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Leicestershire MattersSpring 2007… that is the aim of our first Disability Equality Scheme, which explains what we will do to improve the lives of disabled people in Leicestershire.
It shows how we will address the inequality, disadvantage and discrimination which disabled people can face.
Examples of what we will be doing include:
Our disabled employees and disabled people living in the community helped us write the scheme, to ensure the services we provide, and the employment opportunities we offer, are appropriate and relevant to everyone with a disability.
Our goal now is to deliver the actions outlined in the document, to achieve real change and positive results for disabled people.
An electronic version of the disability equality scheme is available to download from our website.
The document is also available in paper format, Easy to Read, large print, Braille or audio tape and on DVD with subtitles and British Sign Language. For a copy in any of these formats, please contact Shaun Cropper on 0116 305 6029.
THE leaders of all three political parties on the Council have signed up to the Nottingham Declaration on climate change.
 This is a pledge, which can be signed by councils across the country, to help tackle global warming, work to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to already inevitable environmental changes.Our commitment is demonstrated by initiatives including buying ‘green energy’ (generated by wind and wave sources) to power the County’s street lights and our main buildings. As a result the County Council’s CO2 emissions have reduced by 22% in the last five years.
We are, however, keen to do more and will be working with our partners to agree a Climate Change Strategy Action Plan for Leicestershire.
For more details about what you can do to help tackle climate change in Leicestershire call Hetal Patel on 0116 305 7068 or e-mail: hpatel@leics.gov.uk
THOUSANDS of people contact trading standards each year and we have been asking our head of consumer services, Keith Regan, to answer some of your questions.
Many of the most frequently asked questions were answered with clear, practical consumer advice, which can be found on the Consumer Direct website.
Alternatively, the Consumer Direct information and advice helpline is available on a single low-cost national number – 08454 04 05 06 from 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 1pm Saturday (excluding bank holidays.)
THE New Year has been a time of major change for Leicestershire Constabulary.
In a planned programme which started in January, the Force is realigning its boundaries to match those of local authorities.
The restructuring will see the Constabulary reducing from four to three basic command units (BCUs), which will go live in April.
By realigning, the Force will be better placed to implement neighbourhood policing and to develop even closer working relationships with partners.
Chief Constable Matt Baggott said: “In a tough financial climate, this allows us to make efficiencies without compromising the second to none local policing that has earned us ‘excellent’ grades from the Home Office two years running.”
 The new-look City BCU will cover the whole of the City of Leicester.South BCU will cover Hinckley and Bosworth District Council, Blaby District Council, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council and Harborough District Council areas.
North BCU will cover North West Leicestershire District Council, Charnwood Borough Council, Melton Borough Council and Rutland County Council areas.
Local policing a key priority in the shake-up of county forceLEICESTERSHIRE Constabulary recognises the importance of having locally known officers working out of police stations situated in the heart of communities.
For that reason, no police stations will be closing as a result of the Force realignment. Officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) will continue to work out of all our police stations.
A key objective for neighbourhood policing is to provide dedicated officers who are accessible to their communities, enabling communities to influence priorities, ensuring appropriate action and intervention is taken against these priorities, and providing answers and feedback on issues raised.
The allocation of staff to neighbourhoods, supported by teams working within local policing units (LPUs), will ensure that our communities have better access to and influence over their local policing than at any time in the past.
Each of the 110 neighbourhoods that make up Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland has a dedicated named police beat officer. Their primary role is to consult and engage with local communities, to identify local issues and priorities, work with partners to tackle these and provide feedback to communities.
The beat officers are already supported by PCSOs and, by March 2007, every neighbourhood will have a dedicated PCSO working alongside their police colleague.
As part of the re-alignment, we have also introduced a new concept – the Local Support Team (LST). The LST aims to improve service delivery by ensuring those tasks not requiring the skills range of an officer are dealt with as effectively and efficiently by other police staff. The LST will free up police officer time, allowing them to focus on tasks that need the skills of a constable.
Over the past year, the Constabulary has conducted an extensive review of its front enquiry desk provision, looking at the number of people who visit police stations and mapping demand at different times and on different days.
This has enabled us to come up with opening times for our front enquiry desks that better match public demand. We have invested in a number of additional staff to ensure we can keep to our promised opening hours.
The new station opening hours will guarantee a consistent service and strengthen the contact and confidence the public have in the service we deliver.
A very small number of police stations will not have full time enquiry office staff but will ensure officers remain accessible to the public by implementing surgery-type arrangements. Work is also underway to provide police contact points within partnership locations.
Information on local policing is accessible on the police website and through local neighbourhood newsletters.
Looking forward to the challenges... CHIEF Superintendent Steve Pitts will lead the new South BCU which will cover the districts of Hinckley and Bosworth, Blaby, Oadby and Wigston, and Harborough.Ch Supt Pitts joined West Yorkshire Police in 1977. He later transferred to the Metropolitan Police and spent three years working in the East End of London before joining Leicestershire Constabulary as a sergeant in 1988.
In October 2005, he took up the role of West Area Commander, a position he held until his appointment as the new South BCU Commander.
Of his new appointment, Ch Supt Pitts says: “I am delighted to have been appointed to this post. I am looking forward to building upon the excellent working relationship I already have with my local authority colleagues at Blaby and Hinckley and Bosworth councils and to developing a similar relationship with colleagues at Oadby and Wigston and Market Harborough.
“The south of Leicestershire is already one of the safest places in the country to live, work and visit and I am committed to ensuring that all communities experience the benefits of policing teams working in partnership to improve the quality of life in their neighbourhoods.”
 The North BCU will be led by Chief Superintendent Wendy Yeadon.It will include the four local authorities of North West Leicestershire District Council; Charnwood Borough Council, which will be covered by two LPUs - one for the communities of Loughborough, Shepshed and Hathern and the second covering the communities of Syston, Quorn, Birstall, Mountsorrel and Barrow on Soar; Melton Borough Council and Rutland County Council.
Ch Supt Yeadon joined Leicestershire Constabulary from Bedfordshire Police. Since joining the Force, she has successfully led the large East Area, responsible for the policing Rutland, Melton Mowbray, Market Harborough, Wigston, Belgrave and Hamilton.
Ch Supt Yeadon is delighted to become North Area Commander and said: “I am delighted to have been chosen to lead the new-look North Area.
“I am looking forward to the policing challenges of resolving the needs of the very different communities that make up the new North, which range from rural areas to busy market towns like Loughborough, Coalville and Ashby.”
POLICE STATION OPENING TIMESWith effect from February 19, 2007, police station opening hours will be as follows:
North BCU:
Loughborough police station
Open Monday to Sunday: 8am to 10pm
Coalville police station
Open Monday to Sunday: 9am to 9pm
Syston police station
Open Monday to Friday: 10am to 6pm
(closed between 2pm and 2.45pm)
Police surgeries involving local beat officers and/or PCSOs, will be held at Shepshed, Quorn and Ashby police stations, as follows:
Shepshed police station
Every Sunday: 10am to 12 midday
Quorn police station
Every Saturday: 10am to 12 midday
Ashby police station
Every Monday: 6pm to 8pm
South BCU:
Wigston police station
Open Monday to Sunday: 8am to 10pm
Hinckley police station
Open Monday to Sunday: 9am to 9pm
Blaby police station
Open Monday to Friday: 10am to 6pm
(closed between 2pm and 2.45pm)
Market Harborough police station
Open Monday to Friday: 10am to 6pm
(closed between 2pm and 2.45pm)
Lutterworth police station
Open Monday to Friday: 10am to 2pm
Should you call at any police station outside the opening times and your matter is urgent, you can use the telephone in the yellow box, outside the station, which will link you to a police call handler.
Details of all station opening times are available on the police website.
ONE of our key roles is to support and challenge schools so they can improve and provide the best possible education for children and young people in Leicestershire.
All County schools are inspected by OfSTED every three years. They are judged on a scale of 1 to 4, ranging from 1 ‘outstanding’ to 4 ‘inadequate’.
Over the past year we have had considerable success in helping the small percentage of our schools in the lowest category improve their performance.
Thanks to a lot of hard work covering all aspects of education, including the development of teaching and learning and support for governing bodies, there has been a reduction in the number of schools rated as ‘inadequate’.
Schools with this rating are given either a ‘notice to improve’ or if standards need raising significantly, they are placed into ‘special measures’.
Over the past year in Leicestershire the number of schools in these two OfSTED categories has been reduced from 13 to six. This is the lowest total in eight years and there are now just two schools in special measures.
This is in contrast to the national trend, where many other local authorities have seen an increase in the number of schools with the lowest OfSTED rating.
 The most recent school to be taken out of special measures was St Peter’s and St Paul’s Primary School in Syston. This was achieved in a record time for our schools of just ten months - a fantastic achievement for which staff, governors and pupils deserve great credit.Despite the many successes, we will be working hard to help all our schools out of special measures and keep them there, as well as improving performance across schools generally.
For more details about work to support schools in improving their performance call Tony Mulhearn on 0116 305 6505 or e-mail: tmulhearn@leics.gov.uk
School success… teacher Lisa Stephens and pupils at St Peter’s and St Paul’s Primary School
NEW Community Forums are being established across the County – giving you an opportunity to influence the services provided where you live.
Your elected County, District and Parish Councillors, who will be attending the meetings, can raise issues on your behalf. Alternatively you can attend yourself and voice any concerns or ask questions.
Local Authorities, the Police, Health and Voluntary Services can already be informed of any issues by elected members. However, the forums will provide a regular opportunity to advise these agencies on how services can be improved to meet the needs of your community.
We are setting up the forums with our partners from Leicestershire Together – a strategic partnership of local organisations. Details about meetings in your area will be given in future editions of Leicestershire Matters.
For more information call Andy Robinson on 0116 305 7017 or e-mail: arobinson@leics.gov.uk
EVENTS have been organised for older people from black or ethnic minority communities.
As you get older you are more likely to experience poor physical and mental health. Because of this we have arranged two events to help promote a ‘happy heart and mind’.
Please come and join us, entry is free and refreshments and lunch are provided. Call 0116 305 7362 for more details.
The events are at Parklands Leisure Centre, Wigston Road, Oadby on 27th March from 10am – 2.30pm and the Ramada Hotel, 22 High Street, Loughborough on 28th March from 10am – 2.30pm.
OUR comprehensive FREE guide to events happening across Leicestershire in our museums, libraries and country parks is now available.
The latest issue of the Leicestershire Events Guide, which runs until the end of May, is packed with hundreds of events and activities to keep you and your family entertained.
These include ‘A Grand Day Out’ at Snibston Discovery Park with fun activities in support of World Health Day and ‘Maytime Mayhem’ at Donington-le-Heath Manor House, which is a celebration of spring with dancing, crafts, stories and folklore tales.
Don’t miss out – pick up your copy from any County Council library or museum. Alternatively, to receive regular copies, e-mail: eventsguide@leics.gov.uk or fill in the form and send it to The Marketing Team, Room 409, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicestershire LE3 8TD.
WE had a tremendous response to our wild flower painting competition which appeared in the last issue of Leicestershire Matters.
The competition was linked to a story on the Women’s Institute’s wild flower survey – and we asked you to draw your favourite wildflower.
The standard of paintings was excellent and the judges had a hard time deciding on the winners! Many thanks to all who took part.
 Children aged 0 – 5 years
Skye Mugglestone aged 2½ of Thurmaston
 Children aged 6 – 10 years
Charlotte Kearn aged 8 of Shepshed
 Children aged 11 – 16 years
Beth Welsh aged 12 of Cosby
 Adults
Kathleen Musson of Ratby.
 TWO free guides are available to help you have a great time in Leicestershire.The Great Days Out guide includes events and attractions in the County and City, it has a comprehensive map of Leicestershire and lots of special offers and discounts.
The Go Leicestershire Visitor Guide 2007 is also free and has details on great days out, top shopping venues, special offers for short breaks, accommodation listings and the best places to eat and drink in the area. It also includes major events across the County and City.
Both guides are available from Leicester Tourist Information Centre, 7-9 Every Street, Town Hall Square, Leicester LE1 6AG. You can request copies on the goleicestershire website or e-mail: info@goleicestershire.com. Alternatively, call 0906 294 1113 (calls are charged at 25p per minute and will be answered Mon-Fri 9am-9pm and Sat-Sun 9am-6pm.) Please quote reference: LM0307 when ordering.
Alternatively, visit:the What's On section of the County Council website to find out what’s happening across the County.
COMPOSTING is an environmentally-friendly way to reduce the amount of rubbish you throw away and transform your garden.
By composting you will help to cut the amount of waste going to landfill and can grow tasty fruit and vegetables, healthy plants and blooming flowerbeds.
That is why we are offering Leicestershire residents home compost bins for a superb discount price – which includes free delivery to your home!
The bins on offer are:
 A kitchen caddy is also available for just £2 if bought at the same time as a compost bin. To place your order (numbers are limited) visit: www.recyclenow.com/compost or call 0845 077 0757. Online customers will qualify for a £1 discount per order.
We are working with the District Councils and Leicester City Council on this offer, which is provided through Recycle Now – a national recycling campaign, managed by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme).
For more information about composting call 0116 305 8280 or e-mail: compost@leics.gov.uk
LIBRARIES are helping with a BBC campaign to inspire you to enjoy nature and care for green spaces in your community.
Your local library can help you to take part in the BBC Breathing Places campaign, which focuses on areas including parks, schools, village hall grounds, workplaces, nature reserves and your own garden.
Libraries are holding events, activities and displays. They have books on wildlife, nature and the environment; free internet access and information on local conservation and wildlife groups.
Also, look out for sparrow nest boxes on library buildings and tell library staff if you see birds using them.
For more information, on breathing places visit your local library, call 0116 305 6988 for details. Alternatively go to the BBC website.
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