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 of interest as required by the Councillors’ Code of Conduct.

Councillor Singh in the Chair.

Everyone welcomed and introductions given.

No interests were declared.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Cank

The Action Log for the last meeting, held on 31 July 2017, is attached for information and discussion

Agreed as correct

Ward Councillors will provide an update on local ward issues

See item 6 below, (“Highways Issues”)

Officers will give a presentation at the meeting on proposals for improvements to Towers Park.

Information on the proposed improvements is attached at Appendix B.

All to note:

·           The play area in the park is owned by the developer of the Towers site, not the Council;

·           Proposals for the improvement of the park include the creation of vehicular access; creation of better paths through the park, with benches along the route; the creation of an area of longer grass and wildflowers near the new development; the installation of a sculpture of an ox as historical interpretation of the remains of eleventh century ridge and furrow fields;

·           At the end of the park away from the new development, the path needed to be connected to the cycle way;

·           The current play area is for younger children, so facilities are needed for older children, (for example, calisthenics equipment);

·           It is possible that the cedar tree stump in the centre of the park may be carved by chainsaw, but no decision has been taken on this yet;

·           The stone pillars at the Victoria Road East entrance to the park will be cleaned and repaired;

·           It is hoped that this work can be completed during the current financial year, although the sculpture for the historical interpretation will not be ready until early in the next financial year; and

·           Machine access needs to be created first, then work to the pathway will be carried out.  Officers will then work round the park on the improvements.

Residents invited to submit ideas of what could be done with the cedar tree stump in the park.

Highways officers will be at the meeting to provide an update on highways issues in the Ward

All to note:

·           A patch walk was undertaken at short notice along Wood Green Walk, (running between Trevino Drive and Humberstone Lane), as it is in poor condition;

·           The fence at the Trevino Drive end was broken, so it is planned that negotiations will be held with the householder about sharing the cost of a replacement;

·           It also is planned that the gully up to the bridge will be cleaned and the section of the path across the bridge will be resurfaced;

·           Lighting along the route will be improved.  British Rail owns the land, so would be asked to contribute to the cost of this;

·           Overgrowth on both sides of the path is to be cut back;

·           It is planned that the footpath will be extended, so that people can walk unimpeded along the whole length of the route;

·           Work is underway to identify the owner of the yard alongside the route.  Once completed, the owner will be asked to pay for part of the improvement works, as lorries from the yard have been using the route;

·           Approximately £8,000 has been set aside from ward funds for this work.  The total cost is expected to be approximately £40,000;

·           The Ward Councillors will be meeting the City Mayor later this month to establish the priority for this work in the Council’s work programmes; and

·           It is not known yet whether the path can remain open during the improvement works, but any inconvenience will be minimised as much as possible.

Highways officers to provide details of the proposed works at the next meeting.

Ward Councillors to advise Sandfield Close Primary School of the proposed works.

A Housing Officer will be at the meeting to provide an update on housing issues in the Ward

As no housing officers were present, no update was given.

Leicestershire Police will be at the meeting to provide an update on police issues in the Ward

All to note:

·           Work is being done in response to thefts from motor vehicles, including covert work;

·           There have been several burglaries from dwellings.  More patrols are being made in response, including a designated vehicle patrolling areas that the burglars appear to be targeting;

·           Although anti-social behaviour (ASB) reduces when evenings are dark, there have been various ASB incidents in recent weeks, so a Problem Solving Plan has been put in place to address this;

·           “Speeding” operations have been carried out in the area, which also were attended by transport agencies, to check whether vehicles stopped for speeding were in good order;

·           People are parking on the bend in Swainson Road near the Post Office, which creates blind spots for other traffic.  The possibility of installing parking restrictions can be investigated with the Council;

·           Problems with the way people are parking also are being experienced in the Essex Road / Hampden Road area;

·           People being dropped off and picked up at some schools and religious establishments is causing congestion in the respective roads;

·           The Police are not aware of any problems with drug misuse or dealing in the Ward; and

·           A Community Impact Assessment is being prepared in relation to disorder on Humberstone Road on 6 November 2017.  No concerns have been raised to date by local residents, but advice can be given and, where appropriate, action taken.

All residents invited to let the Police know of any issues they can address in the Ward.

Police asked to contact the Council about the parking problems in Swainson Road, to ensure that these are formally recorded.

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

All to note the update tabled at the meeting and attached at the end of this Action Log.

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 between £13,000 and £15,000 of the 2017/18 Ward Community Budget has been committed to work in the Ward for residents.  This includes the work proposed for Towers Park, (see item 16, “Towers Park Proposed Improvement”, above), and a suggestion that notice boards be installed in the Ward, to keep residents informed of what is happening there.

All to note the following grants approved since the last meeting:

·           Northfields Play and District Association - £500 for a trip to a seasonal pantomime

·           Friends of Danbury Gardens - £450 towards Danbury Gardens Summer Fete

·           Northfields Play and District Association - £500 towards a Fun Day

All invited to apply for a grant from the Ward Community Budget, but noting that preference will be given to larger projects benefitting larger numbers of residents.

Leicester Environmental Volunteers Team

All to note that volunteers are being sought for work in the city’s parks.  This is centred around conservation of wildlife and the Parks for People initiative, but can be tailored to suit individuals, (for example, gaining work experience, or working to improve something specific in a particular park).

Ward Councillors to liaise with the Emerald Centre and the Play Barn, to see if anyone is interested in volunteering.

Anyone interested in volunteering invited to contact Vicky Salloway, tel: 0116 454 4484, e-mail vicky.salloway@leicester.gov.uk

The meeting closed at 7.33 pm