The annual presentation of the Leader of the Council is to be presented to the Committee.
Minutes:
The Leader delivered his
presentation. In delivering his presentation the Leader made the following key
points:
· The Council had been nominated as the most
improved Council at the LGC Awards and is the only district council that has
been nominated in that category.
· The Leader thanked the Officers and
Leicestershire County Council for the smooth implementation of the Homes for
Ukraine scheme.
· The Council were the first district in
Leicestershire to introduce measures to alleviate the cost of living for residents.
· The Portfolio Holder for Housing and
Landlord Services has effectively used his expertise when assisting
homelessness prevention.
· The Council had been involved in successful high profile prosecutions including Krispy Kreme and animal
welfare.
· Eight houses in Old Dalby have been
purchased for social housing provision. They are currently being built and six
will be built with enhance environmental measures.
· It was recognised that the northern and
eastern section of the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road (MMDR) is now proceeding and the Council has supported the construction of
the southern section. The application for the southern section is expected in
the autumn. The Leader noted that if the MMDR doesn’t proceed then the local
plan would have to be revisited as targets would not be met.
· The staff survey has shown that there is
high positive satisfaction amongst staff which is positive as high satisfaction
is important when wanting to retain staff.
· The Leader noted that with inflation running
at 10%, this devalues the funding that has been received as a part of the
Levelling Up Fund and the United Kingdom Shared Prosperity Fund, therefore it
is important that the funds are spent ‘on time’ in order to
receive maximum value.
· The Leader thanked all Members and Officers
of the Council for all their hard work and contributions over the past four
years.
Following a question
regarding the upgraded CCTV network, Members were informed that the upgraded
network had recently gone live but that the Director for Housing and
Communities will provide some further clarity on when it went live.
In response to a query about
Council property with damp, the Leader confirmed that whilst there have been
properties with damp, the issue has been dealt with swiftly by Officers. It was
recognised that the Council’s response to properties with damp has improved
during this term.
Following a query on waste
collection and in particular food waste collection, the Leader stated that
changes in waste collections is to encourage residents to recycle more but that
the implementation of a new waste collection regime is dependent on sufficient
funding being provided from central government.
The comment was made that
irresponsible dog owners are causing a number of
issues in the rural areas, the Leader responded by confirming that the Council
has a Community Safety Team who can tackle issues such as dog fouling, however
the Council can’t tackle trespass, as that is a civil action between the
landowner and the dog owner. The point was raised in relation to tenants with
problem animals. In response, it was confirmed that unless it can be proved the
animal is causing a significant problem then the issue can be difficult to deal
with. There is also an issue balancing the problems the animal causes and the
comfort the animal gives the tenant.
In response to a question on
the MMDR, the Leader stated that he was confident that all sections would be
built.
A discussion ensued on the
town centre offer, in response the Leader commented that a new hotel could
entice extra visitors and rejuvenate the night time
economy.
(At 7:20pm, following the
conclusion of this item, the Leader, Councillor Orson left the meeting and did
not return.)