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Leicestershire MattersJanuary 2008 - Issue 5We are saving money by making our services more modern and focused on your needs.
 The Government funds about 27% of our budget – and is increasing next year’s grant by 5.3%. While this is above the ‘retail price index’ it is still less than the cost of disposing of waste and providing adult social care.Most of our services are funded by Council Tax. Making efficiency savings is therefore crucial in keeping down Council Tax increases and providing money for improving services such as customer services.
By making the Council more efficient we will achieve real savings of £18.5 million by 2009/10.
By changing suppliers and working with other councils we are getting better deals. Over three years this will result in us saving:
In addition, by 2009/10 the Highways, Transportation and Waste Management Department will save £1 million through internal restructuring and a further £1.2 million by improving business practices and the way goods and services are bought.
This includes streamlining our contracts for road schemes so we do not have to tender for each one, saving time and money. One company will work on projects under £500,000 and one of just four will work on those under £8 million – this also involves working with other councils across the region.
A partnership with Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire also means we get the best specialist services for road and transport design at the cheapest price.
Throughout the Council we are becoming more efficient and cutting the time, effort and resources we use. This includes a new electronic ordering system.
We want to keep saving money to keep down Council Tax increases and to help meet the demands on our services.
For more details, please call 0116 305 7963 or e-mail: adavidchack@leics.gov.uk
Is your local village hall in need of major repair, alterations or an extension?
 If so, our Shire Village Hall Grant Fund can make a significant contribution towards the cost of improvement projects.Last year, the Robert Monk Hall in Foxton received a grant of more than £6,500 towards the cost of replacement windows.
Michael Smith, Chairman of the village hall committee, said: “The new double-glazed windows have enhanced the appearance of our hall considerably, increased the level of security and reduced our heating bills.
“I would encourage anyone who thinks their village hall could benefit from a grant to apply.”
Grants are available for up to 30% of the project costs. Church halls are also eligible for an award in villages without a village hall.
Funding can only be awarded to a hall which is available for hire by all members of the community they serve.
The grant fund is administered by the Rural Community Council (RCC) on our behalf. To apply, contact John Moore at the RCC on 0116 268 9701, e-mail: jmoore@ruralcc.org.uk Further information can be found on the Village Hall Grants page of this website.
Pictured - Revamp... an art class at the improved hall in Foxton
More roses and a splash of colour will revitalise flower beds in Loughborough.
 Residents were asked to choose their favourite from three different designs.
The majority of almost 100 respondents preferred the Beacon Road option, which will be replicated on roundabouts and verges on main roads in the town.
Planting for the design, which will see more roses and a more colourful mixture of plants, has taken place and will be in bloom by the summer.
In response to residents’ comments, more shrubs and trees will also be planted along verges on Epinal Way.
For more information, visit: the Flowerbeds page of this website or e-mail: northerndivision@leics.gov.uk or call Roadline on 0800 62 62 03.
Jobs and careers with the County Council
 As a top performing Council, we aim to ensure the people of Leicestershire enjoy the quality of life they expect. Improving people’s quality of life is at the heart of everything we do. This includes work on the environment, schools, transport and social care. To achieve this, we’re always looking for dedicated and enthusiastic people to help us deliver the very best in local services.
 If you join the Council you will have access to a vast range of benefits. These include access to the ‘just rewards’ scheme which provides a range of discounts from shops to travel and from health clubs to holidays. With a work-life balance to suit your needs, Leicestershire is a great place to get your career off to a flying start.
For further information, please check our Jobs website which is updated weekly.
It’s all about people
 If you want to make a career out of helping people, then social work could be right for you. Social work involves work with people. It’s that simple and that complicated.As a social worker you would form relationships with people. You would advise, counsel, listen to and speak up for them, to help them improve their lives by finding solutions to their problems.
A wide range of areas fall within social work, including:
You would need a degree in social work. This is usually a full-time three-year course, although part-time and faster postgraduate routes are available. Universities usually ask for experience of work or volunteering in social care.
For more information on volunteering, or a career in social work, please call 0116 305 8300 or visit: the Jobs page of this website or for general information about social work careers visit the website Social Work or call 0845 604 6404.
As a social worker you could work with people like:Errol
Errol is an older person who needs day-to-day support from social care workers so he can stay in the familiar surroundings of his own home in safety and with dignity.
Gemma
Gemma is a young girl who self harms. She enters a children's home where the social worker works with her, helps her to trust again and provides her with a chance for a new beginning.
Billy
Billy is a young child about to be adopted following abuse. His behaviour can be difficult and hard to understand. A social care worker can work with children like Billy, learning about their individual needs, which in turn helps the new parents who are adopting Billy.
Our social workers are offered:
Qualified social workers can look at our Jobs pages.
Look out for….
The National Social Care Recruitment Campaign organised by the Department of Health, this spring. The campaign aims to raise awareness of and highlight jobs within social care and provides a national recruitment hotline. For more details, please visit the website Social Work
A good supply
Could you be the person to open the door to a child’s love of learning?
It is not only teachers who make a valuable contribution to the experience of children and young people at school in Leicestershire. An army of staff also help them in the classroom and beyond, such as teaching assistants, learning mentors, administrators, bursars and premises officers.
Most people have heard of ‘supply teachers’ who go into schools and colleges as and when they are needed, when permanent staff are absent.
We have now expanded our Leicestershire Supply Service to include ‘supply support staff.’ We are working with Reed Education to build a pool of staff with the skills, knowledge and experience of school and college support work, to work on a flexible basis.
Supply workers need to arrive at a school or college and ‘hit the ground running.’ This means that experience of working in a school or college, as a volunteer, trainee or employee, is essential.
To find out more, or to apply to join the pool as a teacher or support staff, please call Reed Education on 0116 249 2880. Please quote Leicestershire Matters when you call.
Many of the County Council’s telephone numbers are changing – including all of those at County Hall.
 From 4th February, 2008, our numbers starting with 0116 265 will be replaced by numbers starting with 0116 305. For example, 0116 265 7047 will change to 0116 305 7047. Even though this is a Leicester number there is no ‘2’ after the code 0116.
The 265 number range had reached full capacity. The change will also save money on phone calls, streamline our telephone system, make transferring calls easier and enable staff to keep numbers if they move office.
You can use either number to contact us on until 4th February. After that you will only be able to ring us on the new 305 numbers. So, please start using the new numbers as soon as you can, to get used to them.
For more details please call 0116 305 7047 or e-mail: pbradshaw@leics.gov.uk
Main Switchboard: 0116 232 3232
E-mail: information@leics.gov.uk
Other CouncilsYour District Council deals with the following services
We can help people to improve their health whilst developing their literacy, numeracy and language skills.
 Our innovative, free, 15-week courses aim to boost English and maths skills as well as improving physical and mental health.Each two and a half hour session includes discussions on a health topic such as diet, keeping fit or coping with stress, followed by an hour’s free exercise.
Fu Wah Cheung, from Syston, received a certificate from Ivan Ould, our Cabinet Lead Member for Children and Young People’s Services, after successfully completing our pilot course, held last year.
Fu Wah said: “I would encourage anyone who thinks the course may help them to get in touch with the County Council. It has helped to improve my English and I have changed my eating habits.”
The courses are delivered by the County Council with the Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT as part of the Government’s Skilled for Health initiative.
For more details, call Colleen Molloy on 0116 305 8043, or e-mail: cmolloy@leics.gov.uk with your contact details.
Pictured - Presentation... Fu Wah Cheung (left) recieves his certificate from Ivan Ould
Would you like to try out real weapons from the Battle of Bosworth or dress up in costumes of the day?
 All of this and much more is available at the new £700,000 exhibition at Bosworth Battlefield – and we have five family tickets to give away to readers of Leicestershire Matters.The Battle of Bosworth was fought in 1485 and resulted in the death of the king and the birth of a dynasty that would last for 122 years.
The exhibition takes visitors through preparations for battle, the battle itself and the aftermath.
You can choose a weapon for battle and try it out. Huge TV screens give ‘real life’ accounts of the war from ‘real’ people, such as lords, soldiers and soldier’s wives.
There are giant wall murals and a wall full of replica weapons, also maps and pictures of battle. You can pick up the weapons and test them out and even shoot an arrow from a longbow – in complete safety.
You can learn how to recruit and feed an army and how to communicate your battle plans – these are all interactive exhibits to give you hands-on experience.
A dressing-up corner has costumes including battle dress and peasants’ clothing from the era for all to try – from toddlers to adults – so don’t forget to take your camera.
The battle room retells the actual battle graphically and in 3D. It places you at the heart of the action. Battle boxes also put you directly in the second row of the advancing army.
You can then enter the surgeon’s tent ‘at your own risk’ to see artefacts and instruments used for surgery.
Finally, the Battle Fields Investigation (BFI) room puts you into a forensic science laboratory so you can see how decisions on history are made – and to ‘authenticate’ findings yourself.
The exhibition was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the County Council. It costs £6 for adults and £3 for children – family tickets are £15.
For a chance to win one of five family tickets, simply e-mail bosworth@leics.gov.uk with the answer to the question below.
All entries must be submitted by an adult over 16 years of age. Enter your contact details and send in by Monday 11th February. The decision of Leicestershire County Council (LCC) is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
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