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.

The Chair introduced herself and welcomed all present.

No interests were declared.

An apology for absence was received from Pete Deghan

The Action Log for the last meeting, held on 12 November 2019, is attached for information and discussion

Councillor Cank in the Chair

The Action Log from the meeting held on 12 November 2019 was agreed as a correct record, subject to the following amendments (new wording in italics):

a)     The last bullet point under item 14, “Action Log of Previous Meeting”, being mended to read “… when the car park at the Life Abundant Pentecostal St Theodore’s Church reached capacity …”;

b)     The last sentence of the last bullet point under item 14, “Action Log of Previous Meeting”, being mended to read “… had led to the owners’ landlord’s unwillingness …”;

c)      The first line of the first main bullet point under item 17, “Highways Issues”, being amended to read “Double yellow lines had been added at Wood Green Road had been added to the list of suggestions for the installation of double yellow lines in the vicinity of the shops …”

d)     The seventh main bullet point under item 17, “Highways Issues”, being amended to read “… brought in at for the Barkby Thorpe Road area.  This may be extended as newly-built streets are adopted.”; and

e)     The second line of the ninth main bullet point under item 17, “Highways Issues”, being amended to read “… Gypsy Lane from Victoria Park Road East …”.

All to note:

Item 14, “Action Log of Previous Meeting”

·           Good quality noticeboards had been erected on the Towers Recreation Ground, and on the main footpath at the back of Sandfields School;

·           Fly-tipping was still a problem on Victoria Road East and on the Towers Recreation Ground.  Ward Councillors had asked for something to be done to address the problems being caused by vermin attracted by the fly-tipping and it was hoped that discussions could be held with the owners of Grosvenor Court to increase the size of refuse bins provided; and

·           Goalposts had been erected on the Craven Recreation Ground, but the pitches had not been marked out.  This could be due to the bad weather experienced recently.

Item 15, “Ward Councillors’ Feedback”

·           Bollards had been installed in Hampden Road, but problems with inconsiderate parking were still being experienced.

All invited to contact the Ward Councillors or the Ward and Community Engagement Officer to have items displayed on the new noticeboards.

Ward Councillors to approach St Theodore’s Church to see if the car park at the church can be used by people dropping off and picking up children from Sandfields Close Primary School.  The landlord at the Three Kilns also to be approached to see if the car park at the pub can be used for the same purpose.  If the pub car park can be used, Ward Councillors and Ward and Community Engagement Officer to consider whether funding should be made available from the Ward Community Budget to provide a sign indicating that people parked there at their own risk.

Councillor Cank left the meeting

Councillor Joel in the Chair

All to note:

Item 15, “Ward Councillors’ Feedback”

·           The junction of Fairfax Road / Naseby Road is on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

Ward Councillors will provide an update on local ward issues

All to note that the Police had organised a patch walk last year in the Redwood Walk area.  Although this was not in the Troon Ward, the Ward Members for Troon had been invited due to the high level of anti-social behaviour, (for example, drug dealing and litter problems), that had an impact on Troon Ward.

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

As the Police were unable to be at the meeting, no update was given.

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

All to note:

·           There were no issues to report regarding Council housing estates in the Ward;

·           Gangs of youths in the Redwood Walk area had been tracked down and warning letters sent to those in Council tenancies that they were in danger of breaching their tenancies if anti-social behaviour continued.  Acceptable Behaviour Contracts had been set up for those people;

·           Following the departure of Suki Supria, the new Head of Housing was Gurjit Minhas;

·           The winter cut for grass on housing land had been due in November 2019, but due to the weather had been delayed, so now was expected in late February / early March.  This meant that one cut had been missed out; and

·           A few expressions of interest in the drop-kerb scheme had been received, (item 8, “Neighbourhood Housing Update”, 30 July 2019 referred).  Funding from the Ward Community Budget would be requested towards the implementation of the scheme.

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

All to note:

·           Trees previously obscuring speed signs on Victoria Road East had been cut back and the visibility of the speed signs checked.  The sign opposite 306 was not working.  It could not be repaired due to its age, so has been removed;

·           Barkby Thorpe Road and Humberstone Lane were on the list of suggested sites for pedestrian crossings. The Ward Councillors were welcome to make a case for these sites to be prioritised, but the decision on whether crossings would be installed there was depended on the score achieved when the sites were assessed;

·           Consideration was being given to installing a speed hump with a crossing on top of it near the school in Gypsy Lane; and

·           Bollards would be installed at the junction of Gipsy Lane and Huntingdon Road, to try to stop people parking at the junction.

Highways officers to:

a)     Investigate progress made further to previous discussions about works needed to improve the underpass between Thurmaston Boulevard and Trevino Drive and report back to the Community Meeting on this;

b)     Clarify whether consideration is being given to adding double yellow lines at Wood Green Road in the vicinity of the shops; and

c)     Add the junction of Gypsy Lane and Wood Green Road to the list of sites to be considered for the installation of bollards to prevent pavement parking.

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

Troon Ward currently does not have a City Warden and no update was given.

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:

·           The following applications for funding have been agreed since the last meeting:

o    Northfields Play Barn - £2,000 towards the £3,000 cost of a new swing set;

o    S10 Future Stars - £900 towards a community football programme;

o    Coleman Neighbourhood Centre - £500 towards an After-School Club programme;

o    Northfields Play Barn - £1,200 towards installing a roller-skating rink in the Barn’s car park at Easter;

o    The installation of Noticeboards in the Ward – £1,100

Due to potential wide interest in the activity, the Ward and Community Engagement Officer to ask Northfields Play Barn to advertise the roller-skating rink more widely than just in the Ward.

Ward Councillors and Ward and Community Engagement Officer to consider whether funding can be made available for improvements to the path running from Butler Close across the play area behind Sandfield Close Primary School.  Ward and Community Engagement Officer also to investigate whether Section 106 funding (payment made by developers) is available towards this.

a)     Community Advice and Law Centre

The Ward and Community Engagement Officer to investigate whether any further information is available in respect of immigration advice.

b)     Use of Private Gardens to provide On-Street Parking

Ward Councillors to investigate whether it would be possible to take land from private gardens to provide on-street parking.

c)     Prohibition of access by vehicles to grassed area in Hugget Close

Ward Councillors to consider whether anything such as bollards or boulders can be used in Hugget Close to stop people driving across grassed areas.

The meeting closed at 7.42 pm