Agenda and minutes

Councillors will elect a Chair for the meeting.

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 Chamund as Chair of the meeting welcomed all Officers and members of the public.

The Chair noted that this was the first Belgrave Community Meeting since the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chair paid tribute to all those who had lost their lives to the virus. The Chair also paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, a minute’s silence was held in memorial to her and the victims of Covid.

Apologies were received from Jethro Swift, City Warden.

The Action Log for the last meeting, held on 3^RD March 2020, has been circulated and Members will be asked to confirm it as an accurate record.

AGREED:

That the action log of the previous meeting held 3 March 2020 be confirmed as a correct record.

The Ward Councillors will provide an update on their involvement across the ward.

Ward Councillors provided feedback on their ongoing work in the Belgrave, it was noted that:

·         In-person ward surgeries were being held at the Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre each Friday at 6pm.

·         Patch walks had been held with Officers from various services in the ward.

·         Seminars had been held in the community with Police addressing mental health and domestic abuse.

·         Work was ongoing to determine how to invest into make Melton Road to bring regeneration.

·         Improvement works had been carried out on the pathways in Cossington Recreation Ground.

·         The Martin Street Playing Fields were now open and being used by community groups.

·         Traffic calming measures had been put in place around Abbey Mead Primary.

·         Meetings were ongoing with Police about issues of burglary and anti-social behaviour.

·         A refurbishment of Catherine Infant School was upcoming.

·         Work was ongoing to reduce street drinking. Issues on Marjorie Street were noted.

Residents raised concerns about issues with dog fouling and food waste at Waterfront Community Garden. Councillors noted that the City Warden was aware of and trying to address these issues, they stated they would further raise the issue.

Issues with fly tipping on Moorgate Street were noted, Councillors noted that any fly tipping, waste issues could be reported on the Love Leicester app and that consistent reporting of the issues would make clear to the Council which areas need addressing. It was noted that fines were given out for fly tips when Police were aware. Residents emphasised the importance of educating the public on this issue

There was discussion on the issue of pan spitting. It was noted that Crasbu had limited access to cameras to address the issue. Councillors stated they would pass specific details to the City Warden.

ACTION:

Councillors to report to the City Warden regarding issues at Waterfront Community Garden alongside details of pan spitting issues.

An officer from the Highways Team will be invited to provide an update on Highways and Traffic related matters affecting the ward.

Rupert Bedder, Highways Network Asset Manager, was present to give an update on highways issues in the ward, it was noted that:

·         Resurfacing works had been carried out on Glendon Street and Donaldson Road.

·         178 footway repairs and 100 carriageway repairs had been recently carried out in the ward.

·         A TRO had turned Brandon Street into a one-way road.

·         A footway parking ban had been brought into place on Canon Street.

·         A residents parking scheme on Doncaster Road was in the works, but due to staffing limitations would likely not be brought in until summer 2023. It was believed that this would be the best measure to address issues on Harrison Road.

·         A patch walk had been held on Melton Road to look at what could be done to improve the road. The improvements would be a long-term project taking several years and coming in several phases.

The issue of the misuse of trade plates when parking was raised, Officers noted the concerns and stated they would take the issue back.

Residents raised concerns about vehicles parking on and blocking footways, particularly on Moorgate Street and Westbourne Street. Officers stated that blocking the footway was not acceptable and would take the issue back.

Concerns were raised about the dangerous conduct of some cyclists on Melton Road, with particular concerns about Deliveroo cyclists.

ACTION:

Rupert Bedder to investigate issues of misuse of trade plates and parking on the footway.

Officers will be present to give an update on housing issues in the ward.

Paresh Chandarana, Neighbourhood Housing Team Leader, was present at the meeting to provide an update on housing issues in the war, it was noted that:

·         Issues around anti-social behaviour in and around Council properties continued to be addressed with the help of Police.

·         The current mini recycling bins at St Marks were not fit for purpose and would be taken out.

·         Bids had been put in for a CCTV camera for St Marks, if funding was approved these cameras would only be able to be used for 3 years due to the cost without any further funding.

·         Permit parking was being requested for John Mintos House, GB Parking were looking to provide this to residents and a meeting would be arranged with residents.

·         2 new staff had recently joined the team, however there were significant issues with finding new recruits.

The City Warden will provide an update on City Warden Services across the ward.

It was noted that Jethro Swift, City Warden, was not present to provide the City Warden update.

An officer from Leicestershire Constabulary will provide an update Neighbourhood Policing  matters in the Ward.

Local Police Officers were present to provide an update on Policing issues in the ward. It was noted that beat surgeries and consultations in the local area were ongoing to build a picture of local issues. The Neighbourhood Link app allowed residents to message Police and report issues.

There was discussion of the disorder that occurred in the ward and the wider East Leicester area in September. Police noted that 73 people had been arrested so far in relation to the incidents. There were over 1000 exhibits related to the incidents and a significant amount of bodycam footage, therefore it would take time to go over all of the evidence and find all of the individuals involved in the disorder. The Council was conducting a review of the incidents and the Police were conducting their own review into the Police response. The spreading of fake news around the incidents was also under investigation.

An Officer from the Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour Unit will be present to give an update on community safety issues in the ward.

Louise Lavelle, Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour Officer, was present to give an update on Community Safety issues in the ward. It was noted that:

·         The Community Safety team had a wide remit, looking at several crime and anti-social behaviour issues. This involved close cooperation with the Police.

·         The team was made aware of Police reports of ASB, and would work with the beat team to investigate hotspots.

·         Police had the most powers to tackle street drinking as they could enforce Public Spaces Protection Orders. Signage regarding PSPO was previously up in the area, however these had been taken down.

·         The team had a limited number of cameras which were prioritised according to need.

·         The decision had been made not to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for street drinking however this was currently under review.

·         There were discussions ongoing around expanding the conditions for the PSPO which was due for renewal at the end of 2023.  

·         The most important thing in tackling anti-social behaviour was consistent reporting of issues by residents.

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

An update will be given on the Ward Community Budget

The Ward Community Engagement Officer presented the Ward Communituy Budget. It was noted that at the beginning of the financial year, there was an opening balance of £19,800.00. Since then, a total of 34 applications had been received and 29 of those had been supported, 3 applications had not been supported and there were currently 2 applications being processed. This therefore left the current spend at £16,982.00 and the remaining balance at £2,818.00

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 8.02pm.