Leicestershire Matters

Leicestershire Matters is all about YOU and your County Council.

We want to include stories on County Council services that you will find interesting and useful - please let us know if we are succeeding!

You can call us on 0116 305 6162 or 0116 305 6967, or e-mail: Leics-Matters@leics.gov.uk. Alternatively, write to us at: Leicestershire Matters, Room 211, Public Relations Unit, Chief Executive’s Department, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicestershire LE3 8RA.

The exciting Connect2 project is one of six initiatives competing for a single £50 million grant.  If successful, the money would be awarded by the Living Landmarks: The People’s Millions Lottery Fund, following a televised vote on ITV1 in December.

The grant for the Connect2 project would be divided between a number of schemes across the country, with Watermead receiving around £700,000.

We are working with cycling charity Sustrans, and other local organisations on the initiative, which would see new pedestrian and cycle links created between Watermead and surrounding villages.

If the bid is successful, the scheme would create convenient links from Birstall, Thurmaston, Syston and Cossington to the park and to Leicester.  Access to Watermead would also be made easier for people with mobility difficulties.

To register your support for the project, or for more information, visit: the Connect2 pages of this website or call 0845 0581373 or e-mail: connect2@sustrans.org.uk

The November issue of Leicestershire Matters will include details of the televised vote.

Latest figures from the Government’s Youth Justice Board rank Leicestershire’s service as the best performing in the Midlands, and the second best out of 157 across England and Wales.

The number of first time offenders in Leicestershire and Rutland has fallen by almost 8% this year compared with last.  The number of young people re-offending has also fallen by almost 12% over the last three years.

Through the Youth Offending Service, the County Council and its partners work directly with young offenders, or those at risk of offending, and provide guidance and support to parents or carers.  

We support the victims of youth crime too, which can result in letters of apology from the offender and sometimes face to face meetings.

Young people who have offended may also be ordered to carry out work, either in the community, or for the victim against whom they have committed the offence.

Byron Rhodes, our Cabinet Lead Member for Community Safety, said: “Our staff, volunteers and partners deserve praise for their dedication in reforming young people who get into trouble and for making our communities in Leicestershire safer.”

This can range from minor nuisance to serious public disturbance, such as excessive noise, drinking and rowdy behaviour on the streets and vandalism.

Even though the results from the latest residents’ satisfaction survey showed people felt reassured about the way we are handling the issue, we are keen to work with our partners to do even more to combat the problem.

This includes a new strategy for reducing the impact of anti-social behaviour and making our communities safer.

Key priorities include preventing young people becoming involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour; ensuring perpetrators are punished appropriately and re-assuring communities.

We have also invested more than £500,000 towards putting 50 Police community support officers onto the County’s streets, and are committed to providing on-going funding.  These officers tackle anti-social behaviour and provide a visible and reassuring presence in the community.

For more details about the Leicestershire Youth Offending Service, how we are addressing anti-social behaviour, or if you are interested in volunteering to work with young people, see the Youth Justice pages or e-mail: youthoffendingservice@leics.gov.uk or call 0116 260 6000.

Through links between County schools and those in China, pupils will be able to share their expertise and experiences – giving Leicestershire pupils an insight into China’s position, influence in the world and its culture.

They could also learn about environmental issues and health education.

The forward-thinking partnership was established following a visit by Leicestershire teachers to Sichuan.

Headteachers at 11 schools are developing projects with China.

Ivan Ould, our Cabinet Lead Member for the Children and Young People’s Services, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Leicestershire pupils to learn more about the culture of another major country and learn new skills which may be of benefit to their future careers.”

For more details about visit: the China pages of this website, e-mail: htrilling@leics.gov.uk or call Helen Trilling on 0116 305 8209.

There is Mandarin for beginners – including supported self-study options and ‘survival in a day’. There are also business language courses including finding your way around and meeting and greeting.

For details, visit the Adult Education pages, call 0116 305 6387 or e-mail: adultlearning@leics.gov.uk

To mark the County and City's links to Chongqing, the commercial capital of south-west China, County Council Leader, David Parsons presented the key to Leicester City Council Leader, Ross Willmott.

In 2005, David Parsons received the key from the Mayor of Chongqing as a token of friendship.

David Parsons said: "I am delighted to hand over this key on behalf of the Mayor of Chongqing.

"Leicestershire has strong links with this part of China, which are generating important opportunities in trade, industry and culture.  I look forward to continuing our valuable partnership."

Trade delegations have travelled between Leicestershire and China to develop business, education and cultural bonds.

For more details visit the East Midlands China website, e-mail: chinainfo@emd.org.uk or call the East Midlands China Business Bureau on 0116 257 5611.

The bureau has supported more than 400 companies since last October, ranging from advice on export policies, assisting with business planning, to developing trade links with China.

The A47 and the A607 have been named in the 15 most improved roads in Britain, by the European Road Assessment Programme which looks at road safety on Britain’s Motorways and primary main roads.

The study shows that on average 16 fatal and serious collisions each year have been prevented.

This is the second year running that safety improvements on the A607 have been recognised at a national level.

We have spend £500,000 on these roads in recent years, with junction improvements, resurfacing works, reduced speed limits, traffic calming and improved maintenance. In addition, speed cameras have also been installed and the A607 has benefited from the £7.5 million Rearsby Bypass.

We are also planning to spend a further £5 million on road safety improvements across the County over the next four years.

Nicholas Rushton, our Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation said: “There has been significant investment into improving not only the A47 and A607, but the whole Leicestershire road network. This has contributed to a 30% reduction in fatal and serious injuries on all major (A class) roads in the County over the last 10 years.”

For more information on the County’s road network, visit the Highways pages or call 0800 62 62 03.

A vast number of projects are being undertaken by the many partners within Leicestershire Together – and by working together we are making improvements and saving money.

The projects aim to make communities safer, stronger, healthier, more prosperous, greener and cleaner. We are also working to improve educational attainment for children and young people – and to improve the quality of life for older people.

There are hundreds of projects within Leicestershire Together and its local area agreement – we’ve chosen to highlight a few in the next four pages, so you can see the real changes we are able to make to your life.

For more details on this unique partnership, please visit the Leicestershire Together website  e-mail: LT@leics.gov.uk or call 0116 305 8117.

Research shows adults should do at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity at least five days a week to keep your heart, lungs, muscles and bones in good working order.  

Any activity that leaves you feeling warm and makes you breathe more heavily than usual, is great.

Walking is a great place to start, so why not send off for one of our parish walks leaflets which include walks in your local area, ranging from one to five miles, with easy-to-follow directions.  Visit the Parish Walks page of this website, call 0116 305 8160 or e-mail: footpaths@leics.gov.uk for copies.

We are also supporting the Active Together campaign that aims to encourage more adults in Leicestershire to take part in physical activity by organising walks and other low-cost activities including salsa, urban street dance, cycling, seated exercise, yoga and gentle aerobics.

For more details on what’s going on in your area, call your local physical activity co-ordinator:

Becoming more physically active is safe for most people, but if you are in doubt, contact your doctor before you start.

WIN!

Pedometers are a great way to monitor your activity levels. For a chance to win one simply answer the question below - the first 20 picked at random will win. Winners will be asked to complete a short survey every three months with details of their physical activity levels, for the Active Together programme.

For a chance to win, please send an e-mail answering the question below to footpaths@leics.gov.uk  Please include your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address in your reply. The deadline for entries is Friday, 12th October.

All entries must be submitted by an adult over 16 years of age. Enter your contact details above and send in by Friday, 12^th October, 2007. The decision of Leicestershire County Council (LCC) is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Members of Active Together and the public relations unit are not permitted to enter. This form collects information about you. It will not be disclosed to any organisation not associated with LCC or Active Together except where law requires us to release that information. The information will be removed from our database when you request it.

If your physical or mental health is deteriorating and you can answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions in the form below, you may be able to claim attendance allowance – extra money to help you in your later years.

It is not means tested and your savings or income will not affect payments.

You can call the Pension Service on 0800 882200 or Age Concern on 0116 299 2233 for free, confidential advice and assistance.

If it is considered that you have a chance of qualifying, the local Pension Service will contact you to arrange a home visit.

We are working with the Pension Service, voluntary organisations and district councils to help encourage people to claim all the money they are entitled to.

38 families with children at Kirby Muxloe Primary School are taking part in the scheme which began in February and will run until the autumn.

At the beginning of the trial, their household waste was weighed to see how much went to landfill and what was recycled. This will be done again at the end, to see if recycling has increased.

The families have been trying different recycling initiatives including:

The results will be used to guide our decisions and will be put on our website at the end of the trial.

To find out more about reducing the amount of waste you produce visit the Waste Management pages, call 0116 305 8280 or e-mail: pmarshall@leics.gov.uk

For details on green cones, visit the website at www.greencone.com

The ‘signal’ bus provides equipment, advice and information to help older people with memory problems and dementia, with their day-to-day activities.

It is travelling throughout the County to give older people and carers a chance to see the latest technology and gadgets. These include reminders to take medication, alarms to stop water overflowing and lights that come on automatically.

We have worked on the project with partners including district councils, voluntary agencies and NHS services.

For details of venues, visit: the Signal pages, call 0116 223 7363 or e-mail: alan.pausey@ageconcernleics.com