Devolution of Power

LEICESTER City Council is now setting up its fourth area committee -

covering the Spinney Hills and Stoneygate wards - which will meet for

the first time on Tuesday, December 6th.

The city council already has already set up area committees in three

other areas:

• Aylestone, Eyres Monsell and Freemen

• Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields, Western Park and Westcotes

• Humberstone & Hamilton and Thurncourt

The council's cabinet and the Leicester Partnership have also agreed

to set up further area committees in other areas of the city during

2006.

Each committee will have £25,000 to spend, as well as a responsibility

to recommend changes to the way services are delivered in the area if

they do not think they are working as well as they should.

The job of the committees is to bring key organisations together with

residents to tackle local problems and plan the future of the areas.

Said council leader Cllr Roger Blackmore: "Area committees are the way

forward for local democracy in Leicester.

"Some of the best ideas come from people who live in the areas of the

city - and the committees we have set up so far have given us a good

way to tap into those issues and keep people informed, and work with

other services too.

"The ward councillors in the area are looking forward to having some

lively and constructive meetings to develop a clear way forward for

the area."