Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Kevin Doyle, Head of Service for Housing.

The Action Log of the meeting held on 27 September 2022 is attached, and Members will be asked to confirm them as an accurate record.

The action log of the meeting held 27 September 2022 was noted as a correct record.

Ward Councillors will provide feedback on their recent and ongoing work in Eyres Monsell.

Ward Councillors provided an update into their ongoing work in the ward, it was noted that:

·         Councillors had been busy dealing with Housing cases. In particular there were a lot of Section 21 cases, with private tenants facing the threat of eviction. In these cases many families were being put into temporary accommodation.

·         The amount of time council properties were spending void was high because of maintenance works. There were delays with materials and staff shortages.

·         A local newsletter was in development, the different methods for delivering the newsletter were being considered.

·         Eyres Monsell Primary School was facing difficulties, however a new Headteacher had recently been appointed.

Officers will be present to update on the regeneration development on the Southfield and Newry site.

Lauren Tyrell, Head of Development Projects for Planning, was present to give an update on the ongoing housing development at the Southfield Newry site. It was noted that:

·         The 2 sites had been vacant and derelict for approximately 10 years.

·         £600k funding had been secured for the feasibility and early design offer of the scheme.

·         Both buildings had now been demolished.

·         During demolition abandoned air raid shelters had been discovered at the site, a photographic survey had been undertaken to record the findings before the excavations were backfilled ready for future development.

·         The site would deliver 53 new Council homes, the design for the site was intended to support a community.

·         An area for green space had been identified.

·         Letters of consultation had been delivered to the local area.

·         The existing footpath between Southfields Drive and The Newry would be removed. A new route was proposed through the centre of the site.  

·         The vast majority of the houses in the area surrounding the site were Council Houses.

·         The design team had attended and presented at a local school STEM careers event, giving students an insight into the variety of careers in the built environment.

·         At the local school Year 7 Geography students would be following the development as part of their curriculum covering regeneration.

·         A vehicle route through the sire was not planned, there would be a one-way loop road.

·         On street parking would be available alongside driveways.

·         All buildings would meet accessibility standards and were designed for the highest possible sustainability and performance standards.

·         There would be ongoing engagement with the community to ensure any issues related to the delivery of the scheme were known and addressed as soon as possible on site by future contractors

In response to a question from a member of the public, it was noted that homes would be allocated in line with the Council’s Housing Policy and manged by the Housing Service. The aim of the development was to embed this new development into the existing community.

In response to a question from a member of the public it was noted that due to the building materials used and the presence of asbestos throughout the building it was not possible to keep or restore the county coat of arms on the Southfields school. The design team would look at whether there were any opportunities to include a smaller replica within the scheme elsewhere.

Planning Officers will be present to give a brief update on the latest round of consultation for the Local Plan.

The Chair noted that she had received a written update regarding the Local Plan. The written update noted that the latest round of consultation on the Drat Local Plan had concluded and feedback was being considered. A Statement of Common Ground had been agreed with the County Districts to meet the unmet need for new housing in the city.

Housing Officers will be present to give an update on the new housing repair reporting system.

It was noted that Kevin Doyle was not present to provide this update so it would be taken at the next meeting.

Officers will be present to provide an update on ongoing Community Projects.

Daljit Ghai of the local charity Hope for Hunger gave a presentation about the charity. It was noted that the charity delivered home made meals to those who needed it. In order to avoid exploitation of the system, anyone needing to use the service would need to be referred by a relevant organisation. There was a limit of 3 meals per person per week. Funding had also been received from Western Power to provide ‘warm banks’ which included radiators, heavy curtains, and blankets.

There was discussion in which it was agreed that Ward Councillors would be able to refer residents onto the service.

It was noted that Public Health were putting together a support group locally for those struggling with the cost-of-living.

The dates for community events over the Christmas period were noted. There would be a lights switch-on at the Eyres Monsell Community Centre on 2 December and a Winter Wonderland there as well. A Christmas Fayre would also be at the Community Centre on 10 December and feature a Santa’s Grotto.

It was noted that a community kitchen was being trailed at the Eyres Monsell Community Centre.

It was noted that the Pork Pie Library and Eyres Monsell Community Centre would be used as ‘warm banks’ over the winter period on certain days of the week. This would also include free food on the ‘warm bank’ days.

It was noted that information on different upcoming community events was available to find at the community centres.  

Local Police Officers will be present to provide an update on Policing issues in the ward.

Sgt Michael Rowell was present to give an update on policing issues in the ward. It was noted that:

·         Due to the unrest in the east of the city in September, police resources had been focused more so on that area.

·         Overall, all crime was down in the ward. There had been an increase in thefts with the shorter days.

·         There had been a serious incident on Bayberry Gardens, this was thought to be an isolated incident and a person had been arrested.

·         There was a case of a man living in a tent on Exchange Play Park. Police asked that any incidents involving this man be reported to them.

·         An operation to tackle nuisance bikes had come to an end in the summer, however issues were ongoing. Enforcement was difficult due to CCTV cameras not working. More camera coverage in the area was required.

Sgt Rowell encouraged all residents to continue reporting local issues to the police so they would have as much intelligence as possible.

The Local City Warden will provide an update on their ongoing work in the ward.

Noel Cazly, City Warden, was present to give an update on City Warden issues in the ward. It was noted that:

·         There were no ongoing issues other than the standard City Warden issues.

·         There were issues with dog fouling around the library. There would be plain clothes officers to tackle this issue with targeted enforcement around Christmas time.

·         A new patrolling officer was in place, focusing mainly on highway work.

·         Lots of evidence was obtained through the Love Leicester app and reporting to libraries was still an option.

·         Emails from Ward Councillors could be used as evidence for targeted enforcement.  

·         Most issues with fly tipping in the ward were passed to Housing as they were related to Council properties.

·         There were educational leaflets available, but they were limited so how they would be targeted would need to be decided.

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.

An update will be given on the Ward Community Budget together with a summary of grant applications submitted for consideration since the last meeting.

A summary of the ward community budget for 2022/23 was provided.

The total number of applications received to date was 16. The ward funding for 2022/23 had been entirely spent.

It was noted that St Hugh Parish Church was offering free brunch on 10 December.

It was noted that LCFC in the Community had distributed leaflets regarding men’s health. Talks were ongoing to hold an event at the Community Centre.

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 11.47am.