Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Leeds Media Centre, Savile Mount, Leeds, LS7 3HZ

Contact: Andy Booth (0113) 24 74325  Email: andy.booth@leeds.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

82.

Election of Chair for the Meeting

To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 25 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 25, written notice of an appeal must be received by the Chief Democratic Services Officer at least 24 hours before the meeting)

 

 

Minutes:

In the absence of Councillor M Lobley, it was

 

RESOLVED – That Councillor P Wadsworth be elected Chair for the meeting.

 

(Councillor P. Wadsworth in the Chair).

 

 

 

83.

Exempt Information - Possible Exclusion of the Press and Public

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:-

 

  Item 13 Leeds City Credit Union Branch Network 10.4 (3)

Minutes:

Reference was made to Agenda Item 13, Leeds City Credit Union, which was listed as an exempt item.  A revised report was circulated, comprising an open cover report and an appendix, which the report author regarded contained exempt information which should not be made available to the press and public.  It would be necessary for the Committee to decide when Agenda Item 13 was reached whether or not to accept the officer’s recommendation regarding this proposed exempt information and, if so, to pass a formal resolution excluding the press and public from that part of the meeting when this information was discussed.

 

84.

Declaration of Interests

To declare any personal/prejudicial interests for the purpose of Section 81(3) of the Local Government Act 2000 and paragraphs 8 to 12 of the Members Code of Conduct

Minutes:

The following personal declarations of interest were made:-

 

-  Councillor B Lancaster – Agenda Item 13 (Minute No. 91 refers) – Leeds City Credit Union – in her capacity as a member of Leeds City Credit Union.

 

-  Councillor J Dowson – Agenda Item 13 (Minute No. 91 refers) – Leeds City Credit Union – in her capacity as a member of Leeds City Credit Union.

 

-  Councillor R Harker –Agenda Item 8 (Minute No. 88 refers) – Children’s Services – Area Committee Report – in his capacity as Executive Member (Learning).

 

The following declaration of personal and prejudicial interest was made:-

 

-  Councillor B Lancaster – Agenda Item 9 (Minute No. 89 refers) – Wellbeing Budget Applications – Application from KICK (Karate for Inner City Kids) – in her capacity as a Trustee of KICK.

 

Councillor Lancaster indicated that she would be leaving the meeting during the consideration of this particular application.

 

See also later Minute No. 89.

 

85.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence from the meeting were submitted on behalf of Councillors M Harris and M Lobley.

 

86.

Open Forum

In accordance with Paragraphs 6.24 and 6.25 of the Area 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 Area 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.

 

Minutes:

The agenda made reference to the provision contained in the Area Committee Procedure Rules for an Open Forum session at each ordinary meeting of an Area Committee, for members of the public to ask questions or to make representations on matters within the terms of reference of the Area Committee.

 

The Chair welcomed and invited to speak Mr Chris Say, a resident of Roundhay Ward.  In summary, Mr Say addressed the Committee on the following:-

 

·  The costs and extensive road works associated with the introduction of the High Occupancy Vehicle Lane (HOVL) on Roundhay Road.  In Mr Say’s opinion, the level of work and costs were excessive and the HOVL could have been introduced, perhaps initially on a trial basis, simply by means of road markings.

 

·  The positioning of, and the time taken to introduce, the pedestrian crossing on Roundhay Road in the vicinity of the Tesco supermarket.

 

·  The strategy, or perceived lack of, pursued by the Highways Department of the City Council which, in his opinion, led to uncoordinated and ill-thought out, piecemeal initiatives.

 

During the course of the ensuing discussion, in brief summary the main points raised were:-

 

·  The HOVL scheme, together with new parking provision on Roundhay Road, were part of an overall improvement scheme under the Town and District Centre Improvement initiative.

 

·  There were strict rules and guidelines governing the introduction and siting of pedestrian crossings.  There had been two fatal accidents on this particular stretch of road, and the positioning of crossings also had to take into account pedestrians’ natural ‘desire lines’, i.e. where they normally chose to cross the road, otherwise the danger was that the crossing would not be used.

 

·  The introduction of the HOVL had not been uncontroversial, and objections had been received, many of them from cyclists concerned about the greater risks to cyclists compared to the existing bus-only lane.  In order to accommodate the objectors, road widening and other traffic management measures had to be introduced into the scheme.

 

·  All such traffic management measures, including pedestrian crossings, were subject to a statutory process, including an objection period, leading eventually to the making of a Traffic Regulation Order, and this obviously took time to process.

 

·  There was never enough money in the budget to do all the improvements/schemes which Highways wished to introduce.  Therefore, it was unsurprising that changes tended to happen in a gradual or phased fashion.

 

The Chair thanked Mr Say for sharing his concerns.

 

(NB:  Councillor M Rafique joined the meeting at 16:10, during the discussion of this item.)

 

87.

Minutes - 1st February 2010 pdf icon PDF 75 KB

To confirm as a correct record the attached minutes of the meeting held on 1st February 2010.

Minutes:

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the  meeting held on 1st February 2010 be confirmed as a correct record.

 

88.

Children's Services - Area Committee Performance Report pdf icon PDF 70 KB

To receive and consider the attached report of the Director of Children’s Services providing the Area Committee with a dashboard of Children Services performance data.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Shaid Mahmood, Locality Enabler, Children’s Services, presented a report on behalf of the Director of Children’s Services.  The report contained information, performance indicators and statistical information, broken down by Wards, in respect of a raft of issues, such as the outcome of OfSTED inspections, teenage pregnancy rates and young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs).

 

In brief summary, the main points of discussion were:-

 

·  The need for the Committee’s Children and Young People’s Sub-Group to investigate the data in greater depth and to report back to the Committee regarding issues of concerns, e.g. teenage pregnancy.

 

·  A request for separate information and further details regarding Education Leeds improvement targets across the City and in relation to schools in the Committee’s area, and also regarding the one-to-one tuition initiative designed to assist pupils with English and Maths.

 

·  A plea for an appropriate person from Education Leeds to be present in future when these reports were considered.

 

·  Initiatives with partner organisations to try to improve reporting in respect of NEET information.

 

·  The improvements in accountability being introduced in respect of Connexions contractors.

 

RESOLVED

 

a)  That the report be received and noted.

 

b)  That more detailed consideration and investigation of the information/ issues be referred to the Children and Young People’s Sub-Group, with a view to a future report to the Area Committee.

 

(NB:  Councillor E Taylor joined the meeting at 16:27, during the consideration of this item).

 

89.

Well-Being Budget 2009/10 - Update pdf icon PDF 157 KB

To receive and consider the attached report of the East North East Area Manager on the 2009/10 Well-Being Fund.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The East North East Area Manager submitted a report updating Members on the Committee’s revenue and capital Wellbeing Funds, and containing several applications for consideration at tonight’s meeting.

 

RESOLVED

 

a)   That the report be noted, including the revenue and capital budget summaries set out at Appendices A and B.

 

b)   That the variances agreed to the existing Youth Service projects, as set out in Paragraphs 80 and 81 of the report, be noted.

 

c)   That the following decisions be taken in respect of the applications before the Committee today for determination:-

 

i)   BTCV – Garden to Eat Project - £5,000 2010/11,£4,000 2011/12 and £3,000 2012/13 – Approved (in principle in respect of 2011/12 and 2012/13), subject to the normal stage payment arrangements and confirmation of match funding.

 

ii)   Meanwood Elders Neighbourhood Action – Sunday Lunch Club - £705 – Approved.

 

iii)   ZEST Meanwood - £800 only agreed in respect of Project 3 at this stage – further report back to next meeting regarding outstanding parts of application.

 

iv)   Chapel Allerton Loyalty Card Scheme - £1,513.19 – Approved – consideration to be given to rolling out similar schemes in Moortown and Roundhay Wards.

 

v)   Beckhills Recycling Centres - £4,888.32 – Approved.

 

vi)   Chapel Allerton Methodist Church -£3,750 maximum approved (entrance ramp and balustrade £750,basement steps, guardrail and gate £1,000 and ground floor meeting room decorating and curtains £2,000 max).

 

vii)  NE Divisional Community Safety Partnership - £4,400 – Approved, subject to the conditions set out in Paragraph 60 of the report.

 

viii)   Community Payback Scheme - £15,000 – Approved;

 

ix)   Summer 2010 Holiday Programme – all approved, with the exception of Child Seasons (clarification on business and financial status of the club required) and Club Panda (referred back to next Sub-Group meeting) and Red Ladder Theatre Company – Refused.

 

(NB: 

1)  Councillor M Rafique declared a personal and prejudicial interest in respect of the application for funding from the NE Divisional Community Safety Partnership, in his capacity as a member of the Partnership, and left the meeting during the consideration of that particular application.

 

2)  Councillor B Lancaster declared a personal interest in respect of the above application in her capacity as a member of the Police Authority.

 

3)  Councillor Lancaster left the meeting during the consideration of the application from KICK (Karate for Inner City Kids) – see Minute No. 84.)

 

 

90.

Priority Neighbourhoods - Update and Priorities for 2010/11 pdf icon PDF 95 KB

To receive and consider the attached report of the East North East Area Manager on the Priority Neighbourhoods Update.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The East North East Area Manager submitted a report updating Members on recent activities in the Priority Neighbourhoods within the Committee’s area and outlined the Neighbourhood Improvement Plans for 2010/11.

 

In brief summary, the main points of the discussion were:-

 

·  Some disappointment and frustration was expressed regarding the perceived lack of action by Leeds ENE Homes in pursuing through to fruition some of the promised initiatives for residents in the Beckhill and Miles Hill areas, e.g. gating.  Some residents were now very disillusioned.

·  Clarification was requested in respect of the new Meanwood/Beckhills Priority Neighbourhood, regarding whether or not the Stonegate area was included. It was reported that the new Priority Neighbourhoods had been expanded to take in the bottom 10% Super Output Areas, which meant the new Meanwood area now included the ‘Six Estates’, and Chapeltown now included Scott Hall. A larger scale map would be sent to Members to make clearer the boundaries, and any issues would be addressed at Ward Member meetings.

 

 

RESOLVED

 

a)   That approval be given to the outline 2010/11 Neighbourhood Improvement Plans (NIPs) for the Chapeltown/Scott Hall and Meanwood Priority Areas.

 

b)   That the intention to bring an updated action plan for the Moor Allerton Priority Neighbourhood, together with a NIP, to the June Area Committee meeting be noted.

 

c)   That approval be given to the framework for overseeing the development and implementation of the NIPs in each Priority Neighbourhood, and operational details for the proposed Community Leadership Teams be brought back for consideration to the June Area Committee meeting, following consultation with key stakeholders and existing local partnerships.

 

d)   That the progress made in each of the three Priority Neighbourhoods in the quarter December 2009 – February 2010 and key activity planned for the coming quarter be noted.

 

91.

Leeds City Credit Union Branch Network

To receive and consider the attached joint report of the Chief Customer Services Officer and Director of City Development on the Leeds City Credit Union Branch Network.

Minutes:

The Director of City Development and the Chief Customer Services Officer submitted a joint report which contained an ‘exempt appendix’.  The report outlined the current financial difficulties faced by the Leeds City Credit Union, the assistance already provided by Leeds City Council to date, and highlighted the pressures which the Credit Union was under in terms of maintaining its Branch network.  The report sought possible financial assistance from the Area Committee via its Wellbeing Budget.

 

The Appendix to the report contained exempt information relating to the financial and business affairs of the Credit Union and, before considering this, the Committee passed the following resolution:-

 

RESOLVED – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the Appendix to the Credit Union report on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or nature of the proceedings, that, if members of the press and public were present, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 10.4(3) of the Access to Information Procedure Rules.

 

The Committee was supportive of trying to maintain a Credit Union presence in its area and acknowledged the urgency of the situation.  However, it was not prepared to commit money without first receiving a costed options appraisal report.

 

RESOLVED – That the Committee is supportive of the Credit Union and would like to see a branch somewhere in the Committee’s area, but it is not prepared to commit money until it has received and considered a costed options appraisal report.

 

(NB:  Councillor M Rafique left the meeting at 18:16 during the consideration of this item.)

 

92.

Area Delivery Plan 2008 - 2011 - Annual Refresh and Spending Plan for 2010/11 pdf icon PDF 112 KB

To receive and consider the attached report of the East North East Area Manager on the 2008-2011 Area Delivery Plan Annual Refresh.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The East North East Area Manager submitted a report seeking the Committee’s approval to the refreshed Area Delivery Plan (ADP) for 2010/11, together with the outline spending plan for 2010/11 linked to the Wellbeing Budget.

 

RESOLVED

 

a)   That the report be noted, and the refresh of the Area Delivery Plan (ADP) be approved.

 

b)   That the amount of Wellbeing funds to be allocated to a Small Grants Fund, contribution towards the costs of a Neighbourhood Manager, Ward pots and to each ADP theme for 2010/11 be approved.

 

c)   That the need to earmark the balance to be brought forward from 2009/10 to cover existing projects that will be completed in 2010/11, with the remainder to be allocated to Ward pots according to each Ward’s balance, and then spread between the ADP themes, be noted.

 

d)   That the design and production of the Area Community Charter be the subject of further discussion at Ward Members meetings in order to bring down costs significantly and make the design less wordy.

93.

Inner North East Community Engagement Strategy pdf icon PDF 72 KB

To receive and consider the attached report of the East North East Area Manager on the Community Engagement Strategy.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The East North East Area Manager submitted a report outlining a proposed new Community Engagement Strategy, ‘Working Together’, for implementation in 2010/11.

 

RESOLVED – That a decision on the community engagement strategy for 2010/11 be deferred, and a further report brought back to the June meeting, by which time the consultation with key stakeholders on the potential model for Priority Neighbourhoods (Agenda Page 180) will have been completed.

 

94.

Dates, Times and Venues of Area Committee Meetings 2010/11 pdf icon PDF 73 KB

To receive and consider the attached report of the Chief Democratic Services Officer on dates, times, venues of Area Committee Meetings for 2010/11.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED – That the following dates be agreed for meetings during the 2010/11 municipal year, all at 16:00 hours, venues to be confirmed at a later date:-

 

Monday, 21st June 2010

Monday, 6th September 2010

Monday, 18th October 2010

Monday, 6th December 2010

Monday, 31st January 2011

Monday, 14th March 2011

 

 

 

The meeting concluded at 18:47.