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Leicestershire MattersSeptember 2007 - Issue 3Sets our our objectives for the next year, based on commitments in our Medium Term Corporate Strategy (MTCS). It also includes some of our achievements from last year.
To view the information visit the Annual Plan pages of the website.
We want to improve services for adults with mental health problems.
Following a review, including consultation with service users, we have a number of ideas to provide better and more accessible day services across the County.
 They include:
A consultation on the proposals is taking place until October 15th. To take part, or for more information, visit the Day Services Review pages of this website, e-mail: amhdsr@leics.gov.uk or call 07810 630519 or 07810 630531.
The County Council works with the voluntary sector and Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust to provide day services for more than 500 people, at a cost of £750,000 per year. The trust manages the services on behalf of the Council.
A husband is guilty of threatening behaviour towards his wife. He no longer lives in the family home, but his wife is clearly frightened of him. - Prison?
The man appears contrite, but he is an alcoholic. Sending him to prison would mean he loses his job and will do nothing to treat his addiction. - Community Sentence?
You decide - become a Magistrate. You don’t need legal experience or qualifications to serve as a magistrate – they come from every imaginable background.
You do need to be aged between 18 – 65 and able to sit in court for a minimum of 26 half-days each year. Magistrates aren’t paid, but many employers allow time off with pay, or you can claim a loss of earnings allowance. We welcome applications from all sectors of the community.
To find out more, call 0116 305 6060, email twebster@leics.gov.uk or go to www.magistrates.gov.uk
Results of our recent consultation exercises and the action we have taken are now on our website.
By clicking on the ‘have your say’ button on the home page of our website you can see recent, current and future consultations and how you can get involved.
We have now added the results of recent consultations and links to extra information, to explain decisions and give you the full picture.
You can also give feedback or comments on our services via an online form. We value your views and take them into account as we aim to help you shape your local services.
For information, please go to the Have your say pages of this website.
 Drivers are urged to be aware of how important it is for children to use the right car seat or restraint when travelling.
New regulations governing the use of child car seats have now been in place for a year, when two key changes to the legislation were introduced.
Firstly, children under three years of age MUST use a child car seat which is appropriate for their weight in any vehicle they are travelling in.
Secondly, in vehicles where seat belts are fitted, children aged three and over MUST use an appropriate car seat or restraint. This applies until the child is either 135cms in height or 12 years of age – whichever they reach first.
There are various models of baby and child seats and, for children who have grown out of those, booster seats and cushions.
For further information, including a full list of the regulations and frequently asked questions, visit: www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk. Additional details, including links to manufacturers and suppliers, can be found at: www.childcarseats.org.uk
For a free guidance leaflet, or more details, e-mail: roadsafety@leics.gov.uk or call 0116 305 7233.
Pictured - Travelling safely ... youngster Edward Dyke
We are helping young people to become safer and more assured motorists through our dedicated one-day driving courses.
Our young driver days are available to 17-24 year olds, who hold a full driving licence.
 They involve practical lessons in motorway driving and one-to-one help with any problem areas such as negotiating roundabouts or one-way systems. Participants are also taught about the dangers of speeding, drink driving and other hazards they may encounter whilst driving.
Gemma Lowe, from Queniborough, has taken part in the young driver course.
She said: “I would definitely recommend the course to other young drivers, I felt so much more confident after the day.
“I even drove on the M1 and M69 afterwards, which I would never have done before going on the course.”
As well as our young driver days, we offer one-day pre-driver courses too.
They are aimed at students aged 16 and above who have yet to get behind the wheel. The pre-driver days provide an introduction to driving, including a practical session on the Mallory Park track.
For further details visit: www.tjunction.org.uk or contact Loraine Harris on 0116 305 7229, e-mail: lharris@leics.gov.uk
Caption: Better driving… Gemma Lowe (right) with instructor Audrey Ridgewell
Thousands of people contact trading standards via Consumer Direct each year and we have asked our head of consumer services, Keith Regan, to address one of the main issues.
 Dear Keith,I get several letters a day saying I’ve won something, someone will tell my fortune or some other scam. What can I do about this? We all receive junk mail, but the amount you’re getting suggests you’ve previously responded to a postal scam and your details have been sold to other scam mailers.
Throughout October we are running our ‘Slam the Scam in the Can’ campaign – where you can bring any ‘scam mail’ to your local or mobile library – and enter a genuine prize draw to win £60 in restaurant vouchers.
Place your ‘scam mail’ in a sealed envelope containing your name, address and phone number – and put it into one of our ‘cans’ in libraries.
The information collected will enable us to see the range of current scams and help trace where they’ve come from.
This will assist relevant enforcement authorities, in this country and abroad. Your personal details will not be passed on or used in any way without your permission.
For more details, or for advice on scam mail, call Consumer Direct on 0845 04 05 06 or visit: www.consumerdirect.gov.uk
Our newsletter, Consumer Affairs, includes up-to-date news and advice on trading standards issues. To go on our e-mail distribution list, please e-mail stoone@leics.gov.uk
Pictured - Keith Regan at one of our libraries
Free access to dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines and books is available to library members through our website.
This is not available through normal use of the web and would usually involve paying a subscription fee.
However, by becoming a member of Leicestershire libraries you can use reference sources such as the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and the Info Trac newspaper database.
You can log on wherever you are, at home, school, work and of course, in our libraries.
To access the free service, visit the Reference pages of this website.
For more information ask staff at your local library, or call Mukesh Nagar on 0116 267 8029, e-mail:mnagar@leics.gov.uk
Membership at our libraries is free, so why not join today?
Does your child use your local library – if so would they like to give their views in our survey which runs until Sunday, September 23rd?
 Children’s PLUS (Public Library User Survey) is a national confidential survey and will ask young people under 16 their views about library services ranging from books to buildings. The surveys will take place in libraries, with young people being asked to take part by library staff.
We hope that the £5 million we are spending on refurbishing and rebuilding many of our 54 libraries will be reflected in what they think. The new look libraries have included new relaxing areas for children, new computers and new stock.
For more details on libraries, please visit the Libraries pages of this website, e-mail: libraries@leics.gov.uk or call 0116 305 7379.
Snibston - the futureWe have ambitious plans to transform our award-winning Snibston Discovery Park into a visitor attraction for the future.
You can play your part by submitting your views on the proposals – giving yourself a chance to win one of 10 family tickets.
Snibston, set in the heart of the National Forest in Coalville, includes a museum, country park, historic railway and nationally important colliery buildings.
There are already more than 90 indoor and outdoor interactive exhibits, and the stunning Fashion Gallery.
We are asking a range of funders for money to develop three main areas over the next five to 10 years. They are:
Mining Lives An exhibition and possibly a mine simulation in the colliery buildings, to reflect the coalmining history of Snibston and its communities.
Technology Changes LivesA new interactive gallery exploring the impact of technology on our everyday lives.
The Great OutdoorsWe already have a country park and nature reserve. We want to add a visitor centre, nature trails, sculptures and special places to enjoy.
We have based these proposals on previous public consultation, but we still want lots of people to have their say on Snibston’s future. For more details on the plans and to give your views, please visit: www.snibston.com or call curator, Carolyn Abel, on 01530 278468 or e-mail: cabel@leics.gov.uk
For a chance to win one of ten free family tickets to Snibston, please fill in the on-line form, or quote reference LMSN1 when calling.
Help and advice is available to ensure you remain safe when driving on motorways.
 Statistically, motorways are the safest type of road. However, the heavier volume of traffic, and higher speeds, mean there is no room for complacency. Drivers need to always be alert and in control of their vehicle.To advise drivers on how to use motorways more safely, the County Council and Leicestershire Constabulary have organised a free presentation on Thursday, 4th October from 7.30pm at Police Headquaters, Enderby. The event is open to all motorists, whether you are a newly qualified driver or have several years’ experience.
To book a place, please call John Budulis, Road Safety Officer at Leicestershire Constabulary, on 0116 222 2222 ext 2436 or e-mail: john.budulis@leicestershire.pnn.police.uk
The East Midlands Food and Drink Festival – the largest regional food festival in the UK - is being held next month, and we have four pairs of tickets to give away.
Attractions include celebrity chefs Jean Christophe Novelli (Sunday), Rachel Green (Saturday) and Clarissa Dickson Wright (Saturday and Sunday).
 They will be joined by top regional chefs and more than 200 exhibitors who will give demonstrations including bread and cheese making, pork pie raising and brewing.
20,000 visitors are expected at the event on October 6th and 7th, at the historic Brooksby Hall, just off the A46 and four miles south of Melton Mowbray.
The festival is organised by the Melton Food Partnership and Infodex with support from the County Council.
The event follows the Leicester Shire Food Fortnight, from September 21st to October 5th. This promotes and celebrates the local food and drink industry, with activities at market towns across Leicestershire, including food and wine tasting.
For more details, visit: www.eastmidlandsfoodfestival.co.uk call Sarah McCartney on 0116 305 7023 or e-mail: smcartney@leics.gov.uk
Pork pies are closely associated with which Leicestershire town?
All entries must be submitted by an adult over 16 years of age. Enter your contact details above and send in by Monday 1st October, 2007. The decision of Leicestershire County Council (LCC) is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
‘Being a school crossing patrol is like being part of a huge family, watching the children growing up is a lovely benefit of the job.’
This is a comment from one of our team of school crossing patrols who work across the County – helping children to get to school safely every day.
Does it sound like the kind of job that would suit you?
We offer full training, a job to fit your lifestyle and even pay through the school holidays.
For details please call the school crossing patrol team on 0116 305 6515 or e-mail: jbarradale@leics.gov.uk
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