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.

The Chair welcomed all present to the meeting, thanking officers from the Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre for their hospitality to the Community Meetings and residents for their continued attendance and interest in discussing the issues raised.

Councillor Sood declared an Other Disclosable Interest in the applications for funding from the Ward Community Budget, in that she was responsible for giving final approval to those applications in her role as Assistant City Mayor with responsibility for Communities and Equalities.  In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, this interest was not considered so significant that it was likely to prejudice Councillor Sood’s judgement of the public interest.  She therefore was not required to withdraw from the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Thomas.

Grant Butterworth (Head of Planning) also apologised for not being present to discuss the future of the former Sainsbury’s site.

The Action Log for the last meeting, held on 22 January 2019, is attached for information and discussion

a)     Item 23, “Any Other Business – Role of Ward Councillors in Reporting Ward Issues”

Ward Councillors asked to ensure that reports on what is happening in the Ward are made to the Community Meeting.

b)   Item 23, “Any Other Business – Responsibility for Gardens at Council-owned Properties”

All to note that the trees at the rear of the properties discussed will be cut back after April.  Discussions are ongoing between Housing and Highways officers to determine what can be done to improve the area of land there about which concerns have been raised.

Leicestershire Police will be at the meeting to discuss Neighbourhood Policing in the Ward

All to note:

·           Sgt Lyndsey Booth has now moved on from the Ward to a new job within the Police. She has been replaced by Sgt Dave Gott;

·           The number of burglaries of residential properties over the last three months has been half that of the same period last year;

·           Over the same period, theft from motor vehicles has reduced, but is still high;

·           Theft of motor vehicles has increased from 6 to 10.  This reflects a national trend, where properties are burgled and keys to high-end vehicles taken and used to steal the vehicles;

·           Information recently has been circulated to alert people about distraction robberies of people using cashpoint machines, where cards and cash are stolen.  It is recommended that machines inside a building are used whenever possible;

·           As the weather gets warmer and lighter clothing is worn, gold jewellery becomes more visible, so all to be aware of the potential of chain (or other jewellery) snatches;

·           Following recent work with B&M, an undertaking has been given that the car park will be repaired secured, being locked every night.  The Police will have a key in case access is needed during the times it is locked.  It is hoped this will reduce anti-social behaviour there;

·           The Police have been working with the Council’s Licensing Officers over concerns about the hours of operation of the Bombay Nights dance bar; and

·           The Police now have various social media accounts and are also considering whether WhatsApp is secure enough to use and if there are enough other users to make using it practical.

Due to increasing demands on Police resources, the community asked to help circulate information and remain alert to potential problems, advising the Police of these as appropriate.

All invited to:

a)     Join the Community Link scheme for getting messages out to the community by e-mail and/or text; and

b)     Pass ideas to the Police for where they can meet groups of people to get messages out to the community.

The City Warden will be at the meeting to discuss environmental issues in the Ward

All to note:

·           Mohammed Patel is no longer the City Warden for this Ward, having gained a new job within the Council.  Jethro Swift has recently taken over the role of Warden for the Ward;

·           Work in relation to problems with paan spitting is ongoing;

·           Some refuse bins are being left out on some streets, so action will be taken on this;

·           Fly-tipping is a problem across the city, so hotspots in the Ward will be highlighted and work to reduce it undertaken, including where possible using a mobile CCTV camera to gain evidence; and

·           Problems with rubbish around B&M are being tackled.  The owners of the land have been identified and will be asked to clear the rubbish before redevelopment of the land begins.

All asked to notify the City Warden of areas in the Ward where fly-tipping is occurring.

City Warden to investigate rubbish accumulating outside Bestway on Melton Road and take appropriate action.

An update will be given at the meeting on the future of the former Sainsbury’s site

All to note that, as the Head of Planning was unable to be at the meeting, information on the plans approved for the development of the site was available at the meeting and is attached at the end of this action log for information.

City Warden to investigate reports of anti-social behaviour and rubbish being dumped on the site.

An officer will be present to provide information on the Leicester Adult Skills and Learning Service

All to note:

·           A lot of the courses to improve employment and computer skills are free to people with a three-year UK/EU/EEA residency;

·           Many Level 1 courses, and some at Level 2, are free for people on low incomes (under £15,736.50 gross per year) or those claiming a range of out of work benefits;

·           Digital skills sessions are held to help people get on-line, for example to make Universal Credit applications or use the Council’s on-line portals;

·           Access to Higher Education courses are available for mature students wanting to go to university but who do not have the necessary formal qualifications;

·           A recruitment fair will be held shortly in conjunction with the County Council for course tutors;

·           Officers from the Adult Learning Skills service are available in the Ward on Mondays, at the Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre from 12.30 – 1.30 pm and then at the library between 2.00 and 3.30 pm;

·           If anyone is concerned about leaving a bike in the rack outside the Belvoir Street entrance to the LASALS building, there is a bike storage area at the rear of the building that can be used.  The building also has ramp access for the less mobile and a café that is open to the general public to use.

LASALS officers asked to try and make classes more visible, for example through making more information available at venues such as libraries.

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

All to note that:

·           16 applications for grant funding have been supported since the last Ward Meeting; and

·           The closing balance for this financial year is £0.

a)     Belgrave Hall Conservation Area Society

All to note that the Society will be holding an evening celebrating bygone Belgrave at 7.30 pm on 21 April 2019 at the Claremont Street Methodist Church.

b)     Proposed One-Way Traffic System for the Doncaster Road Area

All to note:

·           The Council’s Planning and Development Control Committee has been consulted on a proposal to create a one-way traffic system in the Doncaster Road area;

·           Councillor Chamund was unable to remain at the Planning and Development Control Committee meeting for the discussion on this item as she had to attend another meeting, but was concerned that a Councillor from another Ward had addressed the Committee on the proposal.

c)     Parking at Religious Worship Centres

Highways officers and the City Warden asked to look at the problems caused by large numbers of people parking in streets near religious worship centres that only have small car parks.

Ward Community and Engagement Officer asked to invite Fire and Rescue Service representatives to a future meeting to discuss problems accessing certain streets due to parking in those streets.

Planning officers asked to take these concerns in to consideration when considering future planning applications for establishments that potentially will have large numbers of people attending at any one time.

d)     Parking in Jermin Street

All to note that irresponsible parking in Jermin Street, (for example, across corners and vehicles extending beyond corners), is causing problems in Jermin Street.

Highways officers asked to look in to the problem and advise what action can be taken.

e)     Parking in Brandon Street

All to note the parking problems being experienced in Brandon Street making it difficult for some people living there to park.

All to note that a property is obstructed if it is not possible to enter the property, not if it is not possible to leave it.

f)      Dog Fouling in Munnings Close

Housing officers to work with City Warden to try and stop dog fouling on the grassed area in the Close and to liaise with Ward Councillors to advise of what, if any, action can be taken.

All to note that new conditions of tenancy in Council-owned properties are being developed, which should be more robust than previous conditions.

g)     Responsibility for Gardens at Council-owned Properties

All to note that four teams work on the maintenance of communal grounds of Council-owned properties, so work on them in rotation.  These teams are unable to maintain gardens at individual properties.  Other voluntary help may be available from organisations and charities, but cannot not be relied on to maintain all relevant areas.

All to advise neighbourhood housing officers if communal grounds are not being maintained.

Ward Community and Engagement Officer to include an item on garden maintenance on the agenda of the next meeting.

h)     Rubbish Clearance by Volunteers from the Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre

All to note:

·           Up to December 2018, volunteers from the Centre had removed 1,997 bags of rubbish (the equivalent of approximately 17 skips) from the River Soar.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

All to note that not all the current Ward Councillors will be standing for re-election in the Ward in the May local government elections.

The work that Councillor Sood had done for all communities in the Ward over the past 22 years was recognised by those at the meeting and she was thanked for it.  In reply, Councillor Sood thanked everyone for their support and good wishes, noting the changes that had taken place in the Ward during her time representing it and stressing the need to avoid barriers between communities.  She also thanked the Police for their work in the Ward and all at the Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre for their help to her, Ward Councillors and service users.

Councillor Chamund added her thanks to Councillor Sood to those of the meeting, thanking her for her guidance since Councillor Chamund’s election.

The meeting closed at 8.27 pm