You said, we did

Date: 28 October to 22 December 2024

We asked 

Suicide is not inevitable. The strategy describes how we plan to work together as a system across LLR to prevent suicide over the next 5 years. 

The draft Suicide Prevention Strategy 2024-2029 sets out a shared vision and priorities with the overall aim of reducing the number and rates of suicide deaths across LLR, which have remained at similar levels over recent years. 

What happens next 

The consultation findings will be used to create the final version of the Suicide Prevention Strategy 2024 - 2029. This will be presented to the council’s Cabinet in March 2025 for approval. 

Date: 16 September to 10 November 2024

We asked

Leicestershire County Council would like to invite views on our draft Customer Experience Strategy, that supports our vision for customer service at the council.

You'll be able to communicate with our services quicker and easier, through modern and accessible ways.

Person:Our vision

The strategy ensures: 

• The focus is on customers, and that they have a positive experience in their interactions 
• All council employees take responsibility for customer service 
• That the council will adopt best practice, and that interactions are efficient to maximise taxpayers’ money 
• That people use our online options if they can, freeing up more traditional channels for those who can’t 
• The council appropriately manages any changes to the way customers are asked to interact with us. 

What happens next

Your responses will be reviewed and will help us shape the final Customer Experience Strategy.

Date: 17 September to 20 October 2024

We asked

Leicestershire County Council is consulting all maintained schools and academies on the creation of a SEND Investment Fund to deliver targeted activities within mainstream maintained schools and academies to meet the needs of, and improve outcomes for, children and young people with Social Emotional and Mental Health Needs (SEMH).

It is proposed that a transfer of funding of 0.5% from the Schools Block to the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant will provide the funding to establish the SEND Investment Fund for 2025/26 and then annually subject to the necessary approvals from the Schools Forum and the requirements set by the Department for Education.

What happens next

You responses will be considered for the proposed redistribution of SEN funding, within the wider SEND system, that will build on improvements delivered through the Transforming Special Needs and Inclusion in Leicestershire (TSIL) programme.

We asked

Leicestershire County Council's Public Health department are looking to shape the way we communicate and engage with residents to improve health across the county.  

We were keen to hear your views, as Leicestershire residents, on how you currently receive and engage with health and wellbeing messages.

What happens next

All your views will be reviewed and will shape the public health communications and engagement going forward. 
 

Date: 2 August to 23 September 2024

We asked

Local transport plans

The Local Transport Plan (LTP) is a statutory requirement of the Local Transport Act 2008. It is a key tool for delivering integrated transport at a local level.

The LTP contributes towards achieving the council's economic, environmental and social objectives. This is done by planning for infrastructure and initiatives to help people and goods travel around.

Moving from LTP3 to LTP4

Leicestershire’s LTP3 is coming to an end in 2026, and will no longer be in line with national planning, transport, or environmental policy.

LTP4 will allow the council to identify how they will deliver transport solutions and innovation. This will aim to:

• improve local communities’ health and wellbeing
• promote economic growth and prosperity
• continue protecting the environment

What happens next

All responses from the survey will be reviewed over the next few months and will assist in making any changes to the draft core document and next phases.

For more information and key updates please visit our Local Transport Plan pages.

Date: 10 July to 23 August 2024

We asked

Leicestershire County Council, working with Charnwood Borough Council, has developed a new, draft strategy for securing contributions required from developers for key transport schemes that are needed to mitigate the cumulative impacts of development across Charnwood District. 

The draft strategy supports the new Charnwood Local Plan (2021 – 2037) prepared by Charnwood Borough Council, which is expected to be adopted before the end of 2024.

Most of the information provided within the draft transport contributions strategy is not new; in particular, the transport schemes and the evidence produced to identify these schemes has already been published through the Local Plan process. However, the draft strategy pulls all this information together in one place.

What happens next

We'll review the feedback received and consider whether any amendments need to be made to the Charnwood Transport Contributions Strategy.

Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the Strategy will be presented to Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet for approval in October 2024.

Date: 23 July to 20 August 2024

We asked

The Parade, Oadby CYCLOPS junction scheme proposes to upgrade the junction (of the A6 (Leicester Road and Harborough Road), joining Regent Street, Stoughton Road and The Parade) to a Cycle Optimised Protected Signals (CYCLOPS) layout – the first in Leicestershire.

A CYCLOPS junction is designed to prioritise the safety of cyclists and pedestrians whilst working in harmony with motor traffic.

Active Travel England GOV.UK have identified junctions as containing the most conflict points between cyclists and motor traffic. As more people make journeys by cycling and walking, the CYCLOPS scheme in Oadby aims to make the junction safer for all individuals by:

• reducing areas of conflict between traffic, motor traffic, cyclists and pedestrians
• optimising the flow of traffic for motorists

We hope this will motivate more people to cycle and walk in the local area.

What happens next

All responses from the survey will be presented to the Lead Member for Environment and Transport from September 2024. This will include a recommendation on whether to proceed with the project, and suggestions for changes to the design of the junction. 

The proposals will undergo detailed design work, where the layout of the junction would be finalised. Approval would then be sought from Cabinet to proceed to construction. The aim is to complete the project by Winter 2025.

Date: 24 June to 4 August 2024

We asked

As the Local Highway Authority (LHA), the County Council has a duty of care to maintain the safety and efficiency of all publicly maintained highway in Leicestershire (roads, footpaths, cycleways, verges, and all associated infrastructure). We also have a responsibility to ensure new highway is sustainable, which, in addition to supporting the economy, means reducing carbon impacts, creating opportunities for wildlife, and enabling access for all.

To help in this role, the Leicestershire Highway Design Guide (LHDG):

• provides policy and guidance to ensure consistent quality in the design and construction of new highway in the county. 
• allows us to provide comments on the highway aspects of planning applications to the district and borough councils. 
• sets out the process for ensuring that the highway we agree to maintain in the future (known as ‘adopting’) is built to a standard that meets our guidance, and that all legal documents are in place.

We sought the views of: 

• Developers working to the guidance of the County Council. 
• District planners working with the County Council as the local planning authority. 
• Residents 
• Interest groups, for example disability groups, organisations who represent the transport or highway industry or environmental organisations.

What happens next

The LHDG is being reviewed and updated, and your views will be considered before being published later this year.

Date: 31 May - 28 June 2024

We asked

Planning obligations play an important role in shaping our built environment and ensuring that development benefits everyone. It is important to keep the Planning Obligations Policy up to date so we are asking for your views on refreshing the existing policy, which means bringing it up to date to take account of changes in the National Planning Policy Framework (the NPPF), Leicestershire County Councils own policies, as well as updating the costs and methods used to calculate developer contributions.

Leicestershire County Council seeks planning obligations towards things like Adult Social Care, Highways, Education and Waste.

We asked:

• Residents what they think about our changes in policy
• Developers for their feedback on our revised approach to some planning obligations

What happens next

The views we gather will go towards shaping the final strategy. This will ensure that the policy is up to date, reflects what is best for the county council and local communities to help mitigate the negative effects of development where a planning condition wouldn’t be suitable.

Date: 20 March to 26 May 2024

We asked

The Local Nature Recovery Strategy aims to make space for nature and bring long-term benefits for people and the environment. It is primarily aimed at landowners, farmers, local authorities, and environmental groups.

We want to work together with communities to deal with the problems and impacts of global warming and the loss of species and habitats, therefore we seek your input to help us agree the strategy and, based on this, to create a plan to deliver it.

We asked:

• residents for their views about nature
• environmental groups with a special interest for their ideas and concerns
• those responsible for managing land for their views on what is achievable, that they could contribute to, and any help or support they need to deliver on those commitments, to help make more space for nature

What happens next

All your views and ideas will contribute to the final strategy. It’s the only way to produce something that brings about the benefits we all agree for people and nature in Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland. After all, nature’s future is our future too.

Date: 16 February to 5 May 2024

We asked 

We are a public service and must meet the public sector equality duty, considering how our decisions impact those protected under the Equality Act (2010).

We have a strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, and making council services and employment inclusive and fair for everyone in the county. We aim to lead by example and learn from the lived experiences of Leicestershire’s residents and staff.

The strategy reflects on the changes in society and in the county, acknowledges our previous achievements, and sets out our plan for the next four years.

The strategy is centred around seven key pillars, including ensuring that our working culture embraces Leicestershire’s diversity, looks to eliminate bullying, harassment, and discrimination, as well as looking at the way services are delivered so they are accessible for all.

Since 2020, we have rolled out a range of initiatives to support equality, diversity, and inclusion across the county, including care technology which is helping older people live independently in their own homes for longer. 

Your feedback lets us review our approach so far and helps us to deliver our services in a fair and inclusive way.

What happens next

All comments and responses will be carefully considered, analysed and taken into account in the final Strategy. This is due to considered by the Cabinet in June 2024. 

Date: 25 March to 22 April 2024

We asked

In Leicestershire, we have been successful in delivering a wide range of road safety initiatives for decades. 

Although this Strategy is not a new approach or policy, it is an opportunity for us to let our communities know what we do, how we do it and how our approach may need to evolve in the future to meet new challenges. These challenges may include population growth and an ageing population. 

We are committed to continually improving road safety and reducing road casualties in Leicestershire, and we have set new, ambitious casualty reduction targets.

These targets include aiming for a 40% reduction in killed or seriously injured casualties by 2035 (medium term) and zero deaths caused by road traffic collisions by 2050 (long term).

• Road Safety Strategy 
• Summary document

What happens next

The consultation findings were presented to the Council’s Cabinet in June 2024, along with the draft Strategy. 

The Cabinet approved the Strategy and the new casualty reduction targets.

Date: 22 February to 4 April 2024

We asked

The Transitions Learning Programme is delivered by the County Council’s Adult Learning Service on the site of Rawlins Academy in Quorn - a service currently delivered in-house by the Council.

The current model of delivery of the Transitions Learning Programme is not financially sustainable. In addition, the current premises are in a poor condition and require significant investment.

About the proposals

The council is exploring alternative ways to provide the service delivered by the Transitions Learning Programme and is proposing to support learners by using external learning providers.

Full details of the proposals can be found in the supporting document:

What happens next

We'll analyse the feedback and review the proposals.

The consultation findings will then be presented to the council’s Cabinet in June 2024, where a decision will be made on how to proceed.

Date: 21 February to 20 March 2024

We asked

We remain the lowest funded county in the country and continue to face financial challenges. Growing demand for county council services and general price rises (inflation) are increasing the cost of delivering services. This means we are going to have to find more savings in the future, and we’ve saved £262m since 2010.

The council's budget plan includes a requirement to make savings from the recycling and household waste sites (often referred to as the 'tips').

A 12-week consultation took place between Wednesday 1 November 2023 and Wednesday 24 January 2024. Following the consultation, we reviewed the survey results.

We’ve listened to feedback from residents and are considering new options to keep our Shepshed and Market Harborough sites open.

The revised proposals include:

• Keeping Market Harborough waste site open 3 days a week 
• Kibworth waste site to open 4 days a week, instead of 5 days
• Keeping Shepshed waste site open 2 days a week

Plans would ensure that there was a seven-day opening between Market Harborough and Kibworth. To keep both sites open part time, the council will need to reduce the opening of Kibworth by a day.

We want to hear from people who use or want to use our recycling and household waste sites on these amended proposals.

What happens next?

After this second consultation on recycling and household waste sites closes in March, we’ll analyse the results, and a report will be presented to the council’s Cabinet in May 2024.  
 

Date: 1 November 2023 - 24 January 2024

We asked

The council's budget plan includes a requirement to make savings from the recycling and household waste sites (often referred to as the 'tips'). 

The proposals below would make savings of £420,000 per year and have been designed to reduce costs whilst minimising the impact on residents and site users as far as possible.
The proposals include:

• Closing Market Harborough, Shepshed and Somerby recycling and household waste sites
• Changing the opening days at Bottesford and Melton Mowbray recycling and household waste sites
• Changing summer opening hours at all recycling and household waste sites
• Closing on Christmas Eve at all recycling and household waste sites

What happens next

A 12-week consultation took place between Wednesday 1 November 2023 and Wednesday 24 January 2024. Following the consultation, we reviewed the survey results.

We listened to feedback from residents and are considering new options to keep our Shepshed and Market Harborough sites open.

The revised proposals included:

• Keeping Market Harborough waste site open 3 days a week 
• Kibworth waste site to open 4 days a week, instead of 5 days
• Keeping Shepshed waste site open 2 days a week

As the second consultation on recycling and household waste sites closed on 20 March 2024, we will now be analysing the results, and a report will be presented to the council’s Cabinet in Summer 2024.  

Date: 27 November 2023 - 22 January 2024

We asked

The Care Act 2014 allows local authorities to charge for most care and support services.

The Care and Support Statutory Guidance requires that where a local authority decides to charge for services, it must follow the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations and have regard to the statutory guidance.

On 29 March 2022, the Cabinet approved the Leicestershire County Council’s current Charging Policy for Social Care and Support policy:

The policy sets out how the council will undertake a financial assessment in relation to residential and non-residential care and support services including how different types of income and capital are treated and what allowances are permitted in calculating how much someone is required to contribute towards the cost of their care and support services. The Policy assists people to know what they will be charged.

About the proposals

Most of the proposals are clarifications of the existing policy designed to make the policy clearer to follow, rather than changing the nature of the financial assessments.

The council is not proposing to change the principles of charging and financial assessments.

Principles of the Policy

The council’s policy must continue to follow the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014, as amended and have regard to the Care and Support Statutory Guidance.

The Care and Support Statutory Guidance sets out a number of principles the council should have regard to in charging for social care and support services. These include affordability for the person, having a clear and comprehensive policy, applying the policy equally to similar situations, and being sustainable for the council in the long-term.

The council is required to produce and maintain its policy to show how it will apply to adults in receipt of care and support services and meet the requirements of the Regulations and Statutory Guidance.  This is why the policy is written in quite formal language and is a lengthy document.

Changes to the Policy

There are two key changes to the policy which are designed to ensure that a person is not charged more than it is reasonably practicable for them to pay.

1. Where a person is in receipt of both residential and non-residential services in the same week the council proposes to apply a non-residential financial assessment to calculate how much they can afford to contribute towards the cost of the care services they receive.
   This would ensure that a person retains sufficient income to meet their usual outgoings. [Section 8.2 of the Policy]
2. Only the income and savings of the person receiving care and support services can be taken into account in the financial assessment, including a share of joint income and savings. The council will also consider the implications of their partner if the partner’s financial information is also disclosed.

The council is proposing to introduce a more generous and simpler method of allowing for a reduction in a person’s assessed contribution where this is necessary. The proposal will ensure that a partner has at least a weekly income equal to the standard / personal allowance of universal credit or pension credit for a single person. [Section 48 of the Policy]

Clarifications to the Policy

1. Definitions of terms used in the policy
   To assist with understanding the policy additional definitions have been included for, ‘Administration Fee’ for non-residential care and support services, ‘Capital Limits’ and ‘Tariff Income’. [Section 1 of the Policy]
2. Payment arrangements
   The contact details of the Finance Operations Team have been included if a person needs to discuss a payment arrangement for their contributions towards their care services, for example when receiving their first invoice and need more time to pay. [Section 7 of the policy]
3. Non-disclosure and death of a person in receipt of care services
   Clarifies that following the death of a person the council does not owe a duty to the person’s estate to retrospectively re-assess the person’s financial assessment, for example where the person refused to provide their financial information. However, the council has a discretion to do so on request and such requests will be considered on the circumstances of the individual case. [Section 10.12 of the policy]
4. New disregards of income and capital
   Provision has been proposed to disregard as income and / or capital three new compensation schemes relating to the Grenfell Tower fire, the failings of the Post Office Horizon computer system, payments under the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 and also any compulsory deduction from social security benefits for child maintenance. [Sections 18 and 32 of the policy].
5. Income for residential financial assessments
   Additional wording has been added to clarify the circumstances where a person may be allowed to retain additional income, above their Personal Expenses Allowance, in a residential financial assessment. [Section 39 of the Policy].
6. Residential Top-up amounts
   Clarification that the council can refuse a request for preferred choice accommodation in a care home where it determines that the top-up amount is unaffordable. Also, that if an agreed top up arrangement breaks down the council will undertake a care and support assessment with a view to moving the resident to an alternative placement which does not involve a top up amount or additional cost to the council. [Section 44 of the Policy and the council’s website]
7. Adequate security under the Deferred Payment Scheme
   Clarification of other types of security for a deferred debt that can be considered where it is not possible to obtain a first legal charge on a property at HM Land Registry. [Section 45.8 of the Policy and the council’s website]
8. Housing costs for non-residential financial assessments
   Clarification that to be included as an allowable expense in a non-residential financial assessment a person must have a legal liability to pay the housing costs, e.g. rent or mortgage payments, and be able to provide proof of payment. [Section 47.5 of the Policy]
9. Disability-related Expenditure
   Court of Protection deputyship fees and costs relating to professional appointeeship services have been added to the list of potential disability-related expenses and allowance.
   Also, clarification that the council may require additional evidence to consider potential disability-related expenditure and that if additional disability-related expenditure is allowed this will usually be backdated to the earliest date there is evidence to support the need for the expenditure. [Section 49 of the Policy and the Council’s website]
10. If a person thinks that their financial assessment is incorrect, they can request a review of the assessment and appeal the outcome to the Council’s Complex Case and Appeal Panel. [Section 52 of the Policy]
11. A list of the information factsheets / booklets providing further explanation on various aspects of financial assessments has been added as an appendix to the policy. [Appendix C of the Proposed Charging Policy]:
    Proposed Charging Policy - see Appendix C (PDF)

Proposed Changes to the Policy (PDF)

What happens next

After the consultation closes in January 2024, we’ll analyse the results and share with the Council’s Cabinet and residents in February 2024.

Date: 20 December 2023 - 17 January 2024.

We asked

Spiralling social care prices, growing service demand and inflation are driving up costs. The Government’s autumn statement last month didn’t include any extra funding for councils which has ramped up the pressure for local authorities.

Nearby councils, such as Nottingham City, have declared that they do not have enough resources to continue to deliver services by issuing a section 114 notice, and others, such as Leicester and Derbyshire, say they are being pushed to the brink.

We are not in crisis territory. We’ve successfully managed better than most by not forgetting about the financial realities of local government when delivering services. But we do have a significant budget gap and need to deliver services differently.

Find out more about the proposals.

What happens next

Following the consultation, the results were analysed and a report was written. The 2024-2028 budget was then approved at a full county council meeting on Wednesday 21 February 2024.