A very Happy New Year and I hope you all managed to find some time to relax and enjoy the festive period.
At the end of November, I travelled up to Liverpool for the three-day Adults and Children National Conference. This is a chance for me to hear from Ministers and National organisations about the work being done within this sector. I enjoyed the conference and came away with some fresh ideas to carry forward in my role as the lead for Children and Families at the County Council.
On a very wet Sunday morning on the 1st of December, we joined the Leicester Animal Aid Christmas walk in Anstey with our two sighthounds, Duke and Bliss. The event was organised by Barry Stephens and hosted by Sharon at the Nook Corner coffee shop. The dogs enjoyed their treats, and we enjoyed the hot chocolate, bacon cobs and mince pies. The event raised £584 for Leicester Animal Aid.
To kick start the festive season, on Saturday 7th December, I visited the Christmas Event at Jubilee Hall in Anstey. It was great to see the new extension being well used by the community. I enjoyed seeing the nicely decorated trees on display, and well done to everyone who made the effort to take part.
At lunch time, I headed to the Holy Trinity Church in the city to enjoy the Leicestershire Music Christmas concert. The church was beautifully decorated and the young people performing were amazing! We have some very talented musicians in the city and county.
On Monday 9th December, I visited the Attenborough Arts Centre to enjoy the Beacon Voice Choir singing Christmas songs for us. This choir is brought together from some of the children that we care for with our foster families. This choir brings young people in a similar situation together and you can see all the lovely friendships that are formed
My final week at work before the festive break included helping pack the bags of toys and food vouchers for our vulnerable families in the Hinckley and Bosworth area, thanks to the generous donations to the Hinckley and Bosworth Toy Appeal. I also attended the Mayor of Charnwood Community Service in Loughborough where we enjoyed singing carols finished with a mince pie.
Cafés
Two popular cafes in Leicestershire country parks have been put on the market for potential tenants. Applications of interest for Beacon Hill Café at Beacon Hill Country Park and 1485 Tithe Barn at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre are now open for the opportunity to run each site.
Both Leicestershire County Council-run cafes are firmly established in popular locations and attract a wide range of customers including cyclists, hikers and horse-riding groups, as well as young families and dog walkers.
After five successful years of trading at Beacon Hill Country Park and seven years of trading at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre in Sutton Cheney, both venues have gained excellent reputations as bright, welcoming and accessible spaces that are also suitable for hire.
Beacon Hill Café was opened by the County Council in 2019. The café which compliments the park’s natural surroundings and picturesque landscape is located next the lower car park of Beacon Hill Country Park nearby the popular labyrinth display of rhododendron plants.
Both Beacon Hill Country Park and Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre are award-winning sites that attract thousands of visitors each year making this opportunity lucrative for any entrepreneur.
Anyone interested in becoming a leaseholder can find out more or arrange and appointment to view the venues by visiting www.apbleicester.co.uk/ or by contacting agents APB Leicester on 0116 254 0382.
Budget Proposals 2025 to 2029
Councils across the country are grappling with extremely challenging financial pressures and Leicestershire County Council is now asking for your views on their four-year plan.
The County Council has a firm grip on the budget, meaning we are not at a crisis point yet but rapidly rising demand for services, plus inflation, is set to increase costs by £216m by 2029. This compares to expected extra income and savings of £120m over the same period. This means we either need to make further savings or cut services or some combination of both.
The budget proposals for the next four years have been published and you can have you say in how the Council should deal with the budget situation by completing a short questionnaire on the link below or by scanning the QR Code:
https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/about-the-council/council-spending/our-budget-proposals-2025-29
If you wish to request a hard copy of the survey, please email [email protected]
The rapidly rising demand for services in Leicestershire, particularly for support for vulnerable people, and inflation, is increasing costs over the next four years. Here is where a lot of the demand is:
- Children’s social care – a 60% rise in demand and a 33% increase in prices for placements have pushed up costs by £15m over the last two years
- Special educational needs and disability (SEND) support - with 90% more children having education, health and care plans compared to five years ago
- Construction price rises – costs for infrastructure schemes have risen significantly with inflation.
We also have the government’s National Insurance increases and National Living Wage increases to contend with for the next financial year, as well as those additional costs that all our partners and contractors will pass on to us as a local authority.
A combination of innovative initiatives and a reduced back office – which will drive down costs by £33m - plus a Council Tax rise, means the books will balance next year but growing pressure on services could create a £96m budget gap by 2029.
As Acting Leader at the County Council, I am concerned that the ‘new’ money the Government announced for councils won’t cover all the extra costs from the Government's autumn budget. I am calling on the Government to ensure a funding shake-up that benefits both low-funded councils and those in rural areas.
Wildlife Verges Scheme
A scheme to help local roadside verges recover for our native wildlife has had its deadline for applications extended.
The successful Wildlife Verges scheme from Leicestershire County Council already involves 60 parish councils. Now, the deadline to get involved has been extended until Friday 17th January to give more parishes the chance to take part, with the scheme kicking off again in spring.
The Urban Verge Wildlife Scheme is run by the County Council in partnership with national wildlife recording charity, NatureSpot.
Wildlife is left to recolonise and recover over time through natural regeneration or by planting native wildflower seeds where needed.
So far, the project has racked up over 4,000 volunteer hours and generated more than 3,500 new wildlife records for NatureSpot in almost 80 locations across Leicestershire. Verges are considered for the scheme only if they are within a 30/40mph zone and junctions and blind bends are not restricted.
We have some lovely wildlife verges across my division, and I am very grateful to all the volunteers who look after these areas with great care.
To find out more about the scheme and to submit an expression of interest, email the county council’s environment team at [email protected] by 4pm on Friday 17th January 2025.
Police and Crime Panel
The Police and Crime Panel for Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland is responsible for supporting and challenging the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Rupert Matthews in his role to hold Chief Constable Rob Nixon accountable for the performance of the Leicestershire police force.
The panel works towards a target of reducing crime and ensuring the PCC delivers an effective and efficient police force.
Residents now have the chance to comment on or ask any questions about the panel’s work, ensuring that members of the public are an important part of police scrutiny.
A chair is elected each June, and I have been the Chair of the panel since 2021. Other members include representatives from each of the local councils served by Leicestershire police and two independent panel members.
The panel’s members and I would very much like to hear from you. Please respond online to help guide your PCC’s strategy for policing in the region by 17th February 2025.
Have your say via this link: https://haveyoursay.leicestershire.gov.uk/police-and-crime-panel
Lord-Lieutenant’s Young Person of the Year Awards 2025
The Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire has launched his 2025 awards, designed to showcase and celebrate the achievements of young people aged 13 to 19 across the city and county.
Family, friends, teachers, and other professionals and community leaders who see the best that young people have to offer are being urged to nominate inspiring young people in their communities for this year’s Lord-Lieutenant’s Awards.
You can nominate your chosen young person in one of four categories:
- Young Person of Courage
- Young Volunteer
- Young Leader
- Young Artist.
The closing date for nominations is 14th February 2025.
For more information about the awards, visit the Lieutenancy web page which has all the information and tips for completing the nomination.
https://www.leicestershirelieutenancy.org.uk/lord-lieutenants-award-young-people
Primary School Place Applications
Families with children starting primary school in Leicestershire next autumn need to apply for their places by 15 January 2025.
Here are the important things you need to know:
- To increase your chances of getting a place at a preferred school select at least three, and up to five, options including at least one within your catchment area
- There is no automatic entry for any school, so it is crucial to apply before the deadline
- A new school is set to open next academic year - Greenstone Primary in Ellistown is now available to add as a preference.
Families who are not sure if a school is in their catchment area can visit the schools’ website or contact them directly for advice. Schools can also provide information on open days to help people understand their admission processes.
Families will be informed of their allocated school place on Wednesday, 16 April 2025. The deadline for secondary school applications has already passed and families will be informed of the outcomes for these places on Monday, 3 March 2025.
Digital Leicestershire Matters - Sign Up
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By submitting this sign up form you will be added to the mailing list and receive email copies of Leicestershire Matters e-newsletter.
https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/news/digital-leicestershire-matters-sign-up
If you have any issues or concerns, I’m here to help.
Deborah
