Anstey Village Update - April 2021
Census Day
All households across Charnwood must by law take part in Census 2021. The Census is a government exercise undertaken every 10 years to provide the government with the information it needs on the population in order to make governance decisions. For more detail on Census 2021, see this excellent BBC story on it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-55935409
Census day was on the 21st March 2021 but households can complete their census forms after that date. You should by now have received your letter with a code explaining how you can complete your form online. If you still haven’t received your letter, please do get in touch with the census contact centre (details are below). You can also request a paper questionnaire if you’d prefer to complete your census that way. Local census support centres will be open while the census is happening and staff will offer help for people not confident online, who don’t have a computer or need help completing on paper.
The census is a once-in-a-decade survey that gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland is conducting its own census next year). It has been carried out every decade since 1801, except for 1941. The census asks questions about you, your household and your home. In doing so, it helps to build a detailed snapshot of our society. Information from the census helps the government and local authorities to plan and fund local services, such as education, doctors' surgeries and roads.
For more information, and to find out how to get help, visit census.gov.uk or call the contact centre on 0800 141 2021.
Covid-19 Memorial
There are plans for a lasting memorial in Loughborough to mark the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on local communities. The Hope Bell, proposed by the Loughborough Town Deal Board, would commemorate the lives lost to Covid-19, honour key workers who have helped battle the pandemic, and be a symbol of hope for the future. The Hope Bell installation would cost around £150,000 and the area it would sit in would also need landscaping. Some aspects of the project could be part-funded by the public. Various options are being considered but the Hope Bell might weigh up to a tonne and it is not anticipated that it would be installed until 2022. The Hope Bell is part of the Lanes and Links project within the Town Deal bid. The project aims to revitalise an open space within a deprived neighbourhood to improve community safety and encourage people to visit the area. The Hope Bell would be part of a clock chime installation with four smaller bells, all made by Taylor’s Bell Foundry in the town; amazingly, the last major bell foundry in the country. Queen’s Park is currently earmarked as a possible location. Coincidentally, Queen’s Park is home to the Carillon Tower, the town’s war memorial, which displays 47 of its own Taylor bells.
Nationwide Building Society
Sadly, by the time this report lands on your doorstep, the Nationwide Building Society branch in Anstey will be closing/closed. David, Paul and Deborah have tried everything they could, during the past three months, to keep this branch open for our residents. We all know that the branch is a much-needed financial service in the village. We just want to thank everyone who supported our campaign and signed our petition. We had over 651 signatures of support for our campaign and we recently formally submitted the petition to the Nationwide HQ. Again, this fell on deaf ears and we were told that any further correspondence received from us would be filed and remain unanswered. A very disappointing response and not what we would have expected from the Nationwide. We will continue to hold Nationwide to account over this detrimental decision for the village and the way it was handled, during a national pandemic. Cllr Snartt has now written to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and we will continue to support him. The final letter from Nationwide was marked confidential.
Applications for member grants have now closed for this year. We thought you would like to know where we have given our money this year. At the beginning of the pandemic, we gave £1,000 to Charnwood Community Action, to support Anstey residents during the first lockdown. We gave £250 to Bradgate Park Trust for Volunteer Patrols in Bradgate Park and Swithland Wood. This included funding towards hi-vis vests, radios for patrols and equipment for litter picking.
We also gave £500 to Go Getta. Go-Getta CIC supports young people to live healthier, happier, safer and more responsible lives. They motivate young people towards positive change through relationships, empowerment, and access to opportunities to learn, grow and have fun. The grant included funding for venue hire for the winter months, staffing costs and equipment. This is for the young people of Anstey.
We gave the final £250 to Charnwood Community Action, who have an ongoing need for financial support, and which has been caring for Anstey residents throughout the pandemic, with food parcels and additional help where needed, including befriending, shopping and collecting prescriptions.
Further member grants will be available for local groups in Anstey in the next financial year. The amount will be reduced for next year so we will have £500 each to grant to local groups in Anstey.
Latimer Street, School Parking
A number of residents have discussed with us the dangerous parking that occurs outside the Latimer Primary School at drop off and pick up times. Vehicles are parking on the double yellow lines and on the zig-zag lines outside the school. The school are very proactive in trying to encourage parents and carers not to drive down Latimer Street and to park safely and legally.
We have asked for the parking wardens and the camera car to patrol the area and they will be issuing fines. For the safety of children, please consider parking in The Nook car park or the Co-op car park and walking your children to school from there. We want to avoid lots of cars driving into Latimer Street when there are hundreds of children around. We also want to be pro-active and prevent any accidents happening. Please consider children’s safety and park legally and not on double yellow lines or zig zags. We have also asked the local police beat team to patrol the area and they will be offering advice and moving vehicles on.
