Graham Smith, the City Warden, will be present at the meeting to give an update on issues in the area.
Minutes:
Graham Smith, City Warden with Leicester City Council, presented the six-month action plan for the Ward.
The meeting noted the following:-
· The City Warden had started making regular patrols with the local Police beat team, varying the days and times that he was with them;
· A priority for all Wards over the next two years was the removal of domestic bins from streets;
· The dog waste bins for which a grant had been approved had been purchased and would be installed shortly, (minute 17, “Ward Community Budget 2009/10”, 10 March 2010 referred);
· It was hoped that the police, some in uniform and some in plain clothes, could patrol the area from the De Montfort University to Aylestone, to make sure that dog fouling was kept to a minimum;
· The City Warden was working with the Police to visit fast-food outlets, to ask the occupiers to ensure that the fronts of their premises were kept clear of litter. Funding for litter pick kits that could be offered to local businesses had been requested, (see minute 7 below);
· Nuisance parking around the Upperton Road area would be targeted. Members of the community were invited to report any incidences of this, (for example, people working on vehicles on the road), so they could be investigated;
· The City Warden service was willing to attend any events such as fetes and to have a stand there to explain the work done by the service;
· Although the situation was improving, Bede Park currently looked untidy, due to there being a lot of litter there. The City Warden spent time in the Park talking to people, to encourage them to keep the Park looking tidy;
· The City Council shortly would be starting a City-wide anti-graffiti campaign; and
· Leaflets were available at the meeting setting out the services provided by the City Warden.
The meeting welcomed the work being done to stop litter being dropped in Bede Park. In particular, the area between the business park and footpath was in a bad condition, but would be a good place to put picnic tables and possibly some kind of fire pits.
It was noted that most litter in Bede Park currently came from Tesco and Sainsbury’s. The Council was holding on-going talks with both stores about the types of items they sold, (for example, glass bottles with removable tops).
The meeting felt that, although the number of rubbish bins provided was improving, they were not large enough. It was noted that, when large bins had been installed previously, they had been stolen. Another aspect of the problem was litter dropped by people eating fast food, (particularly at weekends).
It also was noted that the City Wardens could issue on-the-spot fines to people caught littering. Although the Police had powers to stop people littering, it had been agreed that their resources should be focussed on more serious crimes. As such, it had been agreed in partnership with the Police that the Council’s civil powers would be used.
The Police explained that issues such as dog fouling, littering, or speeding traffic were the sort of issues that could be included in the Police Neighbourhood Priority Plan, which identified the main issues of concern to the residents of a particular area. At present, the priorities for the Westcotes Ward were reducing the impact of anti-social behaviour, illegal parking (for example, so as to cause an obstruction), and graffiti. Other issues also were prioritised on an ad hoc basis as appropriate.
AGREED:
that the meeting’s appreciation of the work done by the City Council’s cleansing staff be recorded.