It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that my mother-in-law, Gladys Taylor, sadly passed away on 31st August 2021 at the grand age of 101. Gladys was an Anstey girl, well-known and well-loved in the village. Gladys had been living in a care home for the past 10 years. She retained her sense of humour, and her bubbly spirit and smiling face, right up until the end. She passed away in her care home, very peacefully.
We are filled with sadness but celebrate her long life and realise that we were very lucky to have had her in our lives for so long. Thank you to everyone who has passed on their condolences. We have also received many cards and flowers and many people have shared their happy memories of Gladys with us. It has brought us great comfort.
I am continuing to work as much as I can, but I hope you will understand if my response is slower than normal, and things may take a little longer to sort out. I do need to take some time out to come to terms with our loss.
This is the reason for a short report this month and I hope to have a fuller report next month.
Highway Fund
I have reported previously on the £25,000 highway fund, allocated to me from County Hall. This fund is to spend in my Bradgate villages and is to be used to make small improvements to the highway.
I am just in the process of collecting suggestions from all my various Parish Councils. I will review the requests, then select the projects I think will give the best value for money and have the greatest impact for residents. I will discuss the options with my allocated highway officer, get quotes for the projects and hopefully start to implement some improvements towards the end of the year and into next year.
School Term Dates
Nearly 18,000 responses have been received from people sharing their views on when they consider school holidays in Leicester and Leicestershire should fall. In the eight-week consultations held by Leicestershire County and Leicester City Councils this summer, the majority of responses said they didn’t want big changes to the existing term-time patterns.
Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet approved to opt to preserve Leicestershire’s ‘July Fortnight’, an earlier October half-term and a longer autumn term. The city council will also look to adopt the same option when their meet, following feedback from city residents.
The consultations ran separately, but at the same time and with the same proposed patterns, and presented a number of options, which included bringing the city and county in line with national holidays.
Secondary School Places
Please note that parents and carers need to apply for their preferred secondary schools by Sunday 31st October 2021. Parents and carers with children due to start secondary school in Leicestershire in September 2022 can now apply for school places.
The application process is open and parents and carers are requested to complete the application forms online.
More information about schools in Leicestershire and the application process can be found here: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools-colleges-and-academies/school-admissions/apply-for-a-secondary-school-place
Parents and carers unable to apply online can telephone the Customer Service Centre on 0116 305 6684 and request a form be sent out to them.
Domestic Abuse
More than £1.1m is being invested in providing safe accommodation and support for victims of domestic abuse and their children in Leicestershire. The funding will ensure they are able to access much-needed support such as therapy and counselling, as well as a safe place to live.
Leicestershire County Council is now seeking feedback from anyone who has used domestic support services in the area in the past, to help shape the new plans.
The council has been allocated more than £1.1m from a £125m government funding pot so it can carry out a new duty placed on councils as part of the landmark Domestic Abuse Act, which aims to strengthen the support offered to victims. The county’s seven district councils were also granted nearly £230,000 in total.
Plans for additional support in Leicestershire include more accommodation for families in need, specialist mental health support workers for children and a substance misuse worker to support families who need it.
If you live in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland and have experienced domestic violence or sexual abuse, you can contact the UAVA helpline on 0808 8020028. If you have used domestic abuse support services in Leicestershire and would like to help shape the new services, you can share your experiences in confidence via email: [email protected]
