Leicester City Council was scheduled to discuss a range of topics at its meeting, including a response from the Department of Health and Social Care regarding GP services, an update to the Community Asset Transfer Policy, and a motion concerning failures in core services. The council was also expected to consider the conferment of the City of Leicester Award to Elvy Morton and Professor Sir Nilesh Samani.

Here's a more detailed look at the topics on the agenda:

Motion on Core Service Failures

Councillor Hemant Rae Bhatia, seconded by Councillor Patrick Kitterick, proposed a motion expressing deep concern over continued and serious failures in core services across Leicester . The motion referenced criticism from regulators and courts regarding:

• The Care Quality Commission's (CQC) rating of Adult Social Care as Requires Improvement .
• An Employment Tribunal finding of racial discrimination against a senior social services employee.
• A report revealing that full condition surveys of council homes have not taken place since 2009 and that over 70% of homes have had no EICR checks¹.
• Inspectors rating the Children and Young People's Justice Service (CYPJS) as requires improvement .
• Ofsted rating Children's Services as requiring improvement in all areas.

The motion stated that the current mayoral system has enabled these failures by concentrating power in one office, removing effective scrutiny, and cutting communities out of the decision-making process. The motion proposed a change in governance structure to end the mayoral system and return to a cabinet-and-leader model.

Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Policy Update

The council was scheduled to consider adopting a revised Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Policy, as detailed in the report pack. The CAT Policy enables community and voluntary organisations to use council-owned assets. The report recommended that the council approve the adoption of the revised CAT Policy in Part 4H of the Constitution. The report noted that Community Asset Transfers are not mandatory in law, and that approximately only 50% of councils nationally have adopted a policy. Leicester City Council has chosen to adopt a CAT policy, and CATs have now been part of the council's property portfolio since the Localism Act came into force in 2011. The report stated that changes in the Local Authority landscape, legislation and the Council's Community Services and Library Needs Assessment have meant this policy needs updating to reflect these changes. The report outlined the main changes to the policy:

• Integration of the CAT Policy and the flow of the Policy in the context of Land Transaction rules.
• Moving the process of application out of the Policy into A Guide to Community Asset Transfers FINAL 29.08.2025.pdf, which will be added to the web page for Community Asset Transfers on the council's website.
• Addition of an 'Exclusions to the Policy' section at Clause 3 to aid organisations in determining whether a CAT Policy may apply to them.

The A Guide to Community Asset Transfer FINAL 29.08.2025.pdf provides information and guidance about the Community Asset Transfer process at Leicester City Council and guides you on your community ownership journey. CAT Policy Council Decision 29.08.2025.pdf sets out the current policy (as amended in 2025).

Scrutiny Annual Report 2024-25

Councillor Ted Cassidy MBE, Chair of the Overview and Select Committee, introduced the Scrutiny Annual Report 2024-2025, which summarises the work of the Overview Select Committee and the Scrutiny Commissions. The report details the scrutiny structure, format, and operation during the previous year, and sets out the key achievements and highlights for each committee/commission. The report also refers to ongoing and proposed work.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) Report

The council was scheduled to discuss a second report from the LGSCO regarding a complaint by Ms X, who claimed the council failed to provide sufficient support with her homelessness and failed to provide suitable accommodation for her and her children. The LGSCO found the council guilty of maladministration causing injustice to Ms X. The LGSCO issued a further report because the council refused to comply with some recommendations made in the original report. The outstanding recommendations are that the council should:

• Make a symbolic payment of £1,300 for the distress caused to Ms X and her children by living in unsuitable Bed and Breakfast (B&B) accommodation for 13 weeks longer than they should have done.
• Make a symbolic payment of £150 a month to Ms X for every month she remained in unsuitable temporary accommodation until she moved into a property in October 2024. This is a total of £450.

The council was required to consider the report and confirm within three months the action it has taken or proposes to take.

Amendment to the Petitions Scheme

The council was scheduled to consider an amendment to the Petitions Scheme, following a decision by the Monitoring Officer that a petition debate would not be appropriate for a petition of over 1500 signatures received during a formal consultation on the same matter. The Monitoring Officer determined that the Petition Save Leicester's Libraries and Community Centres would be treated as a consultation response. The report invited elected members to consider an amendment to the Petitions Scheme to reflect the advice of the Monitoring Officer, to include reference in Appendix A(h) that Petitions received during, or in response to, a consultation exercise on the same topic be treated as consultation responses outside of the rights that otherwise accrue under the Petitions Scheme.

City of Leicester Award

The council was scheduled to consider the conferment of the City of Leicester Award to Elvy Morton and Professor Sir Nilesh Samani.

• Elvy Morton was recognised for her role in diversifying the representation of children in mainstream retail and for founding the Leicester Caribbean Carnival.
• Professor Sir Nilesh Samani was recognised for his contributions to the Cardiac Centre at Glenfield Hospital, his research into cardiovascular diseases, and his role as Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation.

Statements by the City Mayor/Executive

The council was scheduled to note a response from the Department of Health and Social Care to a letter sent by Sir Peter Soulsby, City Mayor, and Councillor Vi Dempster, Assistant City Mayor - Health, Culture, Libraries and Community Centres, regarding the GP to patient ratio in Leicester. The response from the Department of Health and Social Care stated that there is no NHS England recommendation for how many patients a GP should have assigned, or the ratio of GPs or other practice staff to patients.