Another very busy month, but spring is in the air, and it has been lovely to see all the spring bulbs appearing and to see the sun again.
At the end of February, I headed down to Oxford for a two-day conference with fellow Conservative councillors. It was great to see so many familiar faces and there were plenty of chats about local government re-organisation (LGR).
On Saturday 1st March, I was at Twycross Zoo to give out the certificates for our Celebration of Achievement Awards to some of our children in our care. This event was for 5-11 year-olds. They enjoyed face painting and the photo booth, and they collected their awards and then they were given tickets to visit the zoo in the afternoon. It was lovely to see how they enjoyed the day, and even the snow leopard came up to the window to say hello.
I have been holding several webinars with our Parish and Town Councils, our Voluntary and Community Sector and our business partners to explain our proposals for LGR. It was helpful to listen to their questions and concerns ahead of our submission to the government on 21st March 2025.
On a very cold Wednesday morning, I was honoured to have been invited to Kendrow Barracks in Rutland to witness a training exercise by all of our blue light services. On the runway, there had been a mock accident set up to replicate a road traffic accident on the M1. It involved a coach on its side and many other vehicles involved in the collision. Volunteers played the part of casualties extremely well. We were briefed the whole time on what was happening. It was amazing to see how all our blue light emergency services do an incredible job in very difficult circumstances. This was their first live training exercise in nine years, and there will be lessons learned from this training exercise to further improve emergency response.
On 18th March, I chaired the Cabinet at County Hall, where we approved the interim business case to be submitted to the government on LGR. We submitted the proposals on Friday, 21st March, and we now wait to hear back from the government on our plans.
You can read the full submitted business plan on our website: www.leics.gov.uk/onecouncil
Bradgate Park Trust
As a Trustee for Bradgate Park Trust it was great to visit the chapel and see the restoration work being carried out.
Nearly £200,000 of funding has been made available from Bradgate Park Trust, Charnwood Borough Council, and Historic England to renovate the chapel and restore its visual elegance. The historic ruins of Bradgate House and the chapel are much-loved landmarks within the park, and date back to 1542.
Work will include essential safety repairs and redecoration, a full ceiling replacement and wall repairs. Cleaning of the monument inside the chapel, as well as window repairs and conservation will also be part of the project.
Historic England have contributed over £70,000 and £60,000 comes from Charnwood Borough Council’s allocation of the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Bradgate Park Trust have contributed £20,000 to make the project a reality.
The work’s contractors, Skillingtons, started the work in early February, with the chapel work expected to be completed in June 2025. Other work at Bradgate, funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, has included a visitor survey and interpretation strategy for the ruins – with initial phases due to be delivered on site this spring.
Subject to funding, it is hoped that the work on the chapel will lead to a larger-scale repair project on the rest of the ruins which would start in the summer.
Elections
The local Leicestershire County Council elections are being held on 1st May 2025.
You need to make sure you are registered to vote to ensure you can have your say. You must be on the Electoral Register. This is updated every year, using details from the registration form you receive each Autumn from Charnwood Borough Council.
You can register online with them here: www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/register_vote or contact the Electoral Services at: 01509 634666
Voting by Post
You can apply online to vote via a postal vote. Both online and paper applications will now also require ID Verification. This will be in the form of your National Insurance Number. The deadline for your postal vote application to be received by Electoral Services is 5pm on Monday, 14 April 2025 if you wish to vote by post for the upcoming election. To apply online, please visit here: www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote or contact the Electoral Services at: 01509 634666
Voting by Proxy
You can still vote even if you are unable to go to your polling station on election day and do not want to use a postal vote. Providing there is a good reason, you can apply to vote by proxy. (A proxy is someone who votes on your behalf). For example:
- You will be away on holiday (in the UK or abroad)
- Your work takes you away from home
- You are ill or in hospital
There are further details here: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/vote_by_proxy
Don’t forget you will need a valid ID to vote at a polling station. You can apply to Charnwood Borough Council for a free voter ID if you do not have any ID currently.
To find out where your polling station is, please visit: https://my.charnwood.gov.uk/ and enter your postcode. This will provide you with the address for your polling station. The location will also be on your polling card.
Improved Bus Services
Residents in rural areas of Charnwood are set to benefit from an improved bus network due to funding agreed by the previous Conservative Government.
From Monday 17th March more than 20 rural villages that did not have public transport will now be served. Nine existing services have also been updated and extended to provide ongoing access to public transport for residents.
The improved bus service network has been introduced by Leicestershire County Council and is partly funded by the previous government’s Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus (BSIP+). The next focus will be Charnwood town services which are expected to be reviewed in June 2025.
Some services will benefit from trials also being funded by the BSIP grant, to measure the impact of improvements such as Sunday services or additional evening routes.
The updated services, financially supported by Leicestershire County Council, aim to improve travel connections, and simplify routes.
Regular updates, including timetables and information on changes will be available on the ‘Choose how you move’ website: www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk
For our area, the current changes and improvements include Centrebus 154, serving Leicester – Loughborough, which will have an enhancement to include a Sunday service, funded by the council as a trial. You can find the new Sunday timetable on the Centrebus website: https://www.centrebus.info/bus-services/154/ It is generally an hourly service starting at approx. 8.00 am – 6.00 pm but please check the timetable for exact times.
Communities Summit
Leicestershire County Council’s annual summit for the community and voluntary sector will return next month, and residents are encouraged to attend.
Last year's Communities Summit focused on health and wellbeing, featuring guest speakers including Active Together. This year’s gathering will explore initiatives across Leicestershire aimed at combating climate change and achieving our net-zero targets.
Scheduled for County Hall on April 8th, the event will include a variety of presentations from award-winning environmental organisations, businesses, and rural groups, highlighting how different sectors are implementing green initiatives.
There will also be a marketplace with stallholders from various sectors, providing attendees with an opportunity to learn more about ongoing projects around the county.
Residents are encouraged to register on the website if they plan to attend; see: https://www.leicestershirecommunities.org.uk/
Additionally, information about booking a market stall for organizations or businesses is available. Any questions regarding the summit can also be directed to [email protected]
Repairing Potholes
Five new roadmenders have been purchased to help maintain Leicestershire’s highways. The vehicles, also known as ‘hotboxes,’ will be used to repair thousands of potholes and other defects in their lifetimes across 2,575 miles of county roads.
The five new machines cost around £750,000 and have replaced older equipment that was failing. They will ensure good-quality repairs can be done effectively and efficiently on the county’s carriageways and footways.
