Venue: Council Chamber
Contact: Rosemary Whitelaw - Tel: 0116 305 2583 Email: rosemary.whitelaw@leics.gov.uk
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Order Paper and Webcast. A webcast of the meeting can be viewed here. Additional documents: |
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Chairman's Announcements. Minutes: Armed Forces Week Monday 23rd June marked the start of Armed Force
week and Elisabeth Lee, who worked in the County Council’s Health and Safety
section, raised the Armed Forces Day Flag at a ceremony at Stand Easy.
Elisabeth was in the RAF and had represented the United Kingdom at the Invictus
Games in 2023 and 2025. On Saturday 28h June, together with the
Lord-Lieutenant and Lord Mayor of Leicester, the Chairman attended the Armed
Forces Day in Leicester City. There was a parade through the City Centre, service personnel, veterans, the
Seaforth Highlanders and cadets.
Following the parade there was an outside ‘Drumhead Service’ in Jubilee
Square. It was a very moving occasion. County Service The Chairman would be hosting my County Service at St John
the Baptist in Hugglescote in October
and all Members would receive an invitation in due course. The Chairman hoped
they would be able to join him. Victory In Japan On Thursday 14th August there would be a service
at Leicester Cathedral to mark Victory in Japan and the ending of the Second
World Ward. The Chairman would be
representing the County Council, but all Members would also receive an
invitation. Civic Life Since the Council meeting in May when the Chairman was elected, he had attended a number of events representing members and the Council. It was a real pleasure to carry out this role. The Chairman looked forward to continuing to represent members in the coming year. The highlight so far was meeting Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal when she came to Leicestershire on Monday 23rd June. |
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Minutes: It was moved by the Chairman, seconded by Mr Hamilton-Gay and carried:- “That the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 14 May 2025, copies of which have been circulated to members, be taken as read, confirmed and signed.” |
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Declarations of Interest. Minutes: The Chairman invited
members who wished to do so to make declarations of interest in respect of
items on the agenda for the meeting. All members declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in the Notice of Motion on Local Government Reorganisation. The Corporate Governance Committee on 23 June approved a dispensation for all members to allow them to take part in any discussion and vote on any matter relating to the office they hold at the County Council, so all members were able to stay in the room and vote on this matter. |
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Questions asked under Standing Order 7(1)(2) and (5). Minutes: (A)
Mr Holt asked the following question of
the Leader or his nominee: “During my election campaign residents brought to my attention
increased instances of speeding on the Blaby Road, from the foxhunter island
towards Enderby and also Whetstone - with one resident
clearly stating “it’s only a matter of time before
someone loses their life.” Unfortunately, there have been accidents causing
damage to property, and only a few days ago we woke up to the sad news of yet
another accident and the tragic loss of life of a young man who was only 20
years old. Will the new administration commit to reviewing the speed restrictions on this stretch of road in an effort to make roads safer for both drivers and local residents?” Mr Whitford replied as follows: “Council Members and officers are sorry to hear of this loss of life and send our condolences to those affected. As the Local Highway Authority (LHA) road safety is a key priority and as the outcomes of road safety incidents such as this are understood through police investigations, any identified actions will be taken with the aim of preventing further incidents in the future.
The LHA investigates reports and concerns from the community of speed related issues. When setting speed limits local authorities are obliged to work to guidance issued by the Department for Transport (DfT) to help give a consistency across the country, this guidance is set out in the DfT’s Circular 01/2013 “Setting Local Speed Limits” and provides guidelines to local authorities for the setting of new speed limits. The guidance explains that when setting speed limits, the Council must take into account various factors such as the history of collisions, the road’s function, existing mean traffic speed, and the road environment including level of road-side development adjoining the carriageway and the likelihood that drivers will adhere to a posted limit through self-compliance as opposed to through physical intervention or enforcement. The B582 is a single carriageway predominately urban road that runs from Whetstone through Enderby, where the road then becomes rural along Desford Road to the junction with the A47 Hinckley Road. The set speed limit is 30mph from Brockington College/ M1 Bridge to EH Smiths/ NEXT where it then increases to 40mph leading to Desford Road where the speed limit then becomes National. Unfortunately, even with posted speed limits and measures in place, motorists will often judge what is an acceptable speed for a road based on the level of development there is adjoining the highway. This is something both the County Council and the police consider when setting and enforcing speed limits respectively. The speed limits in place along the B582 are in line with the speed limit guidance and conducive to the varying road environment and roadside developments along its length. It should also be noted that in general physical calming features such a speed tables and chicanes, are not measures that are implemented on A and B classification roads due to volume and type of traffic using them and also the principal road network purpose they serve. Leicestershire County Council as the Local Highways Authority, is responsible for the implementation of speed limits; however, enforcement of speed limits remains a matter for Leicestershire Police to undertake if drivers are not travelling at the posted limit. Residents can raise their concerns direct to the police via https://www.speedorsafety.com/community. A speed survey was undertaken on the B582 between Moores Lane and Conery Lane between 21 June and 28 June 2021, with survey results as follows:
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