Issue - meetings

Joint Report of the Head of Leisure & Wellbeing Services and Head of Operational & Street Scene Services

The Committee received the report as set out on pages 60-65 of the agenda, which asked it to note the update on the Borough’s green and natural spaces and the work undertaken by Operational Services.

The Head of Leisure and Wellbeing Services provided the Committee with a summary of the report.

The Committee noted that with regard to highway verges the County Council had allocated £40k towards works addressing Health and Safety issues and statutory clearances. With this project in mind, a Member of the Committee raised the issue of overhanging trees at The Oval in Oadby, which had resulted in a significant build-up of algae that presented a risk to pedestrians in winter when the surface became increasingly slippery. A request was therefore made for the area to be inspected by Officers to see if this Council considered it to be safe. A Member of the Committee also commented that the maintenance of grass verges along Aylestone Lane in Wigston was currently inhibited by the existence of stumps from previously felled trees.

The Committee expressed frustration at the lack of progress made regarding the footpath between Tendring Drive and Brocks Hill, which still required sign-off from the County Council. It was confirmed that at the current time there was no indication as to whether the County Council would provide the required consent, but Officers were continuing to chase a response.

A Member of the Committee noted from the minutes of the previous meeting that a review of the Council’s volunteering policy was to be undertaken, and asked what the timeframe was for the review. The Head of Leisure and Wellbeing confirmed that a review was scheduled as part of a Council-wide review of all policies, therefore it was not possible to confirm at the meeting where this review was positioned in the process, however this would be followed up and an answer provided following the meeting. The Committee recommended that the revised policy should be streamlined as far as possible, as an overly prescriptive policy ran the risk of deterring potential volunteers. A request was also made for the inclusion of volunteering statistics within future reports, to enable monitoring of how the pool of volunteers is being grown/maintained.

It was moved by the Chair, seconded by the Vice-Chair and

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED THAT:

The contents of the report be noted.