Agenda and minutes

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.

Cllr Dawood – Chair, welcomed everyone and led introductions.

There were no declarations of interest.

Apologies were received from Jay Patel – Highfields Community Association (HCA).

The Action Log of the Meeting held on 15 February 2016 is attached at Appendix A and Members are asked to confirm it as an accurate record. Any update on actions taken since the last meeting will be reported at the meeting.

The action log of the previous meeting held on 15 February 2016 was confirmed as a correct record.

Officers from the Local Policing Unit will be at the meeting to provide an update on police issues in the Wycliffe Ward.

Sergeant Matt Painter attended the meeting and reported the below statistics, which included both the Wycliffe and Spinney Hills Wards crime figures since the start of May 2016:

·         5 burglaries, 6 burglaries other than dwellings, 2 thefts of motor vehicles, 4 robberies.

All to note:

·         3-4 hate related crimes had taken place in the Leicestershire area since the Brexit vote.  Sergeant Painter encouraged people to report any hate crime or incidents.

·         An increase of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) issues had taken place on Vulcan Road and Mount Road. Two Police Officers would continue to patrol these areas day and night.

·         Sergeant Painter noted that he would be leaving his current job role and would therefore no longer be serving the ward. Congratulations and thanks were given to him by Ward Councillors.

·         It was noted that a previous incident which took place on Prospect Hill had resulted in a man being charged with Public Order Offences on two occasions and a court process would follow.

Residents’ concerns:

·         Traffic and parking concerns were reported on Hartington Road, Nedham Street and Melbourne Road. In response the Police reported that they were looking into an operation in conjunction with multiple agencies such as DVLA and parking wardens to address this type of issue.

Housing officers will be present to give a presentation on housing matters.

Councillor Dawood requested a letter to be sent to the Director of Housing due to no attendance of Housing Officers on several occasions at Wycliffe Ward Community Meetings, whereby no apologies were sent and no reports received.

The City Warden will provide an update on environmental and enforcement activities in the Wycliffe Ward.

The new City Warden for the Wycliffe Ward – Matthew Davinson, reported on the issues which he had been involved in, in the ward. The following was discussed:

·         Fly-tipping and blocked shared alleyways were current issues across the ward.

·         It was noted that the City Warden had been informed of ASB concerns on Vulcan Road and would therefore make a visit to the site this week.

Councillors and Resident’s concerns:

·         Councillors had concerns with the number of vehicles parked on double yellow lines from the top of Beal Road leading onto Maidstone Road. It was also noted that some of these vehicles could be for sale. The City Warden discussed several legislative procedures involved and the possibility of using public notices. The Police re-iterated their plan to work with multiple agencies to address these issues. Councillors requested the parking enforcement team to visit the site.

·         A resident of Hartington Road reported several issues in his area including the non-collection of rubbish and paan spitting being incorrectly disposed. Councillor Dawood had visited the resident and stated that the reason for no further waste collection was due to health & safety concerns. As a matter of urgency Councillor Dawood requested the Ward Community Engagement Officer (WCEO) to contact the necessary team in regards to finding out the ownership status for the rear alleyways of 2-20 Hartington Road.

·         A resident noted that there was no bin at Willows Park for dog mess. The City Warden would look into this and inform the Parks team.

·         Ottowa Road and Malabar Road were reported to have waste and dead mice. The City Warden would visit the site.

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

An update on the Ward Community Budget will be provided at the meeting.

Anita Clarke – the WCEO for Wycliffe gave an update on the Ward Community Budget:

St Matthews Fun Day:

·         Representatives from the St Matthews Fun Day attended the meeting and gave an update on the event and how the funding was spent. The event was reported as well attended and very successful.

·         Councillor Dawood congratulated the organisers and agencies involved. He discussed Wycliffe Ward Councillors interest in holding a community engagement event in the future and noted possibilities of collaborating/ being part of the St Matthews Fun Day.

Councillor Dawood presented the following information:

·         The public consultation for dog control enforcement was currently taking place. Please see further information attached to this action log.

·         The Leicester/ Leicestershire Council tax reduction scheme consultation was open for residents to submit their views.

·         Due to the decrease in Ward Community Meeting attendance, Councillors would now be considering other ward engagements. A resident also suggested that texting could be a good method of informing the community of ward meetings.

The Chair declared the meeting closed at 7:22pm.