Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Christmas Market
The Events Panel have already started to make plans to make this year’s Christmas Market even better than the last one. If you have any ideas to help achieve this then why not drop us a line here at the Town Council Offices.

Civic Reception
The current Chairman of the Town Council, Councillor Howard Midgley hosted a Civic Reception to recognise some of the people who have contributed to the Town over the last 12 months. The Mayor of Charnwood, Chairman of the County Council and our local MP Stephen Dorrell were all invited to have the opportunity to mix with those who attended. There was a Charity Raffle, proceeds from which are for the Town Council’s Chairman chosen charity Syston & District Volunteer Centre.

Syston in Bloom
Following last year’s superb result in the East Midlands in Bloom competition (Silver Gilt Award) the Town has entered the competition again. Apart from the competition the ‘Syston in Bloom Committee’ work very hard in conjunction with Town Council to gain a pretty and colourful Town for all to enjoy throughout the Summer.

Defibrillator
A potential life saving piece of equipment is to be fitted outside the Community Centre, School Street that could help people who are suffering a heart attack. A simple to use defibrillator has been purchased that is hopefully the start of a Town wide initiative for others to support further installations around the area. The one thing to appreciate is that persons of any age may need this, remember the desperate situation with a Bolton Wanderers footballer recently.

Dog Fouling/Anti Social Behaviour
With hopefully a long sunny summer please let us work together to keep Syston a clean, happy and vandal free Town.

Contacting Your Council
Syston Town Council currently has 20 Councillors

Merton Ward
Mr. Simon Bradshaw
Mr. Ken Pacey
Mr. Harold Screaton
Mr Paul Henr
Mr Ivan Spibey

New Barkby Ward
Mrs. Claire Dolan
Mr. Hanif Asmal
Mr. Howard Midgley
Mrs. Janet Midgley
Mr. Eric Vardy

St. Peter’s East Ward
Mr. Stephen Hampson
Mrs Susan Gerrard
Mrs. Rita Gray
Mrs. Maureen Pacey
Mr. Toby Griffiths

St. Peter’s West Ward
Mr. Tom Barkley
Mrs. Josie Branston
Mr. Mal Carnall
Mr. Nick Gee
Mr. Patrick Wright

All councillors can be contacted at
The Community Centre
School Street
Syston
Leicester LE7 1HN

Our email address is: mailbox@syston.co.uk
Tel: 0116 260 7150
Fax: 0116 269 6904

Allan Clarke                  Town Manager
Ursula Southan           Office Manager
Kay Liquorish          Office Coordinator

Council meetings for May, June and July are as follows:
01 May Development Meeting
08 May Amenities Meeting
15 May Resources Meeting
22 May Annual Town Meeting 7.00pm start
22 May Annual meeting of the Town Council 7.30pm start
29 May Development Meeting

12 June Amenities Meeting
19 June Resources Meeting
26 June Full Council

03 July Development Meeting
10 July Amenities Meeting
17 July Resources Meeting
24 July Full Council

All committee and full Council meetings take place in the Community Centre in School Street on Tuesday evenings and all residents are welcome to attend.

Adjournment for Public
The manager of the Mind Shop had strong concerns regarding any potential restrictions of loading and unloading outside their shop. She stated that they legally have 20 minutes which they do not abuse and, if restrictions were imposed they could not operate their business. She has compiled a petition, engaging with other shopkeepers and members of the public and wants people to work alongside each other.
The biggest problem is with the bus stop being directly outside this property with passengers and bus drivers complaining when their van is unloading furniture.
A representative from Wreake Valley Flooring which is an independent family business said the petition was well supported and any restrictions could also cause failure of their business.
The Chairman asked for this issue to be put on the next agenda for the Development Committee.

The Reflection
The Chairman opened the meeting with a reflection.

There were seventeen councillors present, two apologies had been received.

Chairman’s announcements and Communications
The Chairman informed the council of his activities during the previous month when he had attended several meetings including the Wreake Valley Student Panel, see article on page 8 of the May issue.
He then reminded councillors about the Civic Reception and hoped that all those who can attend will do so.
The Town Manager reported that he had received correspondence and face to face engagement regarding traffic problems in the High Street.
Correspondence had been received concerning car park charges at the train station which in turn could cause problems with extra parking on the nearby streets. It was suggested that a letter be sent to Charnwood Borough Council to request correct parking cover for the car parks in Syston to ensure the two hour restrictions are upheld. As requested, this will be added to the Development Committee Agenda. A piece of play equipment had been damaged on Central Park and will cost £45 to replace, also more glass had been found on the Park Square. Councillor K Pacey said there was a need to look into the cover they are paying for regarding CCTV and to find out how often it is looked at. Also to request a monthly report from Charnwood that they used to receive.
The council were also informed that human excrement is being found outside the male public toilets on a regular basis.

Members’ questions for the Chairman
A question had been received from Councillor K Pacey requesting an update on the situation with the new cemetery acquisition. The chairman responded with the following update: The alternative land viewed had been rejected as unsuitable.

The landowner on one side of access to the Ridgemere confirmed that he would be interested in allowing the Town Council to purchase the land to improve the junction on Barkby Road with South Croxton providing Scottish Renewables formally relinquish their option to buy. The council are still awaiting a reply, the chairman said he would follow this up. The Town Manager, with approval, had contacted Highways at the county council and they provided a suitable design which has been forward to the land owner.

Police Report
PC Glen Freeman answered questions on the report circulated which showed a reduction in the number of crimes during February this year to that of the previous year of 17 crimes, he said that the report showed offences committed and for which they had evidence. Councillor R Gray thanked the police for the quick response to the attempted burglary the week before the meeting. There was a request for the speeding to be looked into around Wreake Valley College with more police presence and the possibility of a speed camera.

It was asked if there had been an increase in youths drinking in Syston due to the alcohol ban in Thurmaston and Birstall and, that it should be considered for areas of Syston. In the following discussion, Councillor N Gee said there was a lack of facilities for the youth in Syston and if there was a drinking ban in certain areas the problem would just move to a different part of the town. He also felt that there was a need for a visible police presence on the streets to control it. If this was not possible, the council may need to consider a Security Company during the summer evenings to monitor the parks.

Anti Social Behaviour in the Town
Inspector Southall sent his apologies and he would answer any specific questions on his return.
He had sent figures through which showed a 26% reduction, 287 less incidents than last year. A result of the introduction of the joint agency SENTINEL, database, with recording and encouraging people to report incidents so he was confident that the figures were real and reflected the general trends. Incidents have been recorded on SENTINEL and PS Stone has be talking to licensed premises in the town.

Meeting Dates
The meeting dates for April/May including town meeting and AGM were agreed. See the Spotlight article here on the website or see pages 22/23 of the May issue for details.

Review and Adoption financial regulations
These were agreed and the Town manager thanked Councillor T. Barkley for his help in this matter.

Borough and County Councillors Reports
Councillor D Houseman congratulated the Leicestershire County Council on their compromise in re-locating the re-cycling bins within the car park in Syston.
A free tree is available to plant for the Jubilee celebrations if applied for.
Applications to the Area Forum for community funding need to be submitted by 8th May 2012. He went on to thank Syston Town Council for sending a letter to the Melton and Oakham Waterway’s Society to support the future repair of the footpath between the footbridge and Lewin Bridge on the Fosse Way.
He then reported that Pukka Pies who make 60 million pies each year and employ 280 staff have experienced problems getting their deliveries on the Halfcroft. He said that improvements will be made in the near future.

Councillor S Hampson reported that there was a lot of Jubilee activity among the villages and hoped that Syston Town Council would do something for the event.
He then went on to talk about the Olympics being a big feature this summer and Jo Jackson from Loughborough will be competing in three events. The Olympic Torch will not be coming through Syston, see April issue or STN website for details of the route on 3rd July.
He then spoke about super fast broadband coming to Syston via the Leicestershire County Council plan to ensure that the entire County will have this by 2017. He asked people to link into the website to the council consultation.
The Big Society Grant Fund has put together a scheme with £300,000 to give away. It is vital to register the scheme and he will give help to any group who wants to put a bid in. He said that the correct presentation meant a higher chance of walking away with the prize.
In Health and Education he said that the County Council are continually trying to improve their good name in the Care Profession and the poor picture in the press is not reflected in our area.
He finished by saying the County Council would be sending loyal greetings to her Majesty the Queen for her 60 years service to the Country and Commonwealth.

Councillor T. Barkley reported on the Local Development Framework of Charnwood where 17,380 houses need to be built by 2028. There is a consultation to be held the second week of July. The 5,000 houses planned for Syston will have a major impact on the town and the final recommendations to Charnwood will be at the end of August. He suggested that this matter go onto the town agenda for discussion so that the deadline would not to missed. The important things to think  good news is that there has been no increase in council tax from CBC and a small reduction in the tax for Syston. There is a new visitors guide to Charnwood now available. He finished by saying  that he is now the lead member of finance at Charnwood Borough Council.

Councillor K Pacey reported that he has been to two meetings about the travelling communities and they are the worst panels he has had to work with to obtain a proper report.
He has had some training on the changes in planning laws and has attended two licensing planning meetings. One involved trading standards regarding underage drinkers and the other was alcohol being sold that was a foreign product and not what it was supposed to be.
He has worked closely with the Town Manager regarding CCTV on Deville Park and a letter has gone out from a Solicitor to Quadrant and we are now awaiting a reply.
He re-iterated D. Houseman’s thanks to the County Council for moving the bins within the car park. He finished by saying that an email had been received regarding zero waste strategy asking for comments from all Parish Councils.

Staffing, CCTV provision and correpondence
This item was moved to a confidential Item and so the public, including the press were asked to leave.

There were three members of the public present and two questions were raised by one of the members. The first was about the reply received from the Town Manager when usually they are sent by the chairman of the council. The second concerned the six computers ratified by the council when they employed six members of staff, what is happening to the three idle ones now that there is only three members of staff employed. Is this a good use of ratepayers money?

Seventeen councillors were present. Two apologies received, one due to illness.

The chairman then spoke about the current situation regarding prayers in council meetings and said that a Reflection would commence the meeting instead.

There were no Declarations of Interest.

Chairman’s Announcements and Communications

The Chairman had circulated a brief list of the activities he had attended in the previous month. He felt that this would help reduce the time spent in the meeting and also inform councillors who were unable to attend.

He had attended the following: Syston Twinning Celebration, Community Centre Panel. Wreake Valley College meeting with the Principal about setting up a Youth Council. Visit to Ratcliffe College to talk to students about what councils do. Meeting with Michael Hopkins to plan and organise the councillor training. Visits to the Cemetery and Parks. Also a meeting regarding the CCTV on Deville Park.

There then followed a discussion as to whether the Town Manager should provide the councillors with a report to inform them of what he is doing for the Town. However, after  the majority of councillors present said that they believed the Town Manager had enough to do, and not impose an additional report writing exercise each month, his time is better used doing what he does and that they vote to keep the current position, that any expenditure up to £500 is at the discretion of the Town Manager and large projects/expenditure should go to council for approval.

Just prior to the meeting ending County Councillor David Houseman asked if he could address the council with regard to a matter of urgency. He then explained about the proposal being put forward by Melton and Rutland Waterways to improve the walkway between the bridge where the grand union canal meets the river Wreake and the Gate Hangs Well. He asked if Syston Town Council could write to support the proposal as Cossington Parish council are doing. The urgency is that the deadline is 26th March.

The Chairman then closed the meeting in order for the training

Mr Stephen Hampson who is a County and Borough councillor as well as sitting on Syston Town Council denies the allegations.

The panel raised a point of jurisdiction as one of the allegations was made  after the first council meeting held on 10th May 2011 when the council had just been re-elected in the local election and Mr Hampson had not handed in his signed papers declaring he would obey the codes of conduct of the town council. The other two allegations are not affected by this because by that time he had complied with this requirement.

After a prolonged discussion the panel was adjourned in order for the point of jurisdiction to be clarified.

12 members of the council were present with apologies received from six.

Chairman’s Announcements and Communications
The Chairman wished everyone present a Happy New Year and then spoke about the Bidding which had been discontinued and which he and several other councillors where not happy about. He had distributed the reason with the agenda to members and said that they would have to wait for a judicial decision but in the mean time he proposed to replace the bidding with a Reflection. Although based on the current wording it removed the reference to prayer and he was going to submit his proposal to the Development agenda and asked for any comments to be given to himself or Allan.

Youth Council
He then went on to say that he had met with the new principle at Wreake Valley College, Tony Pinnock with a view to setting up a Youth Council, consisting of pupils from the school. He hoped this would encourage young people to take a positive interest in their town and perhaps come up with positive ideas for the future. It would be added to the Development committee agenda for further discussion. He stressed that he had agreed with the Head that the town council could not provide finances for the Youth Council.

Conduct and Procedure Training
The chairman then went on to talk about the complaint put to the Standards Board following the meeting on 17th May regarding the behaviour of certain councillors. The board had decided that no councillor had breached the code of conduct, and the complaint was dismissed, see public notice on page 22 of the February issue of STN. However, the board recommended that all Syston Town Councillors should receive training in conduct and procedural issues and the Nolan principles of public life. Michael Hopkins and Adrian Ward will provide the training which will take place after the February Full council meeting. Consequently this meeting will be shortened and will only have the statutory items on the agenda. All councillors were expected to attend.

There were no members’ questions for the Chairman.

Police Report
As Carly is leaving to have a baby at the end of March her replacement PC Richard Melody attended and gave a brief resume of his experience.  PCSO Glen Freeman then took the councillors through the report with a summary of figures for December 2011 against 2010. Overall there had been a reduction in crime in Syston of 25 reports. These came from two main areas Assaults/Harassments and Anti-social Behaviour both had fallen by 13. There had been a small increase in burglary and damage but overall the police were pleased with the results and said it showed that approaches used in that period were obviously being successful. Glen went on to remind people that in this cold weather not to leave cars with engines running unattended as vehicles had already been taken this year in that format. He gave an update on the street drinkers and said that only four reports of Anti-social behaviour had been reported in December 2011, the lowest recorded for 2011.

If anyone wanted to meet with the neighbourhood policing team then dates for beat surgeries can be found on www.leics.police.uk. They have been set up to allow people to meet the team and raise any issue of concern. He then reminded the council of the new 101 number which the new number for the local police and that 999 is still the one to call in an emergency. They can also be followed on twitter under Systonpolice and Facebook under Charnwoodpolice.

Questions raised by councillors included concerns about parking on High Street by the Mind Van and Wreake Valley Flooring van. The  officers said that it needed reporting so it was logged although if either of them were in the area they would speak to the shops concerned and appreciate that is a necessary part of their business but that care is needed to avoid accidents. A short discussion followed about the need to reporting Anti-social behaviour and incidents in general.

County/Borough Councillors reports
Councillor K Pacey was the only Borough councillor present and he said that the period after Christmas is generally quiet. He had attended a travellers meeting which discussed the need for a permanent site.

At a Highways meeting he explained that the department is taking over duties from police, for example motorway duties, he suggested that Syston Town Council could maybe  utilise the department more in order to resolve problems with roads around Syston.

A parade through Syston Town was followed by a service at the War Memorial held on Sunday 13th November 2011. Wreaths of poppies were placed on the Cenotaph and two minutes silence was held at 11.00am to pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by our brave servicemen and women. The public turnout for this event was again tremendous.

Christmas Market
A Speciality Christmas Market was held on Saturday 3rd December 2011 on Central Park in Syston with over 30 showcasing stalls. The market was the perfect way for families to begin their Christmas celebrations. Festive food included roast chestnuts, hog roast, home-made pies, fishcakes and speciality beers. Alongside the many food stalls were unique handcrafted gifts, many made in the local area.

This year we had an entertainment programme throughout the day which was held on a professional stage. Wreake Valley College provided some very talented musicians and singers during the morning. The Finalists of Syston’s Got Talent performed on stage during the afternoon which proved to be a big success. It attracted many people and the standard of the talent was extremely high, which made the judge’s decision a difficult one. Tabatha Pegg was the overall winner and was presented with a cheque by our Celebrity guest from BBC Radio Leicester and East Midlands Today’s, Ady Dayman, and the main event sponsor Shirley Ruddick from Ruddick Recruitment.

The younger children enjoyed the fair rides together with visiting Santa and his elves in the Grotto. A huge crowd of people arrived for the Santa Parade in the late afternoon with Syston Brass Band and the Morris Dancers giving a display. This was followed by the switching on of the Christmas lights with a surprise firework finale.

Students from Wreake Valley College with the Radio DJ ‘Dave Shepherd

Lantern Parade
The popular family Lantern Parade was held on Friday 16th December 2011 and started from the Bowl’s Club. A procession of lanterns made by children from local schools moved through Central Park to the Sundial. A few carols were sung here with the accompaniment of Syston Band.

A festive walk began through the Town stopping at Metro Wines who donated soft drinks and mulled wine to all in the parade.

Further carols were sung in the Town Square along with Syston Band and the Village Bakery kindly opened to serve hot food and drinks which was welcomed by everyone. The children enjoyed themselves, the weather was kind and it was a great start to the festive season. The Syston Town News picture  here shows Santa with his elves, Councillor Howard Midgley, Chairman of Syston Town Council, some of the children and families who attended the Parade.

Syston Town Precept 2012/2013

The Council calculates its precept by preparing a detailed budget for the year. The Precept for last year was £393,000 compared to this year’s figure of £392,500.

The Town Council have worked very hard to prevent the Precept from increasing despite having to absorb the cost of maintaining the Public Toilets and other services passed down from other authorities.

The bottom line is that Syston Town Council is not increasing their part of the Council Tax for the second year on the trot.

Ducks in the Brook
First I would like to state that the Town Council has never arranged the removal of any ducks from the Brook. I am sure that most people like to see, visit and sometimes feed them when in town. I would like however, to ask everyone to be a little more conscientious of how and what you are feeding these ducks with. Regrettably there now seems to be a habit of just tipping whole loaves and bread slices into the brook. This attracts rats, makes the area look unsightly and ultimately can be interpreted as littering.

A Mallard with this year’s brood ready to jump near the Brookside

Contacting Your Council

Syston Town Council currently has 20 Councillors

Merton Ward
Mr. Simon Bradshaw
Mr. Ken Pacey
Mr. Harold Screaton
Mr Paul Henry
Mr Ivan Spibey

New Barkby Ward
Mrs. Claire Dolan
Mr. Hanif Asmal
Mr. Howard Midgley
Mrs. Janet Midgley
Mr. Eric Vardy

St. Peter’s East Ward
Mr. Stephen Hampson
Mrs Susan Gerrard
Mrs. Rita Gray
Mrs. Maureen Pacey
Mr. Toby Griffiths

St. Peter’s West Ward
Mr. Tom Barkley
Mrs. Josie Branston
Mr. Mal Carnall
Mr. Nick Gee
Mr. Patrick Wright

All councillors can be contacted at
The Community Centre, School Street, Syston, Leicester LE7 1HN

Our email address is: mailbox@syston.co.uk
Tel:0116 260 7150
Fax: 0116 269 6904

Allan Clarke                    Town Manager
Ursula Southan              Office Manager
Kay Liquorish                  Office Coordinator

Council meetings for February, March and April are as follows:

7th February Development Meeting
14th February Amenities Meeting
21st February Resources Meeting
28th February Full Council
6th March Development Meeting
13th March Amenities Meeting
20th March Resources Meeting
27th March Full Council
3th April Development Meeting
10th April Amenities Meeting
17th April Resources Meeting
24th April Full Council

All committee and full Council meetings take place in the Community Centre in School Street on Tuesday evenings and all residents are welcome to attend.

14 members of the council were present with apologies received from six.

Defibrillator Presentation
Mr Martin Fagan National Secretary for the Community Heartbeat Trust gave a presentation about the benefits of having one of the units in a prominent location and as they cost £1,750 complete in box and signs, they are an inexpensive but life saving piece of equipment. See separate article entitled Community Public Access Defibrillator (cPAD) for further details of the benefits and pictures of recently installed locally.

Chairman’s Announcements and Communications

The Chairman thanked councillors for attending on Remembrance Sunday and said that there had been a good turnout. He then spoke about the Christmas Market and Lantern parade and thanked Allan, Ursula and the event panel for all their hard work in putting on the events.

There were no members’ questions for the Chairman.

Police Report

As no one was present the councillors had been provided with the details but it was not discussed.

Horace A. Taylor Fund

The Council re-elected Councillor J Branston as the Trustee to the fund.

Future location/usage of the recycling bins on Melton Road Car Park.

A long discussion took place as to the need for these bins now that we have household collection for recycled waste. It was agreed that a letter be sent to Charnwood Borough Council to ask for the bins to be removed due to the home collection and close proximity of other recycling points at food outlets.

Precept for 2012/13

This was agreed and past. It was commented that there would be savings for Syston residents as it has been reduced from £91.91 to £90.84 per person without reducing any services.

County/Borough Councillors reports

Councillor D Houseman reported on the review of Parliamentary constituency boundaries for the East Midlands were it is proposed to change the name of Charnwood to Mid Leicester and stated that he did not agree with this and had communicated to the relevant body.

He then spoke about the changes to the blue badge scheme which takes effect from this month. The main points are that there will be a new design with enhanced anti-fraud features. Currently the county council seek evidence from applicants. From April the county will introduce a new system to comply with new government legislation and it will be more rigorous with a new application form and face-to-face assessment all to prevent fraud. Information on the changes are available on the County Council website. He then wished everyone a Happy Christmas and New Year.

Borough Councillor E Vardy reported on the Local Development framework and said that consultations would take place in due course. He then spoke about the disabled accessibility meeting he had attended and urged the council to engage with them when they approach all councils in the borough.

Councillor K Pacey reported on the changes to the Licensing process and said that a report had been sent to London including objections to most of the points that Government want to change. He then suggested the need for a panel to find out more about the local government framework as there is a lot of misleading information around and Syston Town Council need to have a good understanding of the framework, training will be available in the future.

All the Borough Councillors wished everyone a Happy Christmas and New Year.

Chairmans Announcements and Communications.
The chairman reminded councillors that the proposal put to the council by Babtag at the previous full council meeting would be discussed at the next Development and General Purposes meeting being held on 1st November 2011.
The Town Council had been approached to supply two names for new road signs and the town manager asked councillors to help choose from the selections received. These included Michael Preston and Edward Gamble and then a choice from Hero’s Way, Deville Way or Syston Way.
The town manager brought attention to the lectern produced by Councillor Pat Wright and given to the council for use by people presenting to the council. This was greatly admired and vote of thanks given the Councillor Pat for his gift. He reported back that the proposal of placing funds in a fixed bond with Santander couldn’t be done because it has to be in the names of three trustees not the council’s name so he referred it back to the resources.

There were no member’s questions for the Chairman.

Police Report
Both PC Carly Hall and PC Glen Freeman were present and presented the report for September where most categories of crime had reduced. Burglary of dwellings had decreased by two to one although no suspects had been found. Burglary other than dwellings was also reduced to one from five in August. There were 11 reports of theft which again was a slight reduction on the previous month when it had been 13. One caution and ticket were given for theft. Two thefts from motor vehicles had been reported and are still under investigation. Two thefts from stores were reported and this was a reduction on the previous month, six suspects were being dealt with and are still under investigation. One ticket was given to a male for thefts from stores. Although five reports of criminal damage to Motor Vehicles had been reported three were linked to a family dispute and so only two are being investigated and this is a significant drop on the previous month when 13 incidents were reported. Criminal damage reported was five which again is a dramatic decrease on the previous month as it too had been 13. ASB (Anti-Social Behaviour) reports where six which is a 50% decreased this month, a good result especially as the fair had been here in September. PC C Hall said she had received a lot of good reports from people in relation to the fair including parents who actually took younger children this year as they felt safer. Crime incidents and ASBs had reduced by 80% compared with the same time last year which is a huge success. There were no racial reports like there had been last year. The ASB van would be running until Christmas, so any councillors wanting join them please speak to either her or Glen. She also mentioned the new telephone number launched for contacting local police. 101 is the number and leaflets are available at the community centre and police station. See separate article on page 15 of the December issue.

Standing Orders review and possible adoption
Four points were raised and discussed one related to official media requests, another related to public speaking at full council meetings and it was agreed to leave it at the discretion of the Chairman. It was agreed to adopt the standing orders with the exception of planning applications, as this was being referred back to the development and general purposes committee. It was agreed that amendments would be added and circulated so that a vote for ratification could be made at the next full council meeting.

Freedom of Information – Model Publication Scheme
It was agreed that the ways, methods and means by which the public can gain information would be put on the council website as required by a Quality Council.

Planning Application P/11/2202/2
This was discussed at length as previous application had been refused. Residents in the area of the proposed three, two bedroom dwellings are concerned for a variety of reasons including flooding, access of emergency vehicles as well as parking. It was proposed and carried that Syston Town Council would object to the planning application on the above points.

Environmental Improvements around High Street and Upper Church Street joint expenditure from Leicestershire County Council and Syston Town Council
The County Council had approached the town council for £1,400 towards the upgrade of the bollards and after discussion this was agreed.

County/Borough Councillors’ Reports
Councillor K. Pacey reported that a company was sending out letters advocating that they can change individuals tax bands etc, he advised councillors to ignore them and contact the Borough Council directly if anyone thought they were in the wrong band. He also said that the Leicestershire constabulary had warned that there was two people going round using distraction methods to rob people and wanted to raise awareness of this crime. There is a need to look at developing neighbourhood watch schemes in Syston, contact PC Carly Hall at the Syston Community Centre if you are interested. CCTV on Deville park is progressing awaiting details as to when it will be fully operational.
Councillor E. Vardy spoke about the local framework which will outline the future building plans in the area and assured the council that they would be consulted along with residents on any future developments.
Councillor T. Barkley spoke about Budgets and planning for 2012/13, as yet not known if there will be an increase in council tax but hope that there is no change. There has already been savings of £2.9 million without any cuts. He talked about the grants available through the Area Forums and encouraged the council to put ideas forward. He spoke about the health forums to help decide facilities and services for the local community see article on page 29 of the November issue. The Great Central Railway is looking to join up more track. The borough is running a couple of campaigns to reduce fly tipping and litter. He reiterated the need for councillors to encourage residents who are subjected to Antisocial behaviour to report it to the team at Charnwood Borough Council on 01509 634 920 or 634 533 or 101 if an emergency.
Councillor D. Houseman began by telling councillors of a serious car accident involving Steven Campbell that had occurred on Sunday night before the meeting. He then went on to talk about the new 20 mph zone on High Street which was in progress. While on a site meeting on the Hobby Horse estate, he had asked him if there could be a permanent bus stop on Teal Drive, he was with Wendy Edwards of Leicestershire police and Keith Lewis from Arriva buses and they witnessed the bus having problems getting round the corner and he will be following this up. He also spoke about the area Forum and that there was a project workshop on the 9th November and encouraged councillors to book a place to avoid unfair voting happening. He reiterated Councillor T. Barkley request for the council to be proactive and to be prepared with projects ready to be sent.

Syston Carnival
Syston’s long standing Carnival was a success again this year. The work that Bob and Meg Hendry (plus all of the Carnival Committee) put in is always very well appreciated. The weather was kind, although a bit windy, and the attendance to support all of the stall holders was terrific. Even the Town Council had a stand where residents could come along and engage with the Council Chairman and some of the Town Councillors. See image above.

Annual Family Fun Fair
Billy Bates Annual Family Fun Fair that is always eagerly anticipated arrived on Central Park early September. Due to persistent acts of Anti-Social Behaviour and disorder by a minority surrounding the visit of the Annual Fair last year, working in partnership Billy Bates Fairs, Syston Town Council and Leicestershire Police decided to trial some special measures.
These measures were a joint consultation using the knowledge, experience and law in an attempt to aid an annual family event for the benefit of the town to enjoy and feel safe. The feed-back has been extremely encouraging and the Crime and Disorders figures indicate the measures taken were successful.

Christmas Events 2011

‘Syston’s Got Christmas Talent’
Auditions will be heard through November with the Grand Final live on stage at the market on 3^rd December 2011. There is a fantastic cash prize for the winner and also the opportunity to perform at the Queen’s Jubilee Festival (Syston) in June 2012.

Christmas Market
On Saturday 3rd December there will be another Christmas market held on Central Park from 09.00 – 17.00. It will be even better than last year with a fantastic variety of stalls and refreshments to suit all ages and tastes. This year we also have staging and lighting for a programme of top quality entertainment hosted by a professional radio DJ and we hope to have a small funfair for the youngsters. Santa will be having a Grotto on site and of course (fingers crossed) the Towns Christmas Lights will come on at 4.30pm.

Lantern Parade
On Friday 16th December why not get all filled up with Christmas Cheer and attend the Family Christmas Lantern Parade. We will be meeting at the Syston Bowls Club (top end of Central Park) at 17.30 where hot refreshments can be purchased. At around 17.45 Syston Brass Band will lead the Parade through Central Park, so bring your safely lit lanterns, torches and warm clothing for a very atmospheric walk. Metro Wines will be selling very welcome mulled wine for the adults and then we conclude in the Town Square where we hope to have further hot food available to purchase.

Queens Jubilee Festival (Syston)
Exciting plans are well underway for the Town to celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee on Saturday 2nd June 2012. The organising committee lead by Syston Chamber of Trade will be having a wonderful cross section of musical performers with groups, bands and orchestras. I have also heard there are plans for a market, food and drink together with a small fun fair. If you want to take part why not contactthe chamber of trade on a dedicated email address systonfestival2012@hotmail.co.uk or the Syston Town News on 0116 269 3221 or speak to any member of SADCOTE who will be able to take your details and add you to the list.

Address on possible 5000 houses development (Sustainable Urban Extension)
Pam Green (Barkby Parish Council) explained about the formation of BABTAG in 2008 and since the change of leadership both National and Charnwood she said there was a need to share ideas and work together to protect our area. She then introduced Owen Bentley (BABTAG) and he had distributed a hand out which included three maps which showed the possible loss of farmland around Syston, Thurmaston, Barkby and even Queniborough, to view click here. The possible 5000 house would consume over 700 acres of farmland but there is a potential loss of over 1200 acres should other developers gain permission to build. He explained that the risk was still very much alive and that they were asking Syston Town Council to oppose the plans. He said that there was no public support for a new town adjoining Syston which would have 15,000 plus people and make Syston part of a swathe of suburbia from Leicester to Queniborough. The 5000 house threaten existing green wedges and areas of separation. The land is productive farm land producing 184 tons of wheat from 46 acres/three in times of increasing fears on food security is not sensible. Traffic would increase through Syston as no provision is made for an eastern by-pass for the town.
He said there are alternatives to building on these greenfield sites in that brownfield sites could be sort or bring back into the housing market the thousands of vacant properties. Rather than going for a new town, expand existing towns and villages that can command local consent. If Charnwood is immovable then it should look elsewhere at more suitable areas e.g. Anstey or Cotes. He then concluded by stating what he saw as the Town Council’s options, to do nothing which would be taken assent by Charnwood Borough Council or let fields which Charnwood know the level of their opposition to the new town by the end of the year.
He then took questions from the Council and a discussion followed with councillors thanking Owen and Pam for attending and talking to the council. The borough councillors said that if they spoke out  against or for the plan at the moment now they would be prevented from fighting later at Borough level and so felt that it may be better for them to wait and show their views at the borough level. This would presumably mean they would abstain if it came to a vote in the Syston Town Council once it had been put on a future agenda.

Chairmans Announcements and Communications
As the chairman had been busy attending events throughout August and September he circulated a list which showed eleven events including attending the chamber of trade meeting which initiated the proposed celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Festival to be held on Central Park on 2nd June 2012. Syston in Bloom judging of the best front garden, see separate article on the Syston in Bloom presentation evening. Syston Carnival, Oliver Taylor award ceremony, the local history group exhibition, Syston Art exhibition and the fair where he met James and Kennedy Bates. Also the Allotment Society social evening where Councillor Janet Midgely presented the Town Council’s award.  He also said that the Town had won a Silver Gilt in the East Midlands in Bloom competition for which he wanted to thank the Syston in Bloom committee for all their hard work as well as the estates staff in making this happen. St Paul’s court had also been awarded a special award which was also a great success.
Communications about a variety of meeting and seminars in October as well as an invite from the police for councillors to go out on a Friday night with police in the anti-social vehicle to observe the work done by the local unit.
There were no member’s questions for the Chairman.

Police Report
The report was circulated to councillors as no police were present. Councillor K. Pacey said he would like them to be present more frequently. Concerns were raised about anti-social behaviour and Councillor T Barkley advised councillors that residents need to report any anti-social behaviour directly to Charnwood Borough Council department set up specifically, see separate articles on antisocial behaviour. Feedback from the fair was circulated to councillors an overall positive response.
It was agreed that the Committee and Council dates for December should be brought forward a week.
The adoption of paragraph 12(2) of the Model Code of Conduct which is a requirement for quality Councils was proposed, agreed and adopted.

Model standing Orders review Update
Two meetings were held during the preceding week and had been very productive taking into account other councillors recommendations, awaiting the return of the proposals from Michael Hopkins at Charnwood Borough Council and will be proposed at the next full council.

County/Borough Councillors’ Reports
Councillor D. Houseman began by saying how impressed he was with Councillor Harold Screaton in helping to set up the Syston Carnival arena so early on the morning of the event, and see the police had such a highly visible presence as they did at the fair later in the month. He went on to praise Bob and Meg Hendry and all the volunteers who work very hard to make the Carnival so good as few people realise how much work goes on behind the scenes to make it so successful. He then went on to speak about a parking restriction on the ten parking spaces near the police station at St Peters Court. He had been refused initially by the County Council who asked if the Town Council could fund it however after a long process and reading a very long document on the local transport plan he was able to put forward a strong argument for the restrictions and was pleased to report that it has been added to the list of works.  His last point was about the Battle of Britain Memorial flight which he had approached on behalf of the Syston Chamber of Trade to stage a fly past on the 2^nd June for the Queens Diamond Jubilee Festival which is being arranged jointly with the town council, he is awaiting a reply.

Councillor T. Barkley reported that a new management company has taken over the Syston Leisure centre along with Soar Valley and Loughborough centres which now means any membership at one is usable at the others. Charnwood BC had launched a survey to find out if people want council offices to be open on Saturdays and late evenings. Charnwood Sports are organising six to eight week coaching courses in a variety of events. He also explained about the nine new council houses built and the £2million Gateway project which will be used by team GB and Japan for the Olympics next year. He said that the Great Central Railway where trying to extend the track and also that it was budget time again. He said that all Borough councillors were doing their best for Syston.

Councillor K. Pacey was involved in revamping the Standing orders and had been through the 35 pages twice and now they had a workable set. He said that the government were revamping the performance entertainment licence guidelines and trying to produce an abbreviated version to make it more accessible. He also reported upon the travellers panel set up to review needs and problems. He was pleased to report that the white triangles on speed humps around the Goodes Lane had been replaced, he wondered if the yellow lines around the town could also be redone as many so badly faded they no longer can be seen. He raised a point about problems with Council tax from residents who had received improvements in their pensions and found that they were over the limit for reduced rates and would end up paying out a lot of money as notifications from the NWP who were so far behind in contacting the councils who would not know about the changes and it will cause hardship to more people.