- From Members of the Public
- From Councillors
Minutes:
Lord Mayor: There are no questions from members of the public. Questions from Councillors. Question 1, Councillor Waddington.
Councillor Waddington: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Will the City Mayor provide an outline of plans to regenerate the Frog Island Woodgate Waterside area of the City and indicate a draft timetable for the improvements”?
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. My Lord Mayor Members will be aware, and I know Councillor Waddington will be very aware, that some years ago now we saw the dramatic transformation of the Waterside area to the south of Westbridge under the City Challenge project and it brought about the area that is now Bede Park, a former scrap yard, the regeneration of the former power station site which has enabled the King Power Stadium to be built amongst many other improvements in that area. It is my opinion that we have at least as much potential for regeneration to the north of Westbridge and at least as much need for regeneration to the north, particularly in the Woodgate area and along the A50 corridor. I have been delighted that Councillor Waddington and Councillor Cassidy have been so assiduous in pressing for that regeneration to take place and were able to join me at a recent meeting with local residents to begin the process of engaging with them about that regeneration. We have secured very substantial funding from the Local Growth Fund especially for the Waterside which will involve planning in the area, land assembly in the area, environmental improvements and particularly the highway infrastructure investments, because of course it is a major corridor into the city. And of course I am determined throughout that process of regeneration that we should work very closely with the local Ward Councillors and most particularly with the local residents. And we are intending to begin the process of drafting regeneration strategy for the area and a supplementary planning document to go with it with a view to consulting formally in January on that, and I am intent on ensuring that we rapidly after that began the process of actually making things happen on the ground, particularly on that particularly grotty corridor that is the area of the A50 from Blackbird Road into Highcross Street. I am very grateful, as I have said, for the engagement of Councillor Waddington and Councillor Cassidy and the local residents, and would again give myself to working very closely with them in ensuring that we get something that really does transform that area in the way that the area to the south of Westbride has already been transformed.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor for your very full answer. Councillor Waddington have you a supplementary?
Councillor Waddington: Thank you my Lord Mayor. I would also like to thank the City Mayor for his answer. As he knows within the outline plans there are proposals for more housing in the area and in view of the already existing pressure on primary school places in the Woodgate and Fosse area, would he try to include within the plans an improvement in the number of primary places available to local children?
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor I give an absolutely positive response to that. I am aware obviously of the pressures already existing in the area and also aware that the schools in that area are over-subscribed and that the children in that area need to have, particularly primary school children, need to have schooling that is in buildings that are fit for the purpose and also that are sufficient in size to accommodate their numbers. I have had a number of initial discussions already with Councillor Vi Dempster about these issues and about what some of the broad options might be and I am certainly, like her, of the opinion that one of the options that ought to be considered is whether we can seek to take the very successful Slater Street school and build on that, not necessarily on precisely the same site but in the area immediately adjacent to it. It is one of our smaller schools, nonetheless as I say, a very successful one and I think there may well be options as part of the regeneration in that area to see Slater in some means or another expanded to accommodate the already existing needs and the needs we anticipate as a result of this regeneration.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 2, Councillor Riyait.
Councillor Riyait: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “What options are available to stop or restrict illegal traveller encampments on the Redhill roundabout to ensure the safety of those on the roundabout and other vehicle users on one of the main routes in and out of Leicester”? Thank you.
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor can I thank Councillor Riyait for raising this – it has been an issue that he and his colleagues have been raising on a number of occasions of late and it is something that has received some considerable publicity in the local media, particularly in the Leicester Mercury. I am very sympathetic indeed to the plight of Councillor Riyait’s constituents and have, as a result of the representations he has made, looked at the possibilities of bunding or providing some other barrier to prevent the misuse of Redhill roundabout and I have concluded as a result of that that actually such bunding might well be possible and might well be effective. I do intend to do some further work with Council officers, but would expect that that work will take a very limited period of time and that by the end of next week I intend to be in a positon to announce whether bunding is possible and when, and I hope it will be possible, and when if it is possible it will be done. If it is possible I would wish it to be done at the very earliest possible time over the week ahead to ensure that we don’t get a repeat of the nuisance that is caused, and indeed the very considerable cost that is caused, by unauthorised use of that area. Just looking to the long term of course Lord Mayor, as Members are aware, and I have said on many occasions in this chamber, the longer term answer to this has got to be authorised sites to provide legal options that don’t involve travellers misusing areas such as this, but until those sites are developed in sufficient numbers I think we do have to continue to do, as we have elsewhere in the City, to take preventative measures particularly on prominent sites such as this one.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Riyait have you a supplementary?
Councillor Riyait: No.
Lord Mayor: No supplementary thank you very much. Question 3 Councillor Chaplin.
Councillor Chaplin: Thank you Lord Mayor. “To ask the City Mayor if he will agree to review the current Council tax policy for charges during a period of renovation before occupancy, more specifically around the issue of flats that are due for single occupancy to apply the single occupancy discount of 25% during the renovation period rather than charging the full Council tax rate as is currently the case”?
Lord Mayor: Councillor Russell.
Councillor Russell: Thank you my Lord Mayor. I understand Councillor Chaplin’s concerns around this although we made a deliberate decision as a full Council last January now to change the length of time that the reduction on Council tax was applied to empty properties to ensure that empty homes came back into use for people as quickly as possible. Previously there was almost a perverse incentive for people to leave properties empty to be able to gain the discount on their Council tax rather than to seek to let them as quickly as possible. With regards to single occupancy and the discount available for that it does specifically relate to occupancy, so it can be a person living on their own in a five bedroomed house or somebody living on their own in a flat. We could not apply it in the manner that had been suggested because we would not know if the property would go on to be a single occupancy property. Flats can often have more than one person living in them, they can have a couple living even in a one bedroomed flat. That would not mean they would get single occupancy discount and therefore until the property is occupied we would not be able to apply the discount in this way.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Russell. Just a short announcement – someone has left a white phone in the tea room. I advise whoever it is to collect it as these things can go missing. Councillor Chaplin have you a supplementary?
Councillor Chaplin: I do Lord Mayor. I understand that the policy was agreed but I really don’t necessarily think that the actual way that it is enforced is necessarily as was envisaged maybe when the policy was agreed and I ask again, could there at least be a review where we are able to say that it is an owner occupier who is going to be moving in and it is going to be single occupancy that there can at least be a review to look at that. I am sure there are quite a few people in Leicester where this impacts if they are having work done before they move in and it does seem very counter-intuitive to be charging people more when they are not living there. They are not saying they don’t way to pay they are just saying they want to be able to pay what they would be paying if they were living there.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Russell.
Councillor Russell: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Whilst I understand that Councillor Chaplin has an individual case where this has been an issue, we have not had a difficulty with this raised by anybody else and we have seen properties let in a much faster way and sadly we cannot say that somebody would definitely move in and be a single occupier so it would be wrong of us to be able to make that assessment and apply it, we would be going against the legislation to be able to apply that discount for single person occupancy prior to the property actually being occupied. It is very specifically linked I am afraid to occupation.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Russell. Question 4 Councillor Chaplin.
Councillor Chaplin: When I have recovered from the shock of that yes. Thank you my Lord Mayor. Question number 4 “To ask the Assistant Mayor for Culture and Sport to transfer the management of Onslow Street and Cedar Road pocket parks from the Evington park area team to Victoria Park area team which is closer in terms of community and location and to help ensure improvements to this much needed play area for local children”?
Lord Mayor: Thank you. Councillor Clair.
Councillor Clair: Thank you very much to Councillor Chaplin to ask me this question. The Onslow Street and Cedar Road play area are currently maintained by ground maintenance staff who are based at Evington Park who also manage the area around Highfields and Spinney Hill area. The staff who maintain Victoria Park are actually based in Knighton Park which is further away. However, all play equipment across the City is inspected and maintained by a dedicated team which is based at Victoria Park. My Lord Mayor as Councillor Chaplin has raised the issue in her question regarding improvement of play area on Onslow Street and Cedar Road I am happy to offer Councillor Chaplin a site visit with officer. She can invite her constituent and I can assure that there is a way forward. We can actually find some solution how we can improve the play provision in that area in the very near future.
Lord Mayor: Thank you councillor Clair. Councillor Chaplin have you a supplementary?
Councillor Chaplin: I do my Lord Mayor. It is very quick. Thank you very much for offering a site visit and it would be helpful as well if you could come to the Ward Community meeting - this is a big issue in Highfields. What I would like to say is in the meantime would you give assurances that the management and day to day overseeing of those two areas is stepped up a little bit just to ensure that while residents and Councillors hopefully are campaigning for improvements, that there is some discernible improvement in terms of engagement for the parks team about trying to make sure that those areas are available to people to use.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Clair.
Councillor Clair: Yes my Lord Mayor. I can assure Councillor Chaplin that I can pass on those contact number for an officer who would be in charge so that she can actually liaise with them and contact with them and also I will ask officers in the meantime before we meet they should have some assessment done on this area so that we exactly know at the time of the meeting what can be done and what is possible.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Clair. Question 5 Councillor Potter.
Councillor Potter: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Question 5. “The Leicester Mercury quotes Sir Peter Soulsby saying ‘he had always thought that the process to change to City Mayor had been rushed’. Is this correct?”
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: The short answer my Lord Mayor is yes. I said so at the time, I said so in numerous hustings meetings leading up to the election, I said so in this chamber on a number of occasions, I have said so in the media on a number of occasions and I will say so again this evening, the process was rushed.
Lord Mayor: Thanks City Mayor. Councillor Potter have you a supplementary?
Councillor Potter: I certainly have my Lord Mayor. I am one of the Councillors from the Opposition that never heard him quote that it had been rushed and as a Member of the Opposition at the time being the Chief Whip we go with party group orders my Lord Mayor as you know. There was actually 14 Labour Councillors that was against it. I was one of those but party group meeting and rules are that you vote with the majority and that is what the majority had to do. We had to vote him through the back door with no other alternative. So the question is will the City Mayor offer the Leicester residents a referendum at the next election for 2015 and save the City a lot more waste of time and money.
Lord Mayor: Please give the Member who is speaking an opportunity to state the supplementary in the way that they wish. City Mayor.
City Mayor: Lord Mayor, I don’t know what her private views are or were but I do know that at the time, as she has herself acknowledged, Councillor Potter was the Chief Whip of the Majority Party and as Chief Whip she was therefore responsible for the conduct of this matter in this Council. She was therefore responsible for bringing it first to this Council on the 19th November of 2010 then on the 9th December of that year then astonishingly 3 days before Christmas the 22nd December of that year she was responsible for the conduct of that business. During that time she was responsible for a period of public consultation that lasted just over 2 weeks. She was responsible for that my Lord Mayor. I think my Lord Mayor that Councillor Potter ought to be apologising for the way in which she conducted that building… that business, she ought to regret the haste with which she brought it through this chamber and I regret that what actually she is saying is that rather than apologising for the way she handled it, what she does regret is the democratic outcome within her own party as it then was and indeed the overwhelming mandate that this party was given and its mayoral candidate was given at the last elections.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 6, Councillor Potter.
Councillor Potter: Thank you my Lord Mayor. I can’t wait for the hustings for 2015 that’s for sure – they are certainly going to be very lively. Question number 6. “How many Council tenants are facing eviction between now and Christmas 2014 relating to rent and bedroom tax”?
Lord Mayor: Councillor Connelly.
Councillor Connelly: Thank you Lord Mayor. The phrase facing eviction can be interpreted in many ways. Taking it to mean those against whom a bailiff warrant has been issued there are 16 tenants in this position, of these 3 have some element of bedroom tax in their arrears.
Lord Mayor: Thank you. Councillor Potter have you a supplementary?
Councillor Potter: Just a small one my Lord Mayor. I would just like to ask Councillor Connelly and Cabinet Lead for Housing with strategic officers and Sir Peter, can they reconsider giving extra special circumstances to these 16 persons that are facing with court evictions, not a very pleasant way of facing Christmas 2014 and obviously 2015 will be very bleak for them. It is going to cost the Council a lot more money to try to put them in hostels and temporary accommodation so I would like to think that Councillor Connelly would be able to give extra consideration to keep them homed in this bleak winter that we are facing.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Connelly.
Councillor Connelly: Thank you my Lord Mayor. The issue about bailiff warrants. Bailiff warrants are part of the eviction process but in reality only 30%, about 30-33% of those warrants result in eviction. So of those 16 I would hopefully, I would like to think that it would be significantly less than 16 if it is any at all. We do have a policy in respect of the term that the courts will not authorise us to evict over the Christmas period and the court have determined that this year the period will be 15th December to 4th January 2015. I am quite happy to give an assurance to the chamber that there will be no evictions during that period.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Potter have you a supplementary?
Councillor Potter: No I have already answered that thank you my Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: That was a supplementary, I’m sorry. Losing it a bit. Councillor . question 7 Councillor Potter.
Councillor Potter: Thank you my Lord Mayor. ”Why won’t the Labour Party Members/ Sir Peter Soulsby as the Leader agree to being CRB checked at the beginning of the candidate selection process?”
Lord Mayor: Councillor Clayton.
Councillor Clayton: My Lord Mayor. I think if Councillor Potter looked at the minutes of the last Council meeting she would probably see the answer to that question because I went into the issue at length as to why Councillors don’t need to be CRB checked. I have to say Lord Mayor I do find it disappointing that Councillor Potter has to ask the question in this way because it looks to me like a nasty dig at the Labour party. If Councillor Potter has any reason to believe that any Member of the Labour party or any Member of this chamber is not fit to serve as a Councillor she should come forward with that. Needless to say Lord Mayor I am sure she hasn’t got any such reason for it and I think it would probably be better for her to focus on her own record and remember that she was elected to serve her constituents as a Labour Councillor, she let them down and broke their trust, she then avoided a by-election when she did leave the Labour party because she knew that due to her own unpopularity that she would lose that.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Potter have you got a supplementary?
Councillor Potter: Shame on you, shame on your Chief Whip and thank you my Lord Mayor for allowing me to come back with my supplementary and thank you for addressing the Members in the chamber previously to this meeting in code of conduct. Remember. Yes I do remember the reasons as to why..
Lord Mayor: Can we bring this meeting to order please.
Councillor Potter: My Lord Mayor, my Lord Mayor I do realise that this is a supplementary question but there has been some allegations made there that I am not a popular person within my community – you are quite wrong. Did I offer you a by-election – yes I did. Did the MP take it? No he didn’t. Am I afraid to ask for a by-election now? No I am not. OK. Never have been afraid to offer you a by-election and let me put one thing right for the record my Lord Mayor if I may. The reason as to why I don’t listen to the Chief Whip of the Labour party is because he is a compulsive liar himself and I very serious allegation…
Lord Mayor: Withdraw that remark.
Councillor Potter: Well I will withdraw the allegation.
Lord Mayor: Withdraw.
Councillor Potter: I withdraw the allegation of me saying the word “liar” but I will not, I will refuse to remove anything else just in the same way that Councillor did last month towards myself. So I make it very clear I left the Labour party because you did not support your colleague the colleague that supported you through all the years and the supplementary is
Lord Mayor: Supplementary, here we go come on, supplementary, the supplementary to the question now please.
Councillor Potter: Use it or lose it you are quite right. Well I am not going to lose it not just yet. I think your Chief Whip is the one that owes me an apology but he refused to do so my Lord Mayor. So the supplementary question is why should I believe or any of these Members over this side of the chambers believe anything that comes out from the Labour Members facing as well as Sir Peter who is not man enough to answer the question himself, and actually there are Members within the chambers that need to take a good look at themselves too. You are quite right at opening my thoughts all the time, you want to take a good look at your own colleagues within the Labour chamber yourself.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Potter would you come to order.
Councillor Potter: Yes my Lord Mayor and that is the reason as to why Members in this side of this chamber will be offering the citizens CRB checks because we have nothing to hide as Opposition Members in the City. We will be CRB checked.
Lord Mayor: If this is, if this is, if this is what you want to do then you have the opportunity of tabling a motion on the agenda of this Council meeting and that is the way to draw business if you have concerns about anything to the attention of the Council and the general public at large. While we are in questions let’s keep our mind on the question asked and the supplementary to get the information that we think that we might require. I am now moving to question 8.
Councillor Clayton: Well can I answer please. I have not had the chance to answer. Thank you Lord Mayor. What an astonishing attack Lord Mayor. And it is a pity that Councillor Potter does not get some better advice. Let’s accept straight away her offer – we will be delighted if she resigns to go and fight an election in Humberstone and Hamilton. Can I just point out to her as well – I was digging through my post last night and she tells me, she tells us how popular she is and it is interesting that I dug out a letter that I was sent by some of her constituents at the time when she left. I won’t read it all out to you Lord Mayor save to say that a group of Netherhall residents actually wrote to me saying her going has saved the reputation and restored our faith in the Labour party – that says it all Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: I am going to attempt to carry on, I am going to attempt to carry on with the order of business as it stands at the moment on the order paper. If we have any more outbursts such as the one we have just witnessed then I fear that there may be some movement and things may have to change. That is what I am saying to you and that is for you all to take note of. We are now on question 8. Councillor Potter.
Councillor Potter: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “It costs between £570 to £630 for a one or two bedroomed rooms at Danbury Gardens which few could deny would be an expensive care. What can the Council do to try to bring the cost down enabling the elderly to afford the care that is provided?” And if I may my Lord Mayor at this time, I do apologise, I did not send the literature round but there is confirmation if it can be passed to the front to offer the other Members of the Council the costings of Danbury Gardens.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Patel.
Councillor Patel: Thank you my Lord Mayor, thank you Councillor Potter for the question. Danbury Gardens is owned by Hanover Housing Association so they are responsible for the rental charges. Whilst care is arranged by local authority in terms of the cost of care this would be determined by individual’s support needs following an assessment by a social worker. Depending on the individual’s financial circumstances they may be required to make a contribution towards the cost of their care therefore the cost of care is based on individual’s needs rather than a set cost.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Potter have you a supplementary?
Councillor Potter: I have my Lord Mayor. It is just that Councillor Patel, thank you Councillor, she is more than aware that we both hold our Council surgeries there and actually you get met by a lot of the residents there and looking at the quotes of the prices you know and the service charges of £284 a week plus a surcharge, plus the catering charges, plus the heating charge, plus the water charge, and before they realise they actually have not got enough money in their accounts to get the care that they request. So I accept that it is joint care but we need to be working more closely with the outside bodies to reduce the costs to enable them to get the care in the first place and I hope it is something that me and Rita can work closely together with in the very near future to do so.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Patel.
Councillor Patel: I welcome that offer Councillor Potter. Of course Hanover Housing Association is responsible for all the costs that you have quoted and certainly representations can be made to them as Ward Councillors and I would be happy to support that – thank you.
Lord Mayor: Question 9 Councillor Potter.
Councillor Potter: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “After using Welford Road on a regular basis can someone explain the waste outside the A and B block such as computer equipment when such equipment could have been donated to community groups or voluntary organisations?”
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor most of the IT equipment in New Walk Centre, both A and B blocks was actually current and was transferred with the moving teams to their new offices and reinstalled at the destinations. It is certainly true of the PC in my office and I know it is true of most of the others I have seen. Of course it was also the case that clearly reusable items were also retrieved that is toners, potters things of that sort and where possible equipment that was not going was reused within the Council, some of it has gone into store. Some small equipment was evaluated by the officers as being of low risk in terms of the data on it and unlikely to be of value either to the City Council teams or to any others and that obviously includes things like older screens, things like some of the keyboards, some of the cables and some of the projectors just were beyond any reasonable use. Some of the larger items with little or no prospect of reuse were also left in the building when it was handed over. But the important thing about all of the things that were left in the building that they are not just left and abandoned, they are left in order to be recycled and the target recycling reuse rate for the building, excluding the furniture, is set at 95% which is a very challenging target but it goes for the IT equipment as much as it does for the rest of the stuff that was left behind.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Potter have you a supplementary?
Councillor Potter: Just a small one my Lord Mayor. It must be my eye sight that is seeing things then Peter. I have actually got the pictures on my camera as well. I am not prepared to stand up in the chamber and ask the question if I can’t back it up. The pictures that I saw and taken on a regular basis over the past few weeks whilst using the Leicester Royal Infirmary, there has been an awful lot of waste of furniture/computers/tables/chairs and I think it is an awful waste to see such things that could have been reused within the community as I have already said. Thank you my Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor I have given a very full explanation as to what has happened to the equipment in there, both the IT equipment and the other equipment, and I repeat the figure which is very challenging which is that 95% of the stuff that is in there is either for recycling or for reuse and I think that is the environmentally appropriate thing to do and it is also the appropriate thing to do in terms of value for money. But there does also come a point where, in terms of value for money, one has to recognise that some things are not worth actually trying to get out and to reuse and some will, as a result of that, go responsibly into waste.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 10, Councillor Potter.
Councillor Potter: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Why are the elderly people at the Netherhall Centre still without funding for the luncheon club, enabling these people to have a hot dinner after the Assistant Mayor stated that this would be sorted out?”
Lord Mayor: Councillor Rita Patel.
Councillor Patel: Thank you my Lord Mayor and thank you Councillor Potter. You are right - when I reported in September or answered the reply to a question I did say we hoped to get things sorted out by November. In fact Council is still reviewing its approach to services that reduce social isolation and we are looking into grant funding opportunities to support community groups. This review has taken a little longer than I originally anticipated so in the meantime I am aware that the Council’s local community engagement officer is continuing with her efforts to assist the group which meets once a week at the Netherhall Neighbourhood Centre and is exploring various options with them. So we hope to have a resolution very soon. In fact at my surgery this morning at Netherhall Neighbourhood Centre I met the group, I spoke to the 10 ladies who attended the group this morning and also officers and I believe that they are happy with the options that have been suggested this morning and I look forward to her support in supporting the group. Thank you.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Patel. Councillor Potter have you a supplementary?
Councillor Potter: Just a very brief one my Lord Mayor. I would like to say thank you very much to Councillor Rita Patel and I look forward to being able to serve them hot dinners from next week actually thank you.
Lord Mayor: Question 11, Councillor Potter.
Councillor Potter: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have stated that Leicester City Council was putting dinners at unnecessary risk…. diners sorry after it was audited earlier this year with its lacklustre approach after it was audited earlier this year to food hygiene with the authority being in default of its statutory obligations under food law. Can the Assistant Mayor with responsibility for this area give any insight into how this issue can be dealt with?”
Lord Mayor: Councillor Russell.
Councillor Russell: Thank you my Lord Mayor and thank you to Councillor Potter for bringing this question to Council. We did have an audit earlier on this year in May and despite having protected the budget for the food safety team over a number of years despite some very, very difficult and challenging financial situations, the increasing number and high turnover of food businesses in the City has meant that stand alone was not sufficient and the Food Standards Agency stated that our risk based approach that we had been following to try and ensure that those businesses which potentially were of the highest risk to Leicester consumers were those that were focused on would not be sufficient. We have worked with the Food Standards Agency and put in additional resources to be able to both clear and keep up with the rate of interventions necessary and the Food Standards Agency have reported that they are very happy with our progress and we are on track with that. Thank you.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Russell. Councillor Potter have you a supplementary?
Councillor Potter: A very brief one my Lord Mayor. It is possible for Sarah to agree or confirm or look for something more secure in the future that the point system that is in operation now the 1-5 with the smiley faces, can we not get an obligation from the Council that they have to be displayed for users to be able to see. I am sure if I was to see a number 1 next door to number 5 I think I know which one I would prefer to go to. So I think it would be better for the Council if we could find a way that we could actually enforce our food sellers to actually put them numbers on the doors.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Russell.
Councillor Russell: Thank you Lord Mayor and again I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this. I first wrote to the Government in 2011 about this when we were requested to move from our smiley faces regime where we had people will remember a smiley face, a sad face or a flat line depending on their business rating to comply with the national food ratings, the 0-5 scheme that you see. And it is 0-5. Businesses can score a 0 before being closed down. We are not able to force them to put them in the point of sale. It is something we have challenged the Food Standards Agency on, we have challenged the government on. I very, very strongly believe they should be displayed at the point of sale and by that I don’t just mean on the premises that you buy the food from but also, and actually even more importantly in many cases, on takeaway leaflets when people make a choice when they do not see the state of the premises I think it is even more vital that those food ratings are displayed and I would strongly urge all businesses to do so and it is an issue for national consideration, it does require a change in the national legislation to force that to happen and I would be very, very happy to see that and I think it would have a huge impact because that commercial push to ensure that food standard were as high as they need to be for the public would be in place and that imperative be there for businesses. It is also worth saying that we do offer a full training packages for businesses in a wide range of languages to ensure that they have the support they need to be fully compliant with our food law that is required.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Russell. Question 12, Councillor Naylor.
Councillor Naylor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Why have Leicester City Council chosen to include Disability Living Allowance for Discretionary Housing Payments?”
Lord Mayor: Councillor Russell.
Councillor Russell: Thank you my Lord Mayor. In assessing eligibility for Discretionary Housing Payments we have some limited element of choice as to what income and expenditure to include when assessing a claimant’s need to extra financial support. Since the new policy has been brought in we have followed the DWP’s best practice guidelines, but what I do want to assure Councillor Naylor of is that despite following that and including those payments alongside most other major cities, rather than every case being done on a very mechanistic way, we do take into account hardship and each case is looked at on an individual basis regardless of the particular income streams that are included and we will do it on a case by case basis to make sure we try and meet individual needs.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Russell. Councillor Naylor have you a supplementary?
Councillor Naylor: A very brief one Lord Mayor. Is there anything else that we can actually do because quite frankly this actually puts people with disabilities at a backward step and if we can do something that actually, you know, highlights that we are actually trying to do something for people around disabilities within the City I think that would actually be a very positive message.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Russell.
Councillor Russell: Thank you my Lord Mayor. We have worked with a number of organisations to promote the Discretionary Housing Payments, to promote the Discretionary Council Tax Support Grant and the variety of other additional hardship funding that is available. We do that to all of our most vulnerable groups including through disability support groups to try and make sure that there is as much awareness as possible as to what funding is out there and to ensure that we are supporting those that are most vulnerable to these awful government cuts. Thank you my Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Russell. Question 13, Councillor Naylor.
Councillor Naylor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Has a covered area been considered for the areas of the new bus station that will be used by disabled people and this is the areas around dial-a-ride drop off point for the taxi rank?”
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. I can reassure Councillor Naylor that as part of the new bus station for the first time there will be a covered concourse for all bus travellers. The main bus station entrance and the new shop mobility arrangements near to the dial a ride stop and service users will be able to wait within the main concourse building until the dial a ride bus arrives.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Naylor have you a supplementary?
Councillor Naylor: No supplementary my Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: Move on then to question 14, Councillor Naylor.
Councillor Naylor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Disability parking has been provided at the Phoenix Square, the location is not for the best use of disabled people, is there any plans to improve this?”
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor I am informed that there are 3 spaces located near the entrance with direct access to the path leading to the Phoenix Theatre which well meets the required parking standards.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Naylor have you a supplementary?
Councillor Naylor: Not on this one Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: Question 15, Councillor Naylor.
Councillor Naylor: “Has car parking near the Phoenix Square been further considered? Is there likely to be any further consideration given to parking in this area including better disability parking?”
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor 3 years ago amendments were made to the parking restrictions around the Phoenix Square and the work undertaken did involve a review of the existing restrictions and resulted in the relaxation of those restrictions at several locations to permit evening and overnight parking each day. This provided approximately 32 further on-street parking spaces and a new 4-vehicle disabled parking bay was also provided on Midland Street in addition to the existing 5-vehicle disabled parking bay outside of the theatre entrance. If Councillor Naylor, or indeed other Members, have suggestions about further relaxations that can be made in that area to improve general and disabled parking I would be very interested to hear from them and would be happy to try to ensure that officers do actually explore such possibilities.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Naylor have you a supplementary?
Councillor Naylor: Not on that one Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: Straight on to question 16 then, Councillor Naylor.
Councillor Naylor: OK. “Can the Assistant Mayor for Children and Young People give assurances that the 4 playgrounds that have been unsuccessful in gaining tenders to provide supervised play will continue to provide play, that the staff will continue to be employed under the new operative for these playgrounds, named as Children’s Link, and that there will be no loss of provision to the communities where these playgrounds are situated?”
Lord Mayor: Councillor Dempster.
Councillor Dempster: Thank you Lord Mayor. The tenders have not actually been awarded yet but I can confirm that should an existing provider not be successful then the staff would be transferred to any new provider under TUPE arrangements. Furthermore there has not been any cut to the budget, it is a budget of approximately £1m, there has not been any cut to the budget and therefore we would anticipate that the service would be either the same or actually improved whoever is the successful bidder.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Naylor have you a supplementary?
Councillor Naylor: Just a brief one Lord Mayor. Can I ask the Assistant Mayor whether she will be looking at having continuing meetings with those people involved in this so that there is full clarification of the situation.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Dempster.
Councillor Dempster: Thank you. As I say the tenders have not actually been signed off yet. My understanding is that in this 10 day period there is an opportunity for officers to be meeting with the people who have put in the tenders.
Lord Mayor: Question 17, Councillor Grant - Councillor Naylor, sorry.
Councillor Naylor: Thank you Lord Mayor. “Can one of the embers of Leicestershire Fire Authority report on the recent Mercury report regarding Leicestershire Fire Service offering firefighters from other counties hundreds of pounds a shift to work when its own crews are on strike. According to the article the Fire Authority is advertising on its website for existing or “safe to ride” firefighters to work while its own staff are picketing?”
Lord Mayor: Councillor Corrall.
Councillor Corrall: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Can I thank Councillor Naylor for his question. I can confirm that the authority has indeed gone off to advert on this matter. The Fire Authority has had to take some form of action to ensure the continued provision of appropriate contingency arrangements by advertising for competent fire fighters to provide cover during strikes. This is necessary due to the ongoing Fire Brigade union’s dispute with the government over changes to the fire fighters pension scheme. This is with the government not with the local authority. This could well lead to more prolonged periods of industrial action such as the recent 4 day strike. We have a legal duty to provide cover.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Corrall. Councillor Naylor have you a supplementary?
Councillor Naylor: Yes just a brief one. Can I ask whether Members of the Fire Authority are in support of members who are currently striking because obviously there is a national pay claim there that they are looking at.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Corrall.
Councillor Corrall: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Yes indeed I think there is not one single Member who is against the Fire Brigade union on this and we have all expressed our opinions. I have personally written to the Minister to try and get a resolution to this but unfortunately we do have to provide a service under law and if we don’t then someone is going to get into deep trouble over it and that could well be me. Thank you.
Lord Mayor: Question 18 Councillor Grant.
Councillor Grant: Thank you Lord Mayor. “Can the City Mayor explain why Labour Councillors raise issues of foreign policy in the Council chamber and the Member of Parliament for Leicester East raises matters relating to Council in Parliament. Hasn’t this got more to do with coming elections than serving of the people of Leicester”?
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. My guess is that Councillor Grant is referring to the motion on the agenda later this evening which relates to the desperate situation in the West Bank and Palestine. It is certainly my view and the view of Members on this side that if matters such as this are of public concern for the residents and the people of Leicester then they are justifiably a matter of concern for this Council. The argument that we should not as a City and as a Council express an opinion on national or international matters is not a new one. It is, however, a very narrow minded one. It was evident to those of us who were there at the time some years ago that the argument that is being made now about this matter is one that Members opposite, particularly Conservative members opposite, took on the matter of apartheid and the persecution of Nelson Mandela. I remember debates in this chamber when Members opposite questioned the appropriateness of us in this chamber debating that issue. Indeed I think at the time Members on the Conservative benches dismissed the issue but dismissed Nelson Mandela as a terrorist, and of course that is not a judgment that we hear them express today, but it is one that makes this particular argument this evening or this particular debate this evening I think very reminiscent of that period. It was sad, I thought actually despite that, very interesting that Members of the Conservative Party joined us at the park recently to celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela, having of course recognised the enormous contribution that he made to the future of his country and indeed the example that he set to the rest of the world. Our concern of course now is about what is taking place in Palestine and the West Bank and I believe it is very legitimate for this Council to debate that. I think there is a strong sense in our community and amongst us that what is taking place in the West Bank and in Palestine is in many of its facets similar to apartheid. The Council was right to express its opposition to apartheid in South Africa and the concern that we are now expressing and going to be invited to express later this evening about the situation in Palestine, I think is equally appropriate for us to debate in this chamber and to express on behalf of those who sent us to it.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Grant have you a supplementary?
Councillor Grant: Thank you Lord Mayor. Certainly I can’t comment on the conduct or even views held by the Conservative Group so long ago having not been a Member of this Council at that time, but I do have concerns that in picking out particular issues we are ignoring other issues and as an example I would say that we have never discussed in this chamber the issue of Russia invading the Ukraine, even though we have a Ukrainian community in the City and therefore there is a real danger that in picking out certain issues we are acting divisively. We also have three Elected Members of Parliament and I would say that it is more appropriate that they deal with these matters on our behalf and we lobby them and wouldn’t it be far more appropriate if Members of his own group helped finding savings in Leicester and acting on the potential that they have got to improve the lives of members in this City than in debating issues which have no real relevance to the chamber.
Lord Mayor: I take it that was your supplementary. City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor if Councillor Grant were to bring a motion on the issue of Russia and Ukraine I would expect and I see nods around the chamber that Members on this side would very much welcome that and welcome the opportunity to express it and would probably be of a similar mind to him about our abhorrence towards it. But I come back to the early part of my answer. I mean when matters such as what is happening in Palestine and the West Bank are of such grave concern to us and to those that sent us to this chamber it is right and proper and it is indeed our responsibility to consider them in this chamber, to express our views on their behalf and to ensure that they are heard loud and clear at a national and an international level.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 19 Councillor Grant.
Councillor Grant: “Who is in charge of the works on Belgrave Road, the Council’s highways department or Sainsbury’s”?
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: Thank you Lord Mayor. I can confirm that Sainsbury’s are responsible for delivering these major highway improvements and managing the contractors involved in constructing the works. Of course the City as highways authority is working in close partnership with Sainsbury’s to ensure that the very complex highway work is carried out efficiently and of course to the required standard. Of course we are also very keen to minimise the impact on local residents and indeed the disruption of traffic during construction. This is obviously a major investment by the private sector in the City’s road network. It will deliver long term benefits for the area and will also of course provide impetus for the future regeneration of something that is very important to us which is of course the Golden Mile.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Grant have you a supplementary?
Councillor Grant: Wouldn’t it be far better for the City Mayor to use his powers and influence to cut through these problems and just get the work done than for Keith Vaz to be raising matters in Parliament so that it looks like he is busy.
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor I have explained the division of responsibilities on these matters. It is work that is being carried out by contractors on behalf of Sainsbury’s. You know that is the way the system works and while of course we can all be impatient about the works while they are underway and particularly sympathetic towards those who may have had to sit in traffic waiting to get through them, those who may live in the area and particularly of course traders in the area who have quite rightly felt very much aggrieved at the time that it is taking. It is nonetheless a matter for Sainsbury’s to ensure that the contractors progress very quickly and I am very pleased to say that as a result of the intervention of Keith Vaz as Member of Parliament for Leicester East and for that part of the City, I think Sainsbury’s appear to have got the message that there is an expectation that they will get their finger out and get the job finished.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 20 Councillor Grant.
Councillor Grant: “Is the real purpose of introducing a pay and display parking scheme in St. Mary’s triangle to prepare the way for permit parking in Clarendon Park? Isn’t it really designed to create more pressure in adjoining roads”?
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. I can assure Councillor Grant and Members that the proposed pay and display scheme in the St. Mary’s triangle area is a response to concerns from local shop owners in Queens Road about the lack of on–street parking for customers. What has happened over recent years is that increased commuter parking in the area has restricted the space available for people who want to park up and to visit the nearby shops, and it was in response to local shop owners, as I understand it, that the local Ward Councillors, whom of course Councillor Grant is not one, were pressing for the creation of much needed on-street parking for customers for local businesses. They were I am absolutely convinced accurately reflecting the views of those traders and like me determined that we should support this very important local shopping area by helping to ensure a regular turnover of extra parking spaces throughout the day and not those spaces being clogged up by commuters and thereby making them unavailable.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Grant have you a supplementary?
Councillor Grant: Yes. The City Mayor says there has been increased commuter parking in this particular area, but that is largely because the Council has introduced pay and display streets adjoining it and therefore the parking is just being moved further and further up. He says that I am not a Councillor for the area which is true but I have had the shop owners come to me expressing concerns and local residents expressing concerns because they know their local Councillors are intransigent on this issue. In 2006 the Labour party distributed a leaflet claiming 70% public support for permit parking. That has twice been defeated, but they are now floating this balloon again and I believe that this is just a matter of making the parking worse. In terms of supplementary, shouldn’t the consultation have gone further and speak to all people who will be affected including the roads where the parking displays will move to which may move as far as Knighton.
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor. I am entirely convinced that far from being intransigent the Council Ward Councillors, and particularly Councillor Kitterick who has argued very strongly on behalf of the traders in this area, are responsive to what is being said to them by local people. And if indeed Councillor Grant believes that he knows better than the local Ward Councillors in that area I trust that at the forthcoming elections, rather than standing in Knighton he will wish to chance his arm in Castle Ward. Were he to do so I am sure he would get a very short answer to his assertion that he knows best what the people in that area think.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 21 Councillor Grant.
Councillor Grant: I hope the City Mayor will delay his decision until after the election on the last question. “Every year the City Mayor has increased Council tax rejecting the notion that has any consequence on affordability. Now that it appears that many Members of his own group have had problems paying their Council tax is he considering a new approach to setting Council tax at the next budget”?
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor as Councillor Grant knows we are in the middle of the most sustained period of government cut backs that local government has ever experienced and these cuts have affected nearly all authorities, but of course have disproportionately affected deprived authorities such as ourselves. It cannot be right that affluent authorities like Wokingham and Surrey can see growth in their spending power while Knowsley, Newham and of course Leicester can get double digit reductions. And a 2% tax increase is as Councillor Grant will know is worth about £1.7m a year. Now of course in the context of £60m of cuts being forced on us by the government that he supports that we will have to make by 2018/19 such a sum may not seem particularly significant. It is however, a further £1.7m per year of cuts that we will be required to make to the fundamental and basic services that people expect from their City Council. I think Councillor Grant rather than arguing as he has been about us keeping down Council tax, ought to be taking the case for the people of Leicester to his government and saying to them give us a fair deal as you do to Wokingham and Surrey.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Grant have you a supplementary?
Councillor Grant: Yes.We regularly hear complaints from the City Mayor about the funding received by the City, but I would suggest that it does not take much effort for us as Councillors to find where those savings can take place. Recently I asked about some of our IT services and found that of 133 dongles that are provided for laptops only 33 are in use, and that of roughly 360 mobile devices only a third of them are in use. This is an area we have been waiting to deliver savings for some time so wouldn’t it be better for his Councillors for him to direct his Councillors as their leader to go and find these savings so that labour could really do something about the cost of living crisis in Leicester.
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor I have spoken in this chamber about the scale of the cuts that the Tory led government are forcing on Leicester and on the services that we provide to the people of Leicester. I have said in the past that having to find in total £150m a year cuts is not something that can be addressed by buying fewer paperclips, frankly Lord Mayor neither can it be addressed by buying fewer dongles.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 22, Councillor Porter.
Councillor Porter: Thank you Lord Mayor. My question is “How many park and ride buses now run along Aylestone Road?”
Lord Mayor: Deputy City Mayor.
Deputy City Mayor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. There should be no more than 2 park and ride buses on Aylestone Road at any one time.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Porter have you a supplementary?
Councillor Porter: Yes I have Lord Mayor. Obviously the Council is aware of the subsidy which I think amounts to over £600,000 per year just for the Enderby site, and if you are say fortunate to be a motorist who uses that park and ride site up to five passengers can travel in and out of town for just £3.50. But if you were to try and get a bus from Aylestone say into the town centre you would be looking for the same number of passengers, 5 passengers getting on a normal bus, it would cost you over £20. So in terms of that because of the amount of subsidy we put into the park and ride at Enderby would it be possible for the Council to consider that the park and ride buses on their way from Enderby through Aylestone into the City Centre stop at the bus stops in Aylestone and pick up passengers with the same preferential subsidised fare which currently is going to those people who are fortunate enough to own a motor car.
Lord Mayor: Deputy City Mayor.
Deputy City Mayor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Councillor Porter really raises 2 issues in his supplementary question. The first is that the park and ride service now serving the LRI on the Enderby route is proving to be a great success and it is an important addition to our contribution in helping the parking pressure at the LRI site. In terms of how we can respond to increase in fares, fares which are deeply unfair amongst our commercial bus operators, what we really need is the ability and the powers from central government to be able to regulate local bus services. Something which his so called localist government has consistently failed to deliver.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Deputy City Mayor. Question 23, Councillor Porter.
Councillor Porter: Yes thank you Lord Mayor. I know the Council does not have any power over commercial operators but they do have power over the park and ride bus.
Lord Mayor: Wait a minute we have asked one question, let’s concentrate on 23.
Councillor Porter: Just to clarify he seems to have a bit of a misunderstanding.
Lord mayor: No, no, no, no. Let us ask the question and listen to the answer.
Councillor Porter: Question 23 is “Are the Council committed to installing a ramp from Marsden Lane in Aylestone to the Great Central Way also in Aylestone?”
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: Yes my Lord Mayor. As Councillor Porter is well aware Councillor Clarke has made a very powerful case for the improvement of access to the Great Central Way in the Aylestone area where of course the former railway line crossed through the village at a high level and therefore in a way that is relatively difficult to access for those with mobility problems, those with scooters, with pushchairs, with buggies or indeed for cycles, and I have listened to what Councillor Clarke has said. I have with him met with the Aylestone Meadows Appreciation Society so ably chaired by Anne Hayto, and attended 2 public meetings. I have indeed cycled the route a number of times to see for myself what the access arrangements are. And having worked very closely with Councillor Clarke on a series of options and discussed these with the Aylestone Meadows Appreciation Society and some members of the public, we have now instructed officers to arrange for the necessary site inspection and feasibility surveys. As a result of Councillor Clarke’s initiative these surveys will help us to understand better what challenges we are faced in the area and to understand what the likely costs for the work might be. But I am, along with Councillor Clarke, determined that we should deliver that better access and look forward to working very closely with him in the years ahead.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Porter have you a supplementary?
Councillor Porter: Yes I have Lord Mayor. It is interesting that he is trying to make out that this initiative has come from Councillor Clarke when it has actually come from the local residents and I am sure when people read the minutes of this meeting they will be a little bit concerned that it seems to be that Councillor Clarke is now getting all the credit for it when it was actually initiated by Anne Hayto and the Aylestone Meadows Appreciation Society. So that is very, very unfortunate. However, my question is if the Council has got a commitment to provide this ramp which obviously I am backing and I am obviously backing Anne Hayto and all the Aylestone residents who are supporting this campaign, which was not initiated by Councillor Clarke I reiterate, where are the Council going to find the funding from because at the moment we are getting quotes that it is going to cost between £300,000 and £600,000.
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor I, in my initial response, gave credit to local residents, to AMAS the Aylestone Meadows Appreciation Society and to Anne Hayto and I gave credit to Councillor Clarke for having listened so carefully to what his local electorate has said to him and for so effectively articulating the case on their behalf. And I am grateful for them for having pressed for the idea and to Councillor Clarke for having so ably represented them.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 24 Councillor Porter.
Councillor Porter: Is there any opportunity I could get an actual answer to the question that I posed on that last one, is that possible – where the money is going to come from. That’s another one which we can let people know about. I don’t believe there is any commitment from him and if there was then I am sure it would be happening.
Lord Mayor: Well do you wish to ask 24.
Councillor Porter: Question 25 Lord Mayor is “How many cars use the southbound one way stretch of Welford Road each day”?
Lord Mayor: Do you want to ask 24 yes?
Councillor Porter: Alright I will get back to 24.
Lord Mayor: I will allow you to go back to 24 you only had to ask.
Councillor Porter: Thank you very much. Right this is another question which is really important in Aylestone. “How many dwellings are there likely to be on the Franklyn Fields site in Aylestone?”
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor the site at Franklyn Fields is currently being marketed for housing development and obviously any particular scheme will need to be subject to planning processes. Obviously as we have not yet got a planning application the precise numbers have not been established in detail, but I do expect that the numbers of dwellings may be restricted by highway limits and might be about 100/120 to 126 I think was the precise figure.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Porter have you a supplementary?
Councillor Porter: Yes I have to question 24. It is nice to get a straightforward answer to a question for once from the Lord Mayor. Yes 126.
Lord Mayor: City Mayor, no the City Mayor, the Lord Mayor is very appreciative of the way you are behaving, very good, carry on.
Councillor Porter: No problem keep the compliments going and I will behave. Yes, obviously there were rumours circulating in Aylestone that there could be up to 126 dwellings going on this site and people are very, very concerned about that. So I mean I had a meeting with the Mayor probably about 2 or so years ago and he said there would be a maximum of around 40 dwellings on the site. So I would like to know why he has changed his mind and now he is looking to market the site with up to 126 dwellings on it because it is not going down very well at all in Aylestone.
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor I actually do not recall that particular conversation. It is surprising that Councillor Porter has not bothered to come and talk with me in the intervening period unlike his colleague, Councillor Clarke, who has talked to me on a number of occasions about this matter and has bothered to actually keep himself fully briefed on the current situation. My Lord Mayor the figure of 126 dwellings is to the best of my knowledge in the public domain; it is not something that I am announcing for the first time this evening. It has been part of the discussion certainly Councillor Clarke and I have discussed it and it has been discussed I think with public residents as well. And of course the necessity of developing this site must be very evident for those who see the numbers of people in this City who are without adequate homes and the need for us to provide land for those homes to be developed in the City for the sake of those people who actually need them but also for the sake of the economy of the City. This is a site that we have been very sensitive about in terms of drawing up our development proposals, sensitive of its proximity to the Aylestone Meadows that we were talking about earlier on, to the Great Central Way that I was talking about earlier on and the need for us to get a balance between the need for housing that I have discussed and the ecology and the needs of the existing residents of the area. I believe that 126 or thereabouts depending on the details, we are striking that balance appropriately, will be able to get the much needed housing and to preserve the environment.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Porter, question 25.
Councillor Porter: Do you want me to read it out again.
Lord Mayor: Go on please do.
Councillor Porter: alright OK. “How many cars use the southbound one way stretch of Welford Road each day?”
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: 15,000.
Lord Mayor: Have you a supplementary Councillor Porter?
Councillor Porter: Yes I have Lord Mayor. Yes 15,000 must make it probably one of the busiest roads in and out of the City, well out of the City I would say. I notice that at the top end of Welford Road just by the New Walk Centre a section of bus lane was removed a few months ago. There is currently a proposal to take away one of the lanes and make it as a cycling route. Is the Council minded as they removed one section of bus lane at the top end of Welford Road, to remove the remainder of the bus lane on Welford Road to compensate for the loss of capacity by installing the cycle lane?
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor. It is indeed one of the busiest routes in the City. It is also one of the widest routes in the City, in parts as much as four or five lanes wide, and of course it is also one that is very hazardous for pedestrians but particularly hazardous for cyclists as a result of the speed of vehicles down the road and the lack of proper provision for both pedestrians and cyclists. What we are undertaking at the moment is an experiment to see whether it is possible to reduce the numbers of lanes while maintaining the numbers of vehicles flowing through which is particularly governed by the junctions rather than the width of the road, and when that has been carried out there will then be an opportunity for us to access the impact of that and to look at the costs and the benefits in terms of the loss of that space against the increased safety and comfort of pedestrians and cyclists.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 26, Councillor Singh.
Councillor Singh: Lord Mayor can I invite the City Mayor to answer the question on the order paper under my name please.
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor as I said in an answer to an earlier question, and as Councillor Singh will be aware, the current government have indicated that they intend to make significant further cuts to local government and of course those cuts as I said earlier will fall hardest in areas of greatest deprivation such as Leicester. We expect these cuts and as a result of factoring them into our planning, the extent of them is shown in our budget report and nothing has changed since then to lighten the very gloomy predictions we have of the extent of the task ahead of us and the impact that those cuts will have on the people of our City.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Singh have you a supplementary?
Councillor Singh: I do Lord Mayor. Just to say that if you extrapolate that single year’s reduction of £3.4bn nationally over the four years it would be somewhere in the region of over £20bn. But what is interesting is this, that in the last 4 years this Council has been at the heart of this government’s cynical exercise in making large revenue support grant cuts and really I wanted to ask will the City Mayor agree with me that this Conservative Lib/Dem Coalition government has done its damnedest to decimate this Council’s ability to protect its constituents and it is only thanks to this Labour Group that we have, and it is to the credit of this Labour Group as well Lord Mayor, that we have maintained the adequacy of service provision and will continue to do so. However, much more would be that the quicker this government is voted out in next year the better we will all be.
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor I am sure Councillor Singh will not be surprised to know that I agree with him entirely.
Lord Mayor: Question 27, Councillor Grant.
Councillor Grant: “Has any Member of his group been involved in discussing the Council’s debt recovery processes and protocols whilst being in arrears on their own Council tax”?
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: Not to my knowledge my Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Grant have you a supplementary?
Councillor Grant: No. Thank you.
Lord Mayor: Question 28 Councillor Grant.
Councillor Grant: “There is a parallel in the way the public and Councillors were treated in regard to parking concerns at Jubilee Square and City Hall respectively, in that they were promised new parking on completion of the projects but were misled and ultimately the promised parking never materialised. Isn’t it a disgrace though that some Councillors have complained at length about their own parking whilst remaining silent when the same issue affected the public”?
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor Members will be aware that with the creation of Jubilee Square and I have reported on this in this chamber before, 8 new disabled spaces are being created in Careys Close. These will be available just before Christmas when the site is no longer being used as a site compound, and 21 spaces are being created in Upper Brown Street adjacent to the Newarke Street car park with 4 additional spaces proposed in the layby opposite. I am not actually aware of any Members of this Council actually having, from whatever group, having complained about the parking arrangements as a result of moving from New Walk Centre. As far as I am aware the use of Dover Street and of the Haymarket car park while obviously it is a little bit further to walk has been one that Members have found quite reasonable and quite acceptable.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Grant have you a supplementary?
Councillor Grant: No Lord Mayor.