It has been a fairly quiet month for meetings as many people are enjoying a nice summer break with the children off school.
I have been to Chesterfield to meet the new elected Mayor of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and discussed how we can work together for the benefit of all our residents.
I have also met with a couple of our new MP’s for the County and set the relationship between parliament and the county council to ensure we have a good working relationship.
I have also been invited as Acting Leader to several of the new governments webinars. These have covered the proposed new planning framework and the early release of prisoners. There has also been a flurry of letters sent to the local authority from the new government regarding plans and changes they are putting in place and we await further details.
I also had a tour of the new extension to Jubliee Hall, Anstey. I was on holiday for the official opening, but the new space is very welcome and I hope the community enjoy the new facilities.
I enjoyed visiting one of our venues for our Holiday Activities and Food Schemes. I visited Richmond Primary School in Hinckley and enjoyed meeting the staff from Kidspace and all the children enjoying their time there.
I joined the children in playing dodge ball, making fruit skewers, painting plant pots and making a windmill (that I was allowed to bring home!).
We also managed to enjoy a week away with our two dogs in a lovely cottage in the beautiful scenery of South Wales.
Leicestershire’s Local Transport Plan
From Monday 12 August residents have the chance to comment on the council’s fourth Local Transport Plan (LTP4) Core Document, our strategy for transport up to 2040. This is the first of three phases which will set out our vision and objectives for transport up to 2050.
LTP4 aims to boost greener travel and improve connectivity across Leicestershire, putting transport front and centre in our mission to develop cleaner, greener, and healthier communities.
The plan’s five core themes are:
- Enabling health and wellbeing
- Protecting the environment
- Delivering economic growth
- Enhancing our transport network’s resilience
- Embracing innovation
An up-to-date Local Transport Plan which reflects our communities’ unique needs helps with the development of a strategic case and narrative to secure funding now and in future.
Feedback from the consultation will be collated and used to inform the next stage of our transport plan.
The consultation is open until Monday 23 September and can be accessed here: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/have-your-say/current-engagement/draft-local-transport-plan-ltp4
Nature
More than 1,000 residents completed the County Council survey to have their say on how best to protect and improve nature across Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland by preserving and improving habitats and biodiversity.
A wide range of views, ideas and suggestions on how nature can be improved and helped to recover was collected by the Making Space for Nature survey, which asked the public about their concerns for nature, and actions which could be taken to boost it.
Of the 1,077 people who responded to the survey, 85% said they would like to access nature more often, and 93% said they enjoyed being outdoors. 90% of people agreed that nature should be protected for its own sake, and said it was important for people’s health and wellbeing.
The top concerns about the effects of declining nature were extinction and decline in plant and animal species, reduction in pollinators, and a reduction in access to green spaces.
People also pledged to take their own actions to protect and enhance nature, including helping wildlife in their gardens, and growing their own fruit and vegetables.
We will now take those responses and use them to draw up the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, targeting those projects and locations which will benefit the most.
All views and ideas will contribute to the development of the strategy, which we will work up with our partners, and consult further with residents further before it is published in the summer of 2025.
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy is a vital piece of work which will have a huge impact on the future natural environment of Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland.
If you have any issues or concerns, I’m here to help.
