Agenda and minutes

Councillors will elect a Chair for the meeting.

Councillor Naylor was elected as Chair for 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.

No declarations were made.

The minutes of the previous Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields Community Meeting, held on 7 September 2009, are attached and Members are asked to confirm them as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

that the minutes of the meeting of the Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields Community Meeting, held on 7 September 2009 be confirmed as a correct record.

There will be an update on the Ward Action Plan and from the recent patch walks that have been conducted in the area.

Following agreement from the Chair, it was agreed to move this item up the agenda.

Members provided feedback on the patch walks that had been conducted in the area.

Patchwalk 1  13/11/2009

Some of the issues that had been highlighted included:

• Concern about the car’s speeding on Overpark Avenue instead of using Winstanley Drive with its road bumps.
• Graffiti on Ashthorpe Road play equipment.
• Sunken Concrete slabs on Braunstone Avenue and Gurtheridge Crescent.
• Some damaged Road Humps.
• Vehicles parked on pavements.

Patchwalk 2 – 14/11/2009

Some of the issues that had been highlighted included:

• Vehicles parked on pavements.
• Some roads and pavements in need of repair. Some recent repairs which had been carried out were not adequate.
• Sunken grass verges holding water.
• Some shrubbery needed litter picking.
• Concern about some house frontages.

Patchwalk 3 – 20/11/2009

Some of the issues that had been highlighted included:

• Some NTL boxes need repainting.
• Bus shelter with graffiti.
• Vehicles parked on pavements.
• Damaged drop kerbs and verges.
• Speeding on Overpark Avenue.

Patchwalk 4 – 21/11/2009

Some of the issues that had been highlighted included:

• Rancliffe Crescent Road seamed in poor condition.
• Car parking on paths/verges.
• Overgrown green area on Wodehouse Road.
• Litter around park entrance and end of Grey Ferrers Residential Home.
• Street lighting – bottom of Boynton Road.

Councillor Cooke stated that the idea of patch walks was to make a difference to the area. The Community Meeting was informed that there would be special meetings held in the areas where the patch walks were conducted. All the issues raised would be brought together in an action plan.

Councillor Cooke stated that some money had been allocated from the Community Meeting budget for extra services. It was suggested that there should be a ‘before and ‘after’ record completed showing the improvements that had been made.

A resident raised concern at the dustbins that were on the street. Councillor Cooke stated that every house with it’s dustbin outside had been noted. The Community Meeting was informed that there would be a City Warden assigned to the ward from April who would look at issues such as these.

Officers will be present to discuss the Highways and Transportation Area

Action Plan.

Jeff Miller, Director Regeneration, Highways & Transportation was present to answer any Highways and Transport related queries.

The following issues were discussed:

• Traffic calming on Winstanley Drive - Jeff reported that the Traffic Impact Team would be carrying out a survey of the area and feedback would be brought to the next Community Meeting. This would help problems to be identified. 
• Safety scheme on Hallam Crescent – Jeff reported that the design of the scheme had changed following consultation with residents and Ward Councillors however work had now gone ahead with the scheme.
• Parking problems – Jeff reported that similar problems had been reported at other Community Meetings as well.
• Verge Hardening – Jeff reported that £10,000 had been marked from the local environmental works budget for work to be carried out. however £45,000 was required for work to be carried out on Braunstone Lane and the Braunstone Lane East bridge. Jeff added that the Ward Councillors had requested the figures be looked at again and it be attempted to reduce the amount that was required. A resident stated a lower amount required for the work had been previously quoted. Concern was raised that every time it rained, water went all the way on the path. She commented that the main areas of concern were 341-348 Braunstone Lane.
• Grit Bins in the Braunstone Lane area. Jeff stated that half of Braunstone Lane fell in the County Council area and he had passed the request on for more grit bins to County Council colleagues. With regards to the area which fell under the City Council, Jeff commented that it would be looked at providing two to three bins for the area.
• Poor condition of pavements for buggy users – Jeff stated that all future schemes would make sure pavements were adequate for everyone.
• Damaged to pavements by utility companies – Jeff stated that utility companies had been told that if there were problems caused by them they would be brought back to fix them.
• Flooding in the car park at Braunstone Leisure Centre – Councillor Naylor stated that there was a problem with the drainage in the car park at the Leisure Centre. Jeff agreed to investigate the problem and report to the next meeting.
• Parking – Jeff stated that the City Council could enforce illegal parking on double yellow lines and the Police carried out enforcement of obstructive parking. He added that any reports of parking problems were welcomed from Community Meetings.
• Issue with parking outside 157 Hallam Crescent East. Jeff stated that the issue would be picked up with the concerned resident.
• Residents raised concern that double yellow lines had been painted on Waltham Avenue and New Fields Avenue and subsequently all residents had been forced to park on the pavements as a result. Jeff stated that City Council officers should have consulted Ward Councillors prior to putting the double yellow lines on however they may have been inserted for safety reasons. Members stated that they had spoken  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

Officers will be present to discuss Environmental Issues such as litter, graffiti, bins on streets and recycling.

Mick Walker, Cleansing Services and Hughie Blair, Graffiti Manager were present to discuss any environmental issues in the ward.

With regard to Cleansing Services, Mick stated that the 22 wards in Leicester were split into 10 areas and Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields was classified as Area 1. All streets in Leicester were cleaned to the national standard and there were currently 10 street sweepers operating in Braunstone. Cleansing standards in Leicester were monitored and the City Council’s Cleaning Services Section were responsible for cleaning all public toilets in Leicester and at all the events that took place in the city. Councillor Glover requested whether the cigarette stubs on the top of the bins outside the Co-Op on Hallam Crescent could be cleared up. Mick stated that the bin was owned by the Co-Op however he would look into the issue.

A resident requested whether any more dog bins could be provided. Mick stated that eight new dog bins had been funded in the Braunstone area this year however it was still down to the public to use the bins. He added that he would look into whether any new bins could be provided.

Hughie stated that cable boxes tended to attract a lot of graffiti however whenever one was cleared it was noted. He commented that his service completed less work in the ward compared to other areas in the city as there were less problems reported. He encouraged residents to contact him if they were aware of any graffiti that needed clearing.

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.

Steve Letten, Members Support Officer will give an update on the Community

Meeting Budget. The following application has been received:

·        Achievement Project for Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields Residents, b-active - £2, 930                                                                         Appendix B1

The following applications are for information only as they have been approved under delegated powers by the Councillors as the value of the application falls under £500:

·        Sunday Night at Her Majesty’s, Kidz 2 Entertain U - £500     Appendix B2

·        Ashthorpe Road Make a Difference Day, Joint Action Group (JAG) Braunstone - £150                                                         Appendix B3

Councillor Cooke presented the budget for the Community Meeting.

He reported that there had been one application submitted for funding. This was:

1)     Achievement Project for Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields Residents, b-active - £2, 930.

Members stated that they had held discussions with the applicant to ensure the Rowley Fields side of the ward would be covered by the project as well.

RESOLVED:

that the application be supported and £2, 930 be allocated from the Ward Community Fund subject to final approval from the Cabinet Lead for Front Line Service Improvement and Neighbourhoods and the Leader of the Council.

Members informed the Community Meeting that the following applications had been approved under delegated powers by the Councillors as the value of the applications was under £500:

1)     Sunday Night at Her Majesty’s Kidz 2 Entertain U - £500.

2)     Ashthorpe Road Make a Difference Day, Joint Action Group (JAG) Braunstone - £150

The Community Meeting was informed that there were currently three applications which were likely to be submitted. These included a skills centre at the back of Fulhurst School, Learning sessions at Caldecote Primary School and Braunstone Golden Gloves. Members stated that discussions would be held on these applications.

Residents felt that the publicity for the meetings should be distributed earlier.

It was announced that the next meeting would be taking place on Wednesday 17 March 2010 at 5pm.

The meeting closed at 6:45pm.