Minutes:
Spion Kop Bridge: The current plans for the railway is to now lower the line rather than remove the bridge. For a period of time the bridge will be reduced to one lane for traffic but this will be less disruptive for the wider area. Originally the line was thought to not be possible to lower due to the risk of flooding.
NHS Hub, Magna Road: This opened yesterday as a dialysis unit for up to 50 patients at any one time.
Remembrance Service: 10 November at St Thomas’ Church at 10am. Events are also taking place on 11 November.
Christmas Capers: This will be taking place on 7 December and is a larger event than previous years.
Subsidised Weekly Bin Collections: In November 2012 the Council applied for funding to keep weekly collections, receiving funding for 5 years. This funded ended and the Council kept the weekly service for as long as possible.
Council Budget: In 2011/12 the Council’s budget was £16m, and is now £7.5m following local government cuts. Residents queried the new OWBC bin lorries they have seen around the Borough; these were bought at the end of last year from the Council’s capital fund to replace an aging fleet which were costing significantly in repairs. The cost of new wheelie bins was also queried, at £38.00, which Members noting the originally pitched cost was £54.00. Garden Waste collection scheme costs will not be increasing. The breakdown of Council Tax by percentage was provided to residents, with OWBC receiving 11.4% of the Council Tax bill in the Borough. Increases in Council Tax income due to new houses being built is offset by the service cost to the Council for bin collections etc. to these houses.
Homelessness: At present 60 people are housed in B&B and 20 in other accommodation; this has to be funded by the Council as a statutory responsibility. All of these individuals are residents of the Borough and will cost presently around £600k. Leicester City Council has over 700 people in B&Bs. The Council is lobbying the Government for additional funding to support these costs.
Menphys: Robert, the new Menphys CEO, and Sarah, Head of Family Support, introduced themselves to residents and highlighted how much Menphys wants to engage with the South Wigston community. Presently, alongside the café, Menphys are offering some after school provision for disabled young people. The building is available for community use and Menphys are keen to encourage bookings, and for anyone interested to get in touch with them.
Drain Clearing: Drains are cleaned and maintained by the County Council. General street cleaning is managed by the Borough Council.
New Town Development: A new town development is being proposed alongside the Oadby & Wigston / Harborough border; this will mostly be within Harborough District and, due to the size of the development, will see new facilities such as shops, schools, and GP surgeries required to be built within it.
William Gunning Park: There is a house adjacent to the park undergoing building works that appears to be encroaching onto the park. Residents believe at least “a tile and a half” of the building is overhanging the park and could be causing a public liability issue. This has previously been reported to Planning and an update is to be requested. The owner is also using the park as public access to the rear of their premises by moving fence panels.
Windlass Drive Bin: This was noted as “coming” in the previous minutes. The Council is undertaking a review of bins in the Borough in respect of condition and location, and dog bins will be phased out.
Countesthorpe Road Car Park: What income has this car park generated? This is difficult to answer as its possible to state how much money is in the machine, but vehicles can be covered by a ‘South Wigston Permit’ which enables use of all South Wigston car parks; this means that cost per individual car parks cannot be calculated. There is also a permit for Countesthorpe Road for school drop off and pick up which can be purchased. A total amount of money raised by the South Wigston car parks based on monies from the machines and permit sales can be calculated for the next meeting. Footfall in the Borough remains on a par with the footfall prior to Covid despite parking now being charged for. Residents queried the number of disabled car parking spaces available in the car parks; there is a government formula used to calculate this.