Agenda item

To receive members’ questions under procedure rule no.11.  The procedure rule provides that any member may ask the chairman of a board or group any question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties which affect the District, provided that three clear days’ notice in writing has been given to the Head of Legal and Support Services.

Councillor J Legrys put the following question to Councillor R D Bayliss:

“Can I be informed when the Council last counted the number of rough sleepers residing in North West Leicestershire and what were the results please?” 

Councillor R D Bayliss gave the following response:

“All Councils are required to carry out an annual estimate of rough sleeping within their district in keeping with the approved Government methodology.  The most recent count for North West Leicestershire related to the night of 7 November 2017 when a zero estimate was returned.  This return was based on local intelligence and consultation with local partner agencies who work with rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping.  Neither the Council nor any of these agencies were aware of anyone sleeping rough in the district on that night.  The estimate was subsequently validated on 5^th December 2017 by the national charity Homeless Link, as required by Government guidance”.

Councillor J Legrys stated that as a volunteer at Hermitage FM he was very aware of rough sleepers in Coalville who may not necessarily be counted.  As a supplementary question, he asked what advice was given to rough sleeper in the district and where were they accommodated.

Councillor R D Bayliss responded temporary bed and breakfast accommodation was arranged for any rough sleepers that were referred to the Council and subsequently the housing team would provide advice and signposting. He encouraged members to refer any rough sleepers to the Council.

Councillor T Eynon put the following question to Councillor A V Smith:

“Boards at the entrance to the Nature Alive wildlife area behind the Aldi supermarket on Thornborough Road suggest that it is managed by this Council in association with the Leicestershire Wildlife Trust.

Which organisation is responsible for maintaining the boardwalk around the lake?

Which organisation is responsible for responding to and removing litter and fly-tipping on the site?

When can residents expect to see the site brought back up to standard?”

Councillor A V Smith gave the following response:

“The council owns the freehold of the site and is responsible for managing and maintaining the blue hatched area on the attached plan.

The boardwalk is the responsibility of the council and officers inspect this visually at least twice weekly and then this is supplemented by a monthly more rigorous assessment. All boardwalks are cleaned annually in the spring and officers have scheduled this work to take place before the end of May.

The council is responsible for the removal of litter within the blue hatched area. Litter collections are undertaken at least twice weekly and fly-tipping would be addressed through the normal council procedure. Most of the litter issues occur on the banks adjacent to the railway line to the east of the site on the map. These are difficult to access and are not the responsibility of the council, although officers cannot identify through land registry records who the owner is. The assumption is that the owner may be Network Nail given the proximity to the railway line and officers will endeavour to confirm this as soon as possible. In the meantime the Grounds Maintenance team have attempted to remove litter from this area but they are extremely difficult circumstances to work in.

There are implications to the way the area is maintained with it being a nature site and a habitat for protected and other species, hence the close liaison with and guidance from the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. Officers within the Grounds Maintenance team would welcome an on-site meeting with Cllr Eynon to fully understand the concerns that she has, to discuss any potential improvements, and to highlight any specific issues that the Wildlife Trust may have”.

Councillor T Eynon made reference to her recent experience of visiting the site.  As a supplementary question, Councillor T Eynon asked when the substantial hole in the boardwalk would be repaired, when the shopping trolley in the pond would be removed and when the areas would be litter-picked that could not be reached by the cadets on the slopes down to the pond. 

Councillor A V Smith thanked Councillor T Eynon for bringing this issue to her attention and advised that she would provide a written response. 

Councillor M Specht put the following question to Councillor A V Smith:

“In view of the fact that more car manufacturers are pushing for cleaner emission vehicles, and having seen the explosive rise in registration of all electric vehicles, what does the council intend to do regarding rapid charging stations for all hybrid and electric vehicles and has this council made any enquiries regarding central government funding specifically set aside for this purpose?”

Councillor A V Smith gave the following response:

“One of the Council’s key tasks in the Green Footprints section of the 2018/19 Council Delivery Plan is to – “Look at the feasibility of installing electric charging bays in council-owned car parks”

The feasibility study will include identifying and evaluating the various sources of funding available and the numerous options for the installation of electric charging points.

As part of the design for the Ashby North Street Car Park extension, providing 52 new short stay parking spaces, the infrastructure has been put in place to enable electric charging points to be installed.  The number of points will be determined through the work of the feasibility study”.

As a supplementary question, Councillor M Specht asked at what point in the future the feasibility study would be taking place. 

Councillor A V Smith responded that work was well underway on the North Street car park, and the feasibility study would also be undertaken fairly rapidly, however an exact date could not be provided.