A - Z

Academies are publicly funded independent schools. Academies get money direct from the government, not the local council. You can view a list of academies in Leicestershire.

Accounts are a record of income and spending.  We publish our accounts to enable transparency in what the council does. 

Adoption allows a person to become parentally responsible for a child. Our Adoption Team can give you all the information you will need to help decide whether adopting a child would be right for you.

Help and advice services for adults with a care need and their carers. Details on living independently at home, paying for care, supported accommodation and care homes, and working in care. 

Educational courses are available for adults across Leicestershire.  We offer a range of subjects at many enrolment centres.  We also offer financial support which you can apply for if you are eligible.

Apprenticeships give the chance to get a qualification while learning through on-the-job training. We take on apprentices at County Hall, while the Adult Learning Service offers opportunities with other employers

The Records Office holds archives of historical records and resources.  Entry is free but you will need to bring identification. Find out more including opening times and what ID to bring.

Your bins are collected by your district council. If you have a query or problem relating to your bins you should contact your district council directly.

A birth certificate is issued when a birth is registered or a birth is re-registered with the Leicestershire Registration Service.

The Blue Badge scheme helps disabled people park closer to a destination. We run the Blue Badge scheme for Leicestershire and provide new and replacement badges.

A bus pass entitles you to free or cheaper travel on certain bus services. We run the older persons and disabled persons bus pass schemes in Leicestershire. We also run the school transport scheme.

There are bus timetables available for the services running in the county, including the park and ride service into the city.

Care homes are residential homes that offer help and care. Other types of accommodation which may give you the support you need are: sheltered housing, extra care, supported living or a shared lives placement.

We employ thousands of people in a wide range of different jobs across the council. Our vacancies are advertised on our careers site. To apply for jobs in schools, please visit the East Midlands job vacancies site.

A school catchment area is an area served by a school. You can view the catchment area map when you search for a school or on the school's website.

Children can only be employed in certain roles and from a set age. You can apply for a child performance licence and to be a child chaperone online.

Childcare is where your child is looked after by an organisation or another person, while for example you are at work. We provide details of childcare providers. 

Children's centres are local centres that offer help and support to all families with babies and children up until they go to school.  They also offer various activities for families with young children. 

A college is a place where people over the age of 16 years can study.  You can study for advanced school level qualifications such as A-levels or BTEC or school level qualifications such as GCSEs. You can search for colleges in your area.

A complaint is a statement that something is unsatisfactory or unacceptable. You can complain to Leicestershire County Council about our services or the conduct of Councillors. The process for dealing with the complaint differs depending on the type and level of the complaint.

Compost can be used to help plants grow in your garden. There are a range of different sizes of compost bins, which you can order and buy through Get Composting.

A consultation is when the public are asked for their opinion about proposals to create, change or stop something that affects a service. You can give your feedback on current consultations.

Council tax is a tax paid by residents to help pay for the services that councils provide. It is collected by your district council. The county council receives a proportion of the money collected to run its services.

A councillor (or elected member) is a person that is elected by the public onto the Council to represent the views and needs of the people in an area. They are normally elected for a 4 year period. You can search for your local county councillor.

County Hall, Glenfield is the main office / headquarters for Leicestershire County Council. We publish our opening times and contact numbers online. 

The customer services centre (CSC) deals with queries and comments from the general public. We publish our opening times and contact numbers online.

A direct payment is money we pay into a direct payment card, for you to buy the care and help you need.

Provides advice, support and practical help to families with children up to 18 years with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND), who are substantially affected in their everyday living by a disability.

The Blue Badge scheme helps you to park closer to your destination. We run the Blue Badge scheme for Leicestershire and provide new and replacement badges.

An e-book is an electronic version of a book which can be read through a tablet computer, e-reader or other similar devices. Our digital library services let you download e-books for free.

Early Help offers a range of universal and targeted support to help tackle problems for children, young people and their families as soon as possible.

Early years refers to the period of a child’s life from birth to 5 years. We provide information on childcare providers and activities for under 5’s.

Children must get a full-time education from the age of 5 years to the end of the academic year after their 16th birthday. You can find a school in your area or find out about home education.

Residents can vote for the councillor who will represent their area on the council. You can find your local county councillor and previous election results.

Environmental Health includes the inspection and regulation of food businesses, pollution, commercial waste, pest control, environmental crime, licensing. Your district council provides this service.

You can search Leicestershire County Council’s events to see what's on locally.

Our Family Information Service (FIS) provides information, advice and guidance to all families including those who have children or young people with special educational needs or disability. We also provide this service to professionals who work with children, young people and families.

You can trace your family structure and explore the relationships within the family by looking at the registers of births, deaths and marriages. You can also use the services of a reference library.

Our finances are the money we receive and spend. We publish our finances online.

You can fish at 3 country parks in Leicestershire. You can buy different tickets depending on where and when you’d like to fish.

As Lead Local Flood Authority it’s our responsibility to lead on managing flood risk across the county. We create and maintain local flood risk management strategies and carry out investigations when there is a flood.

The food safety team provide a service which ensures food businesses are safe and hygienic and do not pose a threat to the public. Your district council provides this service.

Fostering can give a child or young person a stable family life when their parents can’t care for them. Our Fostering Team runs regular events and can provide lots of information on the process and the different types of fostering to choose from.

If your child is in reception, year 1 or 2 they can get free school meals as part of the national Universal Free Infant School Meals Scheme. After year 2, they may still be able to get free school meals depending on your circumstances.

FEEE stands for Free Early Educational Entitlement. It is funding that is available for all 3 and 4 year olds and some 2 year olds towards the cost of childcare. You can find out when your child is eligible.

We are covered by the Freedom of Information Act. This means that you can make a  FOI request about almost any information held by us, as long as it isn’t sensitive or the costs are not too high.

You can find and enrol on adult education courses in Leicestershire through the GoLearn website.

A sum of money given to achieve a community aim.  We manage grants for the community, heritage, climate change, green spaces and countryside.

We cut grass between March and October and publish a schedule so that you can see when grass near you will be cut. We’re responsible for cutting grass on verges, reservations and islands throughout the county.

When the temperature drops or snow is forecast we grit roads to try and prevent ice causing problems for road users. We publish a map of gritted routes to help you plan your journey.

A highway is a public road. We maintain over 2,700 miles of road across the county and you can tell us about any problems that you notice. We also issue licences to place items, or carry out work on the road.

Home schooling is where a child is educated at home, instead of at a school.  There are certain things you must teach and you’ll need to arrange for your child to sit exams, such as GCSEs.

Household waste is the general everyday rubbish that you and your family produce. You can dispose of household waste through your regular bin collection, or some types of recyclable waste at our 14 recycling and household waste sites.

Information on supported accommodation and care homes, housing for disabled people and living independently at home. District councils provide council housing.

We employ thousands of people in a wide range of different jobs across the council. We advertise all our vacancies online, including jobs in schools.

Land charges are searches carried out when buying a property, usually submitted by solicitors acting on behalf of the buyers. You can apply for local authority searches online or by post. You can also carry out your own search or a ‘direct enquiry’ where our officers can answer some CON29 enquiries for you.

Leicestershire County Council is a local authority set up by government to provide certain services for the people of Leicestershire. We are responsible for education, transport, planning, fire and public safety, social care, libraries, waste management and trading standards.

A place holding a collection of books, periodicals and reference material.  Search for a library, renew or reserve an item, use the digital library services, hire a library room or book a computer.

The Local Offer gives information about help and services available in Leicestershire for children and young people with special education needs or disabilities.

A long term permit is a type of waste permit. You only need a permit if you’re visiting a recycling and household waste site in a van or a car with a trailer over 4 feet 6 inches long. We run the permit scheme and you can apply for a permit online.

The Lord Lieutenant is the Queen’s representative in the county. It is a non-political position.

A marriage is a legal or formally recognised union of 2 people as partners in a personal relationship. You can book a wedding or civil partnership ceremony at one of our Registration offices. 

Meals on Wheels is a scheme which delivers meals to your home.

Mental health problems can affect you physically, emotionally and mentally. You can get help and advice for you or someone you know with a mental illness.

A place that holds a collection of interesting and valuable things such as paintings, sculptures and scientific or historical objects.  You can find out more about Leicestershire museums and plan your visit.

We publish news stories with important information for people living, working and visiting Leicestershire.  You can view the news stories from Leicestershire County Council.

A nursery school is a place where young children are cared for, usually during the working day. You can search for nurseries and other childcare providers in your area.

The park and ride lets you avoid city centre traffic by parking at one of the sites on the routes into Leicester, then getting the bus into the centre. There are 3 sites to park at and busses run regularly.

We issue residents and visitor parking permits, alongside the Blue Badge scheme. We also work with district councils to enforce parking restrictions.

Country Parks are areas of land maintained by the council or other organisations, which the public can visit for free. Find out more information about parks including opening times and parking availability.

If you drive a van or commercial vehicle, or a car with a trailer over 4 foot 6 inches long you’ll need a waste permit. There are also some types of waste that you’ll need a permit to dispose of. We run the permit scheme and you can apply for a permit online.

We don’t deal with planning applications for household/residential or commercial properties; please contact your district council directly.  We are responsible for planning applications for minerals/waste sites and the councils own developments. You can search planning applications online.

Procurement is the buying of goods or services. We publish information on how you can apply for contracts online.  

The Leicestershire Records Office is a place where historical and cultural information is archived and kept.  Look up books, newspapers and other resources.

Some recycling is collected as part of your kerbside bin collection by your district council. You can also take recycling to your local recycling and household waste site.

Registry offices, also known as registration offices, are where you can register a birth or register a death or give notice of a marriage or civil partnership. We have 7 registration offices.

We issue residents parking permits for Leicestershire. To apply for a permit you will need to fill in a form and send it to us.  

There are over 3000km of paths and walking routes in Leicester and Leicestershire, which are available for everyone to use.  We also have a map showing all public rights of way.

We run courses designed to help young and older road users gain more confidence and become safer drivers. We’re also responsible for collecting accident data, this helps us to identify roads where changes might be needed to improve safety.

Each school is required to produce a SEN Information Report. We publish a link to the schools report on their website in Find a school 

SENDIASS Leicestershire, provides free, impartial and confidential advice and support on all matters relating to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

Safeguarding involves the protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults from risk or harm.

The process for applying for a child to start school or move to another school is called school admissions. You can apply for a school place online.

School transport is a service provided for some children to get to and from school. You can check whether your child is eligible for a free bus or train pass online.

We provide meals to schools, academies and colleges across Leicestershire. We also run the free school meals scheme for schools in the county.

School holidays are when a school is closed to students. School term dates are the dates that schools are open to students and children must attend. You can view the school holidays and term dates for each school year online.

Your child might need a school uniform. We don't have a clothing allowance scheme. Ask your child's school if you need financial help buying the uniform or if they have a nearly new scheme/shop.

A school is a place for educating children. You can find a school in Leicestershire and apply for a school place online.

Social services is a term used to describe a wide range of services which protect the vulnerable, help people to live independently, support families and safeguard children who may be at risk of harm.

Special schools are schools that cater for children that have a severe disability. You can find out if your child should go to a special school and search for a school online.

We offer an employee benefits package which is available to all of our staff. 

We are responsible for maintaining and repairing street lights across the county. If you notice a problem with a street light you can tell us and we will look into it.

The county and district councils, the police, NHS and other agencies are working together to improve support for the most vulnerable families across the county.

We advertise teaching and school support staff jobs online through eteach and through our jobs site.

We manage and run the tips (recycling and household waste sites) across the county. We’re also responsible for issuing waste permits.

Our trading standards department work to protect consumers and give advice to businesses. We also issue trading standards licences and make sure businesses and individuals are complying with the law. You can apply for a trading standards licence online.

We employ thousands of people in a wide range of different jobs across the council. We advertise all our vacancies, including jobs in schools, online.

The Leicestershire Virtual School is run by the local authority and exists to improve the education of children in care by supporting children, schools, carers and social workers to help young people to do their best.

The Virtual School website contains useful information for students, professionals and carers.

Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills and meet new people. There are lots of different unpaid roles available across the council, including at country parks, libraries and museums. You can view the current opportunities and find out who to contact to get involved.

There are over 3000km of paths and walking routes in Leicester and Leicestershire, which are available for everyone to use.  We also have a map showing all public rights of way.

We manage and run the recycling and household waste sites across the county. We’re also responsible for issuing waste permits.

If you drive a van or commercial vehicle, or a car with a trailer over 4 foot 6 inches long you’ll need a waste permit. There are also some types of waste that you’ll need a permit to dispose of. You can apply for temporary or long term permits online.

A wedding is a ceremony or celebration of a marriage.  It can be a religious ceremony in a church or chapel or take place at one of our registration offices