County Councillor for Gartree – Sept 2023
Bridge Demolitions and Diversions
Following the public meeting on 23 May in Kibworth Grammar School Hall, further meetings with Network Rail were held with local councillors and MP, Neil O’Brien to change the original plans of a long diversion via Church Road to a temporary footbridge.
SPC3/18 is the bridge that links the B1 Public Right of Way (PROW) footpath from Hillcrest Avenue down to School Road in Kibworth Beauchamp. A temporary footbridge is now being constructed alongside the bridge that is to be demolished and rebuilt over the next six months or more.
This is all part of the Kettering to Wigston South RS1 phase of the Midland Mainline electrification project. Further railway bridges requiring demolition and rebuilding in the Gartree Division area include the bridge on Station Road, (Fleckney to Great Glen) which is not due to re-open until the end of November, and the Newton Lane bridge (Fleckney via Wistow park to Wigston) which will need to be closed to road traffic for several months. These are causing the diversion of road traffic through Newton Harcourt and a large compound has been constructed at the western end of Glen Road where it meets Newton Lane.
Community Orchards Scheme
Community groups, parish councils and schools are being invited to apply for free orchard packs, which contain ten apple and pear trees, stakes and other equipment, and to use them to establish new orchards for the local community, or to help restore and boost an existing orchard. The trees must be planted on sites which are open to the public. Groups must have permission from the landowner to plant the trees, and all groups applying to the scheme need to commit to maintaining and nurturing the orchard in the long term. Groups who would like to apply for one of the tree packs should email the county council’s Forestry Team forestry@leics.gov.uk
HOME UPGRADE GRANT
Leicestershire is set to benefit after the county council, in partnership with district authorities, was awarded £6.8 million by the government over the next two years to support the installation of energy efficiency improvements, which will reduce energy costs as well as making households warmer and greener.
The Home Upgrade Grant funding is available to homes without mains gas central heating living in priority neighbourhood postcodes, and more widely where the annual household income is below £31,000, or where a member of the household receives certain benefits.
Under this latest grant funding scheme, eligible county residents will benefit from an expert assessment that recommends the improvements best suited to their property, which may include insulation, low carbon and renewable technologies. Funding is targeted at homes where the main source of heating is something other than mains gas, such as electricity, heating oil, LPG, or solid fuel. Households that only use gas for cooking or secondary room heating can still apply.
I would urge all Leicestershire residents who think they might be eligible to visit the website and find out more about these essential and sustainable home improvements.
For more information on the grants, including the full eligibility criteria, eligible postcode areas or to apply, visit https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/community-schemes-and-funding/green-living-leicestershire-home-upgrade-grant-hug or call YES Energy Solutions on 03309 126 199.
Burton Overy Village Produce Show 2023
