HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Following the sad news announcing the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Michael Kapur OBE, and The Chairman of the County Council, Pam Posnett MBE, issued statements and sent their condolences to Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family on behalf of Leicestershire residents. As a mark of respect, the Union and County Flags were lowered to half-mast at County Hall. A virtual book of condolence has been made available online for people to leave messages: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/book-of-condolence
Covid Restrictions
On 12th April, Covid-19 restrictions lifted to Step 2 (see diagram below).
I am sure everyone who was able to, enjoyed a trip to the pub or restaurant, had friends and family round for an open air catch up, had a haircut, and maybe had a trip to the shops. I have only managed the haircut so far and friends and family visits to the garden!
As the warmer weather comes, I am sure we will all enjoy a bit more freedom to get out and about and life starts to get back to some sort of normality. I view this as a positive step and if we continue to practice social distancing, and limit our contact as much as possible, hopefully we can keep the infection rates down.
Leicestershire County Council’s Director of Public Health, Mike Sandys, said ‘’Covid-19 infection rates are the lowest since the summer of 2020. This is welcome news, but we are being asked to re-iterate a ‘stay cautious’ message as lockdown restrictions are eased’’. Rates of infection will no longer be reported at the local level and national rates will be made more public.
The following changes will take place locally from Monday 12th April:
• Students return to their classrooms;
• Libraries across the county will re-open;
• Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are permitted for up to 15 people, with receptions and celebrations also able to take place outside, with the same limit on numbers in place.
• Lateral flow tests available for everyone. The government's expanded testing for people without symptoms will be delivered through:
- a home ordering service
- community testing - there is a test site in each district; Charnwood’s is at the Gorse Covert Community Centre on Maxwell Drive
- collection at a local ‘PCR’ test site during specific collection times
- testing at schools and colleges
- a new ‘pharmacy collect’ service
- Private sector workplaces.
Compost
Residents across the county are encouraged to take up composting this spring with the offer of cut-price compost bins. Many of you will be starting to think about cutting your grass and pruning plants ready for new growth – and the best way to dispose of garden waste is to compost it at home.
Composting reduces the amount of food and garden waste sent to landfill, which cannot decompose properly without air and, instead, produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes negatively to climate change.
Compostable items include fruit and vegetable peelings, grass cuttings, coffee grounds, newspaper and cardboard which will all decompose in around a year. The resulting compost can then be dug back into your garden next spring to provide nutrient rich food for the garden.
You can buy a discounted compost bin from as little as £12, with a second one offered at half price. The bins are made from 100% recycled plastic and are available in two different sizes and colours to suit individual needs. For more details or to order a compost bin visit: http://www.getcomposting.com/
Grass Cutting
The routine urban grass cutting program started on Tuesday 6th April 2021. There is an interactive grass cutting map by postcode or place name to find upcoming cut dates. Just click on the map to see when your area is due to be cut or if there are any reported issues. The council aim to cut on, or within, 3 working days of the programmed cut date.
33 Parish Councils in Leicestershire cut grass in their own Parish areas on the council’s behalf and that includes the villages of Anstey and Thurcaston & Cropston in my council area. Other areas are cut as follows:
- Grass on the verges either side of 60mph roads linking towns and villages is classed as rural grass. Tractors are required to cut grass growing along these roads. This will start mid to late April – dependant on growing conditions
- Junctions and bends in the road are cut right back for safety purposes – the council have a duty to ensure visibility is maintained for road users. Junctions and bends will be cut three times.
Urban Wildflower Verge Scheme
41 Parish Councils are displaying Blue Hearts on 54 verges across Leicestershire, indicating that the verge has been left as part of the ‘rewilding Britain’s roadside verges campaign’.If you would like to join the campaign and see one of your own verges left uncut in your town or village, please get in touch with the council or contact me about taking part in the 2022 urban verge scheme. More information is available on the website: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/road-maintenance/grass-cutting#FAQ
Shire Grants - Environmental Projects
Residents are reminded that they can apply for environmental grants worth up to £3,000 to support local projects which help the environment and reduce household waste in the county. Leicestershire County Council is encouraging people to apply for its SHIRE environmental grants, which are available until the end of June 2021. The grant will only be available for projects where the main beneficiaries are residents of Leicestershire county and should help reduce the amount of household waste or greenhouse gas emissions within communities, improve biodiversity or support sustainable green spaces. A simplified application process is also available for smaller grants of up to £300. The deadline to apply for a grant is Friday 25th June. For more information, for more information, see: https://www.leicestershirecommunities.org.uk/grants/environment-grant or email: [email protected].
Top Performance
New analysis suggests Leicestershire is one the top-performing county councils in the country and reveals improvements in several areas. Based on around 250 different measures ranging from adult social care, the economy and environment to schools, the research places the county council in 2nd place. The ranking - based on a group of 33 two-tier and unitary county areas – puts Leicestershire 3rd for children’s social care, whilst being among the lowest spenders per head in this area, and 1st for transport and highways. To carry out the analysis, the council used around 250 performance indicators from the last 12 months across 12 service themes. The data used has all been obtained from nationally published sources. The analysis can be found here: https://public.tableau.com/profile/r.i.team.leicestershire.county.council#!/vizhome/BenchmarkingDashboard2019-20/Introduction?publish=yes
Local Election 2021
Just a reminder that the County Council elections are being held on 6th May. Polling stations will be open from 7am – 10pm. Polling stations have been made Covid safe. Please remember to wear a face covering, social distance outside and inside and bring your own pen/pencil. Your polling station will be shown on your poll card, that you will have already received. If you have a postal vote, you must ensure it is received by 10pm on 6th May. You can hand in your postal vote envelope at your local polling station. You have one vote in the County elections. The Police and Crime Commissioners elections are also being held on 6th May and you can cast your one vote for those elections at the same time.
Updates
Parking restrictions in Newton Linford: The majority of the new road lining has been implemented in Newtown Linford. The area that is still under review is Main Street and I am hoping a decision will be made very soon and the scheme implemented.
Parking Restrictions in Cropston: We are now in the process of reviewing all the comments received for this area during the consultation. Discussions will be held with the Parish Council before a decision is taken.
Beacon Hill: There have been issues with parking and traffic queuing around the area. I have held discussions with officers regarding the concerns raised. They will continue to do all they can to prevent the highway from being blocked and stop vehicles being parked in dangerous positions. I have fed back to Woodhouse Eaves Parish Council and will continue to ensure that the officers are aware of all residents’ concerns.
Virtual Meetings: At present, virtual council meetings will not be allowed under the legislation from 7th May. During the past year, councils have been able to hold all their meetings over the virtual network under special Coronavirus emergency legislation. This change has made it difficult for Parish Councils and the Local Authorities to continue to operate all the meetings needed in a Covid safe environment. Many Parish Councils in my area have decided to hold their Annual Meetings earlier (before 7th May) and then wait until 21st June 2021 to hold further meetings, when all restrictions are due to be lifted. I am in support of some meetings being held virtually as it has enabled many more residents to attend meetings to have their voice heard. This is very important, and I will campaign for councils to have the choice to hold a mixture of face-to-face meetings and virtual meetings.
Day Job: I have continued for the past month to work from home. With the elections being held on 6th May, much of the council’s work has been put on hold and no major decisions have been taken. This has meant a reduction in meetings and reading to do. This has enabled me to get out and about around my area more on the campaign trail. It has been great to see so many faces that I have not seen for over a year! It has been fantastic to speak to as many of you as I can, I have missed being out and about on my patch this past year. Also, it helps me to achieve over 10,000 steps each day and the dogs have enjoyed their long walks delivering leaflets.
I hope to be re-elected on 6th May and, if I am, will be back to you next month with my regular report and promise to spend another four years of hard work representing you all at County Hall.
