Previous Questions And Answers

Here you can see previous questions asked by the public and the responses from my team and I.

The latest questions answered can be seen on the Your Questions And Our Answers page.

Don't forget you can send us your questions by using our online form. 

Or email these to themayor@leicester.gov.uk

You can also write to me:

Peter Soulsby, City Mayor, Leicester City Council, 7th Floor, Block B, New Walk Centre, Welford Place, Leicester LE1 6ZG.

Many cities have trialled allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes to ease congestion and safely speed up traffic.  Will the City Council implement this in Leicester?

Asked by Gavin from Aylestone Ward.

Councillor Rory Palmer, Deputy City Mayor with responsibility for transport replied:

"We have no immediate plans to allow motorcycles to use bus lanes. However, we are always looking at ways to improve traffic flow we will look into the evidence from other cities to see if this is something we could explore in Leicester."

Having seen police, traffic wardens and community wardens walking on New Walk and ignoring cyclists, I am wondering what the council will be doing to protect pedestrians in what is a cycle free zone; or is the intention to promote cycling on New Walk as in the rest of the city?

Asked by David from Castle Ward.

Councillor Rory Palmer, Deputy City Mayor with responsibility for transport replied:

"New Walk is a pedestrian route on which cycling is prohibited and the Council has no plans to alter this.

Only Police officers in uniform are able in law to take action over traffic offences of this kind and the Police have recently run a campaign to tackle cycling on New Walk. The Council's City Wardens or Parking Officers have no powers in this regard.

The Council does recognise that cyclists need safer and traffic free routes to and from the city centre and this is part of a new stream of work to improve and provide more routes for cycling whilst ensuring safe and effective pedestrian routeways as well."

As a graduate working in the creative industry I was wondering what new provisions/funding the mayor and the city council will be making available to arts organisations and the like to continue current and new ventures?

Asked by Owain from Thorpe Astley.

Councillor Ted Cassidy, Assistant City Mayor with responsibility for economic development, culture and tourism replied:

"We are committed to the development of the arts in Leicester and provide support to current arts organisations and to people who are interested in setting up their own creative businesses:

- Pledge 77 of the 100 Days Programme was to “Start work to develop new creative workspaces at the Rutland Street site as part of our plans for the cultural quarter.” The planning application has been submitted and these new facilities are due to open in 2012. They will provide 11 units in addition to the workspaces for creatives at LCB Depot and Phoenix Square Workspaces that the City Council already manages.

- The Council provides grant funding to arts organisations such as Curve, Phoenix Square and Soft Touch Arts, as well as holding a small partnership grants fund to 'seed fund' arts activities. In addition we run Fosse Arts providing arts in the community, particularly to vulnerable adults, and we fund and support a range of festivals and events including Diwali, Leicester Comedy Festival, Mela and Riverside Festival. The Council also supports the development of visual arts at New Walk Museum and other locations.

- A programme called Creative Enterprise Hub is managed by the City Council and supported by the European Regional Development Fund and the Working Neighbourhoods Fund. This programme provides a package of support and advice for starting a creative business in Leicester or helping an existing one to thrive.

- The City Council also funds Creative Leicestershire to provide advice and support to arts organisations, media and creative businesses in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. They provide a range of information and services tailored to creative businesses, including free business support, networking opportunities, training, and information on jobs and commissions. They produce a monthly email bulletin with details about training, networking, funding, jobs and other relevant opportunities. In a similar vein the LCB Depot website also keeps a list of useful contacts and advice for creative businesses.

In addition to this we are currently working on a new cultural strategy for Leicester which will be complete in draft by March 2012.  This will include making the best use of existing resources to both continue current ventures and support arts organisations and creative businesses in any new ventures.
 
We will also work with Creative Leicestershire and any other partner organisations to support applications for external funding and major initiatives in what ever way we can in the current economic climate."

Are there any proposals to install a City-wide WiFi system?

Asked by Mike from Stoneygate ward.

Councillor Ted Cassidy, Assistant City Mayor with responsibility for economic development replied:

"We are keen to expand the provision of WiFi across Leicester and, as I’m sure you’re aware, Pledge 37 of the City Mayor’s 100 Days Programme is to “Begin work to explore the delivery of free Wifi in public spaces and community facilities across the city”.

Initial research into WiFi provision across the city, including high level discussions with various commercial providers and partners, has taken place and WiFi pilots in Leicester Central Library and New Walk Museum will begin shortly.

Myself and the rest of the City Mayor’s Team will briefed at the start of October, when the findings to date will be presented. We will then discuss how the work should be taken forward. The discussion will be informed by the current availability of WiFi in the City Centre; the experiences of other Cities and feedback from the pilots.

A report summarising the results of all of the 100 pledges we said we would achieve during our first 100 days is available from the Programme webpage."

Will Leicester City Council be supporting the RNIB campaign to keep 'Cars off pavements'?

Asked by Jason from Aylestone ward.

Councillor Rory Palmer, Deputy City Mayor with responsibility for transport replied:

"We are supportive of the aims of the Royal National Institute of Blind People's (RNIB) 'keep cars off pavements' campaign. We work with the police to prevent parking of vehicles which obstruct pavements and footways.

I would be happy to meet with the RNIB and other local organisations to discuss these concerns in more detail."

Is it possible for trees to be planted along the wide footpaths of Clumber Road at intervals? I am sure the neighbourhood would respond positively to the trees.

Asked by Sue from Coleman ward.

Councillor Piara Singh Clair, Assistant City Mayor with responsibility for heritage, leisure and sport replied:

"We welcome requests and ideas from local residents on ways to improve the street scene environment and I was pleased to hear your views about the beneficial impact that trees would have in Clumber Road.

However, planting trees can be difficult to achieve in many existing residential footpaths, not least due to the size of excavations needed to allow room for the roots and the fact that many footpaths also contain utility services which may need to be moved beforehand. Factors like this mean the cost of planting and maintaining new trees can be fairly substantial so, in the current difficult financial climate, we are concentrating on maintaining our existing residential streets tree stock.

However, pledge 82 of the City Mayor’s 100 Days Programme is to “Launch plans to plant more trees across the city” building on the success of the 10,000 trees project. This pledge is being met through plans for three community orchards in the city, with community consultations to finalise the locations and varieties taking place in the near future. The City Mayor planted the first trees for the orchards in Western Park on 10 August.

In the meantime I have asked Officers to keep your suggestion for Clumber Road on file and it will be looked at next time we are planning tree plantings in residential areas."

Some time ago the council seem to have marked yellow circles around potholes etc at the end of Strathaven Road.  Yet, despite this, no work has been conducted.

Nearby the council have arranged to close off Hardy's Avenue for resurfacing works. Is there any possibility that these workmen could also fill the potholes in Strathaven Road as well?

Asked by Asit from Rushey Mead ward.

Councillor Rory Palmer, Deputy City Mayor with responsibility for transport replied:

"The yellow markings you mention identify minor carriageway defects which do not fall within the safety repair intervention level. Resources have to be targeted at the most serious and potentially dangerous carriageway defects and potholes.

Funding has been identified for highway improvements in the Rushey Mead area, including the works on Hardy's Avenue. The defects on Strathhaven Road will be repaired as part of the remaining works in the area.

Does the council/city have any policy on light pollution? Are there are any plans or policies in place, or soon to be in place, to address this issue?

Asked by Ross from Fosse ward.

Councillor Piara Singh Clair, Assistant City Mayor with responsibility for heritage, leisure and sport replied:

"With regard to the determination of planning applications, the city council has adopted policies that deal with the issue of light pollution.  

Currently Planning Policy BE 22 of the 2006 local plan states:

"Planning permission for development that consists of, or includes, external lighting will be permitted where the City Council is satisfied that:

a) Lighting is essential to the operation of the development, is necessary for personal safety of security or is an integral part of the aesthetic design of the development;

b) Light pollution is minimised through good design, orientation and location; and

c) There will be no unreasonable impact on the historic environment, highway safety and areas in which dark skies are an important aspect of the nocturnal landscape."

This local plan policy remains in place until it is replaced by by the Site Allocations and Development Management Policies DPD in late 2013. The place light pollution policies have in that document will be considered in relation to national policy.

If you do have any particular views on this matter, please feel free to share them with me, care of the Mayor’s Office, and I will raise them with officers on your behalf."