Agenda item

Steve Letten, Members Support Officer, will give an update on the Ward Action Plan.

Ward Action Plan - Priorities

Steve Letten, Members Support Officer - Leicester City Council, offered a verbal update on the progress towards developing the Ward Action Plan and outlined to the meeting the process of consultation that had been undertaken to develop the plan.

A supporting document titled ‘Abbey Ward Action Plan – Issues from Priority Cards’ was tabled and circulated at the meeting. Steve Letten continued by explaining the priority setting process and confirmed that the following key priorities had been drafted as a result of the consultation:

1. Youth and Children’s Services.
2. Crime, Anti-Social Behaviour, Policing, and Drink/Drugs.
3. Traffic and Parking.
4. Street Cleaning and Fly Tipping.
5. Roads and Pavements.

The draft priorities were then opened up to the meeting for consideration and the following remarks were made:

1. Facilities for older people should be included as a priority.
2. Improvements to public transport availability need to be addressed.
3. The maintenance of grass verges was an issue.

Steve Letten suggested that matters around grass verges and local transport could be considered within the Traffic and Parking work area.

Ward Action Plan – Consultation Process and the priorities

The following matters were raised by residents in relation to the consultation process and the development of the Ward Action Plan priorities:

1. The consultation process did not involve enough people.
2. How could an action plan be developed without publicising the meetings properly?
3. The Abbey Rise area has been largely ignored.
4. How were all the meetings publicised?

Steve Letten outlined the process for publicising the meetings, what consultation work had been undertaken and questioned residents on their views of the priorities and whether residents thought they were along the right lines. Steve Letten also explained that 88 residents had been consulted so far when developing the Ward Action Plan priorities.

In response further issues/questions were raised by residents in relation to:

1.      Street cleaning.

2.      Youth issues/services.

3.      Parking and roads.

4.      Antisocial Behaviour.

Sergeant Nurse confirmed to the meeting that antisocial behaviour was not more of a problem in the Abbey Ward than in other City areas, but that it was a problem.

It was noted by some residents that the main issues should be addressed when developing the action plan, without focusing too much on single, specific examples or problems.

Steve Letten explained the process for dealing with specific problems once the Ward Action Plan and the priority work areas had been developed.

Councillor Byrne agreed to arrange a meeting between residents, relevant Officers from Leicester City Council and representatives from Transport organisations to address the transport issues outlined. Residents were requested to leave their contact details and record their concerns on the evaluation sheets at the end of the meeting.

A representative from the Healthy Living Centre confirmed to the meeting that their local consultation exercise highlighted that Youth Services was a priority area.

Steve Letten concluded by confirming that matters around grass verges and local transport could be considered within the Traffic and Parking work area and that this would be considered by Councillors Bhavsar, Byrne and Marriott when finalising the Ward Action Plan. It was also confirmed that further consultation would be conducted with residents of Beaumont Leys Lane area.