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 Singh welcomed everyone and led introductions.

Apologies received from local resident Mrs P Sloane and Nicole Powell, City Warden.

The Action Log from 27 February 2014 is attached for information and discussion.

The Action Log from the meeting held 27 February 2014 was noted.

Councillors Deepak Bajaj and Baljit Singh will provide an update on the issues they have been dealing with as Councillors for the Evington Ward.

Members of the community were asked to note the Councillors’ Ward Report. This included the following points:

·         Congratulations were given to Evington resident, Margaret Sherriff who had recently been awarded an OBE for services to literature.

·         Councillor Singh was now Chair of the Neighbourhood Services and Community Involvement Scrutiny Commission (NSCI). This had a very wide remit.

·         Concerns were expressed that the number of cases that councillors were being asked to help with were related to benefit claims. In particular there were problems when payments were stopped whilst people were being assessed.

·         There were additional concerns relating to school appeals and in particular where children were not being allocated a place at their local schools due to the school being over- subscribed.

·         Attendees were asked to note that four speed cushions would be installed on Headland Road. It was expected that this work would be carried out before September.

There will be a presentation on Youth Services in the Evington Ward.

Linda Holmes, Youth Operations Manager gave a presentation on the Leicester City Council Youth Service.

·         Attendees were asked to note that there had been a significant change within the youth service during the past year and there had been some reductions in the budget. The service had tried to maintain service delivery and operate more effectively and efficiently.

·         They had just been through a commissioning process and some youth work had been commissioned out to new providers.

·         There was however no direct service delivery in the Evington Ward although the service would try to allocate commissioned activities into every ward.

·         The Chair expressed serious concerns that although there were established youth centres in Evington Ward, they had not been consulted as to how these centres could be used.  Linda explained that the commissioning process had been an open process and there had been an opportunity for Evington to bid for some money.

·         The youth service could help the Evington Youth Centre with support to the curriculum, support with training etc but their financial resources were very limited.

·         Mrs Pauline O’Brien from the Evington Youth Centre remarked that she had attended all the meetings but had not received any response. The youth centre had lost three leaders. The county council had agreed to support a youth worker for the girls but this would mean excluding the boys.

·         It was noted that there was a youth service provision in the city centre and the Coleman Ward, but this did not benefit Evington.

The Chair requested that a meeting be arranged with the councillors, Linda, Councillor Dempster (Assistant City Mayor for Children, Young People and Schools), Shilen Pattni (the Neighbourhood Services Manager) and Mrs O’Brien to try to negotiate some peripatetic support for Evington.

There will be an information item on the new Green Bins scheme and the waste site.

There was no presentation on this item as an officer was unable to attend the meeting.

Officers from the Local Policing Unit will be at the meeting to provide an update on police issues in Evington Ward.

There was no policing update as no representatives from the local policing unit were present.

The City Warden will give an update on issues in the Evington Ward.

Nicole Powell, the City Warden was unable to be present at the meeting. An update of the issues that she had been dealing with was circulated.

Concerns were expressed that three of the expected agenda items could not be delivered because the appropriate service representative was not present. A request was also made for the information fair to be re-instated at the Evington Community Meeting.

Action: the Chair to raise the concerns with the Chief Operating Officer, Andy Keeling.

There will be an update on local community issues.

Members of the community were asked to note the community report which was presented by Allan Hayes, Chair of the Friends of Evington. The community report is attached to the back of the action notes.

Attendees also heard that there had been a petition in relation to the Santander Branch on Downing Drive. This was due to close but Santander had agreed to keep the branch open December.

The meeting also heard that there would be a Peace Event on 4^th August at 6.30pm, attended by the City Mayor, for the opening of the War Memorial.

There was some discussion relating to the broken clock at Evington Library. A quote for £2500 to replace the clock had been received and it was reported that the City Council had said that the replacement of the clock was not a council responsibility.  Leicester Libraries however did not have the funding to pay for the replacement. The Chair sought clarification as to who owned the building and asked officers to check and try to negotiate a solution.

Action: the Neighbourhood Development Manager / Community Engagement Officer to check on ownership of the building and see if a solution can be negotiated.

Councillors are reminded that under the Council’s Code of Conduct they should declare any interest they may have in budget applications

To note that the following funding applications have been fast tracked and approved for payment:

Bid: 3024

Applicant: Friends of Evington

Funding requested for small Kitchen re-fit

Amount supported £500

Joint bid 0025 (Joint bid to Coleman and Evington)

Applicant: Rowlatts Over 60 Club

Funding requested for annual trip to coast

Amount supported: £500

Bid: 1038

Applicant: Jane Obern

Funding required for  Mums and Tots anniversary – 30^th celebration of group opening.

Amount supported: £450

The following bid will be considered at the meeting

Bid: 1024

Applicant: John Sloane – Evington Village Fete

Funding requested for costs required to pay for tent and conveniences

Amount requested: £2014

To note that the following applications have been received but may be deferred pending the receipt of further information.

Bid: 3025

Applicant: Chandrakant Patel – Meesha 88

Funding requested for purchase of equipment, staffing and courses

Amount requested: £4295

Bid: 0020 – joint bid with Stoneygate

Applicant: Harshad Solanki

Funding requested for  41^st Birthday Celebrations – hire of hall plus food and music

Amount requested: £500

Bid: 0026 – joint bid with Stoneygate

Applicant: Rambhaben Shah – Prem Group

Funding requested for Elderly Group taking up Yoga and ESOL classes

Amount requested: £1000

To note that the following funding application has not been supported:

Bid: 5005 (Joint bid)

Applicant: Durgha Ramji

Funding requested for Millennium Goals – Youth Conference to Share Values

£500 requested from the Evington Ward.

Anita Clarke, the Community Engagement Officer presented an update on the Community Meeting Budget.

The meeting was asked to note:

Rowlatts Hill Over 60 Club  - annual trip to the coast. Funding of £500 was previously agreed through the fast track process

Friends of Evington – small kitchen re-fit. Funding of £500 was previously agreed through the fast track process.

Jane Obern – Mums and Tots anniversary – 30^th celebration of the group’s opening. Funding of £300 agreed through the fast track process.

Applications considered at the meeting:

John Sloane: Evington Village Fete – funding of £2014 requested to pay for tent and conveniences. 

Funding of £2014 supported.

Harshad Solanki -41^st birthday celebrations – funding of £500 requested for the hire of hall plus food and music.

In response to queries from attendees, the meeting was asked to note that the celebrations were for the Shree Sarvodaya Samaj.

Funding of £250 supported.

Rambhaben Shah-  Prem Group – funding of £1000 requested for an elderly group to take up yoga and ESOL.

Funding of £500 supported.

Chandrakant  Patel – Meesha 88 – funding of £4295 requested for the purchase of equipment, staffing and courses.

Funding bid deferred.

Jane Ushwell, Parks Services – Poppies and wildseeds on arboretum, Piggy Hollow and Goodwood Road verges.  Funding of £400 per ward requested from Evington and two other wards.

Funding of £400 supported.

Members of the public requested that in future, there should be more information relating to the funding applications detailed in the agenda.

Action:

1)    the Community Engagement Officer to progress the funding applications as agreed

2)    the Community Engagement Officer and the Democratic Support Officer to arrange for more information on funding applications to be included in future agendas.

Concerns were expressed that the proposed yellow lines on the corner of Coleman Road and Greenacre Drive had not materialised and that the situation there was very dangerous.

Action: Neighbourhood Development Manager / Community Engagement Officer to investigate.

Future meetings will be held on:

Wednesday 10 September 2014

Monday 15 December 2014

Wednesday 11 February 2015

All meetings to commence at 6.00pm

The meeting closed at 7.15 pm.