Agenda and minutes

To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 15.2 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules (in the event of an Appeal the press and public will be excluded). (*In accordance with Procedure Rule 15.2, written notice of an appeal must be received by the Head of Governance Services at least 24 hours before the meeting)

There were no appeals.

1 To highlight reports or appendices which officers have identified as containing exempt information, and where officers consider that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons outlined in the report.

2 To consider whether or not to accept the officers recommendation in respect of the above information.

3 If so, to formally pass the following resolution:-

RESOLVED – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following parts of the agenda designated as containing exempt information on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of

exempt information, as follows:

There were no exempt items.

To identify items which have been admitted to the agenda by the Chair for consideration (The special circumstances shall be specified in the minutes)

A late item of business was published and circulated prior to the meeting, at the request of the Chair, in relation to the National Census 2021 (Minute 24 refers.)

Some supplementary information was also circulated to Members in relation to Item 8, Inner South Community Committee Finance Report (Minute 19 refers.)

To disclose or draw attention to any disclosable pecuniary interests for the purposes of Section 31 of the Localism Act 2011 and paragraphs 13-16 of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Councillor M Iqbal submitted his apologies.

To approve the draft minutes of the meeting held 9 December 2020 as an accurate record.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held 9^th December 2021 be approved as an accurate record.

Matters arising

Item 7 – In relation to bowling greens, it was confirmed that following consultation, bowling greens across the city will not be closed.

Item 10 – Members requested more information about the organisations and businesses in the Inner South who are part of the Safe Spaces Scheme.

In accordance with Paragraphs 4.16 and 4.17 of the Community Committee Procedure Rules, at the discretion of the Chair a period of up to 10 minutes may be allocated at each ordinary meeting for members of the public to make representations or to ask questions on matters within the terms of reference of the Community Committee. This period of time may be extended at the discretion of the Chair. No member of the public shall speak for more than three minutes in the Open Forum, except by permission of the Chair.

In order to facilitate the Open Forum item whilst Community Committee meetings are being held remotely, the process has been adapted slightly, so that members of the public are invited to make written submissions in advance of the meeting on any matter which falls within the Committee’s terms of reference. These will be read out under this agenda item and considered by the Community Committee.

There were no matters raised on this occasion.

To consider the report of the Head of Stronger Communities setting out the delegated budget position for the Community Committee and inviting Members to consider the wellbeing applications submitted.

The Head of Stronger Communities submitted a report that set out the delegated budget position for the Community Committee and invited Members to consider the wellbeing applications submitted.

A further Wellbeing Application was also submitted as supplementary information for Members consideration.

The projects set out in the report were discussed and agreed as follows:

During consideration of the Wellbeing applications set out above, Councillor K Groves wished for it to be noted that she was a Member of the Hunslet Rugby Foundation Board.

During discussions, the following matters were raised:

·  In response to a query, Members were advised for any successful Wellbeing projects that have not proceeded due to the pandemic, funds will be returned to the Wellbeing fund, and applicants encouraged to reapply in 2021/22. Related to this, Members were also advised that unspent 10K Government Funding COVID-19 Grants are returned to the Government at the end of the financial year.

·  It was noted that since agenda publication, there had been some changes to the balances set out in the report. At paragraph 40, table 7, the total balance at the time of the meeting was £3,007 (Beeston & Holbeck - £0, Hunslet & Riverside - £2,408, and Middleton Park - £98). At paragraph 41, table 8, the total balance at the time of the meeting was £11,206 (Beeston & Holbeck - £5,875, Hunslet & Riverside - £5,331, and Middleton Park - £0).

RESOLVED –

a)  That the details of the Wellbeing Budget position be noted;

b)  That the wellbeing applications be approved as set out above;

c)  That the details of the projects approved via Delegated Decision be noted;

d)  That the monitoring information of the Committee’s funded projects be noted;

e)  That the details of the Youth Activities Fund (YAF) position be approved as set out in the report;

f)  That the details of the Small Grants Budget be noted;

g)  That the details of the Community Skips Budget be noted;

h)  That the details of the Capital Budget be noted;

i)  That the details of the Community Infrastructure Levy Budget be noted;

j)  That the details of the COVID-19 Wellbeing Discretionary Fund be noted;

k)  That the details of the 10K Government Funding COVID-19 Grants be noted;

l)  That the details of projects not started by October 2020, plus variations to projects (Table 8) be noted.

To consider the report of the Head of Stronger Communities providing a summary of work which the Communities Team are engaged in that is not covered elsewhere on this agenda.

The Head of Stronger Communities submitted a report that provided a summary of the work undertaken by the Communities Team based on the priorities identified by the Inner South Community Committee. A Facebook engagement update was appended to the report.

Community Committee Champions provided updates for their respective areas and feedback from recent sub group meetings, as set out in the report.

A number of matters were discussed, including:

·  Members noted a strength in partnership with local schools and opportunities to form an approach across the Inner South to managing Government catch-up funding, with focus on building confidence, supporting mental health and more practical activities, alongside additional academic support. Members requested that a letter is circulated to all schools in area to thank teachers and pupils for their dedication and resilience during the pandemic, on behalf of the Committee.

·  Members recognised the vital role of the Community Care Volunteer Hubs during the pandemic and requested that further updates be provided for Beeston & Holbeck and Hunslet & Riverside wards, in addition to Middleton Park.

·  Members recognised some of the challenges and barriers to accessing the Vaccination programme, and the need for more outreach work, including with the BAME community in the Inner South. It was also noted that the Vaccination Centre at Elland Road was not currently working to full capacity, and Members were keen to explore opportunities to offer vaccination appointments to public services, such as employees at Elland Road Police Station and local schools. It was also suggested that a future discussion takes place with the Local Care Partnership to consider how to best align health partners funding streams to ward-level priorities to build permanent resilience in the Inner South moving forward.

·  Members noted the increase in Inner South residents receiving Universal Credit as a result of the pandemic, and welcomed a formal item at a future committee meeting, with more detailed data, to focus on this issue.

RESOLVED –

a)  That the contents of the report be noted;

b)  That a letter, on behalf of the Committee, be circulated to all schools in the Inner South area, to thank teachers and pupils for their dedication and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To consider the report of the Director of City Development that provides details of the consultation on the draft Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy and introduces a presentation to be delivered at the meeting.

The Director of City Development submitted a report that provided details of the consultation on the draft Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy and introduces a presentation to be delivered at the meeting.

The following were in attendance:

-  Paul Foster, Transport Planning Manager, City Development

-  Finn Campbell, Team Leader (Forward Planning), City Development

Representatives delivered a PowerPoint presentation of the draft strategy to Members, highlighting the following:

·  Feedback from 2016 conversation for Inner South largely related to bus route realignment to reflect the daily journeys of local residents, concerns about air quality, and the need for advanced technology to support provision.

·  The three priorities set out in the draft strategy are tackling climate change, delivering inclusive growth, and improving health and wellbeing – all encompassed within the six ‘Big Moves’.

·  The draft strategy consultation closes on 26^th March 2021, and a number of themed webinars on aspects of the transport strategy and areas of opportunity are available to view on the Leeds City Council YouTube Channel.

Members discussed a number of matters, including:

·  Communicating the economic benefits of active travel schemes to residents of the Inner South. In response, Members were advised that the next steps include identifying community champions to support the delivery of key messages locally.

·  Opportunities for sustainable deliveries from distribution centres in Holbeck, and communicating the benefits to local businesses of making sustainable changes.

·  Members were largely supportive of the ambitions set out, however recognised the potential for the strategy to raise expectations, that are not met or progressed rapidly enough, and therefore cause some tension.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report and presentation, along with Members comments, be noted.

To consider the report of the City Solicitor that requests consideration of the proposed Community Committee meeting schedule for the 2021/2022 municipal year.

The City Solicitor submitted a report requesting Members to give consideration to the proposed Community Committee meeting schedule for the 2021/2022 municipal year, whilst also considering whether any revisions to the current meeting and venue arrangements should be explored.

Members agreed the schedule set out in the report to the following:

· Wednesday 9th June 2.00 pm

· Wednesday 1st September 2.00 pm

· Wednesday 24th November 2.00 pm

· Wednesday 2nd March 2.00 pm

The Chair noted that the times of each meeting could be reflected upon if the Committee begin to hold meetings in-person.

RESOLVED – That the dates in the draft meeting schedule for 2021/22 set out above be agreed.

At this stage in the meeting, the Chair wished for her thanks to Councillor Judith Blake to be noted, for her role as Leader of the Council, Middleton Park ward councillor and Member of the Inner South Community Committee. Members joined the Chair in thanking Councillor Blake and best wishes for her new role in the House of Lords.

To consider the report of the Head of Stronger Communities that introduces a verbal update on the National Census 2021 to encourage completion by residents in the Inner South Community Committee Area.

The Head of Stronger Communities submitted a report that introduced a verbal update on the National Census 2021 to encourage completion by residents in the Inner South Community Committee Area.

Scott Martin, Office for National Statistics, delivered a presentation on the National Census 2021, highlighting the following:

·  Recognition of underrepresentation of certain groups, and some of the barriers to completion, such as fear of data sharing, language barriers, disabilities, being unaware of the Census, myths and misinformation, and limited access to technology.

·  Members were advised that if an individual requires a paper version of the Census to complete, for any of the reasons highlighted above, this can be provided on request.

·  Members were advised that an individual’s data gathered through the Census is not made publicly available for 100 years, at which point it is used for ancestry and health purposes, and generalised data is only otherwise available in the public domain at approximately street/postcode level.

·  It was noted that completion of the Census is a legal requirement, and not completing can result in a fine of up to £1,000.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report and presentation be noted.

To be confirmed

The next meeting will take place on Wednesday 9th June 2.00 p.m.