Agenda and minutes

Sickle Cell Awareness Month

The Lord Mayor informed Council that September had been Sickle Cell Awareness Month and he had attended two events during the month to help raise awareness of this disorder.

On 1 September to coincide with the start of Sickle Cell Awareness Month the Lord Mayor visited the children’s clinic at the Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Unit at Leicester’s Royal Infirmary to learn more about the impact which the condition has on people’s lives.

On 6 September, the Lord Mayor joined the High Sheriff of Leicestershire at the Connecting Communities Cricket Festival at the Leicestershire County cricket ground which provided an opportunity for the Sickle Cell Society to host an information stand. Two teams from Leicester’s communities played a 100 ball match during which the Lord Mayor was invited to ‘bowl’ an over.

The Lord Mayor also intended to visit the local Blood Donor Centre to promote the importance of blood donation for sickle cell patients.

The World Reimagined

The Lord Mayor informed Council that he recently attended the formal launch of the World Reimagined, where a number of globe sculptures were placed in various parts of the city which create a trail for people to follow.

This was part of a national art project which Leicester has taken part and it explored themes such as the lived experience of those who were enslaved as part of the transatlantic slavery trade. The Lord Mayor encouraged people to go and see this excellent project.

Honoured Citizen Scheme

The Lord Mayor gave Council a further reminder that nominations were welcome for the Honoured Citizen Scheme which sought to recognise the many people who made a real difference. Information and nomination forms were available from the Member and Civic Support Team.

Eric Hudson

The Lord Mayor reflected on the sad loss of a key member of the African Heritage community in Leicester, Mr Eric Hudson. He noted that Eric was a key campaigner in fighting for the rights of the Windrush generation locally. Eric achieved a great deal for the community, such as setting up a credit union and the formation of the West Indian Senior Citizen’s Project. He noted that there was a good deal of sadness in the community at the loss of a much-admired and prominent community member. The Lord Mayor passed on his gratitude to the City Mayor for his kind words shared at Eric’s funeral.

City of Leicester – recent tensions

The Lord Mayor referred to a recent trip he undertook and commented on how when he viewed the news whilst on his trip, which referred to the disturbances in the city, it made him feel sad. He noted that when he visited events in the city as Lord Mayor, it clearly demonstrated what a great place Leicester was. He felt Leicester was a special place, this was demonstrated by how many visits there are from other places, asking us how we do it. The harmony of the diversity within the city was something to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

The Lord Mayor invited Members to declare any interests they might have in the business on the agenda.

There were no declarations.

The minutes of the meetings held on 7 July 2022 are available to view at:

Agenda for Council on Thursday, 7 July 2022, 5:00 pm (leicester.gov.uk)

Copies are also available from Democratic Support on (0116) 454 6350 or committees@leicester.gov.uk

Moved by the Lord Mayor, seconded by the Deputy Lord Mayor and carried:

That the minutes of the meeting of Council held on 7^th July 2022, copies having been circulated to each member of the Council, be taken as read and that they each be approved as a correct record.

Disturbances in Leicester East

The City Mayor referred to the disappointing events which had taken place in the last few weeks in the east of Leicester.

The City Mayor commented that he usually proudly speaks of how the city was a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds and had an enviable record of facing up to prejudice and discrimination which made Leicester a tolerant and understanding city. He commented on the need for the representatives of the city to focus on cohesion, reinforcing shared understanding and creating harmony, whilst challenging the small number of people who attempt to divide and segregate communities.

The City Mayor did however recognise the voices of those who were caught up in the unrest and their lived experience within the city. He informed Council that a detailed review would be undertaken to hear the voices of those affected by the disturbances. The review would not look to judge or blame, but look at what could be done together to move forward as a united city. The review would broadly look at getting a full account of what happened leading up to the unrest, and any contributory factors, learning lessons to strengthen what makes the city great and to use the information from the review for the Council to act upon and to enable communities to live and work together.

The City Mayor noted that misinformation and rumours which were circulating at the time seemed to whip up emotion, anger and fear. He noted that there was a responsibility to do everything possible to bring calm and promote tolerance and understanding. It was time for an important reflection of what Leicester represented, understand what happened and what could connect the city together. There should be no room for complacency and a strong united city was always a work in progress.

-           Presented by Members of the Public

-           Presented by Councillors

-           Petitions to be debated

There were no petitions.

-           From Members of the Public

-           From Councillors

The following question was asked by a member of the public.

1.            Sabiha Laher

“Regarding your project on Devonport Road in making safer and healthier environment, i would like to question the legality of your notices displayed on the site and the surrounding area of the location i.e. location changed on three occasions without amendment and the site made even more dangerous by huge concrete blocks without centre accessibility for the cyclist and mobility vehicles who have to share a narrow uneven raised pedestrian pathway?”

Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke in response stated that there were street notices  places in the locality, the original order for the works was advertised in the Leicester Mercury in April and changes were advertised in June. The Deputy City Mayor stated that concrete blocks were installed, rather than planters due to protestors getting in the way during installation and it was unsafe. It was hoped that the concrete blocks could be replaced with something more aesthetically pleasing. A bollard in the middle had been installed to enable emergency vehicle access, but this was illegally removed.

Ms Laher asked a supplementary question. She asked whether the Deputy City Mayor realised the impacts to residents of the changes, particularly longer journey times. An incident of a burst pipe on Spencefield Lane was referenced where there were problems with emergency vehicle access. There were no viable alternatives. There were also issues for elderly people who had been effectively denied access to their local Mosque.

The Deputy City Mayor in response stated that there had been a working group meeting that afternoon where differing views on the scheme had been expressed, with some indications that views were changing and there was a keenness to overcome any issues. The experimental phase of the scheme was helping to tease these issues out and deal with them. It was intended to continue to engage with the community to consider further issues.

The following questions were asked by Councillors:

1.         Councillor Master

“Can the City Mayor explain his understanding of why the recent troubles have arrived in the city and what is driving this, considering both the Muslim and Hindu communities have lived side by side for decades and what is his plan to address the challenge?”

The City Mayor in response stated that it was important to recognise that the communities referred to in the question have for the most part lived in the city happily and harmoniously and there was no reason to feel that would change. It was however recognised that a small number of people don’t wish to live in the sort of city we have in Leicester. He also noted that it was important to find out what motivated those people involved in the disturbances.

Councillor Master asked a supplementary question. He said that the City Mayor did not refer to the rise of extremism in the city, and that something had changed in the past 5 – 10 years. He asked that the City  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

Moved by Assistant City Mayor, Councillor Cutkelvin, seconded by Councillor Gee and carried:

a) That the introduction of a selective licensing scheme be approved, to be known as ‘Leicester City Council designation for Areas for Selective Licensing within parts of the Wards of – Stoneygate (East Cluster); Westcotes, Fosse, Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields (West Cluster); (No.2)” which will comprise the streets and individual properties erroneously omitted from the scheme approved on 7 July 2022; and

b) That the implementation of the scheme will be the 29 December 2022 and the end date will be the 9/10/27.

Moved by the City Mayor, seconded by Deputy City Mayor, Councillor Singh Clair and carried:

That Council confirms the conferment of the City of Leicester Award to Dr Richard Buckley OBE, Professor Turi King, Professor Emeritus Kevin Shürer and Professor Emeritus Ken Pounds CBE in recognition of both excellence in their respective fields and the international acclaim which they have brought to the city of Leicester through their endeavours.

Moved by Assistant City Mayor, Councillor Dempster, seconded by Deputy City Mayor, Councillor Clair and carried:

a) That the report and action plan at Appendix A be agreed as a reflection of the Council’s ongoing commitment to the Armed Forces community; and

b) That the ongoing work to raise awareness of our Covenant commitments be supported and also support working with the Armed Forces Community and meeting the requirements of the new legal duties placed upon education, health and housing services.

Moved by Councillor Barton, seconded by Councillor O’Donnell and carried:

That the changes to the Code of Conduct be accepted.

-        To note any changes to the Executive

-        To vary the composition and fill any vacancies of any Committee of the Council

There was no Executive or committees business.

Moved by Councillor Cassidy, seconded by Councillor Gee and carried:

That the report be noted and the work of scrutiny during 2021-2022 be endorsed.

Moved by Councillor Pantling, seconded by Councillor Dr Moore and carried:

That the report be received.

Defending the Right to Seek Safety from War and Persecution

Proposed by Assistant City Mayor Councillor Myers, seconded by Deputy City Mayor Councillor Russell:-

“That this Council:

A)  notes that: 

(i)      Leicester is proud of our history of welcoming people seeking safety in our city;

(ii)     there are significant problems with the UK asylum system that affect people in Leicester, including a record backlog of cases awaiting a decision, a de facto ban on working, and enforced poverty and homelessness;

(iii)    the Nationality and Borders Act does not address these issues, and has instead created a two-tier system, punishing people seeking safety based on the journeys they make;

(iv)   under these laws, people seeking safety will be criminalised and threatened with removal to Rwanda;

(v)    people will be warehoused in large accommodation centres, segregated from communities and denied support;

(vi)   many recognised refugees will receive a temporary and precarious status;

(vii)   over 400 charities and faith groups have signed a national pledge to ‘Fight the ‘Anti-Refugee Laws’.

B)   believes that:

 (i)       everyone’s claim for asylum should be treated equally and fairly;

(ii)       these are fundamentally ‘anti-refugee’ laws that undermine internationally recognised rights for people fleeing war and persecution to seek safety;

(iii)      these measures will create ever-longer delays in the asylum process, lead to greater poverty and homelessness in Leicester and will undermine people’s ability to rebuild their lives;

(iv)      people seeking safety should be housed as our neighbours and as a part of our communities;

(v)       the UK needs an asylum system that empowers people seeking safety to rebuild their lives and enables communities to welcome them;

C)          resolves to:

(i)        defend the right to seek safety from war and persecution in the UK and sign the national ‘Fight the Anti-Refugee Laws’ pledge;

(ii)       call on the UK Government to withdraw the UK-Rwanda agreement, repeal the Nationality and Borders Act, and work with Local Authorities and communities to build a refugee protection system that treats all people with dignity and compassion;

(iii)      work with local organisations and people with lived experience of the asylum system to identify ways to mitigate the effects of these measures in Leicester; 

(iv)      join the network of cities and towns which promote the inclusion and welfare of people who are fleeing violence and persecution and become a recognised Council of Sanctuary.”

Moved by Councillor Myers, seconded by Councillor Russell and carried:

That this Council:

A) notes that:

(i)     Leicester is proud of our history of welcoming people seeking safety in our city;

(ii)    there are significant problems with the UK asylum system that affect people in Leicester, including a record backlog of cases awaiting a decision, a de facto ban on working, and enforced poverty and homelessness;

(iii) the Nationality and Borders Act does not address these issues, and has instead created a two-tier system, punishing people seeking safety based on the journeys they make;

(iv) under these laws, people seeking safety will be criminalised and threatened with removal to Rwanda;

(v)   people will be warehoused in large accommodation centres, segregated from communities and denied support;

(vi) many recognised refugees will receive a temporary and precarious status;

(vii) over 400 charities and faith groups have signed a national pledge to ‘Fight the ‘Anti-Refugee Laws’.

B)   believes that:

(i)     everyone’s claim for asylum should be treated equally and fairly;

(ii)   these are fundamentally ‘anti-refugee’ laws that undermine internationally recognised rights for people fleeing war and persecution to seek safety;

(iii) these measures will create ever-longer delays in the asylum process, lead to greater poverty and homelessness in Leicester and will undermine people’s ability to rebuild their lives;

(iv) people seeking safety should be housed as our neighbours and as a part of our communities;

(v)   the UK needs an asylum system that empowers people seeking safety to rebuild their lives and enables communities to welcome them;

C)     resolves to:

(i)    defend the right to seek safety from war and persecution in the UK and sign the national ‘Fight the Anti-Refugee Laws’ pledge;

(ii)   call on the UK Government to withdraw the UK-Rwanda agreement, repeal the Nationality and Borders Act, and work with Local Authorities and communities to build a refugee protection system that treats all people with dignity and compassion;

(iii) work with local organisations and people with lived experience of the asylum system to identify ways to mitigate the effects of these measures in Leicester;

(iv) join the network of cities and towns which promote the inclusion and welfare of people who are fleeing violence and persecution and become a recognised Council of Sanctuary.

The Lord Mayor noted that there was no urgent business.

The Lord Mayor made a general comment to Council that Leicester was a wonderful place to live and that the Council should push back against those who seek to divide us. He also felt that as Councillors the benefits of living in a harmonious diverse community were well known and there was a responsibility on all to promote this and to continue to believe that we can deliver for the citizens of Leicester.

The meeting was declared closed at 19.04.