Issue - meetings

Report of the Strategic Director of Place

Presented by the Community Services Portfolio Holder

Councillor R Blunt presented the report to members, highlighting the work being done by the officers and members of the Working Party to improve services and the locality.  He drew members’ attention to the events programme for Coalville, the success of the Coalville May Fair and the recommendation that the date for Music and Picnic in the Park be set as Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June 2020.  He asked Cabinet to support this recommendation to enable officers to start planning for 2020 on the agreement that no financial commitments be made until the budget was approved later in the year.

Councillor R Blunt reported that preparations for Christmas in Coalville were well underway, and highlighted that members of the Working Party were requesting £2,000 of balances to further invest in Christmas lights.  As there was sufficient funding available in the balances, he asked Cabinet to support this recommendation.  He explained that due to the increasing popularity of events and the beneficial impacts that events have on town centres, the Working party had requested an additional £5,000 from balances to allow for the delivery of additional events.  He asked Cabinet to support this recommendation also.

Councillor R Blunt welcomed the ongoing improvements to Coalville Park, in particular the role that the Friends of Coalville Park group were playing in helping take these forward and the efforts of members to work closely with the group.  He announced that Coalville Park was the first park in North West Leicestershire to have achieved Green Flag status.  He thanked the staff and ward members for their help and support in achieving this.

Councillor R Blunt advised that the work between officers and Barratt’s to reallocate the S106 funding received for a MUGA provision at Lillehammer Drive to a number of projects within Coalville Park was progressing.  He explained that to enable this work to continue, the Working Party were requesting £6,000 from balances to cover legal costs to remove the covenants and to make changes to Section 106 Agreements. He asked Cabinet to support this recommendation as this legal work was required to ensure the project progressed.

It was moved by Councillor R Blunt, seconded by Councillor R Ashman and

RESOLVED THAT:

a) The recommendations made by the Coalville Special Expenses Working Party as detailed within the minutes be noted.

b) The recommendations summarised at paragraph 3.0 of the report be approved.

Reason for decision: To progress Coalville Special Expenses projects and programmes.