Deborah's County Councillor Bradgate Villages Monthly Update - February 2021
The new year has started off very busy. I have spent a large amount of my time supporting schools and families, following the announcement of the third national lockdown, just before primary schools were due to re-open. Schools have re-opened for the children of critical workers and vulnerable children and the demand for places is high. In May 2020, in the first lockdown, there were 2,500 children attending school per day in Leicestershire; in the middle of January 2021, in the third lockdown, there were 13,800 children attending Leicestershire schools. The majority (75%) of children in school in mid-January were critical workers’ children.
The public consultation on the parking around the three entrances to Bradgate Park closed just before Christmas and over 200 responses were received. Officers are working their way through the comments received and I will then hold a discussion with officers as to the way forward. The results of the consultation will then be made public, along with the plan going forward.
Covid-19
I am sure many of you will be following the news with interest around the vaccination program. Please wait until you have received a letter from your GP inviting you for a vaccination, before you book an appointment. At the time of writing (information is fluid!), you have the option of booking your vaccination at one of the vaccination hubs or to wait to attend the hub allocated to your GP surgery. There are unfortunately scams going around. To be crystal clear, there is no NHS charge for the vaccination, and you cannot get the vaccine from a private provider. I have printed an example of the national letter being issued by the NHS on ‘how to get your Covid-19 vaccine’.
If you are concerned or have any questions please visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/ or ring 119
There is also an online list of the centres that are carrying out the vaccination program and you can check for your GP surgery on the following website: https://www.leicestercityccg.nhs.uk/my-health/coronavirus-advice/coronavirus-vaccine/
Please be aware that having the vaccine does not stop you getting Covid-19 but should help to stop you becoming seriously ill. There is no evidence yet to show that you will not pass the virus onto someone else, so everyone needs to continue to follow the national guidance that is in place on social distancing, handwashing and not face-touching.
If you have any questions or concerns about the virus or the vaccine, please do get in touch and I will try and help as much as I can. This is a national program run by the NHS with support from Local Authorities.
Bradgate Park
Following the announcement of the third national lockdown, it was decided to leave the car parks open to allow local visitors to park and enjoy a walk and some fresh air. Both the City and County Councils have taken the same decision to keep their country parks and car parks open to try and prevent one site being overwhelmed and to allow residents to stay as local as possible.
The visitor numbers have reduced over the past few weeks and I hope that this trend continues. The strong message is to stay home as much as you can and to only go out for essential journeys. If you can enjoy some exercise without driving to a location, I would urge you to do so, and avoid driving anywhere. I am aware that this isn’t possible for some people but please stay as local as you can and avoid areas that are busy. This is how we will beat this virus. This decision will be kept under constant review.
Cropston Road, Anstey
I have been working on the issues regarding the large amount of parking that occurs near to the Nomads Football Ground when they hold matches and events. A meeting was held before Christmas with the Nomads Football Club, Anstey Parish Council, Police and myself to look at options that we could use to try and address this issue. The meeting did bring up a few options and with the support of the Parish Council, and the Nomads Football Club, we are nearly there with a scheme that we hope will alleviate some of the pressure on this main road. Updates to follow shortly.
Community Speed Management Initiative
The County Council now recognises that the management of traffic speeds on the highway is a major issue for many communities. In some cases, this is because there is an actual problem; in others, it reflects how the speed of traffic is perceived.
To support communities and reflect the Council’s commitment to tackling these issues a new Community Speed Management Initiative has been developed. The initiative will be the first in a number of communications and projects that will look to support communities across several highway matters including safety and sustainable travel.
Evidence will be gathered at selected sites in the first instance. If there is a speeding issue, potential solutions will be discussed with the community and an appropriate mitigation plan put in place. For sites to be added to the list, they must first be raised with your local County Councillor. I have asked all of the Parishes within my Division for sites they would like to put forward for the scheme and the following sites have been put forward for further analysis:
Anstey
Bradgate Road; Cropston Road.
Newtown Linford
Bradgate Road (30mph and 40mph areas); Main Street; Markfield Lane; Roecliffe Road.
Woodhouse Eaves
Brand Hill; Top of Maplewell Road; Beacon Road.
Cropston
Cropston Road; Station Road.
Swithland
Main Street.
There will be some further updates coming in the springtime hopefully and I will share further information with you once I have been updated.
