The end of September and the beginning of October has been very busy and as I write this report (mid-October), I am still awaiting a telephone call to say my new grandchild is on the way!
I have continued to meet some of our new and returning MPs for Leicestershire, including Amanda Hack MP, Edward Argar MP, and Luke Evans MP. These meetings are useful to build relationships and to ensure the council's view on issues is fed back to the government.
I attended Anstey Gala on 14th September, along with fellow councillors, Paul Baines, and David Snartt. Our MP, Peter Bedford, was also able to spend an hour with us and it was great to be able to introduce him to many of our residents. I am in regular contact with Peter, and this makes for great partnership working on issues that matter to us and to our residents.
On the following Sunday morning, I attended the Churches Together Gala Service. I was honoured to be asked by the Revd Matthew Gough, to do a reading and to nominate a charity to receive half of the collection on the day. I nominated ‘Living without Abuse’ (LWA), a charity based in Loughborough, who provide help and support for anyone suffering domestic and sexual abuse. I was delighted to hear that £220 had been raised at the service and that LWA had received £110, with the other £110 donated to Churches Together in Anstey.
On Thursday 19th September, we held a Macmillan coffee morning in our Children and Families department. We enjoyed some lovely cakes baked by colleagues and we made £244 for Macmillan Cancer support.
On Sunday 29th September, I headed up to Birmingham for the Conservative Party Conference. It was great to see colleagues and friends from across the UK to catch up and I attended some great events over the 3 days that will be useful in my different roles at the councils. It was also good to hear from the four candidates for Leader of the party, as I now look to decide who to vote for.
Bowman Academy
I was delighted to attend the official opening of a new specialist school in Leicestershire, after their first pupils started attending at the start of term in September. The school was officially opened by former Paralympic swimmer, Tim Reddish CBE, who brought his Olympic medals and torches to show the children.
A time capsule was buried at the event containing items such as: drawings and work by the pupils; photos of staff and students; a dated newspaper; a football; toys; and even a packet of Walkers crisps to reflect the year 2024!
The school will be run by the Community Inclusive Trust (CIT) and can cater for up to 65 pupils aged 4-16 with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs. The trust will provide a tailored curriculum designed to prepare pupils to be confident, successful, resilient, and ready for adult life. It also offers a wide range of therapies and extra-curricular activities to promote personal development.
The school was built using sustainable methods, where ‘modules’ are constructed off-site and then assembled and installed on-site. This reduces waste, meaning less transportation is needed and uses renewable materials.
Super Saturdays
Residents from across Leicestershire can take advantage of free bus travel on Saturdays from 19th October 2024. The ‘Free Fares’ scheme has no age restriction and will run every Saturday until 30th November.
To qualify for free travel, passengers on the participating routes and services will need to start or end their journey in Leicestershire. They will also have to inform the driver of their chosen destination.
The scheme is being delivered on behalf of the Leicestershire Enhanced Bus Partnership under its newly established Leicestershire Buses brand. This is a collaboration between Leicestershire County Council and commercial bus operators, with the scheme funded through Department of Transport Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) grant funding.
The ‘Free Fare’ scheme aims to encourage people to choose bus travel. It launches ahead of the winter months and the holiday season to help people save money, encourage connectivity, and provide support in combating loneliness and isolation.
The operators involved in the Free Fare scheme include: Arriva, Centrebus, CT4N, First, FoxConnect, Kinchbus, Stagecoach, and Central Connect (Vectare). Residents are encouraged to check which operators are included in the scheme before travelling. Further information can be found on this website: https://www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk/
London Hearts
I was contacted by London Hearts, a charity dedicated to the procurement and distribution of life-saving defibrillators across the UK for both public and private sectors.
They are offering the opportunity to communities to always have access to a fully functional defibrillator. London Hearts is proud to be the appointed supplier and managing administrator of a defibrillator fund on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care. This will help to get lifesaving defibrillators more readily available across our area.
The Department of Health and Social Care is offering a £500,000 Community Automated External Defibrillators (AED) Fund, aimed at increasing the availability of defibrillators in public places where they are most needed. The fund will provide 1,100 new defibrillators and cabinets. To participate, matched funding of £750 is required for a defibrillator with an external locked cabinet, or £660 for a defibrillator with an internal cabinet.
The fund is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, so early application is encouraged.
- For public access defibrillators, applications can be made at: www.defibgrant.co.uk
- For internal defibrillators, applications can be made via: https://londonhearts.org/apply-for-a-defib/
We have multiple defibrillators located across my division, some with public access and some within other organisations’ buildings. There are websites with defibrillator locations identified but I am unsure of how up-to-date the data is. In an emergency, and on a 999 call if a defibrillator is needed, the operator will advise you of the location of the nearest defibrillator and the unlock code if the defibrillator is in a locked cabinet.
Free Tree and Hedge Packs
Leicestershire County Council has teamed up with the Woodland Trust and Lloyds Banking Group to offer free tree and hedgerow packs, which are designed to help renew and restore existing woodland and vegetation.
Each free tree pack includes 50 native tree saplings – a mix of oak, wild cherry, crab apple, field maple, and hazel, as well as tree guards and stakes. The hedgerow packs are made up of 250 native trees and shrubs, including a mix of hawthorn, hazel, field maple, and oaks to plant at regular intervals along the hedgerow. Each hedgerow pack is enough to create a 50m-long hedge at five plants per metre.
The tree packs are being made available to anyone who lives in Leicestershire with suitable areas of land to plant – including community groups, parish councils and schools, landowners, and farmers. Eligible applicants can register for their free tree and hedgerow packs, in a bid to help the county council reach its target of helping to plant 700,000 trees – one for every person in Leicestershire.
Last year, the county council gave away around 50,000 trees from this and other similar schemes.
Anyone who would like to apply for a free tree or hedgerow pack is asked to apply on the Woodland Trust website : https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/leicestershire-tree-giveaway/. Anyone with queries about the scheme should email: [email protected].
The closing date for applications is Monday 11th November. Successful applicants will be able to collect their trees from Beaumanor Hall in Woodhouse on Wednesday 27th November 2024 or Wednesday 19th February 2025.
Have your Say on Customer Engagement
Leicestershire County Council recently laid out, in a new strategy, how they are planning to ensure that people contacting the Council get the help they need.
Nearly half a million people contact the council every month, over half, 295,000, making use of the county council’s online contact options.
Around 130,000 phone calls are also received each month. This is an average of 6,500 every working day, looking for assistance on one of the county council’s services, ranging from registering a birth to applying for a bus pass.
Residents – both individuals and organisations - are now being asked to feed back on the Customer Experience Strategy, which sets out a plan to make sure that people can communicate with services quickly via modern, accessible technology.
The new approach will also help to ensure that people who telephone the council get through, instead of missing out on help when lines are busy. The customer consultation is open until 10 November 2024 at . Please take a moment to complete this consultation.
Flooding
Key agencies across Leicestershire are teaming up and calling on communities to protect their homes from flooding, as part of a new drive. Following successful public drop-in events after storms Henk and Babet, earlier this year, a new campaign is kicking off. One advice session has already taken place in October and another session is planned for November. Residents and businesses will have the opportunity to ask questions and help prepare for flooding.
Experts from Leicestershire County Council, the Environment Agency, district and borough councils, water companies, and other key organisations will be on hand to help. The second event will be held at County Hall in Glenfield on Thursday 7th November, from 2 pm until 6 pm. Anyone with questions ahead of the drop-in event may contact the flood team by emailing: [email protected]
Later this autumn and winter, residents can expect updates to the county council’s website with more flooding information and advice, informational videos from key experts, and an updated social media campaign. You can get yourself prepared for flooding by:
- Ensuring your home insurance policy covers you for flooding
- Signing up for flood warnings - www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings
- Making a flood plan - www.leicestershire.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/flooding-and-drainage/prepare-for-flooding
- Checking your flood risk - www.gov.uk/check-flooding
- Preparing your home - https://www.llrprepared.org.uk/be-aware/flooding/
You can also follow Leicestershire County Council on social media for live updates and warnings on flooding and weather throughout the year.
Volunteers Needed
A request has been issued by Leicestershire County Council for volunteers to help children and young people in care. Independent Visitors spend a few hours a month engaging in fun, simple activities, from walking in the park, to going to the cinema or eating at a restaurant and are an important part of supporting vulnerable young people. Now, more volunteers are needed by the county council to ensure that the support is available for all young people, which not only offers consistency and fun but allows them to connect with a responsible adult outside of their immediate circle of foster carers, social workers, and teachers. Anyone interested in becoming an independent visitor can find out more, and watch a video from volunteers about the role here: www.leicestershire.gov.uk/education-and-children/fostering/different-ways-to-foster or call 0116 305 0505.
If you have any issues or concerns, I’m here to help.
Deborah
