Planning
We are aware that Lagan Homes Group, which have recently acquired Cawrey Homes, have launched a public consultation regarding proposals to submit an outline planning permission to Charnwood Borough Council for up to 80 houses (Figure 1) on land off Gorse Hill, Anstey.
You can find further information and details of how to respond to their public consultations on their website: https://landatgorsehill.co.uk
We have also attended a briefing, requested by the promoters and developers, William Davies, with Charnwood Borough Council Planning Officers regarding plans they have for a development called ‘Anstey Pastures’. This site is identified in the emerging local plan and is site HA12 (Figure 2). This was an information only briefing and we were advised that the developers intend to go out for early public consultation by the end of the year.
Charnwood Local Plan Hearings
A series of public hearings will resume in late October 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 earlier this year by the independent Planning Inspectors who have been appointed by the Government to examine the plan.
The hearings were put on hold to allow more time for the consideration of information relating to Leicester City’s unmet housing and employment needs. Leicester City does not have enough land for the new homes and employment that it needs to meet the government’s housing targets for future years. Councils in Leicestershire have agreed to work together to share this unmet need.
The hearings reconvened on 25th and 26th October at Loughborough Town Hall where the inspectors heard representations relating to how Charnwood can accommodate some of Leicester City’s unmet need. As we submitted our report, we were still waiting to hear the outcome of the two-day hearing. We will update you in next month’s report, but we will also provide an update on our website: https://www.bradgateconservatives.org.uk/ or you can access the website by scanning the QR Code at the bottom of our report.
For more information about the Local Plan, the examination process, and the public hearings, please visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/localplan
Charnwood Community Safety Partnership
Charnwood Community Safety Partnership has secured £149,000 to help reduce youth-related anti-social behaviour (ASB) and crime.
The partnership, which is made up of the borough council, police, county council, health agencies and others, has received funding through the Home Office’s Safer Streets fund. The bid was backed by the Leicestershire Police Crime and Commissioner, Rupert Matthews.
Further funding will be provided by the partnership to take the total for the project to £250,000 which will be used for a variety of projects intended to support young people to make better choices and deter them from getting involved in anti-social behaviour and crime.
Different agencies deal with different kinds of anti-social behaviour. The Council has created this online guide which helps people direct ASB reports to the right organisation. Visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/asb
It is important that any ASB is reported as without any formalised evidence there is very little we can do. By reporting ASB, you might not get a formal response or visit, but a report enables a picture to be built up about any issues in the village.
Charity Abseil
Cllr Paul Baines, the former Mayor of Charnwood braved the heights of a cathedral to abseil 202 feet in the spirit of raising money for charity.
Cllr Paul Baines was joined by a team of friends to complete the abseil at Derby Cathedral on Saturday 8th October, in aid of Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People.
Rainbows are the chosen charity of the current Mayor of Charnwood, Cllr Jennifer Tillotson who was at Derby Cathedral to support Cllr Baines and his team.
The team has so far raised over £1,700 for the Loughborough based charity, which supports children and young people who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. You can find out more about the charity on their webpage: www.rainbows.co.uk. If you wish to donate to the charity abseil, please visit: www.justgiving.com and search for ‘Prof Baines' Derby Cathedral Abseil page’.
Scam Energy Rebate Messages
Residents in Charnwood are being urged to be aware of potential energy rebate scammers.
There has been a rise in fake text messages and emails claiming to be from ‘GOVUK’ and Ofgem, the independent regulator for Great Britain.
The messages will say that the recipient is eligible for a government funded energy bill rebate and will ask for them to visit a weblink which is designed to steal financial and personal information.
If you do receive a message or email that you believe to be a scam, contact the organisation directly from the details on their official website. Do not contact the number or email which you have received in the message or attempt to click on the link. Your bank will never ask you to supply personal information via email or text.
Eligible households will start receiving energy bill rebates from October 2022, you can find out the details on the Government’s website: www.gov.uk
For more advice about how to keep safe online visit: www.cyberaware.gov.uk and report fraud attempts at www.actionfraud.police.uk
Local Elections
Charnwood Borough Council is asking for people to apply for short-term paid roles at next year’s local elections. There are several roles available such as polling clerks and vote counters. Most of the roles are just for the day of the elections or a few hours.
The local elections next May will see all 52 borough council seats to be contested. Votes will be cast in over 70 polling stations and thousands of postal votes also need to be processed and counted.
Whilst many Council staff support elections, the Council needs to call on local people who can help.
The types of roles the Council is looking to fill are:
- Polling station staff
- Presiding officer
- Poll clerk
- Postal vote openers
- Count staff
- Ballot box handlers
- Overnight count assistants
- Daytime count assistants.
The minimum age for all roles is 18 years of age, and although most vacancies do not require experience, they do require commitment. All appointed staff will be required to sign their agreement to maintain the secrecy of the ballot and must not work on behalf of a candidate during an election campaign or be related to a prospective candidate.
The rate of pay changes for every election and is yet to be confirmed, and therefore applicants will be notified as soon as the Council receives the full details.
A description of the roles and online application form can be found at www.charnwood.gov.uk/electionsroles. Any further questions can be emailed to [email protected].
A-Z of Services to Report any Issues
We get numerous enquiries from residents asking how to report issues that they have as it can sometimes be difficult to find the contact details when you need them.
We have, therefore, provided information below to guide you in the right direction should you need to report any issues that you may have.
Each level of local government operates independently with its own responsibilities and resources.
- Children & Young People’s Services (formerly Education)
- Property
- Country Parks
- Libraries
- Roads and Traffic
- Trading Standards
- Museums
- Adult Social Care (formerly Social Services).
The following are some of the issues that are the responsibility of the Parish Council and reportable to your local Parish Council.
- Cemeteries
- Recreation
- Allotments
- Footpaths.
