Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to elect a Chair for the meeting.

Councillor Scuplak was elected as Chair for the meeting.

The Ward Councillors then introduced themselves to the meeting.

There were no apologies for absence.

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.

Councillors were asked to declare any interests they may have in the business on the agenda and/or declare if Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applied to them.

Councillor Scuplak declared a personal interest in the budget applications submitted by the Community Association Management Committee (CAMC), as she was Chair of the CAMC. She stated that she would not take part in the discussion around the application.

Councillor Allen declared a personal interest in the budget applications submitted by the Community Association Management Committee (CAMC), as he was Secretary of the CAMC. He stated that he would not take part in the discussion around the application.

Attendees at the meeting informed Councillors Scuplak and Allen they were happy for them to remain in the room when discussions took place.

The minutes of the Thurncourt Community Meeting held on 4 October 2010 have been circulated and Members are asked to confirm them as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 4^th October 2010 were approved as a correct record.

Minute 18(a) Housing Management and Refurbishment of Properties

Councillor Allen asked as to why some properties were being refurbished and others were not. It was explained that the layout design of some bungalows had caused some problems with the installation of kitchens.

Chrissie Field had reported at the last meeting that a total of 29 properties were outstanding. This was corrected to 30 properties. She reported that all but 9 of the properties were completed, with 4 in progress. She reported that some tenants had refused to have their properties refurbished.

Minute 19 (a) Action Points

(i) Mike Pears, Highways Maintenance, Leicester City Council, updated the meeting on works carried out and solved on 13^th January 2011 to drainage problems in the grassed area in Croyland Green, near to house number 20-22. The sewer was unblocked and found to have no structural problems.

(ii) Mike Pears, Highways Maintenance, Leicester City Council, informed the meeting that more information would be required regarding the access area at Croyland Green. He also stated that parking issues can sometimes be improved by works carried out under the Local Environment Works programme, such as layby construction.

Representatives of the Community Transport service will be at the meeting to give a verbal update on community transport opportunities in the City.

Lee Storer and a collegue from Passenger and Transport Services (LCC) gave a verbal overview of community transport opportunities in Leicester.

Community transport provided minibuses to community groups who provided a service to the elderly or disabled people. Buses had been converted for wheelchair use and had tail lifts that go down to ground level and not ramps. The minibuses are multi-adapting but can hold 16 people if seated.

During the presentation Lee Storer gave the following information and responses to questions:

• Hire costs of the minibuses is £16 per day excluding fuel, but groups have to provide their own driver. Drivers should have D1 on a clean driving licence to be allowed to drive a minibus. The Midas Training course was available to obtain a D1 and is valid for three years. The meeting was informed that there was no age limit (oldest or youngest) to drive a minibus, the only requirement being a D1 was on the licence. The age limit would be investigated as confirmation that this was the case.
• Groups often had a shortage of drivers. The meeting was informed that volunteer drivers were available for groups at a cost of £33 per day. Also, other community groups might be approached for the loan of a driver.
• Breakdown and recovery would be the responsibility of Leicester City Council should this occur, and Community Transport would be the point of call for advice/issues during the day. Insurance is included but users would be asked to pay up to £500 excess in the event of an incident. Should groups wish to use the minibuses then they should send a constitution to LCC Transport to register with the service. A membership fee of £12 was payable but groups are then able to use the services as many times as they wanted to.
• For drivers a test would need to be undertaken prior to hiring a minibus. The test lasts for approximately 1 hour.
• Equipment was also provided for securing wheelchairs in the minibuses. An additional test is available for providing instruction on how to secure a wheelchair, lasting approximately ½ hour and costs around £19.
• The meeting was advised that should a community group wish to book a minibus, they should do so one month in advance to avoid disappointment. There was higher demand during the summer months, but Community Transport could use vehicles from other sections to cover demand.
• A question was asked if the service could be extended to include groups for young people who did not have access to a vehicle, but the service is limited to the elderly and disabled. The Chair informed the residents that funding could be applied for to take a younger group out, and encouraged such groups to apply for funding from the Ward Community Meeting.

Sergeant Danny Graham and PCSO James Edwards of Leicestershire Constabulary will be at the meeting to discuss policing matters in Thurncourt Ward.

Sergeant Danny Graham and PCSO James Edwards were present to update the meeting on policing issues in Thurncourt.

Sgt. Graham gave a verbal update on crime statistics in the area from 4 October 2010 over a three month period with a comparison to the same three month period in 2009. The Force published all crime statistics its website on which the following figures are available:

• Recorded crime is down 1%
• Robbery is down 100% (from 1 to 0)
• Vehicle crime is down 36.4%
• Violence is down 58.8%
• Anti-social behaviour is down 9.7%
• Burglary has seen an increase up 22.2%

From 1/1/2010 to 31/12/2010 there were 593 crimes recorded. This was down from 1,076 in 2009, a drop in 483 crimes. In 2010 there were 73 dwelling burglaries compared to 137 in 2009 – 64 less victims.

Theft of cars decreased to 18 in 2010, compared to 26 in 2009. Theft from cars fell from 39 in 2009 to 21 in 2010.

Incidents involving drugs (supply / possession / intent to supply) reduced from 40 in 2009 to 12 in 2010.

A city resource team from Hinckley Road Police Station including plain clothes police and CID had been working in Thurncourt for two months, over which time burglary incidents had reduced. No one person was indentified for the burglaries as there were several methods of operation, though several arrests and were made and persons charged. The meeting was asked to note that houses targeted were usually ones without alarms or fake alarms. Residents were advised to keep bushes to the front and back of houses to a minimum, to use spotlights, and to make properties as hard as possible to break into.

Persons responsible for anti-social behaviour had been identified and on occasion have apologised for their behaviour which have been accepted. These occurred at the time of the English Defence League protests.

Around Halloween and Bonfire Night, policing was good and everything went well. There were issues on Sudbury Green when a large unmanaged fire was lit. Police will revisit the area in the summer to hold discussions with residents to help prevent a repeat of it.

One incident of hate crime was reported when a lady and her three year-old daughter had snowballs thrown at them and were taunted. The appellants were identified through local sources and received a police reprimand.

In answer to questions, Sgt. Graham suggested the reduction in figures was due to drives to reduce crime, better targeting and working with known offenders.

Sgt. Graham would soon be moving to larger premises, but that further equipment to accommodate the move was required. Priorities for the area include:

• To reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour in conjunction with Housing.
• Thurnby Lodge and Willowbrook schools have reported incidents of vandalism. This has occurred at weekends and early evenings and would be worked on.
• There have been increased incidents on Thurncourt Road of stone throwing by youths at passing buses. Once identified the police would visit and talk to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

The City Warden will be at the meeting to give a presentation on issues in the area.

Darren Evans, (City Warden, Leicester City Council) gave a presentation to the meeting, and included the following points:

• Averill Road – following local complaints, damaged cars and stored tyres have been removed.
• St Austell flats – bins that were previously left out after collections and abandoned bins have been taken away.
• The graffiti project saw the removal of graffiti from items in Willowbrook park, for example, benches, bins, walls.
• Willowbrook Park saw the level of dog fouling fall. It is thought the recent bad weather may have forced people to walk their dogs on Thurncourt Road, Ocean Road and Sudbury Green where the problem was worsening. A project to run from January to June 2011 (one of two) would see increased patrols in these areas. Also letters would be sent to each home in the area.
• General patrols would be undertaken to include the following:

o       Thurnby Lodge shops

o       Willowbrook and Thurnby Lodge Schools

o       Willowbrook Park and open space.

• A-Boards had become a problem for pedestrians on Uppingham Road and Humberstone Road. A city-wide project in relation to addressing some of the problems caysed by A-Boards was to take place.
• City Wardens have worked jointly with the fire service to tackle the problem of cars parked illegally near to the Merlyn Vaz Centre. The project was to educate the public on parking dangerously. The Council proposes to introduce yellow lines in June.
• Bins on streets would be an ongoing project for the remainder of the year.
• Other projects last year included the Peace Rally before and after the EDL march.
• Objectives for Thurncourt in 2011 include:

o       Recycle point education

o       Littering and dog fouling near Thurnby Lodge shops

o       Willowbrook and Thurnby Lodge school young warden project

o       Sunbury Green dog fouling project 1

o       Ocean Road dog fouling project 2

o       Working with the Community Centre

o       Joint projects with the police, for example Sunbury Green bonfire

o       Joint working with TARA groups and local resident projects.

Darren Evans then gave the following replies to questions:

• If people were parked in front of dropped kerbs then the police should be called.
• Fixed penalties would be given to people who allowed their dogs to foul.
• It would be useful if people could give him the times persistent offenders took their pets out, so he could investigate.
• Retailers on The Parkway have been putting shop waste into the bins. Darren agreed to investigate the complaint.
• Dog mess could now be put in any waste bin, and that a campaign to educate dog owners of this was to be launched. An article will be prepared and sent to Housing News and Leicester Link. Bins for dog waste could be provided through funding if there was a gap in the area, but the costs were usually high. The Chair asked that the previous cost of installing dog bins in the area be investigated.
• Phase 2 of the dog fouling project covered Ocean Road. People had been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

Officers from Highways Maintenance will be present to will provide an update on issues previously raised by the Meeting and to answer questions on highways maintenance.

Mike Pears and Steve Warrington from (Regeneration, Highways and Transportation, Leicester City Council) were present to discuss issues raised at the last meeting.

Steve Warrington gave an update on progress with the bid for safety works to the junction of The Parkway and Havencrest Drive. At this meeting it was agreed that as a remedial measure, give-way signs, road markings and double yellow markings would be installed, and it was proposed this would be included in a bid for funding from LPT3. An application for funding had also been submitted by the Road Safety Team, Leicester City Council and this was discussed under Item 9, Ward Budget 2010/11. Following up on a complaint regarding the slabbed footway on The Parkway, a Highway Management Officer had assessed the area which he found to be in a reasonable condition. There were cracked slabs but these were stable. The footways are inspected twice a year in the City and if they deteriorate further and exceed intervention levels they will be repaired. Slabs were also repaired if there is a difference in the levels of adjacent slabs of 25mm or more or if they were moving significantly.

Also discussed at the meeting were issues concerning parking around grassed areas in Thurncourt. With the increase in the number of cars parking, roads were deemed to be too narrow in parts for traffic, particularly lorries, to pass parked vehicles. It was asked if grassed areas could be reduced and parking bays introduced to enable traffic to move on roads easily. It was stated that £900,000 Council Housing Revenue was available for environmental improvements, and this was allocated based on the number of council properties in the ward, and proposals could be put forward on how this money should be spent. The meeting was asked to note the money would not cover all problems but would be spend on specific ones with the biggest problems.

It was pointed out by residents that some areas in the ward were mainly privately owned properties and not council properties, and would also benefit if improvement works were carried out. If a council tenant lived in an area which was mainly owner occupied then works in such areas would not be prioritised. The Chair suggested the topic be brought back to a future Community Meeting as an agenda item to discuss priority areas and enable people to decide what they would want to spend the money on.

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.

a)      The Members Support Officer will give an update on the latest position with the Community Meeting budget.  A copy of the Thurncourt Ward Meeting Budget as at January 2011 is attached for information.

b)      The following applications for grants are submitted for consideration:-

Application 1

Applicant:       Thurnby Lodge & District Community Association

Proposal:       Wheelchair replacement

Amount:          Item                                    Cost                               Amount

                                                                                                            Requested

                        Wheelchair A –                  £233.83                          £250.00

self-propelled                     inc VAT

Wheelchair B –                  £293.75                          £250.00

attendant propelled            inc VAT

                                                Total requested:     £500.00

Summary:       The Association previously had provided two wheelchairs for use within the Centre in emergencies.  They were used if people needed to transfer from their own powered chairs in order to access parts of the building they otherwise would not be able to use, (for example, the library, or the Annexe at the rear of the building).

                        The two original chairs have been scrapped, because of damage and general wear and tear.

                        The chairs will not only be used in the Centre, but will be available for use in the community.

An initial discussion on this application was held at the Thurncourt Community Meeting on 4 October 2010.  At that meeting, the view was expressed that this was the type of application the Meeting was likely to support, but no commitment could be given until full information was known.

Application 2

Applicant:       The Seabrook Club (Tuesday)

Proposal:       To fund a coach to take senior citizens of the Seabrook Club on a trip in the spring

Amount:          Estimated cost of coach:                             £350

                        Estimated entrance fees (50 x £3):£150

Summary:       The funding of a coach in the spring to take members of the Tuesday Club at Ocean Road Community Centre to the bulb fields, or other place of interest.  Receipts for the bus and entrance fees will be produced after the event.

                        No other funding has been sought, or obtained, from other organisations.

Application 3

Applicant:       Mrs B Ayres

Proposal:       Assistance with funding for the Tuesday Evening Bingo Club

Amount:          Weekly rental of hall – £300

Summary:       Funding is requested towards rental costs to avoid the cessation of the Club after many years.  This will benefit members who have attended the club for many years from all over Thurnby Lodge estate.

                        The Community Association has purchased a quantity of bingo books, but rental costs need addressing for the coming year.

Application 4

Applicant:       Leicester City Council – Road Safety Team

Proposal:       The Parkway/Havencrest Drive – Proposed Road Traffic Accident

                        Remedial Scheme

Amount:         

Francis Connolly, Member Support Officer, introduced this item of business.  He noted that there was £11,199 left in the budget prior to the meeting.

Members considered the following applications:

Thurnby Lodge and District Community Association – request for £500 to provide two wheelchairs to be used within the Community Centre in emergencies.

It was confirmed that one wheelchair would be located at Thurnby Lodge Community Centre and the other stored at Ocean Road Community Centre.

RESOLVED:

                        That the application be supported and a sum of £500 be allocated from the Ward Community Fund budget, subject to final approval from the Cabinet Lead for front Line Service Improvement and Neighbourhoods and the Leader of the Council.

The Seabrook Club (Tuesday Club) – request for £500 to take senior citizens of the Seabrook Club on a trip in the Spring.

RESOLVED:

                        That the application be supported and a sum of £500 be allocated from the Ward Community Cohesion Fund budget, subject to final approval from the Cabinet Lead for front Line Service Improvement and Neighbourhoods, the Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and the Leader of the Council.

The Tuesday Bingo Club – request for £300 to assist with rental costs.

The applicant was present and explained how both the Tuesday and Friday Bingo clubs helped to generate funds for the Community Centre. 

RESOLVED:

                        That the application be supported and a sum of £300 be allocated from the Ward Community Cohesion Fund budget, subject to final approval from the Cabinet Lead for front Line Service Improvement and Neighbourhoods, the Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and the Leader of the Council.

Leicester City Council – Road Safety Team – request for £4,250 for a proposed road traffic accident remedial scheme.

Members explained that this proposal had been previously suggested in light of the accident rate at the junction of Havencrest Drive and The Parkway.  Remedial measures that were proposed to be taken as part of the application included the provision of a Give Way sign and road markings, newspaper advertisement and associated legal costs.

Officers explained that the scheme would be included in a list of bids as part of Leicester’s third Local Transport Plan (LTP3).  It was stated that the outcome of funding would not be known until at least Summer 2011, and that there was no guarantee in the current economic climate that funding for any scheme would be forthcoming.    Funding from the Community Meeting would guarantee that the scheme would be able to be completed far sooner.

Members and those present supported the application but with the condition that should the scheme be funded via LTP3, the money pledged from the Community Meeting be refunded.

RESOLVED:

                        That, subject to the above condition, the application be supported and a sum of £4,250 be allocated from the Ward Action Plan Fund budget, subject to final approval from the Cabinet Lead for front Line Service Improvement and Neighbourhoods and the Leader of the Council.

The Friday Bingo Club – request for £300  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

Information was distributed to meeting attendees in connection with the changes to new executive arrangements. No discussion was taken on this item.

An item was taken by Councillors to discuss a planning application for a proposed play area. Adrian Edge, Parks and Green Spaces, informed the meeting that Leicester City Council was successful in a bid for Lottery Funding for play areas in three key areas in the City – New Parks, Thurncourt and Eyres Monsell. After consultation with local residents the preferred option was to develop a play area at Kerminton Gardens, and consultation with Willowbrook and Thurnby Lodge Primary Schools helped to identify preferred play equipment for the area. A planning application has been submitted and the detailed proposal was available for viewing on the council website.

The area would take up approximately a quarter of the green so would still leave plenty of open space, and would cater for 2-8 year-olds. The target for spend was £60,000 by the end of March 2011. Residents were concerned that the area would become a target for anti-social behaviour. Adrian Edge explained that this was likely to be minimised in light of a high number of surrounding properties, and the equipment was for smaller children which should deter older children from loitering around it. The equipment would be inspected twice a week by parks officers and funding was available to repair equipment. A sign would also be located in the area with a contact telephone number to report any issues. Adrian circulated comments sheets and details on how to access the planning application on the website.

The meeting closed at 9.00pm.