Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Room 101, Council Offices, Whitwick Road, Coalville

Contact: Democratic Services  01530 454512

Items
No. Item

1.

Appointment of Chair

To appoint the Chair for the ensuing municipal year.

Minutes:

Nominations were sought for the Chair of the Working Party for the ensuing municipal year.

 

It was moved by Councillor J Gearythat Councillor M Wyatt be appointed as Chair of the Working Party.

 

The motion was seconded by Councillor J Legrys

 

Upon being put to the vote it was

 

RESOLVED THAT:

 

Councillor M Wyatt be appointed Chair of the Working Party for 2023/24.

2.

Appointment of Deputy Chair

To appoint the Deputy Chair for the ensuing municipal year.

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor M French, seconded by Councillor M Burke and

 

RESOLVED THAT:

 

Councillor L Windram be appointed as Deputy Chair of the Working Party for 2023/24.

3.

Apologies For Absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillor J Page.

4.

Declarations of Interest

Under the Code of Conduct members are reminded that in declaring interests you should make clear the nature of that interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest, registerable interest or other interest.

 

Minutes:

Councillor J Legrys declared a registerable interest in all items as a volunteer at Hermitage FM.

Councillor J Geary declared a registerable interest in all items as Director of the Springboard Centre and as the council’s representative for Coalville Town Football Club.

Councillor M Wyatt declared a registerable interest in all items as the owner of two businesses in Coalville.

5.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 204 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2023

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2023.

A request was made to amend the attendance record at the start of the minutes. All Members concurred.

By affirmation of the meeting, it was

 

RESOLVED THAT:

 

Subject to the amendments suggested, the minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2023 be confirmed as an accurate record of

the proceedings.

6.

2023/24 Events Report pdf icon PDF 898 KB

Report of the Head of Property and Regeneration

Minutes:

The Head of Economic Regeneration presented the report.

 

A Member noted that the total events budget of £84,440 minus the actual allotted budget of £84,000 left £440 aside for contingencies. He sought reassurances that this was prudent and deliverable.

 

The Head of Economic Regeneration acknowledged the risks associated, but advised that they had good knowledge of the costs from previous years and added that the budget was simply very tight. The first event of the year had been delivered on budget and the next one remained on track to be delivered within budget as well.

 

In response to a question in relation to the Christmas lights, the Head of Economic Regeneration explained the storage processes utilised and the contingencies in place should something go awry.

 

In response to a question in relation to grass cutting at Coalville Park and whether it had been financed from special expenses budget, the Head of Economic Regeneration said their understanding was that this was not the case and it had not come out of the Working Party budget; they added that the Council had also participated in ‘No Mow May’ to aid the health of flora and fauna.

 

It was noted that there had been resident complaints about the length of grass and accepted that this was perhaps not relevant to anywhere on the agenda.

 

The Chair asked if anybody had any Coronation event feedback.

 

A Member said it was a well patronised, well organised, and excellent event.

 

A Member inquired about the tender process for the Christmas lights.

 

In response to a question about the tender process for the Christmas lights, the Head of Economic Regeneration advised that they were under a three-year tender.

 

A Member inquired whether there would be a Christmas tree in Marlborough Square and what might happen to the allotted money in place if something were to go awry.

 

The Head of Economic Regeneration said there was currently a report going to cabinet with regards to that matter.

 

The Chair said that all members of the Working Party agreed that there was a need for more events in Coalville; the Chair was in discussions with the new administration to put on more events, without it coming out of the Working Party budget. They hoped next year to provide more, though this year they emphasized that options were limited. They implored members to come forward with suggestions.

 

A Member inquired whether these events would be decentralised within the entire boundaries of the area the Working Party represented.

 

The Chair hoped and intended for this to be the case.

 

It was moved by Councillor J Geary, seconded by Councillor J Legrys and

 

RESOLVED THAT:

 

1.    That the progress made against the 2023/24 events programme be noted.

 

That the proposed date of the CSEWP events sub-group meeting on 29 June be noted.

7.

Capital Projects Update pdf icon PDF 344 KB

Report of the Leisure Services Manager

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Leisure Services Team Manager presented the report.

 

A Member asked about the wall of the cemetery on London Road, which could cost around £50,000 to be repaired. They could not foresee there being the necessary budgetary latitude to enable that potential expenditure.

 

The Head of Economic Regeneration said that they were monitoring and would continue to monitor the situation. He detailed the specific processes of both deterioration and the monitoring in place. Only a significant sudden movement would alter medium term plans with regards to the wall.

 

A Member asked if after the meeting they could be informed what specific contingencies were in place for such an event.

 

The Chair confirmed this would happen.

 

The Chair said that he would explore the possibility of external funding with regards to the wall, and he hoped to bring it back to Members at a later point.

 

A Member discussed six dead trees mentioned in item 1.4 of the report.

 

The Chair discussed poor and diseased tree stock which had recently been planted in local areas. The stock this year was, he felt, much better.

 

A Member inquired about item 1.2 in the report. They said they had constituent complaints about the state of the flower troughs across the town, particularly around the war memorial.

 

The Chair said they would pass this on to the administration.

 

A Member inquired whether plans to alter the Scotland Playing Fields Pavilion had been put on hold.

 

The Leisure Services Team Manager advised that this was not an agreed plan, but a prospect which was being explored.


The Head of Economic Regeneration said that the feasibility study into this matter had not been completed yet. It would be presented to the Working Party when it was ready.

 

A Member asked about the play areas noted in the report, particularly Claremont Drive. They said it was underutilised and replacing it would not prove good value for money.

 

The Chair concurred.

 

The Leisure Services Team Manager explained the procedural history behind this planned expenditure: Cabinet had approved the spending of the money originally proposed by the Working Party. They added that no money had actually been spent yet, and thus the decision could be reversed if the will was there.

 

It was moved by Councillor J Legrys, seconded by Councillor J Geary and

 

RESOLVED THAT:

 

  1. The Working Party notes the progress update on the 2023/24 capital projects.

 

Work on Claremont Drive play area discussed by Members be administratively suspended pending further consideration and be brought back to the next meeting.

8.

Future Meeting Dates

6.30pm Tuesday, 15 August 2023

6.30pm Tuesday, 10 October 2023

6.30pm Tuesday, 2 January 2024

6.30pm Tuesday, 13 February 2024

6.30pm Tuesday, 16 April 2024

6.30pm Tuesday, 11 June 2024

 

Minutes:

The Working Party noted the following

 

6.30pm Tuesday, 15 August 2023

6.30pm Tuesday, 10 October 2023

6.30pm Tuesday, 2 January 2024

6.30pm Tuesday, 13 February 2024

6.30pm Tuesday, 16 April 2024

6.30pm Tuesday, 11 June 2024.