Latest News
Broadband speed is a hot topic at the moment. The
prime issue is that private service providers do not
consider there to be an economic case for improving
broadband provision in some areas with poor
connectivity. A key element of this is that it usually costs
providers considerably more to provide broadband
services in rural areas than it does in more urban areas
emda recently hosted a rural broadband summit
which brought together stakeholders from across the
region to explore the potential for improved broadband
connectivity in areas that are least likely to be reached
by mainstream market providers. Delegates were
invited to put forward their ideas to inform a rural
broadband manifesto for the region.
Broadband connectivity has been identified as a
key priority within the Leicester and Leicestershire
Strategy for Economic Growth, 2010-20. Prospect
Leicestershire, as a delivery partner with the new subregional
governance arrangements, is currently leading
interventions within the County. More »
How can you help?
The Broadband Line Information Monitoring Project
(BLIMP) is supported by a number of Regional
Development Agencies to gather information on local
broadband speeds. It aims to measure the broadband
speeds which are being achieved in the real world
and store these in a database from which the relative
levels of service being delivered across the country by
different suppliers can be monitored. This information
will be made publicly available. It will enable an up to
date, self maintaining atlas of Internet connectivity to be
created.
Visit http://www.blimpchecker.co.uk where you
can download a tool which will make periodic
measurements of your line speed and return this data
automatically to the BLIMP database.
You can uninstall the tool at any time, it doesn’t collect
any personal information and the tool should not
significantly impact the performance of either your
computer or the speed of your broadband connection. « Less
Supported Accommodation for Older People in Leicestershire
1. Consultation on the proposal of a stand-alone procurement of extra care and specialist dementia care for Catherine Dalley Elderly Person’s Home and Silverdale Hostel Site.
We invite your views.
Consultation period: 25 January 2010 to 19 April 2010.
Who can get involved: Open to anyone.
How can I get involved?
If you would like to contribute see the link above.
2. Consultation on the transfer of nine in-house Elderly Person’s Homes and associated day care services (where co-located) to the independent sector.
We invite your views. More »
Consultation period: 25 January 2010 to 19 April 2010.
Who can get involved: Open to anyone.
How can I get involved? If you would like to contribute see the link above. « Less
ONE year after its creation the NHS Constitution is currently being updated and NHS Leicester City is urging local people to have their say.
The national document outlines what patients, public and staff can expect from the NHS and what is expected from them. There are 25 rights and 14 pledges for patients and the public contained in the NHS Constitution.
The first anniversary of the document is this Thursday and we are asking what people think about Government proposals to introduce two new rights. More »
These rights include reducing waiting times and the introduction of health checks for patients aged 40-74.
NHS Leicester City is currently asking people in the city to comment on the proposed changes via a questionnaire online at www.leicestercity.nhs.uk. NHS Leicester City members will automatically receive a form in the post.
Philip Parkinson, chairman of NHS Leicester City, said: “The NHS Constitution is important and belongs to patients, staff and the public. We hope local people will take this opportunity to have their say on this national document and highlight what is important to them.”
All website and written responses must be returned to the Get Involved team by Monday January 25, 2010.
The Get Involved team work with residents in Leicester to understand what people want from their NHS. For more information please contact the team on 0116 295 4183. « Less
Do you know a green-minded individual, family, school, group or business that deserves recognition? If so, there is still time to nominate them for a Green Footprints Award. This is the second year of the awards, which are run by North West Leicestershire District Council as part of its Green Footprints Challenge.
Each category recognises people or groups who have made an outstanding contribution to the environment in North West Leicestershire:
• Individuals
• Families
• Schools
• Children and young people
• Partnership and Community groups
• Businesses More »
Those who have been shortlisted for the awards will be invited to the awards ceremony, which will be held as part of the annual Civic Ball on Friday 30th April 2010.
The closing date for the awards is 31st January 2010, so get your green thinking hat on and nominate someone you know. For further information log on to to the link above, or call 01530 454545 for an application form. « Less
Record levels of Government borrowing mean that public spending will have to reduce.
Over the next four years it is likely that Leicestershire County Council will need to make savings of around £70 million – approximately 25% of its budget (excluding schools).
Over half the savings (c£40 million) will be found from making even more efficiency improvements - but that will not be enough; service reductions will have to be made. Over the coming years Leicestershire County Council will be faced with some very hard choices about services. More »
Leicestershire County Council would very much like your views on how to tackle this issue.
An on-line Budget Consultation Questionnaire asks which services should be reduced, which should be protected and whether you agree with the County Council’s proposals on council tax. The questionnaire would only take a few minutes to complete.
You can access the on-line questionnaire by clicking on the title of this article. « Less
Leicestershire Together have made a budget of £20,000 available for each Community Forum area. The budget needs to be spent by March 2011.
This is not a regular Grants application process. It is a new, participatory way of making decisions about funding, with residents and community groups making spending proposals and voting on them.
It starts with residents and community groups sharing their ideas.
What will happen during the workshops?
The workshops are about sharing and discussing your ideas and then prioritising them. The workshops are informal in character. They will take up to 3 hours, although we often finish earlier. A light finger buffet is provided before the start of the meeting. More »
During the workshops you will work with other delegates to: - share ideas in small, facilitated, table groups - prioritise project ideas (to a maximum of 3 projects per table) - pitch the top ideas from your table to the full group - score each project on its relevance and quality and vote for your favourite ideas The end result of the workshop will be a list of projects in the order of preference /priority you and other participants have given them.
How should I prepare for the workshops?
You don’t have to bring a project plan, business case, application form etc. It may help to give some thought in advance to how much money is involved, what the benefits would be and who should be involved in delivering the project. Don’t worry if you don’t know the precise answers to these questions – it’s your idea that counts.
What happens after the workshops?
After the workshops we will work, through a task group, with partners to see how the priority ideas can best be delivered. We’ll check the feasibility, costs & benefits, alternative ways of delivery, availability of other funding sources etc. During this stage we will work closely with the organisations / groups that would be involved in delivering the project. The findings of the task group will be presented at the next forum meeting for the forum to make its final recommendation on how the Forum’s budget should be allocated.
What can the funding be used for?
Funding can be used for new or existing projects, for ideas that involve you/your community group, or for ideas that will be for others to deliver. Projects need to have a demonstrable link to the priorities set out for your forum area. We are looking for projects & activities that will provide some lasting or longer term benefits for the area (or part of it) and that do not rely on further funding to continue once this funding has been used. The following organisations / bodies will be eligible to receive funding: • Voluntary & Community Sector organisations, constituted local groups and charities (including social enterprises, but excluding political groups) • Parish Councils, Local Authorities and other statutory agencies.
What if my project idea doesn’t make it?
We will capture all ideas put forward on the night and we will share these with key partners, who may be able to offer advice on other available sources of funding and support. You may also find that you’ll meet a few people at the workshop that can help you further with your idea, irrespective of the funding from the forum’s budget.
Use the Link above to book your space! « Less
Following consultation with directly affected stakeholders, the North West Leicestershire Local Strategic Partnership have now revised the Community Forum boundaries of North West Leicestershire.
The review comes from a number of requests received from parish councils and other members of the community.
For Coalville
As a result, the area covered by the Coalville Community Forum now includes the parishes of Ibstock, Heather, Ellistown & Battleflat and Ravenstone with Snibston, and County, District and Parish representatives from this area are now invited to attend the Coalville Community Forum. More »
For Valley
The parishes of Packington and Normanton le Heath are now part of the forum covering Ashby, Measham and Moira, and Ravenstone with Snibston is now part of the Coalville Community Forum.
For AMM
The parishes of Ellistown & Battleflat, Ibstock and Heather are now part of the Coalville Community Forum.
The area covered by the Ashby, Measham and Moira Community Forum now includes the parishes of Packington and Normanton le Heath and County, District and Parish representatives from this area are now invited to attend this Community Forum.
We don’t always know in which village residents on our mailing list live. If you live in one of the above parishes and would like to continue attending the forum covering your village, please contact us so we can amend our records. « Less
At the last meeting of the AIMM Community Forum in February, the issue of a possible forthcoming planning application by UK Coal, relating to a proposed new opencast coal mine at the Minorca former colliery site near Measham, was raised. A planning application has recently been submitted to the County Council for this proposal and the Council's consultation process on the application has now started.
As there is a considerable amount of public interest and concern in this matter the County Council has arranged a public meeting to be held in Measham when planning officers will explain the proposals from UK Coal and listen to comments from the public and other attendees. This public meeting will be held on Thursday 17 September at 7.00 pm in the St Laurence Church Hall, off High Street, Measham. The public meeting will be publicised widely in the local area. More »
More information about the planning application can be found on the County Council's website (www.leics.gov.uk) - go to the 'Have Your Say' section and then click on 'future/current consultations'. The planning application will, in due course, be considered by, and determined at, a meeting of the County Council's Development Control and Regulatory Board. The case officer for the application at the County Council is Peter Bond, Senior Planning Officer, Community Services Dept, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester LE3 8RJ, and he can be contacted on 0116.3057325 or by e-mail at peter.bond@leics.gov.uk. « Less
During autumn 2008, 19 of the 27 community forums completed a consultation exercise under the topic of ‘Influencing the Big Budget’. This exercise involved using the voting handsets to gain people’s view on what they thought was most important and most worthy of investment.
The choices were based on Leicestershire’s Sustainable Community Strategy, the overarching strategy for all public sector organisations in the County.
The consultation was also conducted with the Citizens Panel and Leicestershire Together Forum. In total approximately 850 people have been directly engaged in this exercise. More »
The key finding from the consultation is that making Leicestershire a safe and attractive place to live and work was seen as the most important area for investment. To make that happen tackling anti-social behaviour and disorder should be prioritised.
The results of the consultation have informed the budget process of the County Council and its partners and ensure resources are focused on the delivery of the priorities for Leicestershire.
A copy of the full report on the ‘Influencing the Big budget’ consultation can be donwloaded by clicking on the link below: « Less
Attention all Youth Leaders!!
Environmental Action For A Better Leicestershire (ENABLE), the County wide environmental partnership, is launching a new scheme to loan renewable energy resource kits. This resource will add to the eco-school objectives to deliver sustainable education through schools in Leicestershire.
The resource includes a miniature wind turbine, PV cell and solar water heater for use as a teaching resource. We will be also providing a set of lesson plans that helps teachers to link applications of these kits to the National Curriculum. More »
The kits will be available to all the schools in Leicestershire for the term starting 20th April 2009.
Why?
We are witnessing climate change and the Government is encouraging us to pass the message to our next generation – School Children.
What you can use it for?
You will be provided briefing notes with lesson plans integrating to Science, Geography, ICT, CARE, PSE, etc. showing their links to the National Curriculum.
How much does it cost?
You can borrow these kits for free, there will be a small delivery charge or you could collect and return them yourself. You can also spread the delivery charge by borrowing other items from the Resource Box Scheme.
How long can we keep the loans for?
Schools can borrow up to 25 items from the Resource box including these kits for a whole school term. Non-school borrowers can borrow at any time for a fixed agreed time.
ORDER NOW!! There are only 20 sets available on first come first serve basis. To reserve your renewable energy kit, contact Resource Box Officer on 01455 552834 or sherrier@leics.gov.uk
For further information, please contact Hetal Patel on 0116 3057068 or enable@leics.gov.uk « Less
The new Leicestershire Looks, a directory of Independent Fashion Retailers is now available.
This directory has been compiled to make it easier for the customer to see the wide and diverse range of jewellers, independent fashion retailers, shoes and accessories that are available in Leicestershire’s Market Towns and Rural Centres.
By purchasing locally not only do you get a unique item
but it helps to support the local economy and reduces carbon emissions through less use of the car! To complete your new look why not have a new hairstyle and beauty treatment at one of Leicestershire’s many salons. More »
The directory is arranged by town and then by category, enabling you to find what you are looking for easily.
To complete your day in one of the towns, each offers a unique selection of eating places,
from cafés through to restaurants. Should you welcome a change from shopping, then most towns offer quality museums - especially Snibston in Coalville, which has a new and exciting
Fashion Gallery where you will find pleasant or unpleasant memories!
Copies of these will be distributed to all the shops included in the directory as well as the following,
Car Dealers
Doctors
Dentists
Hotels and other accommodation
Café’s
Tourist Attractions
District Councils
Libraries
If you have any comments or you are interested in a future directory then please contact Nicola Lees on 0116 305 7986 or email betterplaces@leics.gov.uk « Less
The Leicestershire Local Involvement Network being officially launched on Friday 27th March 2009, 12-1pm followed by refreshments, at the BRITE Centre, Braunstone Avenue, Braunstone, LE3 1LE.
This national initiative is a way of giving people the power to improve health and social care services in every local authority area. Through LINk, local people can join together to influence how services are run.
The Leicestershire LINk will work closely with the health and social care services that the people of Leicestershire use, including services across county boundaries. We will also work in partnership with LINKs in neighbouring counties. There are separate LINks for the city of Leicester and the surrounding counties. More »
To find out more and see how you can get involved book your place for the launch by contacting the LINk team on 0116 234 1577 or email: info@leicestershirelink.org.uk
For Leicestershire LINk telephone: 0116 234 1577, or info@leicestershirelink.org.uk « Less
THIS IS YOU OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON FUTURE PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT.
The Core Strategy Development Plan Document will, once adopted, set out the vision, strategic objectives and spatial strategy for future developments within North West Leicestershire.
If this growth is to be successful and sustainable we need to have a clear and agreed framework for how it will take place. This is the job of this document, the Local Development Framework Core Strategy (available by selecting the link above). More »
The Framework suggests how we can accommodate 12,200 new homes in the district, together with the
infrastructure needed, and looks at how we need to manage development in our towns and villages.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONSULTATION AND HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
This consultation is intended to share with you our emerging thoughts on a number of key issues. In particular, we are seeking your views on our approach to:
• The Development Strategy;
• Issues associated with how much development should be planned for and where it could take place;
• The Green Wedge in Coalville;
• A number of other housing issues including affordable housing and provision for gypsies and travellers;
• East Midlands Airport and Donington Racetrack and
• Town Centres and Shopping
It is possible to respond to this consultation Online, however, if you are unable to access the Internet please contact NWLDC for copies of representations forms:
Planning Policy and Sustainability
Planning and Development
North West Leicestershire district Council
Council Offices
Coalville
LEICS
LE67 3FJ
All comments are to be received by 5.00 PM on 22nd December 2008. « Less
Ashby Woulds Parish Plan Group held the Public Launch of their Parish Plan Report and Action Plan on Tuesday 16th September at Moira Village Hall, Moira. Ashby Town Council Mayor and Councillors, the Leicestershire County Council, the Rural Community Council, North West Leicestershire CVS, the Police and Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator and Albert Village Hall Project group and more than 50 members of the public attended the launch. Many new volunteers signed up to help take forward ideas from the Parish Plan, including the Albert Village Hall Project, Community Speedwatch, working with the website and the Police amongst many others. Some outcomes have already been achieved, such as new cycle routes and security gates for the Village Hall Car park. The Parish Plan Group, Leicestershire County Council and the Town Council are looking forward to enabling further outcomes.
More and more people are making use of their Community Forum to try and improve local services and raise issues of local concern.
- Residents in Birstall were unhappy that the swimming pool in Longslade Community College was no longer going to be open to the public outside school hours. Discussion at the local Area Forum meeting resulted in the College working directly with local users to find ways the pool can remain open.
- Following the Government’s shortlisting of ‘Pennbury’ as a potential Eco-town, the ‘Have your Say’ meetings in Kibworth and Tugby were the first opportunity for residents in the surrounding area to find out how the District and County Council were planning to respond to this challenge.
- At the Blaby South Community Forum residents and Parish Councillors from Sapcote, Sharnford, Stoney Stanton and surrounding villages expressed their concerns about the volume and speed of Heavy Goods Vehicles travelling through their villages. In response officers promised to look into a range of measures to reduce the impact of traffic and improve road safety in the short term, while explaining how they were looking to provide longer-term solutions. More »
Community Forums give you the opportunity to discuss local issues with your local Parish, District and County Councillors and representatives from the Police and the Health Service. There are 27 Community Forums across they county. To find out more about forum meetings in your local area, please visit www.leicestershireforums.org
Contact: Derk van der Wardt, 0116 3057581 « Less
