Council Leader urges residents to warn the government against damaging council reforms

/in Local News/by sheepyparish@gmail.com

PRESS RELEASE

 

ISSUED 28 JANUARY 2025

 

  Council Leader urges residents to warn the government against damaging council reforms

Just before Christmas, the UK government published their plans to restructure local government in England. In Leicestershire, this could see all current councils scrapped and replaced by one large council.

 

Leicestershire County Council have asked the government to cancel upcoming county elections in May, with a view to fast-tracking local government reform in Leicestershire and Rutland creating one large unitary council around the whole of the city. This move was made without consulting or giving notice to district and borough council leaders.

 

Residents are being urged to email Jim McMahon MP, the government minister responsible for local government, with a clear message about the plans.

 

Cllr Stuart Bray, Leader of Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, said: “The government are preparing to impose a large, remote and inaccessible super-council on the people of Leicestershire without consulting them first. It is important that Mr. McMahon hears the voices of our residents, who will be heavily affected by the proposed changes.

 

“The message central government needs to hear is simple: keep the ‘local’ in local government, keep decision-making in the hands of local people and do not cancel the county elections in May.”

 

He added: “Borough and district councils are best placed to serve their residents. They are deeply embedded within local communities and are in tune with what the area and its people need.

 

“The people of Hinckley and Bosworth have a powerful voice and must use it to stop local decision-making being taken further away from them.”

 

Please let your views be known to the Minister of State for Local Government at jim.mcmahon.mp@parliament.uk

 

ENDS

Hinckley students to showcase talents at creative arts exhibition

/in Local News/by sheepyparish@gmail.com

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council

Hinckley Hub, Rugby Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire, LE10 0FR

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

ISSUED 20 JANUARY 2025

 

Hinckley students to showcase talents at creative arts exhibition

 

An upcoming free-to-enter exhibition in Hinckley will showcase the work of talented artists from a local college.

 

Students from creative courses at North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College’s Hinckley campus will have their work displayed at the Atkins Gallery from today (Monday 20 January) to Friday 31 January.

 

Visitors will have the chance to choose their favourite artwork. They can scan a QR code on their device to submit a vote online or leave a physical vote in the comment book. The three students responsible for the artworks with the most votes will win prizes for their creations.

 

Next month, the college’s creative arts teaching team will run a ‘Collaboration’ themed exhibition to showcase the creative arts facilities available at the Hinckley campus. This will run from Monday 10 February to Friday 21 February.

 

Cllr Mark Bools, Deputy Leader of the Borough Council, said: “These promise to be two fantastic exhibitions by both students and staff. The College has such a fantastic range of talent and I urge people to go and see the creativity on display at both exhibitions.”

 

Carrie-Anne Abdulai, Assistant Principal at North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, said: “We are incredibly proud of the talent and hard work of our students and staff.

 

“These exhibitions are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their creativity and provide a glimpse into the vibrant student life at our Hinckley campus. I encourage everyone to visit the gallery and experience the incredible artwork on display.”

 

The Atkins Gallery, on Lower Bond Street in Hinckley, is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. The exhibitions are free to enter for all. Look out for additional evening and weekend viewings on the Atkins Building website and social media @AtkinsBuilding.

 

A series of open events will be held in February for students looking to discover more about studying at NWSLC. To register, visit www.nwslc.ac.uk/openevents/

Flood Wardens Needed

/in Local News/by sheepyparish@gmail.com

Due to the increase of flooding in the Parish we do not have enough volunteers who act as flood wardens for the area. We now see flooding in Sheepy Magna, Sheepy Parva, Wellsborough Road and Sibson and we need more volunteers who can help when flooding is experienced. More details can be found on the link below or email sheepyparish@gmail.com

Become a Community Flood Warden

New Defibrillator Awareness Session Tuesday 21st January 6pm Sibson Village Hall

/in Local News/by sheepyparish@gmail.com

Police and Crime Commissioner Questionnaire

/in Local News/by sheepyparish@gmail.com

Please could you complete the survey yourself, and then share it with community groups, residents and anywhere you can within your ward? The survey can be completed using the link below.

https://forms.office.com/e/uQyGS1kvbg

I am aware the financial picture is tough for most households. The new Government is making exciting promises, but these need to be paid for. Currently we are suffering from the costs of national decisions not being met by central government.  To date we have just about managed to keep our head above the water line, but any more pressure and we may sink.

I will continue to call for a review of the national police funding formula. Leicestershire is the 11th lowest funded per head of population, which as demand becomes greater and more complex inevitably brings us to a pinch point of priorities.

I look forward to hearing what you and your residents think regarding the survey.

Yours faithfully,

Rupert Mathews Police and Crime Commissioner

HInckley and Bosworth Borough Council Press Release

/in Local News/by sheepyparish@gmail.com

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council 

Hinckley Hub, Rugby Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire, LE10 0FR 

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

 

ISSUED 10 January 2025

 

 

Local Leaders express serious concerns about the Single Unitary Council Proposal for Leicestershire

 

Leaders from Rutland County Council and the seven district and borough councils in Leicestershire have made it clear they have concerns about proposals to create a single unitary council for the county.

 

The Leaders are disappointed that a statement relating to local government reorganisation was issued by Leicestershire County Council without notice and without consultation.

 

As Local Leaders we are closest to our communities and have a responsibility to ensure local voices are heard and properly considered in any reorganisation of local government. A single unitary council over a wide and diverse geographic area, which is being proposed without proper consultation, has the potential to be too remote, and inaccessible, from the communities we serve.  We must keep the local in local government.

 

As Leaders we acknowledge the government’s white paper sets a clear direction of travel, but it must be properly considered, evidence-led and ensure that residents and businesses are fully engaged in shaping the future local government of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. We are open to exploring all options, but have not agreed any boundary changes, and are clear that any changes must be based on evidence which gets the right balance between scale and physical geography. Any boundary changes would also have to be limited and balanced. Councils perform best when boundaries reflect the way people live their lives.

 

We believe there are credible alternatives to a large single unitary, which will facilitate a better sense of place, deliver savings, boost regional growth and provide better outcomes for our residents and businesses.

 

We want to work collaboratively with all our local authority partners to agree how best to reshape local government within our area. We have written to government to confirm that we are keen to work with them and that we expect our propositions to be taken seriously. There is simply too much at stake to have a change railroaded through.

 

ENDS

FLOODING CONTACT DETAILS

/in Local News/by sheepyparish@gmail.com

The following list is a useful tool on which relevant authority to contact in the event of flooding in the Parish

 

X0649 Flooding who to contact Leaflet – FINAL

LEICESTERHIRE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONERS NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2024

/in Local News/by sheepyparish@gmail.com

 

Please find attached the  latest OPCC Newsletter for Leicestershire

Leicestershire Newsletter – October 2024

PINWALL DEFIBRILLATOR

/in Local News/by sheepyparish@gmail.com

The Parish Council have been made aware that the Defibrillator located at the old smiths garage at Pinwall is no longer accessible due to the renovation works going on at the site.

We are working with the owners to get this issue resolved as soon as possible and will update parishioners when a resolution has been reached.

Atkins Gallery to host Quentin Blake: Book Covers exhibition

/in Local News/by sheepyparish@gmail.com

 

Atkins Gallery to host Quentin Blake: Book Covers exhibition

 

The Quentin Blake: Book Covers tour is coming to the Atkins Building in Hinckley this autumn.

 

The exhibition opens on Saturday 28 September (10am to 2pm) and runs until Friday 25 October in the Atkins Gallery.

 

Many will be familiar with Blake’s work, whether it be his own children’s books, his famous illustrations for Roald Dahl or the many literary classics he has designed covers for.

 

There will be activities for younger visitors to enjoy alongside the exhibition, including a Quentin Blake jigsaw to sit and do, a mini reading library (courtesy of Hinckley Library) and a ‘design your own book covers’ colouring activity.

 

The exhibition’s final week falls during the Leicestershire half-term break (21-25 October), so great for the kids, but the scope of Blake’s career means the exhibition will be for people of all ages to enjoy.

 

Visitors can also enjoy some refreshments in the Hansom Café, open from Monday to Friday between 9am and 3pm.

 

Cllr Mark Bools, Deputy Leader of Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, said: “It’s an honour for the Atkins Gallery to be chosen as a host venue for this Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration exhibition.

 

“We are proud of the Atkins Gallery as a venue that showcases incredible art and culture. The legendary work of Quentin Blake is a perfect example of this, and we look forward to seeing you all there.”

 

Free to enter, the Atkins Gallery is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Additional weekend hours are published on the Atkins Building website (www.atkinsbuilding.co.uk).

___________________________________________________________________

 

From the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration:

Quentin Blake’s career illustrating books began over 60 years ago with his covers for paperback fiction. Since then he has created hundreds of designs for everything from literary classics to his own picture books.

 

Each cover is a new challenge for Blake. He has to capture the essence of a story without giving away too much of the plot or the ending. His illustrations need to be carefully balanced with the title and suitable for the printing process that will be used. At the same time, Blake’s designs must be eye-catching and appealing to the changing tastes of different readers.

 

This exhibition features 60 of Blake’s book covers from the 1960s to the present: from mid-century Penguin paperbacks to finely-crafted special editions and family-friendly poetry books. First editions are shown alongside reproductions of original artwork from Blake’s archive that show how he combines typography, dynamic layouts and his unique way of drawing to create playful designs.

Quentin Blake: Book Covers is a touring exhibition from Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration.