Agenda and draft minutes

To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rules 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 against refusal of inspection of documents.

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 ti the agenda by the Chair for consideration.

(the special circumstances shall be specified in the minutes)

There was a formal late item which was a report on the Kings Award for Voluntary Service and the Kings Award for Enterprise Scheme.

Members were also advised there was supplementary information in relation to Agenda Item 10 – Finance Report.

These had been published and circulated prior to the meeting.

To disclose or draw attention to any interests in accordance with Leeds City Council’s ‘Councillor Code of Conduct’.

No declarations of interests were made at the meeting.

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Cllr Garthwaite.

To confirm as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on 13^th December 2023.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 13^th December 2023, be approved as a correct record.

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 accordance with paragraphs 4.16 and 4.17 of the Community Committee Procedure Rules, a period of 10 minutes was allocated for members of the public to make representations or ask questions to the Community Committee.

Members of the public raised issues in relation to:

·  Bins left on pavements, causing serious problems for pedestrians and were an eyesore.

·  Rumours that the After-Hours Noise Service was going to be phased out.

·  Residents were disappointed to have heard about a lighting installation on Woodhouse Moor led by the University on Look North News, rather than from the Council.

·  Incidents of paving stones being stolen, which was dangerous and could cause injuries. It also made the area look unkempt.

·  Lots of old buildings were being turned into student accommodation. It was the view that these buildings could be refurbished and used for homeless people.

Councillors responded to the issues raised, providing the following information:

·  It was noted that Councillors had also not heard about the lighting installation on Woodhouse Moor, but since the news had broken, they had met with the University and WYCA. Councillors had requested that this project be withdrawn or moved to another location such as Alexandra Park. They had been informed that the funding was specific to Woodhouse Moor. Councillors had suggested that any mention of lighting should be removed from all communications and consultation. The resident confirmed that the idea of lighting had been removed.

·  Councillors advised the residents that they had not heard anything about the After-Hours Service being stopped.

·  There is a Public Space Protection Order in the area concerned which covers bins left out amongst other things. The PSPO in relation to bins in particular is extremely onerous to enforce given the transient nature of the population.

·  Residents were informed that the Council has been marking paving stones with Smartwater to try and address the issue of the paving stones being stolen. However, it was difficult to see how effective this had been. Councillors were not aware of any areas where holes had been left for 9 months, the Council usually filled the holes as quickly as possible. A long-term solution was to replace all the paving slabs, as resetting them makes it difficult for thieves to lift them. Councillors requested residents to let them know as soon as possible if paving stones had been stolen. It was noted that the police were aware of the issue.

·  It was acknowledged that student accommodation in the city was developed by private companies. However, the Councillors advised the residents that numbers of rough sleepers in the city were low compared to other large cities. The Council do have rooms for rough sleepers, and once there, they are offered assistance and support. The Council unfortunately has no spare buildings to designate for homeless people, as those the Council own are currently being sold to raise income. It was noted that the Council do an overnight head count of rough sleepers every six months and it is low in comparison  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

This report introduces the presentation from the University of Leeds Lifelong Learning Centre.  The purpose of which is to show members of the Inner North West Community Committee and residents in attendance what is on offer at the centre. 

This item introduced a presentation from the University of Leeds Lifelong Learning Centre. The purpose of which was to show members of the Inner North West Community Committee and residents in attendance what was on offer at the centre.

In attendance for this item was:

• Esther Bissell – Leeds University Lifelong Learning Centre

This presentation updated the Community Committee on what the Community Outreach Team could offer in terms of courses in the community. The Lifelong Learning Centre is a multi-disciplinary school offering undergraduate courses, and a specialist service supporting mature and part-time learners across the University of Leeds.

The courses focus on students from under-represented groups and those without traditional qualifications. The centre provides support for current and prospective mature, part-time and Foundation Level students, and apprentices. The team work with community organisations and education providers in areas of low participation in higher education in Leeds and West Yorkshire to create opportunities for adults to access higher education.

The following points were highlighted from the presentation:

• The team offer positive messages on the benefits of further or higher education, explain and provide information on finance and entry qualifications, give impartial information, advice and guidance for adults without degrees and provide role models for adults from under- represented groups in higher education.
• The community engagement approach offers long term and sustainable support to the communities they work with.
• The team offer taster sessions which are useful and relevant to the group and provide assistance with visits to the university.
• Support is provided to the community and adult learning organisations through university volunteers and research.
• The centre can offer webinars which are free, host special degree programmes and apprenticeships.
• A drop-in adult learner session was to be held on Thursday 18^th April.

Responding to questions the following information was provided:

·  There are currently 2,000-3,000 mature students.

·  Students are required to have level 2 English. The Lifelong Learning Centre can signpost to English courses.

·  The courses run by the Lifelong Learning Centre are held during term-time between 10am and 3pm, on a couple of days per week. All courses are part-time except for one.

RESOLVED – To note the content of the report and presentation.

The report introduces the review of 2023/24. A number of projects funded by the Inner North West Community Committee from across the 3 wards of the Inner North West have been invited to discuss their projects, the impact of the Inner North West Community Committee funding and plans for 2024/25.

The report introduced the review of the 2023/24 funded projects.

Representatives from five of the funded projects had been invited to the Committee to discuss their projects and the impact they are having on the community.

Music House

Music House is located in an old building close to Notre Dame Sixth Form College and opposite the University. They offer a welcoming environment where young people can express themselves through music.

The project reaches out to young people, so they can explore all aspects of music from playing instruments, writing music, singing, and producing music. All types of music are encouraged at the Music House. The Music House invites young people to a ‘Jam around the table’ where food and drink is provided, and this starts conversations.

From one of the sessions a choir has evolved called Reggae Roots. Reggae Roots were invited to join the 300 strong choir who sang at the Kings Coronation on the stage in Windsor Park.

The young people who come to the project bring their talent and creativity, and Music House provides the environment for them to develop.

Members were informed that there are now four groups operating in the Inner North West area and this would not have been possible without the support of the Community Committee, Council and Housing Advisory Panel. The Music House was grateful for all the support that had been given.

Hyde Park Unity Day

The representative explained how the Community Committee had saved the one day event in 2023 after they had failed to secure expected lottery funding. A new committee of volunteers has been formed and it is proposed that future events will be smaller. The newly formed committee want to engage with the community to see what they would want for the area. To do this the plan is to advertise using social media and shop windows in the local area.

It was noted that in the past there had been noise issues after the event had finished at 8:00pm, but hopefully smaller local events would change the ethos of the day attracting more families.

Members welcomed the proposals and the work in the area and offered to assist in making contacts.

Little London Food Pantry

The Community Committee were thanked for all their support since the project had started in 2020, as part of the assistance to the community during the pandemic. This had originally been a responsive project to the pandemic for a period of 16 weeks. In April 2022 the Covid Response emergency food provision transitioned into Little London Food Pantry as a more sustainable option. Service users are required to register as members and pay a one off £1, in addition £3 per week is payable towards their shopping.

The food pantry initially operated from a room in Little London Community Centre which was not sustainable due to the multi-use nature of the building and lack of secure storage. This was followed by a period using the old LCC Housing Team reception area  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

The report of the Head of Locality Partnerships provides the Inner North West Community Committee with an update on the King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) and the King’s Award for Enterprise (KAE) schemes.

This report provided the Inner North West Community Committee with an update on the King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) and the King’s Award for Enterprise (KAE) schemes.

Kuldip Bharj attended the Committee as one of the Deputy Lieutenants for West Yorkshire. She said she was please to see and hear of so many wonderful projects being undertaken in the Inner North West area. She said that the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson would love to visit some of the events and that co-ordinators should contact Ms Baker one of the Deputy Lieutenants to invite him.

The report asked members to identify groups/organisations who might qualify for the schemes and explore whether there are any ways the Lieutenancy can help the committee in the work they do with the local community.

The cost of applying for the award is free, and the lieutenancy are looking at liaising with local community groups and organisations. Members were asked to provide any local group names, and/or contact details to the lieutenancy so that they can get in contact with them and provide them with some information regarding the award, as well as the criteria. The groups or organisations should be volunteer run and have been running for three years.

The Enterprise Award was for local businesses which were sustainable, accessible and innovative.

Applications will be open from June 2024 to September 2024. If Members wished to nominate any groups or organisations they should contact Ms Baker on the following email: susan.baker@ntlworld.com and/or at the following address: West Yorkshire Lieutenancy Office, Bowcliffe Hall, Bramham, Wetherby, LS23 6LP.

The Chair thanked Kuldip for attending the meeting.

RESOLVED – To note the content of the report and the information provided at the meeting.

The report of the Head of Locality Partnerships provides the Community Committee with an update on the budget position for the Wellbeing Fund, Youth Activity Fund, Capital Budget, as well as the Community Infrastructure Levy Budget for 2023/24.

The Head of Locality Partnerships submitted a report that set out the overall delegated budget position for the Community Committee and invited Members to note the latest position, as submitted, and determine the funding applications contained within the report.

The Locality Officer informed the Committee of the following points:

• The Wellbeing Budget has a remaining balance of £13,642.41.
• The Youth Activity Fund has a remaining balance of £1,871.78. It was noted that with a limited budget next year the tow breeze events set out in the report would be put on hold to see if there was enough to fund the projects.
• It was noted that the Capital Budget had received two injections of money: £21,224.13.
• Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) has a remaining balance of £38,824.77.
• The Members had ring-fenced funding in relation to:
  • Christmas lights
  • Room rental for community engagement
  • CCTV
  • Youth Summit

Members were requested to consider and determine Wellbeing projects; Youth Activity Fund projects and a CIL project as follows:

RESOLVED –

a.  Details of the Wellbeing Budget position and new applications listed (Table 1) be noted.

b.  That having considered the funding applications submitted to the Committee, all applications, as referenced within the submitted report be determined as set out above.

c.  Monitoring information of its funded projects (paragraph 17) be noted.

d.  Details of the Youth Activities Fund (YAF) position (Table 2) be noted.

e.  Details of the Small Grants & Skips Budget (Table 3) be noted.

f.  Details of the Capital Budget (Table 4) be noted.

g.  Details of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) (Table 5) be noted.

The report of the Head of Locality Partnerships brings to members’ attention an update of the work which the Communities Team is engaged in, based on priorities identified by the Community Committee. It also provides opportunities for further questioning, or to request a more detailed report on a particular issue.

This report brought to Member’s attention an update on the work which the Communities Team had been engaged in, based on the priorities identified by the Community Committee. It also provided an opportunity for further questioning, or to request a more detailed report on a particular issue.

The Locality Officer presented the report and provided the Committee with the following information:

·  The Children and Families sub-group had set a date for the Youth Summit to be held on 14th May 2024, at the Civic Hall, and then to go to Wheeler Hall for a talk on Climate Change.

·  The Environmental sub-group had met online and had invited Alison Lowe the Deputy Mayor of West Yorkshire to the Hyde Park area to try and address the issue of graffiti in the area.

RESOLVED – To note the content of the report and the information provided at the meeting.

To receive the report of report of the City Solicitor which requests Members to give consideration to agreeing the proposed Community Committee meeting schedule for the 2024/2025 municipal year.

The report of the City Solicitor requested Members to give consideration to agreeing the proposed dates for municipal year 2024-25 for the Inner North West Community Committee.

The proposed dates were set out at Paragraph 5 of the report.

RESOLVED – To agree the following dates for Inner North West Community Committee for municipal year 2024-25:

·  Wednesday, 17 July 24, 6pm

·  Wednesday, 25 September 24, 6pm

·  Wednesday, 11 December 24, 6pm

·  Wednesday, 19 March 25, 6pm

The meeting concluded at 19:50