Agenda and minutes

Inner South Community Committee - Wednesday, 1st September, 2021 2.00 pm

Venue: Civic Hall, Leeds

Contact: Harriet Speight - Governance Services 

Link: to view the meeting

Items
No. Item

12.

Appeals Against Refusal of Inspection of Documents

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)

Minutes:

There were no appeals.

 

 

13.

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:

Minutes:

There were no exempt items.

 

 

14.

Late 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)

Minutes:

There were no late items. However, some supplementary information to Item 8 (Finance Report) was published and circulated prior to the meeting (Minute 19 refers)

15.

Declaration of Interests

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

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interests.

 

 

16.

Apologies for Absence

To receive any apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Councillor P Wray submitted his apologies.

 

 

17.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 187 KB

To receive and approve the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 7th July 2021.

Minutes:

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held 7th July 2021 be approved as an accurate record.

 

 

18.

Open Forum

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.

Minutes:

No matters were raised on this occasion.

 

 

19.

Inner South Community Committee - Finance Report pdf icon PDF 811 KB

To consider the report of the Head of Locality Partnerships that 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.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

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

 

A further wellbeing application had been submitted as supplementary information for Members consideration.

 

Representatives from community organisations were in attendance to answer questions from members regarding their applications for wellbeing funding as follows:

 

-  Jo Sunderland, Re:establish

-  Kate Singleton, St Luke CARES

-  Alan Bolton, Director, Canal Connections CIC

-  Peter Forrest, Project Manager, Leeds Lock Keepers House

 

Members commented that sessions described in the report for the Rise and Shine After School Clubs project appeared to be restricted by gender and sought assurance that the full range of activities would be accessible to all young people. It was confirmed that inclusivity is at the heart of the project and activities are not restricted to those included in the project summary.

 

Members noted that the Youth Space Development Project is reliant on successful funding bids from a range of sources, and requested an update on the progress of other bids. Members were advised that the majority of grants have been secured (BBC Children in Need, Youth Music, Leeds Community Foundation Strategic Grant), and the remaining funding bids are still in process.

 

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

 

Project Title

Wards

Amount requested

Decision

Cottingley Lamp Post Banners

Beeston & Holbeck

£1,053.50 (Revenue)

Approved

Lock Keepers House CCTV & Smoke Detectors

Hunslet & Riverside

£4,344 (Revenue)

Approved

Reestablish Youth Space Development Project (The Loft)

Beeston & Holbeck (£3,720), Hunslet & Riverside (£280)

£4,000 (Capital)

Approved

Rise and Shine After School Clubs

Beeston & Holbeck (£3,819), Hunslet & Riverside (£2,994), Middleton Park (£2,787)

£9,600 (YAF)

Approved

Street Artworks (Utility Boxes)

Beeston & Holbeck

£2,000 (Revenue)

Approved

 

In reference to Small Grants funding previously allocated to Irish Arts, Members requested further information be requested from the group regarding the venue of performances in Hunslet and Riverside. It was confirmed that the Localities Officer would seek an update.

 

RESOLVED –

 

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

b)  That the wellbeing proposals be approved as detailed above

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

d)  That the monitoring information of funded projects be noted

e)  That details of the Youth Activities Fund position be noted

f)  That details of the Small Grants Budget bed noted

g)  That details of the Community Skips Budget be noted

h)  That details of the Capital Budget be noted

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

 

20.

Inner South Community Committee - Update Report pdf icon PDF 391 KB

To consider the report of the Head of Locality Partnerships that provides 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.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Locality Partnerships 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.

 

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report be noted.

 

 

21.

City Plan Engagement pdf icon PDF 153 KB

To consider the report of the Head of Locality Partnerships that introduces verbal update on the development of a City Plan for Leeds in the Inner South Community Committee Area and to gather input from elected members and residents to feed into the Plan.

Minutes:

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 South 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 City 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 over the next ten years.

 

Key themes from Members 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 often act as a barrier to progression for young people in the Inner South, and that 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.

·  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 specifically commented that the plan should include clear aims to support the financial stability of third sector organisations – and for all aims and ambitions within the plan to be supported by concrete action plans.

·  Rethinking the City Centre. Members reported that residents of the Inner South often feel a disconnect with 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, but also to embrace the culture of Leeds and promote wellbeing.

 

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

 

 

22.

Library Service Update pdf icon PDF 474 KB

To consider the report of the Chief Officer (Community Hubs) that 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.

Minutes:

The Chief Officer (Community Hubs) submitted a report that provided an overview of the activity of Leeds Libraries during the past 18 months and outlined the key priorities for the service as part of our Service Recovery Strategy.

 

The following were in attendance:

 

-  Andrea Ellison, Chief Librarian

-  Katrina Pickering, Strategic Library Manager

 

The Chief Librarian introduced the report, providing a brief overview of the key messages within the report, including the changes to the structure of the service and innovative projects and schemes that have taken place throughout and beyond the pandemic, as well as the priorities for the service over the coming year. Members were also advised that it is intended for each of the Community Committees to receive a future report with more detail of activity in each ward.

 

Members were supportive of the variety of projects delivered and resources available through the library service, and noted the need for more communications to advertise services to the communities of Leeds.

 

In response to a query, Members were assured that the frontline library staff all remain in post following the structure review of the service.

 

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

 

 

23.

Date and time of next meeting

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 24th November 2021 at 2.00 p.m.

Minutes:

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 24th November 2021 at 2.00 p.m.

At the end of the meeting, Members joined the Chair in thanking Lyn Bambury, Localities Officer for the Inner South, for her hard work and support during her years of service and wished her a happy retirement.