UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Charnwood Borough Council has worked with communities to draw up the ‘Future Charnwood Investment Plan’ to secure funding from the ‘UK Shared Prosperity Fund’.
The plan comprises of ten projects which will see improvements to parks and sports facilities, support for town centres, a village hall expanded, and the backing of a project to improve the well-being, life chances, and employability skills of young people.
We are really pleased to confirm that one of the ten projects, includes an application put forward by Anstey Parish Council.
This funding will go towards improvements to Anstey community facilities. Anstey Parish Council wants to extend the Jubilee Hall in the village to increase its usage by community groups.
Well done, Anstey Parish Council.
Bus Stop
Many of you will have seen the work ongoing in Anstey to relocate the Leicester Road bus stop to Stadon Road, to ease the traffic congestion in The Nook.
A public consultation was conducted between 28th October 2019 and 6th December 2019, but the work has been delayed until now, due to the pandemic.
This has been funded by Bloors Homes Ltd. I worked with them for six months to get some funding from them to relocate the bus stop. They eventually agreed and the amount of £62,425 was passed to Anstey Parish Council in 2019 for them to progress with the relocation work.
The plans and roadworks have all been conducted by highways engineers from Leicestershire County Council, who were instructed by Anstey Parish Council.
Moving the bus stop on Leicester Road means that no traffic will be stopping once cars have exited the traffic lights and therefore prevent the backing up of vehicles on the other arms of The Nook roundabout.
Electoral Commission
Residents are being asked to check that they have an accepted form of photo ID ahead of this year’s local elections on Thursday, May 4th 2023. Elections are being held in Charnwood for the borough council as well as some town and parish councils.
The new requirement of showing photo ID at polling stations is being introduced by the UK Government and comes into effect for the first time this May. Voters across England will be required to show an accepted form of photo ID when voting at polling stations for local elections.
Residents without one of the suitable forms of ID will be able to apply for free ID called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’ which can only be used for elections. Applications can be made online through the GOV.UK website or by completing a paper form. A paper form is available to download and print from the Charnwood Borough Council website. Alternatively, residents can request the form be sent to them via post by contacting the elections team on [email protected] or by calling 01509 634546.
Those who require a Voter Authority Certificate are being encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The deadline to apply is 5pm on Tuesday April 25th 2023. Residents should first make sure they are registered to vote before applying.
Accepted forms of ID include a UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport; a UK, EEA, or Commonwealth drivers’ licence; and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or an Oyster 60+ card. Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.
Residents are recommended to check the list of accepted ID carefully as some forms of photo ID, such as security passes issued by employers, will not be accepted.
A list of accepted ID is available on the Council’s website, along with more information about the new requirement, frequently asked questions, and details of how to apply for the free ID. For more information, visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/VoterID
There is a wealth of information on our website under the ‘Elections 2023’ tab: https://www.bradgateconservatives.org.uk/election-2023
Polling Stations
For the local elections being held on 4th May 2023, Anstey has now been split into two polling districts and therefore Anstey will now have two polling stations.
The map below, shows the boundaries of the two areas, CA1 and CA2 with the blue line on the map, separating Anstey in two.
The locations of the different polling stations are listed below:
CA1 will be at Anstey Parish Council Offices, Stadon Road
CA2 will be at Woolden Hill Primary School, Netherfield Road
You will only be able to vote at your allocated Polling Station, so please make sure that you check your polling card as to what polling station you are listed under.
YOU WILL NEED YOUR VOTER ID SO THAT YOU CAN VOTE
Charnwood Local Plan Examination
The series of public hearings resumed in early February as part of the scrutiny process for Charnwood Borough Council’s Local Plan which sets out a vision for growth in the area. The sessions were paused last year by the Independent Planning Inspectors who have been appointed by the Government to examine the plan.
The Inspectors put the hearings on hold last summer to allow more time for the consideration of information relating to Leicester City’s unmet housing and employment need. Leicester City does not have enough land for the new homes and employment it needs in future years. Councils in Leicestershire have agreed to work together to share this unmet need.
The hearings reconvened in October 2022 when the Inspectors heard representations relating to how Charnwood can accommodate some of Leicester City’s unmet need.
The hearings recommenced on Tuesday 7th February at Loughborough Town Hall and were held on various days until 23rd February.
We have had representatives attending for our area and we have also personally attended and spoken at the hearings to fight against the huge amount of housing earmarked for Anstey. We expect the decision of the Inspectors will be published sometime in the summer.
If the Planning Inspectors find the Charnwood Local Plan ‘sound’ then the Local Plan will be voted on at a full council meeting by all Councillors to decide whether to adopt the Local Plan or not.
If the Planning Inspectors find the Charnwood Local Plan ‘unsound’ they can reject the plan and Charnwood would then have work to do to make the plan ‘sound’ according to the Planning Inspector’s concerns and issues. This will delay the decision to adopt the Local Plan or not.
You can read our submissions to the Planning Inspectors here: https://www.bradgateconservatives.org.uk/news/local-plan-submission-august-update
