HRH, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Following the sad passing of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Charnwood Borough Council has opened an online book of condolence in his memory. Due to the pandemic, the council are unable to keep a physical book of condolence at the council offices, so we provide the link below to enable residents to share their thoughts.
https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/news/2021/04/09/deeply_saddened_by_the_death_of_the_duke_of_edinburgh
The Royal Family have also opened an online book of condolence on their website: https://www.royal.uk/
Coronavirus Restrictions - Step 2
From 12th April pubs, restaurants, cafes, and other venues with outdoor seating will be allowed to open their premises for the first time since the beginning of November. You are urged to plan and book ahead if possible, to avoid queues, and to make sure we all follow the necessary restrictions, in particular the need to continue following social distancing rules.
Customers will be offered outdoor table service and must order, eat, and drink while seated. Social contact rules will still apply with restrictions limited to the rule of 6 from any number of households (children are counted in this number), or in a group of any size from up to 2 households (you and your support bubble count as one household) for any table booking and social distancing guidelines will still be essential. The Council and Love Loughborough have been working alongside local businesses to introduce a range of measures to ensure customers and staff stay safe.
Government Roadmap - Step 2: What Changes from April 12?
- All non-essential retail to reopen
- Outdoor hospitality venues will be able to reopen, with table service only
- Personal care premises such as hairdressers and nail salons will reopen
- Gyms and other indoor leisure can open again for use individually or within household groups
- Outdoor attractions like zoos, theme parks and drive-in cinemas can reopen
- Some smaller outdoor events such as fêtes, literary fairs, and fairgrounds can take place
- Public buildings such as libraries and community centres can reopen
- All children’s activities can resume, including indoor parent and children groups with up to 15 people (children under 5 will not be counted in this number)
- Weddings, civil partnership ceremonies, wakes and other commemorative events can take place for up to 15 people (anyone working is not included in this limit), including in indoor venues that are permitted to open or where an exemption applies. Wedding receptions for up to 15 people must take place outdoors, not including private gardens
- Self-contained accommodation will can re-open for overnight stays in England for your household or support bubble
- Care home residents can nominate two named individuals for regular indoor visits (following a rapid lateral flow test)
- You should continue to minimise the amount that you travel where possible.
For further information on the government roadmap out of lockdown see: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do.
Covid Vaccinations
Vaccinations are now available for over 45s. The NHS is taking bookings for Covid-19 vaccinations amongst people in this age group. You can only use this service if any of the following apply:
- you are aged 45 or over
- you are at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable)
- you have a condition that puts you at higher risk (clinically vulnerable)
- you have a learning disability
- you get a Carer's Allowance, i.e. you get support following an assessment by your local authority or your GP record shows you are a carer.
If you think you are an eligible unpaid carer who has not been contacted for your coronavirus vaccination, speak to your GP surgery. If you are eligible to use this service but cannot get an appointment, speak to your GP surgery.
The online link to book your vaccination is here: www.nhs.uk or you can book by telephone on 119.
Leisure Centres
Residents are now able to get back to the gym and take a swim as all three leisure centres reopened from Monday 12th April. Charnwood Borough Council and its leisure partner Fusion Lifestyle have confirmed that in line with the Government roadmap, indoor leisure facilities will reopen at Soar Valley Leisure Centre, Loughborough Leisure Centre, and South Charnwood Leisure Centre. Outdoor group exercise classes at Soar Valley Leisure Centre will continue until indoor classes are permitted from 17th May at the earliest. The centres will continue to operate in line with government safety guidelines and those planning to visit will still be required to book and pay online, in order to ensure that contact is minimised at each centre and to allow for the track and trace process to be implemented.
All three centres will be open daily, but please refer to an individual centre’s website for opening hours. Bookings can be made up to seven days in advance, via download of the Fusion Lifestyle app, or by visiting www.fusion-lifestyle.com (you will need to register to use the booking facility).
Charnwood Big Switch
Over 1,100 residents have now accepted their Charnwood Big Switch energy offer in the February auction. The scheme helps residents switch energy suppliers with ease and save money on their bills. The next auction is on 18th May 2021 and registrations are open. More information on how to sign up is outlined below.
Local Government Boundary Commission
A new pattern of wards is being developed for Charnwood Borough Council. The Local Government Boundary Commission has decided that the number of councillors in Charnwood should remain as now with 52 councillors. The Commission wants to hear what residents and organisations think about their local area. A 10-week public consultation will run until 31st May 2021.
The Commission is the independent body that draws these boundaries. It is reviewing Charnwood to make sure each councillor represents about the same number of electors, and that ward arrangements help the council work effectively. It wants to be sure that its proposals reflect community ties and identities. The Commission is interested in views on which communities should be part of the same ward.
- What facilities do people share, such as parks, leisure centres or schools and shopping areas?
- What issues do neighbouring communities face that they have in common, such as high numbers of visitors or heavy traffic?
- Have there been new housing or commercial developments that have changed the focus of communities?
- Are there roads, rivers, railways, or other features that people believe form strong boundaries between neighbourhoods?
The Commission will use local views to help it draw up proposals for new ward boundaries. There will be a further round of consultation once the Commission has drawn up those proposals.
The Commission has a dedicated section on its website where people can give their views. Please visit: https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/25847
Residents can also give their views by e-mail at [email protected], and by post:
Review Officer (Charnwood)
LGBCE
PO Box 133
Blyth
NE24 9FE
Member Grants
The Member Grants scheme for 2021/22 is now open. For the 2021/22 financial year, each borough councillor was allocated an annual budget of £500 to be used to support projects that bring benefits to their ward.
Organisations currently running projects with community benefit in Charnwood are invited to apply for a minimum of £250 per member, and up to a maximum of £500 per member, and applications may be made to more than one member. Funding can be provided towards community events, activities, equipment, and uniformed groups such as Scouts, Guides, Cubs and Brownies.
If you would like to apply for a member grant, please contact either Paul or Deborah in the first instance. There is £1,000 available for community groups in Anstey. For more information please visit: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/member_grants
Anstey Lane
We have had many residents contact us about the businesses operating from Anstey Lane site without planning permission. There have been many reports of the site being extended without permission and multiple concerns raised about the traffic and large plant vehicles travelling through the village. We also share these concerns and have been pushing the planning department at Charnwood to make sure that this site remains a priority. Enforcement officers visited the site at the end of April and found several issues with the site. The findings are summarised below.
Callington Construction have submitted a planning application to Charnwood, which is currently being considered. It was noted that an additional building has been constructed on the site which isn’t included in the current planning application. Callington Constructive have been advised that this building needs adding to their live application for consideration.
When enforcement visited the site, it was noted that the neighbouring unit occupied by EL Fencing was extending their site significantly and due to the extent of this and the other breaches identified on site, the enforcement officers have served upon the owner a ‘Planning Contravention Notice’ which is a precursor for the Council to take formal enforcement action. The owner of this site will now be required to submit a retrospective application (the legislation allows for this) to regularise the unauthorised development. It was made clear to the company that there is no guarantee the application would be approved. Charnwood Borough Council have requested that EL Fencing cease works on this site with immediate effect.
We are grateful to all residents providing us with evidence on the illegal operation of this site and we will continue to keep pushing Charnwood Planning Department to take robust action against these companies where possible. This site is having a detrimental effect on the village but we will continue to object to the planning application on this site and hope the enforcement action from the council will encourage the companies concerned to operate more responsible and with greater due consideration to their community.
If you have any issues or concerns, we are here to help
