- From Members of the Public
- From Councillors
Minutes:
Please note that a full record of the questions and responses is available on the recording of the meeting at http://tinyurl.com/mtfsczy9. Time codes for each question will be provided before the wording of the question.
There were no questions from members of the public.
QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILLORS
1. Cllr Batool
00:38
“With reference to the Pro Bono Economics report that councils in England wasted millions of pounds in court disputes with parents and carers over disability and educational support for their children.
A total of 11,052 tribunals involving SEND were registered in 2021-22, of which 96% were won by parents, carers and young people. The majority of legal challenges cost had to be paid by local authorities, that £46 million could have been used to fund 9,960 extra places in SEN units. How many SEND related tribunals were registered by Leicester City Council in the year 2021-22?”
Assistant City Mayor Councillor Dempster provided a response this question and to Councillor Batool’s supplemental question.
2. Cllr Batool
5:58
“What are the procedural protocols that the Highways department follow when they receive a request for a new pedestrian crossing? ”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response this question and to Councillor Batool’s supplemental question.
3. Cllr March
8:56
“Please can you confirm exactly how much was paid by Festival Republic for hire or usage of Victoria Park during BBC Radio 2 in the park?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response this question and to Councillor March’s supplemental question.
4. Cllr March
10:04
“Please can you share details of how and when the public were consulted around changes to the tennis courts on Knighton Park? (How, when, how long was the consultation open for, how was it advertised, how many responses were received etc).”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor March’s supplemental question.
5. Cllr March
13:35
“In May 2021, the Friends of Knighton Park - a voluntary group who look after one of our key city parks - crowdfunded over £11.5k to create an inclusive sensory play area based on advice from council officers. When can we reasonably expect that work to be completed to the standards agreed, please? ”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Cutkelvin provided a response to this question and to Councillor March’s supplemental question.
6. Cllr Singh Sangha
16:38
“My concern is regarding with condition of the front of the saffron lane athletics stadium along with the car park. The Stadium was once a thing of pride for Leicester. Are there any plans to update its presentation on Saffron Lane?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question.
7. Cllr Haq
18:29
“How much money is the council losing per year in the last 4 years on the Park and Ride ? ”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor Haq’s supplemental question.
8. Cllr Haq
21:49
“Should the council support businesses around the Market place with better vehicle access ?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor Haq’s supplemental question.
9. Cllr Haq
25:05
“How much money is being paid to Centre Bus from Leicester City Council in the past 5 years?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor Haq’s supplemental question.
10.Cllr Haq
28:20
“How many Heat pumps are being fitted across Leicester schools?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor Haq’s supplemental question.
11. Cllr Moore
30:40
“Is it now the policy of customer services to promise a response to a member of the public within five days, then renege on this promise? Is there a specific reason for this lack of engagement?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Cutkelvin provided a response to this question and to Councillor Moore’s supplemental question.
12.Cllr Porter
35:30
“In 2020 how much did the council pay to Leicester High School For Girls?”
Assistant City Mayor Councillor Dempster provided a response to this question and to Councillor Porter’s supplemental question.
13.Cllr Porter
Councillor Porter withdrew this question.
14.Cllr Porter
Councillor Porter withdrew this question.
15.Cllr Porter
42:08
“Has the council ever commissioned work from consultancy firm Ricardo?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor Porter’s supplemental question.
16.Cllr Porter
44:30
“Does Policy 5 in the core strategy allocate Ashton Green for up to 3,500 homes?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Cutkelvin provided a response to this question and to Councillor Porter’s supplemental question.
17.Cllr Bajaj
47:52
“Can the City Mayor tell us about the exact financial facts around the letter he has written to Michael Gove and when does he see the probability of calling in 114?”
The City Mayor provided a response to this question and to Councillor Bajaj’s supplemental question.
18.Cllr Bajaj
51:41
“Can the City Mayor advise this council how much the two large events like Diwali and Caribbean Carnival have added to the local economy?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor Bajaj’s supplemental question.
19.Cllr Bajaj
53:24
“Can the City Mayor advise what are his plans around Customer Care Centre on Granby Street as it is only being used twice a week to the big dissatisfaction of city residents?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Cutkelvin provided a response to this question.
20.Cllr Bajaj
57:12
“Can the Assistant Mayor please share plans with regards to Libraries and Neighbourhood Centres and her proposals to shut some of them?”
Assistant City Mayor Councillor Dempster provided a response to this question and to Councillor Bajaj’s supplemental question.
21. Cllr Bajaj
1:01:28
“Recently we received that the officers will not be available to the councillors for Ward Community Meetings. The executive members get full support at the events where they are present and even in preparing replies to our questions. Why this two-tier arrangement”
Assistant City Mayor Councillor Dempster provided a response to this question and to Councillor Bajaj’s supplemental question.
22.Cllr Rae Bhatia
1:04:59
“The public consultation on Climate Emergency Plan 2023-2028 is on. Within that on section 4.02 council proposes on Workplace Parking Levy and Road User Charging Plan. Can the Deputy Mayor categorically accept or deny whether the council intends to take these two plans forward.”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor Rae Bhatia’s supplemental question.
23.Cllr Rae Bhatia
1:07:35
“With Council’s Tree Planting Strategy, which is welcomed, there are some gaps of the unintended consequences which haven’t been take care of. When trees are planted no foresight is applied on how it will impact when the tree becomes mature and starts to cause structural and other problems. Many trees on the council land have already damaged people’s walls, fences, driveways etc but the council has no budget to go and fix these problems as its focus is somewhere else. At least this is the reply the officers give us. Can the Deputy Mayor advise us what actions and provisions are being made to redress the ongoing issues as well as to introduce stricter design governance to avoid falling into similar situation with the new trees.”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Cutkelvin provided a response to this question and to Councillor Rae Bhatia’s supplemental question.
24.Cllr Mahesh
Councillor Mahesh was not present to ask this question.
25.Cllr Osman
1:12:03
“What provision do we have in the city for young people?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Russell provided a response to this question and to Councillor Osman’s supplemental question.
26.Cllr Osman
1:13:00
“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed, rising to 1 in 4 for Black men. As many as 69% of those treated with surgery may experience urinary incontinence as a result. What work is Leicester City Council with Public Health doing in this area to support Men suffering from Prostate Cancer?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Russell provided a response to this question and to Councillor Osman’s supplemental question.
27.Cllr Osman
1:15:35
“How many people are wating for Disability Adaption Grants and how long does it take for cases to be approved?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Russell provided a response to this question and to Councillor Osman’s supplemental question.
28.Cllr Singh Patel
1:18:30
“Can the City Mayor congratulate the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain communities of Leicester City for the biggest celebrations of Diwali outside of India and its success as more than 50,000 people attending this year?”
The City Mayor provided a response to this question.
29.Cllr Singh Patel
1:20:45
“Cricket facilities have been taken away from Rushey Mead Park can the City Mayor advise what arrangements have been made to facilitate the 400 plus young cricket players that use to play there? Have they been allocated another playing field?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question.
30.Cllr Joshi
1:23:08
“What is the council doing about the leaves that are a danger to public since we are stepping into winter,, and which is a major cause in blocking the drains which can lead to drains blocking and creating floods?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question.
31.Cllr Gopal
1:25:39
“How many empty council properties remain empty in Belgrave ward?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Cutkelvin provided a response to this question.
32.Cllr Gopal
1:27:22
“How much income was generated from Radio 2 festival for the Council?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor Gopal’s supplemental question.
33.Cllr Joannou
Councillor Joannou withdrew this question prior to the meeting.
34.Cllr Sahu
1:28:43
““Further to our meeting in October regarding the Clarendon Park Play area, are you able to update me on whether there has been any progress on improvements to this area?””
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Cutkelvin provided a response to this question and to Councillor Sahu’s supplemental question.
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35.Cllr Gregg
1:31:34
“Will Cllr Adam Clarke meet with city residents who are finding it increasingly difficult to access the City Centre due to bus drop offs being moved to St Margarets Bus Station further away from the centre of Leicester?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor Gregg’s supplemental question.
36.Cllr Kitterick
1:34:20
“On a scale of 1-10 (1 being totally unlikely, 10 being absolutely certain), what are the chances of the Leicester Railway Station redevelopment project staying within its current projected budget?”
The City Mayor provided a response to this question and to Councillor Kitterick’s supplemental question.
37.Cllr Kitterick
1:37:49
“When is a planning application going to be submitted for the construction phase of the Leicester Railway Station redevelopment project?”
The City Mayor provided a response to this question and to Councillor Kitterick’s supplemental question.
38.Cllr Kitterick
1:39:50
“When is the Leicester Railway Station’s redevelopment project’s construction phase due to be completed?”
The City Mayor provided a response to this question and to Councillor Kitterick’s supplemental question.
39.Cllr Kitterick
1:43:25
““When is Jewry Wall Museum due to re-open to the public?””
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor Kitterick’s supplemental question.
40.Cllr Kitterick
1:45:28
“What is the purchase cost of a Heat Meter due to be installed in flats covered by Leicester City Council’s district heating scheme?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Cutkelvin provided a response to this question and to Councillor Kitterick’s supplemental question.
41.Cllr Kitterick
1:48:40
“What is the average number of hours for an operative to install a heat meter in a flat covered by the District Heating Scheme”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Cutkelvin provided a response to this question and to Councillor Kitterick’s supplemental question.
42.Cllr Kitterick
1:51:57
“What is the OFGEM cap on standing charges and gas supplied per Kilo Watt Hour to non-district heating properties in Leicester?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Cutkelvin provided a response to this question and to Councillor Kitterick’s supplemental question.
43.Councillor Modhwadia
1:56:25
“The day centre in my ward on Hastings road was recommended for closure . can you give us an updates on this centre and what have the council done to continue given the service to the clients who were still using it ? ”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Russell provided a response to this question and to Councillor Modhwadia’s supplemental question.
44.Councillor Modhwadia
1:59:12
“Textile business are dying in my ward and lots of people are unemployed . is it city council planning to attract new business in my ward for better employment ?”
Deputy City Mayor Councillor Clarke provided a response to this question and to Councillor Modhwadia’s supplemental question.