Agenda and minutes

Catherine Hyde, Stephen Garvani and Jonathan Butler

The Chair informed the Community Committee that Hazel Boutle a co-optee for the Armley Ward had written to advise the Committee that she would be stepping down from her role as a co-opted member.

The Chair said that this was sad news as Hazel had been a stalwart of the Community Committee for a number of years and done some great work and contributed to the decision making of Members of the Committee and that she would be greatly missed.

The Chair invited the Armley Councillors to say a few words.

Cllr McKenna said that the Armley Ward had struggled to get co-opted members but Hazel had been a co-opted members since the days of the area committees going back some 10 or 12 years. As well as acknowledging the good work of Hazel, Cllr McKenna recognised the work of her husband David who had driven her to the meetings. He said that he had sent an email thanking them both for the work and support that they had given to the Committee, saying that she would be sadly missed.  It was noted that Hazel was also active in the Community with Armley Helping Hands and Armley Common Rights Trust along with husband David. He felt sure that Hazel would continue to help in the community and looked forward to seeing her in her other community roles. Cllr McKenna requested that a letter be sent on behalf of the Community Committee thanking her for all the hard work that she had done.

Cllr Cunningham paid tribute to the work of Hazel saying a huge thank you for her input and insight into the Inner West Community Committee. She said that Hazel is a force of good in Armley as a whole and has been for a number of years with wise and insightful comments to make. She would be greatly missed but would not be able to avoid the local ward members as they hoped to see her in her other roles as Chair of Armley Helping Hands and the Armley Common Rights Trust, involved in arranging events and litter picks and looked forward to seeing her again.

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 Chief Democratic Services Officer 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 within the meaning of Section 100I of the Local Government Act 1972, 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 the recommendation is accepted, to formally pass the following resolution:-

RESOLVED – That, in accordance with Regulation 4 of The Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 or Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 as appropriate, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of those 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.)

There were no formal late items. However, there was supplementary information in relation to Agenda item 11-Finance Report which had been circulated to Members and published to the Leeds City Council website.

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 this point of the meeting. However, Cllr Cunningham did declare an interest during Agenda Item 11-Finance Report as she is a Board Member of Leeds Community Homes who had submitted a wellbeing fund application.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Hannah Bithell, Caroline Gruen, John Illingworth and Alice Smart. Apologies were also submitted for Co-opted Members Stephen McBarron and Joanne Fiddes.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 20th July 2021, to approve as a correct record.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 20^th July 2021, 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 order to facilitate the Open Forum whilst certain restrictions relating to the pandemic remain in place, 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 the agenda item and considered by the Community Committee.

On this occasion no written submissions had been received from members of the public and no members of the public in attendance at the meeting wished to speak at the Open Forum.

The report of the City Solicitor invites Members to give consideration to appointing a co-optee to the Community Committee for the duration of the 2021/2022 municipal year.

(Report attached)

The submitted report of the City Solicitor requested Members consideration for the nomination of a co-opted member for the Armley Ward.

The nomination was for Catherine Hyde.

RESOLVED -  That Catherine Hyde be co-opted to the Inner West Community Committee for the Armley Ward, for the duration of the 2021/22 municipal year.

The report of the Head of Local Partnerships is to provide the Inner West Community Committee with a verbal update on the development of a City Plan for Leeds and to gather input from elected members and residents to feed into the Plan.

(Report attached)

The Head of Locality Partnerships submitted a report that introduced a verbal update on the development of a City Plan for Leeds in the Inner West Community Committee Area and an opportunity for input from elected members and residents to feed into the Plan.

The following were in attendance:

·  Councillor J Dowson, Deputy Executive Member for the Leader’s Portfolio

·  Amy Beswick, Policy Officer

Councillor Dowson gave a brief introduction to the context behind the development of a new City Plan, highlighting the significant changes since the last Best Council Plan was launched ten years ago – locally, nationally, and globally. The Policy Officer set out some of the key ambitions and drivers that will shape the new plan, and then sought feedback from Members on their priorities for Leeds particularly in the Inner West area over the next ten years.

Members discussions included:

·  Education, skills and good quality employment. Members recognised education and training of young people, particularly in the most deprived areas of the city, to be a key issue for Leeds moving forward. It was noted that basic qualifications and literacy attainment were low in the Inner West area causing low esteem, which often act as a barrier to progression for young people in the Inner West The city plan should aim to address the inequalities that are exacerbated by the current education system, by working with partners to increase the variety and accessibility of training and career options to channel passion and ambition in young people with local jobs and opportunities.

·  Whole city approach. Members were supportive of a whole city approach to the plan, recognising that the Council is limited in what it can achieve without the support of local businesses, third sector and other local organisations. Members were of the view that improvements were needed to make small town centres such as Armley to become more prosperous through local business opportunities.

·  Rethinking the City Centre. Members reported that residents of the Inner West often feel disconnected from the city centre, largely due to the lack of public transport options. Related to this, Members felt that the new plan should incorporate a new vision for the city centre following the pandemic, potentially to address the housing shortage not only in providing houses but providing a home. It was acknowledged that in some cases people in the Inner West had a roof over their heads but had no means to furnish them. It was also noted that in the Inner West many families moved on a regular basis due to landlord contracts, which meant that they were unable to gain a sense of community within a local area. Members also reported that many residents on local estates felt neglected. They saw and heard about city centre improvements, however, no improvements had been made to local estates with tired houses and uneven pathways.

·  Health. Members raised concerns at the gap in health inequalities within the Inner West area and whilst trying to embrace and promote  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

The report of the Chief Officer Community Hubs, Welfare and Business Support provides an overview of the activity of Leeds Libraries during the past 18 months and outlines the key priorities for the service as part of our Service Recovery Strategy.

(Report attached)

The report of the Chief Officer Community Hubs, Welfare and Business Support provided the Inner West Community Committee with an overview of the activity of Leeds Libraries during the past 18 months and outlined key priorities for the service as part of the Service Recovery Strategy.

The following were in attendance for this item:

o  Andrea Ellison, Chief Librarian

o  Kate Midwood, Senior Librarian

The Chief Librarian informed members that the report provided a city-wide overview on changes to the structure of the service and schemes / projects that have taken place during the pandemic such as digital services, as well as an update on the services key priorities over the coming months. Members were informed that a service update on a more local basis will be provided at the Inner West Community Committee next year.

In response to Member’s questions, the following information was highlighted:

·  Education involvement. The Library Service is looking at revitalising the offer to schools, and the school programme will take shape over the next term with the focus being reading.

·  Activities across local hubs and libraries. Members emphasised the need to encourage the use of libraries, and to receive prior information of activities taking place in the local area.

·  Linking with early years development. Conversations have taken place with the Councils Children and Families sector on locations for activities to take place, with Children Centres being a main focus.

·  Digital exclusions and the offer for residents. A telephone service and communications channel were set up during the pandemic, to aid those requiring digital support and the focus moving forward looks at managing mental health, and how to keep children safe online. Members were also informed of an iPad lending scheme that will be rolled out centrally to enable the public to use for group learning, educational purposes and reading. It was noted that the library offered a variety of digital resources in the form of E Books, E Magazines and E newspapers. Members were also advised of the Niche Academy – a range of free online tutorials from setting up an email account or getting started with social media to help build skills using online resources.

·  The impact on the use of services as a result of the pandemic. It was confirmed that nationally the use of library services has been low. It was recognised that although libraries can offer many forms of digital access it does exclude those in the poorest areas of the city. Members were informed that the service aims to build confidence across communities for people to return to libraries and to re-introduce events over time, such as conversation tables and social activity groups.

Members were of the view that there was no substitute for face to face engagement to combat social isolation and to engage with children and families. They were pleased to hear that there was to be a drive to attract new members and work alongside schools. It was noted that although libraries were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

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 2021/22.

(Report attached)

The report of the Head of Locality Partnerships provided 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 (CIL) Budget for 2021/22.

At the start of this item Cllr Cunningham declared an interest in relation to the application submitted by Leeds Community Homes as she is a member of the board.

Members were invited to consider the follow projects:

Members were provided with the following information:

·  The Wellbeing Budget has a remaining balance of £127,110.71. A list of projects was presented in Table 1

·  Delegated Decisions considered and approved since the last meeting were:

o  New Blue Grit Bin, Communities Team, £177.22 (Kirkstall)

o  New Blue Grit Bin, Communities Team, £177.22 (Armley)

o  Intergenerational Hawksworth Community Development, Creative Frame CIC, £9,184, (Kirkstall)

·  Monitoring information was provided on Kirkstall Mini Festival which ahd taken place on 10^th and 11^th July 2021.

·  The remaining balance of the Youth Activities Fund is £37,059.44 with a list of projects presented in Table 2 of the report.

·  A list of Small Grants was presented in Table 3 with a list of Community Skips presented in Table 4. There is a remaining balance of £3,518.56

·  The Capital budget is £25,108.84 as a result of capital injections in May 2021.

·  Table showed a CIL project at West Leeds Activity Centre for £5,570 with a remaining balance of £82,153.84

Members discussions included:

·  Allotment and estate skips

·  CIL funding

Armley Councillors requested an application for Speed Indication Devices (SID’s) in the Armley area on Armley/Stanningley Road through Capital Funding

RESOLVED – To Note:

a) Details of the Wellbeing Budget position (Table 1)

b) Wellbeing proposals for consideration and approval (paragraph 20-22)

c) Details of the projects approved via Delegated Decision (paragraph 23)

d) Monitoring information of its funded projects (paragraph 25-28)

e) Details of the Youth Activities Fund (YAF) position (Table 2)

f) Details of the Small Grants & Skips budget Budget (paragraph 32)

g) Details of the Capital Budget (Table 3)

h) Details of the Community Infrastructure Levy Budget (Table 4)

The report of the Head of Locality Partnerships is to bring 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.

(Report attached)

The report of the Head of Locality Partnerships provided the Community Committee with an update of the work in which the Communities Team is engaged in, based on priorities identified by the Community Committee.

Members were invited to make nominations for Chair of the Armley Community Forum. This nomination had been deferred until the current appointee Cllr Jim McKenna was at the meeting.

All Members of the Community Committee agreed to appoint Cllr Jim McKenna as the Chair of the Armley Community Forum for this municipal year 2021/22.

Members discussions included:

·  The recognition of the improved Community Safety Report and a request from Members to invite the Police to attend future meetings for updates. There was a need for regular updates on speed reductions and how to address behaviour changes through the use of SID’s.

·  It was noted that discussions were taking place to install ‘throw lines’ on the canal at locks.

RESOLVED – To note:

a)  The content of the report

b)  The Appointment of Cllr Jim McKenna as Chair of the Armley Community Forum

This included looking at an arrangement for an exciting new project in how Council Billboards could be displayed similar to those in New Wortley.

To look at facilitating the Community Committee back out in venues across the Inner West area, still using webcasting.

The next meeting of the Inner West Community Committee is scheduled for Wednesday 17^th November 2021, at 6pm.

RESOLVED – That the next meeting of the Inner West Community Committee be scheduled for Wednesday 17^th November 2021 at 6pm. Venue to be confirmed.

The meeting concluded at 20:00