Agenda and draft minutes

Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 24 August 2022, 7pm were declared true and accurate with the below noted;

·       Point 12: P Fisher is noted as having presented the Vision for the Borough, but was not present at the meeting. This was actually given by R Levy.

·       Point 14: A question was previously raised around what happened to collected recycling in the Borough which was not answered in the previous meeting. It was confirmed that the Borough’s recycling does remain in this Country.

Emailed update from PC Gareth Morgan, Wigston Beat Team:

There has been a brief spike in burglaries but Police patrols and enquiries made seem to have made this a brief issue.

ASB continues to be reported around school children coming to and from the schools. The beat team are continuing to speak with the school where it has been mentioned on an assembly to warn all pupils and patrols are ongoing. Several children have also been spoken to by officers and PCSO’s to warn about behaviours.

Speeding continues to be reported as an issue in several areas of Wigston. Arrangements are currently being made with Police volunteers and other members of the beat team to see if a speeding operation can be conducted. Patrols continue and drivers being spoken to about actions witnessed.

Escooters continues to be a problem and advice being given to users of them to confirm knowledge of them being illegal in public places and the consequences of actions. The beat team will continue to run a policy of first time advice, second time warn and if a third time for the same rider it will be removed from them.

The beat has not been covered to the same levels over the last month to 6 weeks due to operational demands for the well-publicised problems in the East of Leicester. Hopefully, patrols will now be returning to normal. Could I also encourage that anyone who is not currently signed up to Neighbourhood link makes contact with myself, Giustine or Jen in order that we can enter you on to our system as a lot of future engagement will be completed on this platform.

Cllr. Loydall noted a recent spate of burglaries in the Wigston area which he confirmed arrests have been made against. Unfortunately further details could not be provided due to ongoing work on the arrests made.

This item was deferred due to apologies received.

T Hatton and S Moseley gave a presentation on the Customer Experience Strategy consultation, summarised in the attached document.

A question was asked as to why the Strategy was a three-year strategy, and not a two-year strategy. It is felt that a three-year strategy, with an inbuilt annual review, provided the most effective approach. The strategy is supported by an action plan, with most actions expected to be completed within the first year.

Attendees heard, following a comment by a resident, that ‘Digital by Default’ is not intended to fully replace a face to face or paper-based option; this is to ensure that everyone’s voice has an equal opportunity to be heard. It was noted that this is especially important for the Borough’s aging population.

The importance of face-to-face availability of Officers during an emergency, or more urgent, situation was also stressed in relation to the Customer Experience Strategy, with examples given of individuals who have previously attended Bushloe House seeking support when they are unsure of other contact routes. T Hatton noted that the proposal for a publicly accessible reception at Brocks Hill is intended to address this, and provide appropriate support. The intercom present at Bushloe House was also mentioned as a measure to support individuals in more urgent situations, however it was acknowledged that this is not a perfect system and is currently being looked into.

A question was asked regarding how many Customer Services Officers are employed by the Council, and where they are currently working. It was confirmed that most officers are working from home, although a hybrid approach is in place where officers work from the office. There are currently 10 full-time equivalent officers employed in the Customer Services Team, with two managers. This is sufficient at present for the quantity of calls the Council receives. Queries were raised around if this would be sufficient if a web chat approach was adopted by the Council, with officers being “tied up” on multiple virtual chats at once; it was noted that there are software options available that will enable web chats to be queued, similar to how calls can be at present, to enable officers to focus on one web chat at a time and provide a quality service to the customer. All routes of contact with Customer Services will be dealt with by the same team of officers to ensure a consistent customer experience.

There will be a Remembrance Service in Peace Memorial Park, Wigston on 11 November, commencing at 10:45am. On Sunday, 13 November the Remembrance Parade will take place, commencing at Elizabeth Court and ending at All Saints Church, Wigston for a service. This will be the first parade for two years, due to Covid, and is expected to be busy.

Wigston’s Christmas Lights Switch-On will take place on 26 November, with a fair also present on Bell Street. A Christmas shop window competition will also be running across the Borough. A query was raised around displays in empty shops, but it was noted the landlords for these units are not forthcoming regarding this.

A query was raised around would the Council have a contact centre for the public to visit once Bushloe House closes. The Chair confirmed that a location would be available for pre-booked, face to face appointments with Council Officers, with Wigston Library being a potential venue. This was covered further detail in the Customer Experience Strategy Agenda Item.

The future of Residents’ Forums after the move to Brocks Hill was also questioned, with the Chair confirming that they will continue at an alternate venue within each settlement area.

A query was raised around ‘Warm Hubs’ in the Borough during the Winter months. The Fire Station will be providing one alongside the churches in the Borough. The Kings Centre on Bull Head Street will also be operating one, and there is an ongoing conversation around the use of the Council’s community buildings. Wigston Library is also being considered as a venue by Leicestershire County Council. It is unknown what the demand will be of these Warm Hubs by the public.

The reform of the Residents’ Forums proposed in 2017, and the existence of the mailing list for attendees was raised. It was noted that several officers who have previously facilitated the forums have left the Council, and some corporate knowledge has been lost. The mailing lists for the Forums are being updated, and attendees at tonight’s meeting are able to provide their email address on a signing-in form.

The Bell Street gate has been unlocked for seven weeks to date, with the padlock missing, and various services such as GroupFour and a window cleaner are now accessing Bell Street. This will be raised with the appropriate officers within the Council on the next working day following this meeting. The gate does belong to the Council, but the pedestrianised area of Bell Street falls under the control of Leicestershire County Council.

The Star and Garter pub on Leicester Road has installed a fence along what is thought to be the pavement, limiting pedestrian space when cars are parking against it, signage denotes the area against the fence as ‘Customer Parking Only’. It is unclear if planning permission has been granted for this, and will be raised with the appropriate officers at the Council the next working day following this meeting. Leicestershire County Council Highways will also be alerted to this.

Freer Park has had its tyre swing replaced which has been noted as a positive update.

An attendee noted a ‘near fatal accident’ was avoided outside Water Leys Primary School where a child was nearly struck by a vehicle reversing into the school’s driveway. The pavement outside the school has been measured at 1.25m by the attendee, stating that the path is too narrow for how busy it is at the start and end of the school day, and struggles to accommodate double-pushchairs. It was asked if the road could be made one way. It was noted that this falls under the remit of Leicestershire County Council Highways, and may require  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

Wednesday, 15 February 2023 – 6:30pm

Wednesday, 15 February 2023 – 7:00pm