Agenda item

Report of the Leisure Services Team Manager

Jason Knight, Leisure Services Team Manager presented the report which updated Members with regards to Capital Projects within the Coalville Special Expense Area.

Additionally, reference was made to a proposal to allocate £500 to match funding by the Princes Trust which  would support a local community project to install a mosaic at a derelict site at Cropston Drive, photos of which had been circulated in the Additional Papers.

The Chairman thanked the Leisure Services Team Manager for his report and opened the discussion to Members.

Members spoke in support of the work being undertaken on many of the projects referenced in the report, and wished to thank officers for their continuing work despite the many complications caused by COVID-19. Members were also pleased to see those projects that were being funded partially or entirely through external funding rather than the taxpayer.

Members spoke in support of the work being undertaken at Coalville Park including that  by Friends of Coalville Park in surveying local residents. They also felt d that it was important that the capacity of the park and its ability to host large events was not reduced in any way and that any proposals would not be overambitious, leading to higher maintenance costs for the Coalville Special Expenses budget in the long term.

Concerns were also raised with regard to littering issues at the Lillehammer Drive site, the length of time the project has and was anticipated to take and the cost of tree removals at London Road Cemetery.

On these issues, the Leisure Services Team Manager gave assurances they would be looked into and actioned where it was within the scope of officers. 

Going forward, it was requested that Members be updated at the next meeting on London Road Cemetery being brought back into use for the interment of ashes, as it had previously been raised at a meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee.

Furthermore, officers were encouraged to work with colleagues at Leicestershire County Council in order for Bardon Road to be included as one of the sites for tree planting referenced in the report.

Several Members also supported work undertaken so far at Scotland Bowls Pavilion. It was requested that officers be asked to look into the feasibility of installing solar panels and a wind turbine at the site in order for the building to be self-sufficient and carbon neutral. This would be funded from the Council’s Climate Change Reserve and match-funded by the Bardon Aggregates Community Fund.

Over the course of the meeting, Members also spoke in support of the proposal to allocate funding of £500 to Cropston Drive to match the funding already put forward by the Princes Trust. In particular, Members were pleased that this was a locally driven project and were grateful to recent support that residents had received from Housing officers.

By affirmation of the meeting it was

RESOLVED THAT

1)    The Working Party note the progress update on the 2020/21 Capital Projects and

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET THAT

2)    £500 be allocated to improvements at Cropston Drive to match the funding put forward by the Princes Trust.

3)    Officers be asked to investigate the feasibility of installing solar panels and a wind turbine at Scotland Bowls Pavilion, funded by the Council’s Climate Change Reserve and match-funded by the Bardon Aggregates Community Fund.