Minutes:
Devolution “Have Your Say” Survey – All district and borough councils will be abolished within 2 years under the direction of central government. Councillors are fighting for Oadby and Wigston to stay as a complete Borough and not be absorbed by the City. The proposal put forward by the districts is to see the County split into a north and south authority, with the City remaining unchanged. The County Council plan prefers one authority for the County, and the City plan sees the City expanded into the County, with one County Authority surrounding it. The Government’s decision on this is expected in November. Town Councils are one option being proposed in some groups to see local government engagement maintained. It was noted that the City Mayor role may also be dissolved under the devolution process. If the Borough is joined with the City then Council Tax is expected to increase for residents.
County Councillor - The Chair noted that the new County Councillor for South Wigston was invited to the meeting but is not present – he will be invited again to October’s meeting.
Homelessness – 94 in temporary accommodation, 14 families in B&B, 140 in the system we have a duty to. £244k spent to date on homelessness, so expected to be £1m in the year, from a £7m budget. This is a statutory duty for the Council. Landlords are selling up so the number of homeless cases is increases. The Council has bought some properties and is approaching landlords to rent properties to the Council; the funding shortfall is around £60p/month however from what the Council is entitled to claim toward expenses.
Spion Kop – The County Council states that no works are taking place at Spion Kop, however it is evident from residents that this is happening, with the lines having been lowered. Bridge works themselves have no expected start date but it is thought it will be reduced to one lane once they begin. There are some concerns about the stability and longevity of the bridge so it may still need replacing due to corrosion.
Oadby Tip – Will be closing for three months to enable major concrete works to take place. Alternative sites are Whetstone or Kibworth. Freeman’s Common is only available to City Council residents, and postcodes will be asked for.
VJ Day, 15 August – Service at the Council Officers at 10:30am with a flag raising.
Bushloe House – Has now been sold, with contracts to be exchanged imminently. This will become an 80+ bed care home, with the main house being retained. All other buildings and extensions will be removed and redeveloped.
Blaby Road Park / Bowls Club – Officers were asked to explore revenue generation through the use of the Council’s buildings, including pavilions. A group has been found that wants to hire Blaby Road Pavilion and part of the park itself for a large sum of money. The bowling club and football teams that already use this site are part of these considerations. The Council is not looking to duplicate services in the Borough, with a meeting going ahead with the group in the near future. The main concern is that the Bowls Club is protected given its 100+ year history, and the costs incurred in maintenance are being sought to be offset by the hiring group. If this is to go ahead the Chair has proposed residents in South Wigston are consulted before the final decision is made.
Wigston Sign – Residents asked how much the sign cost, with the response being £10k. Residents stated that some of the letters aren’t straight, and there is an alignment issue with the sign as a whole. The money for the sign was confirmed as coming from the Conservative government’s “Levelling Up” funding and not from Council Tax – the purpose of this funding was to improve town centres, with works to continue in South Wigston this year.
New Rector for St Thomas’ and All Saints Church – Interviews to take place in a couple of weeks.