Agenda and minutes

Councillor Fonseca chaired the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Wann.

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 Fonseca declared a personal interest in respect of the Ward Community Budget as he was a member of the Thurnby Lodge Community Association.

The minutes of the meeting held on 30 January 2012 are attached and Members are asked to confirm them as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 30 January 2012 be confirmed as a correct record.

Leicestershire Partnership Trust (NHS) is carrying out a range of activities across the City, including community campaigns around cancer awareness and cardio vascular disease. Representatives of the Trust have been invited to the meeting to talk about these activities.

Teresa Spilsbury, Community Health Development Co-ordinator with the NHS was present to talk about a range of activities being carried out across the City, including community campaigns around cancer awareness and cardio vascular disease.  It was noted that due to the success of the work, the project had recently expanded and was now working in partnership with a number of stakeholder agencies. 

Teresa explained that the project was largely supported by volunteers and operated on a city wide basis.  She welcomed others to join one of the projects’ volunteer teams.

It was made clear that the Partnership Trust predominantly performed a referral role and did not carry out any diagnosis. 

For the information of those present, Teresa briefly described the key signs and symptoms for breast, bowel and lung cancer, and generally encouraged anyone who noticed an unusual change in their health to consult their GP. 

A representative from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service has been invited to the meeting to present an overview of the service’s work with the Princes’ Trust.  Guidance also will be provided on how local young people can become involved with the Trust.

Representatives from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue were in attendance to present an overview of their work with the Princes’ Trust and provided guidance on how local people could become involved with the trust. 

They conducted a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation which gave detail of the Princes’ Trust 12-week Team Programme and the accreditation awarded to those who completed the course.

It was explained that those who were primarily targeted for team programme work included the unemployed, offenders or ex-offenders, those in or leaving care and educational under-achievers.  Referrals were made via a number of channels such as the JobCentre, Glen Parva Young Offenders institution, Connexions and through Social Workers.  The teams often undertook projects that provided immediate benefits to local communities and neighbourhoods and it was acknowledged that several of these had recently taken place locally.

It was pointed out that the Princes Trust had its own delivery partner in each county, and in Leicestershire, the programme was delivered by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue, who received funding to do so from Central Government. 

Those present were encouraged to inform anyone who they knew who may benefit from engaging with the work of the Princes’ Trust or to suggest projects within the Thurncourt Ward which could be undertaken by the Trust. 

In response to a question, it was confirmed that once a young person had completed the 12 week programme, they were provided with a progressive action plan in order to help them achieve personal aims.

In response to a further question in relation to the application process, the meeting heard that the Princes Trust was currently over-subscribed due to the high volume of demand from young people to participate.  It was however made clear that programmes were continually initiated, and open days were held to allow young people to apply. 

Officers from Leicestershire Constabulary will provide an update on Police issues in Thurncourt Ward.

PC Ben Orton was in attendance to provide an update on Police matters in Thurncourt.  The following points were raised:

-       Two people had been charged in connection with the murder case on Flamborough Road, and as a result had been sentenced to 22 years imprisonment.

-        A burglary target hardening initiative had commenced in the Peters’ Drive area following a recent series of burglaries. 

-       A full investigation had taken place following a gang fight in Willowbrook Park.  This was seen by police as an isolated incident.

-       Many officers from within the local Neighbourhood Team were to be deployed to London during the Olympic Games.  There would therefore be a diminished visible police force in Thurncourt during this period.

-       The Police were to undertake a project in relation to school parking.  Further details in relation to this would be brought to the next meeting.

The City Warden will be present at the meeting to give an update on issues in Thurncourt Ward.

Nicole Powell and Charlotte Williams-Glover from the City Wardens Team were in attendance to discuss their recent work in Thurncourt.  They reported on the following issues:

-       It was acknowledged that residents had concerns around cars being persistently parked on particular streets, though Nicole and Charlotte explained that no action could be taken against owners if the vehicles in question were appropriately taxed and insured.

-       The Wardens had recently targeted incidents of dog fouling on Willowbrook Park.

-       The Wardens were now holding monthly surgeries at the Thurnby Lodge Youth and Community Centre and would continue to attend the TARA coffee mornings.

-        A further priority area was in relation to fly-tipping, especially around the recycling centre on Thurncourt Road.

Questions were asked in respect of the amount of time the wardens spent specifically in the Thurncourt Ward.  It was confirmed that there were no fixed times that the wardens would be patrolling in Thurncourt, though it was stated that they spent at least two hours per day patrolling the ward.  It was explained that Charlotte and Nicole were also responsible for patrolling the Coleman and Evington Wards. 

Residents were generally in agreement that the Wardens should be dedicated to the Thurncourt Ward for at least an hour and a half each week. 

Officers have been invited to the meeting to discuss housing issues.  This will include an update on the programme of works agreed under the Capital Receipts Initiative.

Chrissie Field, Area Housing Manager, was in attendance to discuss housing issues in Thurncourt.

Chrissie explained that a total of £50,000 was available last year to spend on Capital Receipt Initiatives in the ward which reflected local priorities and that the vast majority of these had been completed. 

In respect of the knee rail fencing for Roborough Green, it was confirmed that the order for this had been placed and was due to be installed by 31 March.

In terms of the benches for Thurncourt Road, it was made clear that there were problems with the procurement process for these, but the necessary money had been carried over to the 2012/13 financial year.

In response to a query, Chrissie confirmed that she would look in to the possibility of providing lighting on the footpath at the bottom of Colthurst Way.  It was generally felt that the level of lighting at Willowbrook Park was poor, particularly for dog walkers.

A resident raised awareness of a property on Ocean Road which had been vacant for a significant period of time.  The Police Officers present confirmed that they were aware of this.  Chrissie Field also confirmed that the officer responsible for this particular area would make contact with the empty homes team. 

A brief update will be provided on highways issues raised at previous meetings.

The following issues were raised in connection with highways and transportation matters:

-       There were problems with speeding traffic on Thurncourt Road between Nursery Road and Scraptoft Lane.

-       Parents at Thurnby Lodge Primary School had raised concerns with crossing the road outside of the school and it was felt that the possibility of employing a school crossing patrol officer should be pursued.

-       A truck was persistently parking on the corner of Ocean Road and Thurncourt Road.

-       There was also a problem with persistent and obstructive parking on the corner of Havencrest Drive and Scraptoft lane. 

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 provide an update on the Ward Community budget for 2011/12; and

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

Project:           Lunch Club Jubilee Celebration Event

Amount:          

Applicant:        Allan Gratrix, Lunch Club Co-ordinator

Summary:

As part of a day of celebration marking the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee it is intended to organise a celebration lunch for 90 people.  This will take place on Tuesday 5 June 2012 at Thurnby Lodge Community Centre.

Those attending will include local community volunteers and centre users.

Project:           The Raven Youth Club Café

Amount:          

Applicant:        Demi Hickenbotham and Chloe Easter, Thurnby Lodge Youth Community Centre

Summary:

Please see the attached Business Plan (Appendix B1)

Project:         Thurnby Ladies Circle – Networking Events

Amount:          

Applicant:      HajraKhote/Hajra Seedat

Summary:

Who are we?

A group of women living in the area who have decided to get together to provide an opportunity for social interaction and support. There is a lack of such facilities in the area and most of our families and friends live elsewhere in Leicester.

At the moment there are 21 ladies on the email/phone contact list. They live in the Thurnby Lodge, Netherhall and Scraptoft area. The list continues to grow.

What do we do?

We hold a coffee/tea event every third Saturday of the month. The first was held in one of the ladies homes. The second was held at the Christchurch Hall, the third at Thurnby Lodge and the fourth at the URC on Abbots Road South.

Between 12 -20 ladies turn up and there are usually about 8-10 children. The event allows social networking and support.

Ladies are asked to bring along a snack and the organisers provide the refreshments. To date we have relied on the generosity of two of the organisers to meet the costs of hire on first two occasions. We now ask the ladies for a small contribution towards costs of hire.

What we are asking for

We are asking for the Community Fund to provide a grant of £550 per annum to enable the Group to undertake 2 outings a year and to help with meeting accommodation costs. We would hope to arrange educational  ...  view the full agenda text for item 49.

Francis Connolly, Members Support Officer, introduced this item of business.  It was made clear that as this was the final meeting of the 2011/12 municipal year, this was the only remaining opportunity for funding from the ward budget to be allocated.

Members considered the following applications:

1.  Thurnby Lodge TARA Lunch Club Jubilee Celebration Event– request for £500 to organise a lunch celebration for 90 people taking place on Thursday 5 June 2012 at Thurnby Lodge Community Centre.

RESOLVED:

That the application be supported and that a sum of £500 be allocated from the Ward Community budget.

2.  The Raven Youth Club Cafe– request for £150 to provide equipment and stock for the café.

RESOLVED:

                        That the application be supported and that a sum of £150 be allocated from the Ward Community budget.

3.            Thurnby ladies Circle Networking Events– request for £550 towards two outings/Networking Events.

RESOLVED:

                        That the application be supported and that a sum of £550 be allocated from the Ward Community budget.

As a result of the decisions outlined above, it was reported that a sum of £5,485 remained in the budget. It was reported that a series of patch-walks were to be undertaken in May 2012, and that the remaining money in the budget would be allocated towards projects and issues arising from the patch-walks. 

RESOLVED:

            That the remaining budget balance of £5,485 be pledged                  towards projects and issues arising from the Thurncourt              Ward Patchwalks in May 2012.

A series of Patch Walks is being arranged.  Further details will be available at the meeting.

The Members Support Officer reported that three patch-walks were to take place in the ward during May, and that these would be led by Ward Councillors along with various stakeholders which included representatives from the Police, City Wardens, Housing, Highways and Community Safety.

It was explained that the first of these would take place in the Havencrest Drive area, with others being held within the Thurncourt Road/Nursery Road area and the Ocean Road/Willowbrook Park area.

One of the particular aims of the patch walks was to identify ways of spending the money remaining in the 2011/12 ward budget. 

The Chair agreed to accept a further item of business in relation to the future of the 55^th Scout Hut on Nursery Road.

Eddie Beilby, Property Management, Leicester City Council, was in attendance to provide an update in relation to this matter.  Eddie explained that the Scout Group had agreed to surrender the lease of their building.  It was confirmed that the Scouts owned the building and the City Council owned the land of the site surrounding the building. 

The meeting was informed that once the Scout Group had indicated that they wished to surrender their lease of the building, the City Council marketed the site with the intention of granting a new lease.  It was confirmed that expressions of interest had been received from three parties, and of these only one of the offers included a confirmed offer of payment to the Scouts Association. This offer was made by the As-Salaam Trust.  The Scouts Association and the City Council therefore agreed to proceed with transferring the lease from the Scouts Association to As-Salaam.

In response to a number of questions, it was confirmed that of the 2 other interested parties one had been unable to satisfy the Scout Association financial requirements whilst the other group had failed to submit details for consideration.  It was also confirmed that interested parties had a period of two weeks to submit an expression of interest, though it was acknowledged that the level of detail requested was not particularly extensive. 

Members of the Public present were generally of the view that the building should be available for use of the whole community.  Officers stated that the precise use of the building could not be controlled once a lease was transferred.  It was however reported that the predominant expected use by the As Salaam group would be after-school activities. 

Concerns were raised in connection with the potential for significant on –street parking should this particular lease be granted.  It was felt that such an increase on what was a bus route would pose particular danger.  Eddie confirmed that officers in Planning had been consulted over outline proposals for the future use of the site and currently did not have significant concerns over change of use within D1/D2 planning class orders. If parking became a significant issue then further actions could be considered by the Council as Highway Authority.

It was noted that a petition containing 260 signatures had been submitted to the Council which asked to ensure that the future use of the building was decided on the basis of an open and transparent bidding process and that the views of local residents were given full and proper consideration.    It was agreed that, once complete, a response to the petition be brought a future Thurncourt Community Meeting.

The meeting closed at 8:10pm.