The City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby will be present to talk about his role as the elected mayor in Leicester. There will also be a question and answer session.
Minutes:
The City Mayor addressed the meeting again and stated that he had been invited to explain a little about his role as the elected Mayor in Leicester. He explained that two of the big issues during the election campaign had been the school catchment area in relation to Belvoir Drive, and a review of school catchment areas was now in progress. The second big issue had been Aylestone Meadows and the City Mayor paid tribute to Councillor Nigel Porter for a very well organised and effective campaign. The City Mayor had been pleased to announce after the election, that the scheme had been abandoned.
The Council was now ten months into a new system of governance. The system was more transparent, and whereas in the past, the Council Leader was elected by the other Councillors, now the City Mayor was elected by members of the public. The City Mayor added that he was obliged by law to appoint a Deputy Mayor and he had chosen Councillor Rory Palmer, who also had responsibility for transport. In addition he had appointed Assistant Mayors and Councillor Sarah Russell, Assistant Mayor for Neighbourhoods was also present at the meeting to talk about changes in library provision. There were in total five Assistant Mayors, who were all Councillors who had their own specialisms.
Members of the community raised the following queries and comments:
· This part of Aylestone is severely lacking in facilities for children; they need more play facilities.
City Mayor: it is true that there are parts of Aylestone that are better served with facilities for children than others.
· I live near the park. The younger children’s facilities are good there but the equipment for older children is poor. We did want to put an a BMX park for them.
Chair: there is a possibility that there will be S106 money from the Bloor Home development to provide amenities for children and young people. I have been speaking to Councillor Clair, the Assistant Mayor of the relevant portfolio.
Councillor Russell: funding is a very difficult issue at the moment because of the budget cuts. In Western Park, local residents worked together to build a BMX ramp in their park. I will work with the Aylestone Ward Councillors and Councillor Clair to find ways of linking up with other people who could help.
· We have heard that your pay will be increased to £100,000
City Mayor: this is not true and I don’t expect to be paid £100,000 and I turned down the increase suggested by the Independent Remuneration Panel. I am currently paid £55,000 which is £10,000 less than a Member of Parliament. I think the rate for the role is about the same rate for an M.P.
· Congratulations on the success of the Queen’s Visit to Leicester. However, can the City afford to spend £4m on Jubilee Square? Where will the funding come from?
City Mayor: the Council has two different kinds of budget; revenue and capital. The capital budget by law should be spent largely on capital projects and needed to be kept separate from the revenue budget. The Jubilee Square would connect that historic part of the City with the Highcross Centre.
· There are insufficient cycle paths; cyclists should be able to cycle on pavements.
City Mayor: I sympathise with you; however disability groups, and especially people who are visually impaired, are very concerned about people cycling on pavements. We do however have some very good cycle path schemes although they are limited in number.
· I am a member of the Eyres Monsell Allotment Society. ECO House looks very run down and tired. Are there any plans to improve it?
Councillor Russell: Groundworks have some very good plans to improve ECO House but money is a problem. They are working hard to seek funding.
· Can Members of the Public still present petitions and ask questions at Council?
City Mayor: yes – members of the public can still present petitions and ask questions in the Council Chamber. We also have monthly meetings of the City Mayor and Executive when people can ask questions and we have ‘Meet the Mayor’ events as well.
· There was an article in the local newspaper about the budget and the level of reserves that the Council held. What will the Council do with the reserves?
City Mayor: Reserves are not spent; there has to be some money put aside in case the unexpected happens. It is sensible to keep some money aside and the Council must not operate as a deficit.