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.

It was noted that the meeting would be structured in a two part format.

Part one would be;

·         The formal process of the meeting which included presentations from the Police, feedback from the Ward Councillors, City Warden update and an update on the Ward Community Budget.

Part two would be;

·         An opportunity for residents to directly address local service representatives / departments at their advice tables with queries, issues and concerns.

·         The services available at this meeting included Leicestershire Police, Ward Councillors, Housing and City Wardens. The action log of matters discussed in part two would be collected at the end of the meeting by the WCEO to action and follow up.

Apologies were received from Ebrahim Jasat (St Peters Tenants and Residents Association), PS Des Hearnshaw (Leicestershire Police), PS Adrian Webb (Leicestershire Police) and Will Baldet (Prevent).

There were no declarations of interest.

The Action Log of the Meeting held on 14 November 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 14 November 2016 was confirmed as a correct record.

The Wycliffe Ward Councillors will provide an update on the issues they have been dealing with in the Wycliffe Ward.

Councillor Dawood noted the new initiative called Highfields Blues which was made up of dedicated personnel from the Fire, Ambulance and Police services. Their main job would be to support the community of Highfields, encouraging them to be healthier, safer and more secure.

It was requested that Highfields Blues would attend a future Wycliffe Ward Community Meeting and give a presentation.

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

Mohammed Patel – City Warden for the Wycliffe Ward was present at the meeting and gave an update/ distributed leaflets on the activities and enforcement he had been involved in within the ward. Further information on the City Warden update and contact details can be found attached at the end of this action log.

Councillor Aqbany noted that there were paladin bin collection issues in St Matthews and St Peters, whereby Biffa were not emptying bins if they were not full.

Nick Griffiths the new District Housing Manager for East of Leicester City noted the following in regards to the bins service:

·         20 new paladin bins had been ordered which would double the bin/ waste capacity.

·         It would be ensured that bins in bin stores would be swapped regularly by estate wardens.

·         Housing were currently communicating with the internal metal department to service bins regularly.

Residents’ concerns:

·         It was noted that dog fouling in Spinney Hills Park, Frederick Road and the Vulcan Road area was an issue. The City Warden would pass this information onto the Parks team and also requested residents to record times of the day that these issues were taking place.

·         Some residents’ bins were reported to be disappearing on Earl Howe Street and Mere Road. The City Warden would inform the Cleansing team.

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

PC Brian ‘Reg’ Varney and PCSO Sarah L’homme were both present at the meeting and gave an update on the following:

All to note:

·         In regards to the ASB/ criminal issues which took place in Highfields, several people had been given Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO’s) which prevented them from entering the Highfields area.

·         Drug dealing reported on Vulcan Road was an ongoing problem which seemed to have moved slightly to Charnwood estate. Police raids and operations were ongoing.

·         The Police were working with communities to divert young people from gangs/ gang crime.

·         Highfields Blues Police involvement was noted.

·         Attendees were notified that the Spinney Hills Police Facebook and twitter site was active.

·         There would be some changes to Police staffing – PS Des Hearnshaw would be leaving on 20 March to work in Headquarters whereby another officer would be taking over his role.

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 – Ward Community Engagement Officer (WCEO) gave an update in regards to the Ward Community Budget.

It was noted that there were fifteen applications received in total for the final quarter. Two applications were rejected, five applications could not be supported due to the 2016/17 budget finishing, however these applicants were advised to reapply in the next financial year. The following eight applications were supported:

Several residents had concerns with traffic/ parking congestion on Mere Road and suggested several ideas to improve the area such as additional ‘no entry’ streets, pavement extensions and one way roads. These discussions would be continued in part two of the meeting.

Councillor Aqbany noted that Officers had previously visited the Mere Road area and would be piloting parking schemes in the City to analyse if they were viable to be implemented in other wards.

The Chair declared part one of the meeting closed at 7:05pm.