Minutes:
Midland Mainline Electrification Works - Spion Kop will be closed in due course for up to four months with the bridge being removed as part of the electrification of the midland mainline. A pedestrian / cycle bridge will be installed during this period but there will be no vehicle crossing available. A consultation exercise will be run by network rail for these works but will only look at how the works may affect certain groups from an equalities perspective. Works taking place at 10am today (31 Oct) caused significant disruption to traffic when one lane on Blaby Road was closed to enable joists to be lowered over the side of the bridge. The diversion route will be 7.5km long as the diversion must match the type of road that is closed.
Appointment Hubs – Details of the Appointment Hubs operated by the Council were shared with residents. Full information regarding these can be found on the Council’s website.
Police – Reference was given to the reporting routes through Crimestoppers and other methods to pass intelligence to the Police. There are specific concerns within the community regarding drug dealing in South Wigston; intelligence regarding this is with the Police and Council to be actioned but there is public frustration that it is not being addressed. Councillors have confirmed that information passed to them regarding this has also been passed through to the Police upon receipt. Concerns were raised around a group of three men coming round the Saffron Road / Gloucester Crescent area in the early hours trying car doors. Residents also raised concerns around 8+ burglaries suffered by shops on Blaby Road; there is CCTV in relation to these that the police are already in receipt of. Residents expressed frustration that Police officers have been moved off of the South Wigston beat to other areas in Leicestershire, removing officers that have significant rapport with residents.
Homelessness – There is a large problem with homelessness in the Borough which is causing expenditure of £380k per year from the Council’s reserve; this is due to only a small proportion of the costs being funded by central government. There is a national campaign taking place to address this, and legislation is going through parliament to stop ‘no fault’ evictions. 32 people are in temporary accommodation in the Borough as of this evening. Several landlords are selling their properties due to costs, and the Council is finding it difficult to rent private properties for homeless individuals as the cost of rent is higher than the funds the Council has available to put toward rental costs. It was noted that other Councils are in much worse positions regarding homelessness with some having to relocate homelessness individuals to other areas of the Country. There is also ‘competition’ between local councils and central government for properties as the government is able to fully fund rentals for asylum seekers.
Council Budget – The Council is continuing to assess its budgets, and a 5% increase in Council Tax is expected next year. SEN transport and social care are high cost sectors for the County Council so they are also likely to increase their council tax amount. The Council has operated a recruitment freeze and lowered expenditure from £7m to £5m annually. Additional costs are expected however as Central Government has issued new guidance and legislation around recycling as part of waste management, with the type of waste that can be collected likely to change. Currently the Borough’s recycling goes to CasePak for processing but it is unclear at this time if they will be able to process any new recyclable items under the new guidance. If they cannot process it then it is likely that the Council’s recycling contract will need to go back through the tendering process. The Government has also suggested that recycling collections are put to fortnightly instead of weekly as the Borough currently has. There is also to be a new weekly food waste collection as per the Government, and that the collections must be in a dedicated vehicle. There is a gap in the Council’s budget that it is working to close, with the budget having a deficit of £600k at present. The Council has previously written off small amounts of Council Tax and Business Rates owed.
Festive Events - Christmas Capers – Saturday, 2 December 2024. Road closures will be in place for this along Blaby Road. 13 December – Mayors Carol service at Brocks Hill.