New Homes on Track
Despite extreme weather over the past few months, the £1.2 million project to build nine new Council homes is on target.
This scheme is part of Charnwood’s programme to secure the provision of 250 affordable homes in the Borough by 2012.
The nine new affordable and energy efficient properties are being built in Thurmaston, Barrow-Upon-Soar and Shepshed and are the first council homes to be built for almost 20 years.
The new properties will meet high energy efficiency standards and will feature timber-frame construction, high levels of insulation in the walls and roof, and energy efficient windows and doors.
The houses will be advertised and allocated in accordance with the soon to be implemented Choice Based Lettings scheme and should be available from May onwards.

Volunteers needed to help ex-offenders
Charnwood is working with the Leicester-based Futures Unlocked charity to recruit new mentors to help offenders change their lives and steer them away from a life of crime.
Volunteer mentors work with an offender from the point they are preparing to leave prison, through to their release and as they move back into the community. Referrals are made to Futures Unlocked through the prison service, police, council or by self-referral.
They are then paired with a mentor whose role is to support the clients in a variety of practical ways including helping them get involved in volunteering, join a library, start exercise and playing sport, organise appointments, register with doctors and dentists, set up a bank account, attend social clubs and apply for educational courses.
Volunteers will be needed for four to six hours a week, must be over the age of 18 and available to attend a two-day induction training and evening training sessions in Leicester.
You do not need any qualifications or previous experience, however, a belief that offenders deserve another chance is essential.
For details of how to apply, visit www.futuresunlocked.org/volunteerApply.cfm  call Futures Unlocked on 0116 255 3742 or email: admin@futuresunlocked.org  

Win an office by entering Charnwood’s own Dragons’ Den
Charnwood is offering budding entrepreneurs a unique chance to win their own office, complete with furniture, an adjacent meeting room and free wireless internet, in the modern surroundings of the Ark Business Centre in Gordon Road, Loughborough, for a year in a brand new Dragons’ Den-style contest in Charnwood.
The prize is worth at least £3,500. To be in with a chance of setting up shop in the new digs, entrants must pitch their idea to a panel of Charnwood’s very own Dragons at Loughborough’s Woodgate Chambers on 4th April. This is thought to be the first local authority in the region to offer such a prize and it is designed to give a new business a helping hand. To enter or for more information about the prize, including a 360-degree virtual tour, visit the Dragon’s Den section of Charnwood Borough Council’s website www.charnwood.gov.uk/dragonsden
Business pitches can be sent to:
Dragons Den Competition, Michael Underwood, Communications Department, Charnwood Borough Council, Southfield Road, Loughborough, LE11 2TR or email Michael.underwood@charnwood.gov.uk

Raise Cash and Smiles and Run a Few Miles
Charnwood is set to host the Smiles four Miles fun run on Sunday 20th March but needs you to show your support by entering now. The run sets off from Loughborough Town Hall at 10.00am to help raise money for Red Nose Day, which is held once every two years, and has two distances, one mile and three miles. Fancy dress is optional.
For more information, visit
www.charnwood.gov.uk/activetogether  or call the Active Together team on 01509 634673 or email active.together@charnwood.gov.uk

Charnwood in top 30
Charnwood are amongst the top 30 local authorities in the country for recycling household waste, Government figures have revealed. Statistics released by Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs show Charnwood is ranked 28th out of 325 English councils for ‘dry’ recycling items such as paper, cardboard, food and drinks cans, cartons, and plastic in purple sacks and glass in green boxes. The council is also making strides in reducing the amount of waste produced by residents, with household waste reducing from 469kg per property to 464kg in the last year – putting Charnwood 54th out of 325 authorities. The achievements have been made after the council simplified the recycling service into a single purple sack and green box, rolled out the SWITCH (Saving Waste in the Charnwood Home), Carried out a full programme of waste education in schools and with community groups, re-used furniture through the charities Mind and Sofa. Diverted re-useable clothes and household items through Mind charity shops.

Council Tax
Charnwood Council will seek to freeze council tax rates next year – despite massive Government grant cuts. The council’s formula grant, the amount it receives from the Government each year, has been cut by £1.5 million (13.8%) for 2011/12. That will be followed by a £1.07 million cut (11%) in 2012/13. Despite the cuts, announced on December 13, taxpayers will benefit from a zero increase in Council Tax next year which will be funded by the government. This would see Charnwood’s share of band D bills remain at £102.62 - among the lowest for an English district council. Total on-going savings of over £1.5 million are proposed, helping to reduce borough expenditure for 2011/12 to £17.7 million from £19.9 million in 2010/11. In 2011-12 we aim to save £1.5 million which will have a limited impact on services but will result in some redundancies, both voluntary and compulsory.

Toilets
You will have read about the proposed closure of a number of local toilets. The reason for this was in part to save money but more importantly to improve the level of service offered. The good news is that all of the village and Town toilets have been taken over by their local councils. Funding from the Borough will provide a makeover of all of the toilets to allow the new maintainers to have a good start in providing a quality service.

Help at Country Parks
There are a wide range of Country Parks managed by Leicestershire County Council throughout the county with extensive facilities for visitors. These sites also comprise habitats for plants and animals and an important aim of their management is to protect and enhance the wildlife value. But with over 1000 acres to look after, the County Council’s Country Park Rangers need your help. If you would like to get fit, help local wildlife, learn a new skill and maybe make some new friends, why not come along to one of the Country Parks’ Conservation Volunteer Days? Country Park Conservation Volunteers are a diverse group of people who get together once a month to carry out conservation tasks within the park and other outlying sites.
You can start at any time just view Conservation Volunteer Programme at http://www.leics.gov.uk/country-parks-volunteering and decided which area you would like to work, and what task you want to get involved in.

Some Figures
The Leicestershire Statistics & Research (LSR) Online Web Portal is a source of statistics about Leicester and Leicestershire complete with maps and tables. If you would like to look at some of the basic statistics about either Leicestershire or more locally Charnwood then why not go to the address below and see what you can find out about Crime, Deprivation, Economy, Education, Health, Housing, Population and Sport and many others.

Keep Fit
A Successful project which is helping boost health and fitness of residents throughout Charnwood has secured funding to continue its work. Charnwood Borough Council’s Active Together team has increased physical activity opportunities and attendance throughout the Borough by almost 50 per cent in the last six months. The team has now been told it will receive £47,000 from the Leicestershire County Sports Partnership to build on that success over the next six months and is preparing a new series of exciting activities. New projects starting up over the next six months include a variety of dance sessions as part of Active Together’s Step Into Dance scheme, boxercise, fencing, rowing and beginners running sessions. Less strenuous sessions include seated exercise and new age kurling. Parents are also catered for with buggy walks and parent and toddler dance and swim sessions. For more information or to get your copy of Charnwood Borough Council’s Active Together brochure, call the team on 01509 632 535, or via email active.together@charnwood.gov.uk.

Sod Cutting
You may remember my joy at the Council getting the money to fund the Eastern Gateway project in Loughborough. Another event I was at was the cutting of the first sod to mark the official start of the construction on the £20 million Eastern Gateway project. The Charnwood Borough Council-led project aims to revamp the Eastern approach to Loughborough with a new road, renovation of Loughborough Train Station’s forecourt and the building of 91 new affordable homes. The new road will improve quality of life for residents in Ratcliffe Road and Burder Street which will be sealed off at one end. The project will also lead to the revamp of the forecourt of the train station with a new transport interchange, improved lighting and landscaping together with a future site for a hotel, retail and commercial units. Council officers hope the whole scheme will be completed by June 2012 in time for the Olympics.

New community hub
Is set to open at Loughborough’s Old Magistrates’ Court after a major revamp at The Woodgate building, one of the nation’s last remaining Victorian courthouses, has undergone a refurbishment project to become the new home to Loughborough’s Citizens Advice Bureau, the Glebe House Project’s adult service and a new council and community meeting room in the wood-panelled surroundings of an old courtroom. Not only has the council brought this historic building back to life, but we are providing a community facility unlike any other in the country. It is the perfect venue for social organisations and the public to use. We really feel the building is ideally situated to become a true community venue. It will benefit all sectors of the community as well as promoting social enterprise. Most local people will never have seen the inside of this impressive traditional Courtroom but our plans will make it fully accessible to the whole community. The centrepiece of the refurbishment is Courtroom One which has been transformed into a modern meeting room while preserving its traditional wood-panelled walls, original magistrates’ bench and public gallery benches.

Leicestershire tops recycling tables for second year
Leicestershire has been crowned the top recycling partnership in the country for the second year running. National figures released today reveal that Leicestershire Waste Partnership has notched up a 52.64% recycling and composting rate. Thanks to residents’ hard work, over 168,500 tonnes of household waste was recycled, composted or reused last year. The partnership is made up of the county council and the seven district and borough councils.

Finally thank you for your support over the past year and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Mike Preston
Contact Details:
If you want to get into contact with me then please use one of the following methods:
Telephone: 01664 424 647 Fax : 01664 424 647 (Please Telephone First)
E-Mail: Mike@mepreston.com  or try www.telmike.com

The Big Switch Off-go Go The Extra Mile
The house was eco-friendly, as walls which are 18” thick and photovoltaic panels on their roof which produce energy which can be sold to the national grid. The Big Switch Off, which ran from October 11-17, was a campaign encouraging households, business, schools and community organisations across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to switch off all unnecessary electrical appliances and lighting. Last year, a drop in energy consumption across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland during Big Switch Off week compared to the week before amounted to a financial saving of almost £50,000 – that adds up to approximately £2.6m a year. To find out more about the Big Switch Off visit: www.leics.gov.uk/bigswitchoff or to become a Facebook fan visit: www.facebook.com/bigswitchoff.

Leading The Pack (How Do We Spend Your Money)
CHARNWOOD Borough Council on Friday, October 15th published a report which details every outgoing over £500 – three months ahead of schedule. The 10-page document shows how much the council spent on everything from emptying a cesspit to payments to parish councils. The move comes after the coalition Government asked local authorities to publish all expenditure over £500 online by January 2011. For more information go to http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/publishing_local_authority_spend

New Council Houses
WORK is about to begin on a £1.2 million project to build the first council houses in Charnwood for almost 20 years. The nine new affordable and energy efficient properties will be built in Shepshed, Barrow-Upon-Soar and Thurmaston. It is part of Charnwood Borough Council’s bid to provide 250 affordable homes in the Borough by 2012. The housing schemes were able to progress following an investment of £406,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) – the national housing and regeneration agency. The new properties will meet high energy efficiency standards and will feature timber-frame construction, high levels of insulation in the walls and roof, and energy efficient windows and doors. They will be designated for local families and older and disabled people in housing need and should be available from June 2011.
The scheme consists of:- Three Houses at Shepshed, Glenfield, Shepshed, Barrow, two Houses at Thurmaston, two bungalows at Charnwood Avenue Thurmaston. This small development will help the Borough Council to realise its housing ambitions. The schemes will address the need for more high quality affordable housing that matches local need, while making good use of smaller pockets of council owned land.

Lost But Not Gone
A Stolen piece of council equipment was swiftly recovered by police thanks to a hi-tech satellite tracking device. Police officers recovered the £15,000 Gator vehicle on Wednesday after it was stolen from a garage at the Outwoods Park Rangers depot. The vehicle, which is used by the park ranger, was discovered at Hoton Park hidden beneath debris. But because the Gator is fitted with the device, officers were easily able to find it using the council’s tracking system which gives the device’s exact GPS location.
I hope this should send a clear message to thieves, that you will be caught if you try to access these vehicles, so simply don’t try it! All council vehicles and equipment are fitted with tracking devices in a bid to deter thieves and increase the chances of recovering equipment and catching culprits.

Loughborough Eastern Gateway
Charnwood received confirmation that it will receive a £1 million cash injection needed to trigger the Eastern Gateway project. This project is a massive £25 million, three-phase project. The scheme would see the construction of more than 100 new affordable homes provided by Nottingham Community Housing Association working with their contractor William Davis Ltd also Loughborough Railway Station will undergo a major facelift which will see increased parking, a new public transport interchange and a new frontage. Network Rail is also extending the platforms and carrying out bridge improvements. Council officers hope construction will begin this autumn and that the whole scheme will be completed by June 2012.
Mike Preston

Contact Details:
If you want to get into contact with me then please use one of the following methods:
Telephone:    01664 424647 Fax      01664 424647 (Please Telephone First)
E-Mail Mike@mepreston.com or Try www.telmike.com

Local Government Finance
You will have seen the various press statements from the County Council. We could be forced to loose an extra 200 jobs at County Hall to cut the authority’s budget by another £22 million. The scale of the cuts planned by the Government means £88 million will now have to be cut from its budget over four years. The results of various surveys and public meetings will feed into the council’s budget plans, so if you get the chance please take the opportunity to respond. Whilst at Charnwood we could save almost £500,000 per year if a major restructure plan is approved. We are looking to reduce the number of senior management posts from 28 to 18. Whilst seeking to protect frontline services as the authority, like every other council in the country, faces significant reductions in Government grants. Charnwood needs to review its organisation to remain fit for purpose. The result of the proposed restructure will be to reduce management costs within the council to help ensure resources can remain focused on frontline service delivery.

Great Central Railway Lovatt House
It was my great pleasure to open the Great Central Railway’s former goods office on Friday, September 3rd at the Wharncliffe Road building, renamed Lovatt House, after a £500,000 project to return it to its former glory. The building was revamped thanks to support from Charnwood Borough Council, Leicestershire Economic Partnership and Leicestershire Promotions Ltd along with a £100,000 raised through donations from GCR supporters. The hard work which has gone into restoring it to its former glory is truly astounding and all involved in raising money should be applauded. The renovation began last year and was named Lovatt House in recognition of the contribution to the preservation of the railway by the late company secretary Richard Lovatt and his father Bruce Lovatt. The highlight of the evening for me was the tour of the building. Perhaps the most interesting area of regeneration was that of the toilets, they were regenerated to their original state with the help of  Thomas Crapper Ltd, if you do not believe that the company exists then look at http://thomas-crapper.com/.

Fame on TV for the Fly tippers
The team responsible for prosecuting Charnwood’s environmental criminals starred in a new fly-on-the-wall BBC documentary series. Charnwood Borough Council’s senior enviro-crime officer, Chris Cary, featured in Filthy Rotten Scoundrels, the series started some time ago but Charnwood appears on Episode 5, available at, http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ty4w5/Filthy_Rotten_Scoundrels_Episode_5. The Charnwood piece starts at 8.00 minutes into the program. The case the documentary team filmed turned out to be one of the vilest examples of fly-tipping ever witnessed in the Borough. Responding to a tip-off from the public, the film crew captures the moment Chris discovers more than 50 bags of dog faeces hanging from trees and lying on the ground near a public footpath at a rural beauty spot. Chris said: “When we investigated the area I was shocked at what I found. There were literally dozens of bags, full of dog waste, hanging from the trees and lying in the grass. It was absolutely disgusting. So please keep an eye out for fly tippers and tell us about them.

Record breaking GCSE results for Leicestershire
It’s been a record breaking year for Leicestershire after youngsters collected the county’s best GCSE results ever. Provisional results from the schools have revealed that 55% of students achieved five or more A*-C grades, including English and maths.  This surpasses 52.6% last year. Provisional results from the schools also show 74% of students achieved five or more A*-C grades in any subject.  This surpasses 68.6% last year.

Blooming Good
Loughborough scooped four gongs at the East Midlands in Bloom Awards. The town landed the prestigious Silver Gilt Award for its overall efforts in this year’s East Midlands In Bloom Awards small city category – one step better than last year’s Silver Award. Loughborough was also crowned the East Midlands’ least-littered environment in a special award. Thorpe Acre Residents’ Association was also presented with a special Judge’s Award for its efforts in revamping a local green. And Loughborough resident Harry Cook, of Forest Road, won the Frank Constable Award for boasting the best front garden in the East Midlands. It is nice to see that we are winning awards for the cleanliness of our Borough.
Mike Preston
Contact Details:
If you want to get into contact with me then please use one of the following methods:
Telephone:        01664 424647    Fax   01664 424647 (Please Telephone First)
E-Mail Mike@mepreston.com or Try www.telmike.com

Charnwood held up as a model by Minister
The Home Secretary, Theresa May when delivering a key note speech about the importance of partnership working to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour specifically singled out the work of Charnwood Community Safety Partnership for praise, making mention of the web enabled case management system used jointly by the Borough Council, Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing, the police and other agencies to deal with incidents of anti-social behaviour. The recent multi-agency review of anti-social behaviour policy and procedure in Charnwood identified Sentinel – the ASB case management system – as a particular strength of the local approach. On the back of this recognition I will be inviting the Home Secretary to visit Charnwood so that she can see for herself our effective partnership collaboration.”

More Flags
The Outwoods and Queen’s Park, two of Loughborough and Charnwood Borough Council’s most popular open spaces will be flying the flag after being nationally recognised as shining examples of outstanding green spaces. It is the fourth time Outwoods has been awarded a prestigious Green Flag and the third time Queen’s Park has won the award. Charnwood once again show they are leading the way on how they deliver open spaces and services for the enjoyment of the local residents.”

Free Swimming
Charnwood Borough Council will be continuing free swimming for over 60s and under 16s, despite funding from the Government being withdrawn as part of their recent emergency budgetary announcement. The programme will run, funded by the Borough Council, until March 2011. The Borough Council will continue with the current free swimming offer at its three leisure centres until 31 August 2010. From 1 September 2010 until 31 March 2011, it will offer a limited number of free swim sessions per week at its leisure centres. During term time, it will provide 3 sessions at Loughborough and South Charnwood Leisure Centres and 2 sessions at Soar Valley Leisure Centre for people aged 60 and over. For 16 years and under, it will provide 2 sessions at weekends at all the three sites. Charnwood Borough Council will still be offering free swimming for children under the age of 4 years. So why not get wet before it’s too late?

Sports Awards
After the success of last year’s Sports Awards, Charnwood Borough Council has launched the Charnwood Sports Awards 2010 to celebrate the sporting success of individuals, teams and volunteers within the Borough. The awards have 14 categories and nominations can be submitted until 24 September 2010 by filling in a nomination form, available from leisure centres or online at www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/charnwoodsportsawards. All nominees must live or represent a club in the Charnwood Borough. The awards not only recognise people who actively compete in a variety of sports but also honour the dedicated volunteers who give up their spare time to coach teams or individuals and those who work behind the scenes to help a club run smoothly. I was present at the awards last year it was a truly magical evening seeing so many people gaining award for their sporting efforts. For more information, please contact Hayley Peel, Senior Sports Development Officer on 01509 634592 or email hayley.peel@charnwood.gov.uk.

Leicester and Leicestershire Food Fortnight 2010
Leicestershire Food Fortnight (LLFF), coinciding with British Food Fortnight, will be held from 18th September to 3rd October to showcase some of the area’s best local produce. Over 70 events will be held across the County and City covering the themes of education and healthy eating, cookery skills, festivals and tasting events, local produce, and dining experiences. Specific events will include:
• East Midlands Food and Drink Festival at Brooksby Hall (2nd-3rd October)
• Great Central Railway Beer Festival and Dining Experiences
• Belgrave Hall Good Food Fair (18th-19th September)
• Melton Beer Festival (17th-18th September)
• Leicester Market “Your Market Needs You” – Wartime cookery demonstration (30th September)
• Free tasting events at a number of local delicatessens
• Countywide Farmers’ Markets
More information about Leicestershire and Leicestershire Food Fortnight 2010 is available at www.goleicestershire.com/foodfortnight.  It is worth looking at as some of the events detailed on this site as they are local, Syston, Barkby and many others.
Mike Preston
Contact Details:
If you want to get into contact with me then please use one of the following methods:
Telephone:  01664 424647          Fax     01664 424647 (Please Telephone First)
E-Mail Mike@mepreston.com or Try www.telmike.com