In addition to my regular duties, my diary has been very full this month! On Tuesday 21st February, I welcomed some of our guests from Ukraine and their hosts to County Hall to mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. A new oak tree was planted on the grounds of County Hall as a mark of solidarity with Ukraine and the families that are now living within our communities.
The following day was the annual budget meeting for the County Council. I spoke at the meeting about the difficult choices we are having to make to ensure our most vulnerable residents are looked after. I also explained all the work I am doing within my own Children and Families Department, and the need for more funding from the government to support all our children and families that are struggling.
On Friday 24th February, I was over in Hinckley to attend the Conservative Councillors Association Conference. There were many senior members of the government there, including the Secretary of State for Local Government, Michael Gove MP. I was able to speak personally to Mr Gove, about how he is going to support Leicestershire with its funding gap. Mr Gove is very aware of our issues as the lowest-funded county council in the country, and he took on board the issues that I raised. I will continue to lobby the government for fairer funding. As we go to print, I will be heading down to 11 Downing Street in April to meet with the Chancellor and his team, to present to the Chancellor a short-term solution for our low-funding position.
During the last month, I have also attended a regional ‘Prevent and Counter Terrorism’ conference and chaired two ‘confirmation of appointment’ hearings as chair of the Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland Police and Crime Panel.
I welcomed the Roads and Transport Minister, Richard Holden MP to Melton Mowbray on Thursday 9th March. The Department of Transport has approved the county’s full business case for the Melton Mowbray distributor road and has awarded the County Council just under £50 million to fund approx. 50% of the new road, with the reminder being funded by the County Council and private investors. It was the day we were covered in snow, and it was freezing and very muddy on site!
I attended the Mayor of Charnwood Civic Service on Sunday 12th March, visited the new tree planting area in Swithland Woods, and watched the casting of the Hope Bell at Taylor & Co Bell Foundry in Loughborough. The Hope Bell will be a lasting memorial to all those in Charnwood who lost their lives in the Covid-19 pandemic as well as a tribute to NHS and key workers. I then joined the Police and Crime Commissioner on a patch walk in Loughborough Town Centre.
Bus Stop Re-Location
You will have noticed that the bus stop re-location has now been completed in Anstey. Further work is still needed, including erecting the bus shelter, replacement bin, and the real-time signage. This is planned to be completed in April.
The old bus stop on Leicester Road is now not in use and you should use the new Stadon Road bus stop or the current Cropston Road bus stop (outside the café) to head into Leicester.
I have received some comments from residents about the location of the new bus stop, some good and some not so good. Some residents are concerned about the location of the bus stop on Stadon Road due to highway safety, but this was the only reasonable place near to The Nook that it could be moved to. There is much less traffic on Stadon Road, compared to all the other roads off The Nook and any other location would have resulted in more traffic congestion or the removal of valuable on-street car parking spaces.
There will be a third road safety audit conducted shortly, following this change, and if there are any issues raised, these will be dealt with.
I have noticed already that the traffic is moving more quickly through The Nook, especially Cropston Road, and therefore we will be reducing the air pollution in the busiest area of the village.
Easter Holidays
Families are being encouraged to sign up now for free holiday activity clubs running across Leicestershire over the Easter break.
Bookings are now open for the sessions, including arts and crafts, sports, dance, games, and music activities. A free nutritious meal is offered at each session.
The holiday activity clubs are available for children aged five to 16 who are receiving benefits-related free school meals. Leicestershire County Council is working with ‘Active Together’ to deliver the scheme, which is being held at various venues around the county by schools, voluntary and community organisations, childcare providers, and sports clubs.
The free sessions are being offered as part of ‘Leicestershire Holidays Together’ - a Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme funded by the Department for Education.
For a full list please visit the council’s website and search for ‘Free Holiday Clubs’: www.leicestershire.gov.uk
The Green Agenda
Leicestershire County Council has teamed up with key partners and stakeholders from leading organisations to draw up an ambitious set of principles setting out Leicestershire’s commitment to tackle climate change, nature decline and carbon reduction.
‘The Leicestershire Climate and Nature Pact’ is based on the principles of the Glasgow Climate Pact, signed by the UK government in November 2021. It supports national and international efforts to tackle climate change by bringing together the businesses and private sector, voluntary, community and social enterprises, universities, the education and research sector, the public sector and the people and communities of Leicestershire, to drive local action and work towards a number of shared environmental aims.
The county council is now calling upon other organisations and groups across the county to sign up to the Pact and play their part in combating climate change and nature decline.
Contact [email protected] to find out more.
New School
The Department of Education (DfE) has approved the County Council’s application for a 90-place school for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), in Quorn.
Set against the backdrop of increasing demand in the county for SEND school places, the county council has been successful in its bid for funding from the DfE’s Special Free School programme.
The school is set to be built on county council-owned land off Farley Way, Quorn, close to the A6, and will serve both the local community as well as the neighbouring Melton and North-West Leicestershire areas.
When opened, the school will have pupils from Key Stages 2-4 on its roll, specialising in helping to meet the communication and interaction needs of the children. It is also planned that the school will support pupils into post-16 progression.
Tree Nursery
A new tree nursery is being developed by Leicestershire County Council in partnership with the National Forest Company (NFC). The project is to develop a new community-focused nursery involving local groups and organisations to help collect seeds and grow new trees to plant across Leicestershire and the National Forest.
The project – which aims to produce around 20,000 trees per year - will be trialled for four years with ambitions to inspire other communities to start up tree nurseries.
Work on the site located in the heart of the National Forest in Moira is due to start soon, with phase one of the project involving the development of the site, access, infrastructure, polytunnels and growing beds.
The nursery will also supply the NFC and potentially other local authorities – although most of the trees grown at the site will be planted within the county.
The development of the nursery will help to safeguard against national shortages of key tree species such as oak, increase biosecurity and cut the risk of disease by reducing the transportation of trees around the country and reducing carbon emissions.
While the National Forest has trebled forest cover over the last 30 years, Leicestershire is still one of the least wooded areas in the country with currently around six% woodland – well below the national average of 10%.
Trees play an important part in providing clean air, improving soil quality, reducing flooding, storing carbon, and supporting wildlife, so increasing woodlands can significantly improve quality of life.
