The Mayor of Charnwood Borough Council
We were both delighted to be part of the Charnwood Borough Council meeting, held on 17th May 2021 at the Town Hall, Loughborough, that saw Cllr Baines appointed as Mayor of Charnwood for the 2021/22 Council Year. Cllr Baines will be supported by his wife Dr Ning Baines as Mayoress. Further details are available here:
https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/news/2021/05/18/mayoral_chains_handed_to_professor
We wish them a successful year as they attend many events within the mayoral year representing the Borough of Charnwood. This is a particularly important year as the country begins to come out of Covid-19 restrictions and start on the road to recovery. Cllr Baines’ theme for the year is renewal: for our businesses, of our social lives, physical and mental welfare, and for our work and employment more generally. The Mayor’s charities for the year will be Marie Curie, who work hard in Leicester & Rutland (and elsewhere) to support people with terminal illnesses, and Living Without Abuse, a domestic abuse charity based out of Loughborough. The Mayor and Mayoress have already agreed to do a marathon walk of 26.2m in the Peak District in aid of Marie Curie. If you would like to sponsor them, and their team, which includes Cllr Taylor, and Charnwood Borough Council staff officers, please give generously on the following website:
https://www.justgiving.com/team/charnwoodmayor
New Council Roles
There has been a refresh of committee positions at Charnwood Borough Council for the new year. Cllr Taylor steps down as Community Safety Partnership Chair (to take on a new role at Leicestershire County Council) and will become part of the Finance and Performance Scrutiny Committee.
Policing
Inspector Mark Botte has been the Neighbourhood Policing Area (NPA) Commander for Charnwood for the past two years. On Monday 17th May Inspector Botte moved onto another role within Leicestershire Police. Inspector Botte has made a huge difference to policing in Charnwood and we have seen overall crime continue to reduce under Inspector Botte leadership. Inspector Matt Oswin has now taken over as NPA Commander until August 2021, when a permanent Commander will be moved into post.
Covid-19
Covid-19 Restrictions were eased from 17th May 2021. Further details are shown in the printed image in this report. There is also the reminder that vaccinations are now being offered to those over 34 years of age (correct at time of going to print but changing quickly). There has also been the announcement that the gap between the first and second vaccine doses will shrink to eight weeks (rather than 12 weeks) for over-50s. People are being contacted within that group, but Deborah has managed to change her appointment online and bring her second dose forward by four weeks. Further details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/jcvi-advice-to-mitigate-impact-of-b1-617-2-variant
Lateral Flow Tests
The Government has made getting a lateral flow test even easier than before and you can order kits online to be delivered to your home. They are for anyone who:
- does not have coronavirus symptoms
- is 18 or older
- has not been told to self-isolate
- cannot get tests from your work, school, college, or university
There are various ways to access a lateral flow test. You can order kits online to be sent to your home address. You may also be able to collect them from a pharmacy or test site. Visit:
https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
If you want to get a test at a test centre there are various ones across the county, including in Loughborough. Visit:
https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/rapid-asymptomatic-testing
If you have been vaccinated, please continue to be tested as you can still transmit the virus.
Great British Spring Clean
The campaign is organised by environmental charity ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ and will be held across the country between Friday 28th May and Sunday 13th June 2021.Residents are being encouraged to get ahead of the game this year and safely start litter picking now if they wish. This year the Great British Spring Clean is asking communities of #LitterHeroes to join its #MillionMileMission to clear litter from streets, parks, and beaches across the UK.
Individuals and groups can also register their litter picking and cleansing events at www.greatbritishspringclean.org.uk. If you’re going out and about litter picking, then please share your photos with Charnwood Borough Council at @CharnwoodBC on Twitter and Facebook. You can also tag in @keepbritaintidy and use the hashtags #GBSpringClean #MillionMileMission.
There is also a new group of litter pickers operating in Anstey and Cropston. The ‘Anstey and Cropston Litter Wombles’ new Facebook page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/124347599677073 Their first litter pick is on Sunday 30th May 2021 at 10:00am, meeting in The Nook car park, Anstey. If you would like any further information, please get in touch with either of us and we will be happy to provide you with further details.
Planning Application
A planning application has been received at Charnwood Borough Council planning department to alter the hours of use of the external garden at the Mash and Press at 46A-46C Albion Street, Anstey.
Further details can be found here: https://portal.charnwood.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorerAA/Home.aspx using the reference number: P/21/0581/2
You can add comments about the above application until 2nd June 2021.
