We hope everyone had a fantastic extended bank holiday weekend celebrating Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. We enjoyed seeing all the efforts made by many local residents and businesses to decorate the village for this historic event. We attended a few events and had a lovely time spending quality time with residents, friends, and neighbours.
We were also delighted to hear that a former Mayor of Charnwood and serving councillor has been recognised in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours list for his services to local government. Cllr Ken Pacey, a Councillor for Charnwood Borough Council and Syston Town Council has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in Her Majesty The Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours List 2022. Cllr Pacey, who has lived in Syston for over 40 years and is a retired financial services manager, was elected to both Charnwood Borough Council and Syston Town Council in 1999.
He served as the Mayor of Charnwood between 2006 and 2007, where he attended over 400 events across the borough and helped to raise over £17,000 for The Air Ambulance Service, which was his chosen charity for his Mayoral year. He also served as Deputy Mayor between 2007 and 2008. Our warmest congratulations to Ken.
New Mayor
Cllr Baines’ term as the Mayor came to an end on Monday 23rd May as the new Mayor of Charnwood was sworn in at the Council meeting. Cllr Jennifer Tillotson, was voted in as the borough‘s first citizen at the Council’s Annual Meeting. Cllr Tillotson will be representing the borough at hundreds of events over the next year with her consort, husband Mr John Tillotson.
Charnwood Local Plan Examination
Charnwood’s Local Plan is due to be considered by the Government’s Inspector to ensure the Local Plan is ‘sound’. This means that the Inspector will put questions to Charnwood Borough Council to ensure the local plan can be delivered and is viable. This will focus on the sites that Charnwood are putting forward to deliver these housing quotas over the next 15 years.
The Hearing Sessions will commence at 10am on Tuesday 28th of June 2022 within the Victoria Room of Loughborough Town Hall, Market Place, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3EB. These sessions are open to the public. Deborah and Paul will try and attend as many sessions as they can, and Deborah has been allocated two days that she can speak to the Inspectors on behalf of Anstey. Deborah will be speaking on 19th and 20th July.
The latest version of the Programme can be found on the Charnwood website under ‘Local Plan Examination’: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/hearing_sessions
Also on the above website you can find all the ‘Matters, Issues & Questions’ (MIQs) that have been produced by the Inspectors. These MIQs will form the basis of all the written statements submitted and provide an outline for discussions during the hearing sessions.
We have now submitted our written submission, which can be found on our website here: https://www.bradgateconservatives.org.uk/news/local-plan-submission.
Post Office
We are pleased to be officially informed by Post Office Counters Ltd, that they have now finalised their plans for Anstey Post Office, which will re-open on Thursday 7th July 2022 at 13:00.
As we advised previously the new location will be at:
Londis, 27 The Nook, Anstey, Leicester, LE7 7AZ, where it will continue to operate as one of their local style branches, with extended opening hours.
We are delighted to hear that Balu at Londis in The Nook, has had his application to host the new Post Office in Anstey approved. Balu and his team have had previous experience of running a Post Office and they are right in the centre of the village with parking, making it easy for residents to access.
The change also means that Anstey and the surrounding villages will benefit from significantly longer opening hours and throughout the week, giving local residents greater flexibility to use Post Office services at times that suit them better.
The new extended opening hours will be:
Mon-Fri; 08:00-20:00
Sat; 09:00-13:00
We would like to wish Balu and his team all the very best in their new venture and thank them on behalf of local residents for stepping up for Anstey and the surrounding villages by providing this much needed service.
We hope that you will support them in their new venture.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
As part of the UK’s goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, the government has introduced the boiler upgrade scheme. These grants can help property owners overcome the upfront cost of low carbon heating technologies.
Homeowners in England can get £5,000 off the cost of a new air source heat pump, and £6,000 off the price of a ground source heat pump. Heat pumps are an eco-friendlier way to heat your home and they can also lower your energy bills.
You can also get up to £5,000 for a biomass boiler, which uses natural materials like wood pellets to power heating and hot water, if you live in a rural area. All the grants can go towards the cost of the appliance itself and installation costs, and you don’t have to pay the money back. However, if the heat pump or boiler costs more than this you’ll have to cover the rest of the cost yourself.
The scheme is open to domestic and small non-domestic properties in England until 2025 and you’ll need to own the home you’re in to be eligible.
You can get:
- £5,000 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump
- £5,000 off the cost and installation of a biomass boiler
- £6,000 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump
The scheme is open to domestic and small non-domestic properties with:
- an installation capacity up to 45kWth (this covers most homes)
- a current energy performance certificate (EPC), with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation
You can check your EPC report here: www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate
Grants are not available for:
- social housing
- new build properties (apart from certain self-builds)
- properties that have already had government funding or support for a heat pump or biomass boiler
To find out more about the boiler upgrade scheme, visit the government website and search for boiler upgrade system: www.gov.uk
Queen’s Baton Relay
The Queen’s Baton Relay visits Loughborough in July on its way to the Commonwealth Games, starting at the end of July in Birmingham.
Charnwood Borough Council is planning an afternoon of fun activities and celebrations on Monday 11th July to celebrate the Baton’s visit to the town. During its visit to the town centre, the Baton will start at Queen’s Park and make a quick stop at the Carillon Tower before heading to the Market Place for a celebration event. There will also be free sports activities and children’s games taking place in Queen’s Park between 12 noon and 3pm.
The Baton is expected to arrive in Queen’s Park and Market Place between 1.30pm -2.30pm, after starting its journey from the Loughborough University Campus at 1pm, but residents are advised to check the Council’s website for more details including the Baton route and proposed timings: http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/QBR
Live updates will also be published on the Council’s Twitter @CharnwoodBC on the day of the relay. For more information on the Queen’s Baton Relay, visit www.birmingham2022.com/qbr
