As the vaccination program continues to be rolled out, we are starting to see some of the national restrictions lifted. Please follow the guidance and try not to rush into meeting up with people until it is safe to do so. The virus is still with us and it can still spread easily. The roadmap out of the lockdown, announced by the government can be viewed on our website: www.bradgateconservatives.org.uk/news
I continue to work from home and all my meetings remain on the virtual network. I am hoping that some of the main council meetings will start to be held in person soon, but the majority will remain online for some time yet.
On 7th March 2021, we hit the sad milestone of the anniversary of the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Leicestershire. A year on from 7th March 2020, there have been over 77,000 cases across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) and sadly just under 2,300 people have lost their lives. Here are some of the local statistics from the past year:
- 4,000 people have been treated in hospital for coronavirus and discharged
- 348,000 vaccinations completed (latest figures published)
- 100 Covid champions recruited – to help share facts in communities
- 1,362 licensing checks, 2,582 fixed penalty notices and 24,037 reports of breaches managed by Leicestershire Police.
On 3rd March 2021, I managed an afternoon at County Hall. In November last year, we held our ‘Pride in Practice’ conference virtually, due to the pandemic. This conference brings together all the staff that work in social care at County Hall. We usually present awards at the conference to staff in the Children and Families Department, who have been nominated by their colleagues for exceptional work. We were finally able to present those members of staff with their awards in a Covid secure environment on 3rd March at County Hall. It was great to see so many members of the department, present them with their awards and have a socially distanced photo taken with them.
School Places
Secondary school places were revealed to pupils across the country on 1st March. The schools admissions process in Leicestershire adheres to central government rules and gives parents and carers the right to have an appeal heard by an independent panel.
Figures released confirm that almost all young people across the county have secured a place at their first choice of secondary school.
There were 7,513 applications received this year, of which:
- 88.9% (6679) secured their first choice
- 5.2% (380) secured their second choice
- 1.3% (95) secured their third choice
- 95.4% (7079) secured one of their top three choices
- 4.48% (327) did not secure one of their choices and can appeal or take up a place at an alternative school.
Virtual Reading Friends
Parents and carers are being invited to become virtual Reading Friends. Virtual Reading Friends groups are aimed at tackling loneliness and helping parents and carers meet new people. Parents and carers from around the county are being invited to join virtual Reading Friends groups to meet new people in their local area.
Leicestershire County Council has been awarded funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and The Reading Agency to take part in their new initiative ‘Read, Talk, Share’, which is aimed at tackling loneliness and includes a national rollout of their Reading Friends scheme.
Reading Friends virtual groups will start to appear on Facebook over the next few months, providing support for parents, particularly first-time parents, who may feel more isolated without close family support and regular library activities. There is further information on The Reading Agency website: https://readingagency.org.uk/adults/quick-guides/reading-friends/
Dollywood Foundation
I was invited onto BBC Radio Leicester in early March to talk about the ‘Imagination Library’. This is a project supported by the Dollywood Foundation, set up by Dolly Parton. The ‘Imagination Library’ sends one book a month to eligible children aged 0-5 years old. If a child is in the scheme for the whole period, they will build up a library of 60 books. All our children in care at Leicestershire County Council are supported by our Virtual School who registers them for the scheme. We currently have 116 children who each receive a book through the post every month. This is all free of charge, supported by the Dollywood Foundation. Parents and carers can also put their children forward for the scheme but there is a small charge. The universal offer for any child is at a cost of just £2.08 per book, or £25 per child for 12 books. All the details can be found on this website: https://imaginationlibrary.com/uk/
Have your say this May
A new drive is urging people not to miss the chance to have their say in Leicestershire County Council’s election on 6th May.
Residents are being encouraged to use their vote to shape the wide range of services delivered by the authority including adult social care, children's social care, public health, transport, education, planning, road maintenance, libraries, waste management and trading standards.
Arrangements are being put into place to ensure polling stations are safe places to cast your ballot and you can expect to see many of the measures that you have become used to over recent months.
Postal votes are also an option; however, you will need to apply for a postal vote by 20th April. Further information and the postal vote application form is available on our website: www.bradgateconservatives.org.uk Polling stations will be safe places to vote and you are likely to see screens, hand sanitiser, social distancing floor markings and you will also need to wear a face mask. You are advised to bring your own pen or pencil but there will be single use pencils available. Local Authorities will continue to work closely with the government and public health to make sure that the arrangements in place reflect the most up-to-date guidance.
Key facts:
- There are 55 county councillors in Leicestershire - and all seats are up for election
- Around 550,000 people are eligible to vote
- People in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland can also vote in the Police and Crime Commissioner election on 6th May
Key dates:
- 9th April: Election candidates’ names published
- 19th April: Deadline to register to vote
- 20th April: Deadline to apply for a postal vote
- 6th May: Polls open from 7am until 10pm
- 7th May: Vote count starts at 11.30am.
Litter Picking Wombles
Leicestershire County Council is supporting local litter picking groups - often called ‘Wombles’ - by pledging to help them access the equipment that they need.
Across Leicestershire, there are hundreds of groups who collect litter from Leicestershire streets, parks, verges and other public spaces. It is also a great place to make new friends, spend time with like-minded people and get out for exercise and fresh air.
Practical support is being offered through a new fund which will supply these groups with road signs and hi-vis jackets to help keep them safe, and extra-long litter pickers to reach under bushes and hedgerows.
You can apply for some funding by emailing [email protected] or please contact me and I can provide you with further information.
There are two Facebook groups that I am aware of. They are the North Leicestershire Litter Wombles: www.facebook.com/groups/141303347119355 and the South Leicestershire Litter Wombles: www.facebook.com/groups/604107836721038
I know there are many more groups within my division that litter pick all year round, and I am grateful to them for helping to keep our villages clean and tidy.
Bradgate Park
There has been lots going on at Bradgate Park over the last few weeks. The new bridge on the exit from the Newtown Linford car park has now been replaced. The old one was very rusty and unsafe, so I am pleased that the new bridge is now in situ with safer railings as well. Whilst the bridge was being replaced, the infrastructure was put in place for the ANPR cameras. The cameras are hoping to be in place and up and running in early April to assist with parking and car park charges.
The on-street car parking consultation that was held at the end of last year is moving forward. We are concentrating on the restrictions within the Parish of Newtown Linford in the first instance, before moving into the other areas. Some of the other areas included in the consultation require more time to consider all the comments that have been received, so that we can be assured that all the comments have been taken onboard. I have now signed off the final proposals and they are working their way through the legal system at County Hall. I am hoping to be able to share the results as soon as I can.
Bradgate Park Trust has been going through a thorough review during the last few months and the review is now coming to an end. The trust is on a much more stable footing to now move forward with polices and staffing under control. There have been several job vacancies advertised on the website. One of the job vacancies was for a new Director. We received many applications and I was involved in the shortlisting and meeting some of the applicants before they went forward to a formal interview. This has now been completed and the successful applicant has been offered and accepted the position. I am hoping this will be made public very soon.
New Traffic Website
The highways department receive a great number of enquiries about a variety of issues on the road, many of these are around parking, speeding and pedestrian safety.
To help support communities in understanding what solutions are available, a new website has been developed to provide clear and straight forward guidance on the types of options that may be appropriate to address a particular issue as well as the criteria, process involved and potential costs.
This new website has been designed to be easy to use and allow residents and communities to make informed decisions on the most appropriate and effective solutions that would benefit their community.
The website ‘Leicestershire Highways A Roads to Zebras’ https://leicestershirehighways.org.uk/ went live on Tuesday 16th March, so is in the early stages and improvements will be made over the coming weeks. The intention is for this website to eventually include other key functions of the department providing a one-stop shop for road, waste and environment information and guidance.
