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.

Councillor Joshi as Chair, led on introductions and welcomed all to the meeting.

The Action Log of the North Evington Community Meeting held on 18 March 2021 (virtual meeting) is attached for information.

The Action Log of the North Evington Ward Community Meeting held on 18 March 2021 was confirmed as a correct record.

The North Evington Ward Councillors provide an update on the issues they have been dealing with in the ward.

Ward councillors provided feedback on ongoing works. It was noted that:

·         Members had been involved in the refurbishment of Spence Street Gym and noted that discounted rate that was available

·         Fly tipping concerns were being addressed

·         Working with the Highways Team and the Business Community on East Park Road following a request for a loading bay

·         Addressing housing issues with local residents

Councillor Modhwadia introduced himself and noted that he was familiarising himself with his new role and was looking forward to get to know more local residents and working with City Council Officers to deliver for the local ward.

Officers from the Local Policing Unit will be at the meeting to provide an update on police issues in the North Evington Ward,

PC Mistry and PCSO John were in attendance and provided a n update. It was noted that:

·         Problem management plans were being considered following local unrest

·         Although, no new reports ongoing dedicated patrols were in place including an increase in police presence

·         Ongoing issue with the theft of catalytic convertors

Following a request from Members on lates crime figures, it was noted that, there had been a number of crimes which were broken down as follows:

·         7 burglaries 5 of which were from residential dwellings

·         2 robberies

·         13 thefts from vehicles (valuable items stolen from vehicles)

·         3 Thefts from people

·         2 thefts of vehicles

·         1 Knife related crime.

Ward Councillors requested that officers provided a regular report on crimes to members via email.

As part of the discussions with local residents, it was noted that:

·         Details on the scope of the inquiry following the disorder were available for residents following the meeting

·         Resources including manpower were in place for any future unrest in the city

·         Additional cameras would be installed in areas that were hotspots during the disorder

·         Operation to tackle street drinking was in place with additional powers to remove the alcohol

·         Although priority work is dealt with first, residents suggested that the response time of police would need to be improved to help change the mindset of people’s views of the police

·         Residents raised their concerns with anti-social behaviour at Preston Lodge in in the Charnwood Estate and requested regular police visits in the evening

The Neighbourhood Hosing Team Leader noted that the Joint Action Group still existed and met regularly but were no longer meeting in public.

Highways Officers will give an update on highways related matters in the ward.

Robert Bateman, the Highways Officer in attendance provided an update on highways related matters. It was noted that:

·         Road maintenance work was ongoing with more programmed in the new year

·         Low Traffic Neighbourhood Scheme was in place

·         24 Brick walls had been completely redone on Green Lane Road to neaten up the appearance of the road

·         20mph zone had been installed around Marydale Road School

·         Proposals for making Green Lane Road one-way were being considered.

As part of the discussions with the residents it was noted that:

·         Residents were interested in the introduction of residents parking in the ward around Larch Street and Bridge Road areas in particular

·         Commuter parking was an issue in with residents from the Charnwood Estate

·         Residents requested litter bins on Green Lane Road and East Park Road

·         Reports of abandoned cars and other refuse left in Pembroke Street

·         Turning right out of Spinney Hill Road on to Humberstone Road was dangerous and residents suggested the introduction of a filter arrow

·         East Park Road is congested going northbound from the BP station and residents felt that this needed to improve to improve the flow of traffic.

·         Residents requested whether the Council could take over the parking areas at the end of Larch Street and Longcliffe Road which were currently managed by PA Housing Association

·         Green Lane Road congestion issues were suggested to be caused by inconsiderate parking and a request was made for additional visits from the Parking Enforcement Team.

Housing officers will be present to provide an update on housing issues in the North Evington Ward,

The Neighbourhood Housing Manager provided an update. It was noted that recent works had been completed on Farnham Street, shrub removal works on Oak Street and Redwood Walk and additional door security works had been delivered from the Environmental Budget.

As part of the discussions with the local residents, it was noted that the Neighbourhood Housing Manager was unaware of the number of empty houses in the ward but noted that there was no dedicated ward budget for housing and that with the increasing demand for housing and the lack of properties available was causing delays.

The Neighbourhood Housing Manager requested that residents that share communal areas with other tenants be requested not to grow vegetable in the communal areas as this was causing problems with vermin.

The Neighbourhood Housing Officer was requested to take on individual matters for residents outside of the meeting.

The local City Warden will be present to provide an update on any environmental issues in the ward.

The City Warden provided an update and noted that:

·         Letter posting was ongoing for waste removal

·         A pod camera had been installed at flu-tipping hotspots

·         Officers worked in response to reports received

Residents raised their concern with the level of fly tipping at regular hotspots in the ward and suggested that the posters did not help as a high number of people new to the ward did not read English, Members suggested that signage with imagery could potentially help deter fly-tippers.

Residents from the Charnwood Estate requested that the City Warden visit Preston Lodge to see who was responsible for removing their waste. It was suggested that this had not been cleared and was resulting in vermin.

Reports were made to the City Warden on sites close to the meeting venue where there were reports of fly tipping and broken glass.

Residents raised their concerns with the state of the waterways that ran through the area and requested something be done to get them clear as there were concerns with the vermin that this attracted. It was further noted that that the waterways were under the control of the Environmental Agency and that the Rivers and Canals Trust only get involved from Watermead Park and onwards.

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

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

The Community Engagement Officer provided an update on the Ward Community Budget. It was noted that the following had applications had been funded:

Elderley Mens Exercise Club - £300.00

Shree Hindu Temple and Community Centre - Navratri 2022 - £1000.00

Shree Limbachia Mandal - Diwali and 50th anniversary - £500.00

Shree Rajput Bhoiraj Samaj - 50 years celebration - £300.00

Mindful Warriors online seated yoga - £300.00

Childrens Library Team Summer Reading Challenge £500.00

Gujrati Comedy Club Family Show £500.00

MKSI Environmental Group - litter picking and recycling £515.00

Shree Hindu Temple and Community Centre - Holi 2022 - £750.00

St. Barnabas Library 1950s craft workshops for Queens Jubilee - £500.00

St. Barnabas Library 1950s storytelling workshops for Queens jubilee -  £500.00

The balance remaining is £13,605.00 and the closing date for applications was in February.

Following the request made by residents on past applications, it was noted that the information was available at the following site: Transparency and open data (leicester.gov.uk)

There being no items of urgent business the meeting closed at 7:51pm.