the draft report was being finalised, which would be discussed with local ward councillors once completed.

·       It was noted that 17 functional standard electric car charge points had been installed in Clarendon Park and residents would be required to sign up prior to use. There were no plans for more charge points and usage of the points would be monitored and the data analysed for potential future development.

·       A meeting at St John the Baptist’s school was scheduled on 9 November 2022 at 7:45am to review the community concerns at school drop-off period. At the request of members of the public, the end of school pick-up time, which had concerns of parents arriving early and parking and speeding, would be reviewed in the afternoon.

A member of the public enquired about a residential parking scheme for Springfield Road. It was noted that London Road and Springfield Road had unrestricted parking and a bay had been installed at the end of the road for residents nearby. The bay allowed for 3 vehicles and was noted to have good availability.

It was noted that residents of a cul-de-sac off of Avenue Road had asked for inclusion in the parking scheme, which was noted to be reviewed in the future outside of the current Phase 3 scheme due to complicated Traffic Regulation Order work required.

It was noted that the wide ‘H’ markings allowed for wardens to ticket vehicles if there was a complaint about the vehicle parking on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

An update will be given on the Ward Community budget.

Councillors are reminded that they will need to declare any interest they may have in budget applications.

The Community Engagement Officer provided an update report on the Ward Community Budget.

The Chair summarised the approved Ward Community Budget applications as follows:

·       Baby Basics Leicester - £500 for cots and mattresses for castle referrals.

·       Cup Creative – The Inner-City World Cup - £1000 for Victoria Park football tournament.

·       Honey Craft - £500 for wildlife workshops at LCB Depot.

·       Clarendon Park Traders Association – £4,250 for Clarendon Park Summer Fair.

·       The Springfield Road Street Party Group - £50 for Springfield Road Jubilee Party.

·       Central Avenue - £194 for Central Avenue Jubilee Party.

·       City Warden Service - £769 for Montague Road Gate Lock to reduce ASB.

·       Park Lodge Project – £750 for Queens Platinum Jubilee Party.

·       Shirdi Sai Baba Temple - £500 for Annual Community Festival.

·       The Friends of New Walk Charitable Trust - £1,450 for Litter Bin Project.

It was noted that £9,209 remained of the wards budget.

The Chair referred to the availability of funds and reiterated previous comments that applications in the Castle Ward should show a specific benefit to the Ward and its residents, and not be related to an event or project held centrally for the wider benefit.

The Ward Community Engagement Officer reminded those present that applications under £500 could come in anytime, whereas applications over £500 needed to be submitted before January 31, 2023.

It was noted that Sam Oldman from Oldman and Sons, who had previously put on Christmas light displays would not be holding the event this year due to the impact of the energy crisis, and instead, may conduct a Christmas tree decoration events, of which they may apply for ward funding.

A member of the public enquired about how the Council publicised future meeting, as they had difficulty finding out. The Democratic Support Officer noted that a variety of methods were used in publicity for ward meetings, including posters, publication on the public notice of meetings, publication on the Leicester City Council website and meeting distribution lists.

The Chair noted that better communication for ward specific matters needed to be looked into, such as through social media groups.

A member of the public noted a broken swing in Victoria Park, that had been missing a spare part, but the duration had extended beyond a year with no progress.

ACTION: The Chair to take it up with the park services.

Members of the public complained about the ongoing noise pollution from The Donkey pub on Welford Road, which included outdoor entertainment, which it did not have a licence for.

ACTION: The Chair to take details about the issue and contact the licensing and noise teams.

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 20:26pm.