Welcome to our email newsletter with updates on local services from County Councillors Dean Gamble and Jeffrey Kaufman and your Borough Councillors across Oadby.

If you know anyone who would like to receive this via email, they can sign up to get them (please choose the Oadby Focus Extra option. To comply with data protection laws please also select “Yes, keep me updated” just below where you enter your email address, otherwise we can’t keep your details and send you emails).

Note that although we try to ensure the information is up to date, this is a fast-changing situation. The links throughout the email will direct you to the latest news.

In this issue:

Book a vaccination if you are over 70 or extremely vulnerable – Gritting roads in icy weather – Local election postal votes – Council budget – Surveys on safety, walking and cycling – Volunteering and help – Get in touch

Those Over 70 or Clinically Extremely Vulnerable can book a Covid-19 Vaccination

In a change announced yesterday, if you are either:

• Aged over 70

or

• You have previously received a letter saying you are at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable)

…and have not had your Covid-19 vaccine yet, you no longer have to wait to receive a letter from your GP or the NHS.

To get your vaccination ring 119, contact your local GP or book your appointment on the NHS web site.

The Department of Health and Social Care are also advising those who have family or friends who are in a priority group for the #COVID19 vaccination, to help them by:

• encouraging them to book their appointment
• planning their visit to a vaccination site
• sharing official advice from the NHS

Gritting Roads in Icy Weather

The County Council are responsible for gritting key routes during cold weather. A map of priority gritting routes can be found here:

https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/winter-weather/gritting-and-travel-this-winter

May County Council and PCC Elections Going Ahead: Get a Postal Vote

Postal votes are a safe, convenient and a secure way to ensure that your vote counts.

It is possible that many more people will want a postal vote this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. By applying now, you can avoid the rush.

If you would like to vote by post in the County Council and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in May, please visit this page which has links to the Electoral Commission form and details on how to return it to the correct local council.

Council Budget Hit Hard by Pandemic

Council staff have worked hard over the past 12 months, coordinating support for vulnerable residents through the Community Hub and allocating government grants to businesses. But the pandemic has resulted in extra outlay for the council. For example, no-one could have predicted our Leisure Centres would be closed for most of the last year, leading to lost revenue and bills for running costs.

Council budgets have already been under huge pressures, with cuts in income of nearly a fifth in the last ten years. This is mostly due to changes in the way councils are funded, with the money from central government all but disappearing.

Last spring, the government told councils to spend what was needed to get through the crisis but they have not come close funded this promise.

Your councillors are looking at a range of measures, many of which we would not choose to do in other circumstances. The bottom line is that changes have to be made if the council is to continue to properly carry out its functions such as planning, housing and support like the Community Hub.

Surveys on Walking and Cycling

Leicestershire County Council are drafting a walking and cycling strategy for the county. They have a short survey to find out how you usually travel and what, if any, barriers you face which stop you making more of your journeys on foot, wheelchair, mobility scooter or by cycle.

Volunteering and help: Oadby Food Bank / Helping Hands / Community Support Hub / Useful Contacts

The Oadby Food Bank is helping many more people during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Food Bank accepts donations at the Uplands Road Co-op, Santander and Quality Hardware DIY on The Parade or on Wednesday afternoons (2 to 4pm) at the Methodist Church. The Food Bank is open for those in need on Fridays from 11.30am to 12.30pm every other week. The next date is 12th February but please check their Twitter for the latest dates and donation points.

The Helping Hands Community Trust has over 20 years’ experience in providing a free advice service to local residents about Welfare Benefits, Debts, Housing, Employment, Family Law and much more.

You can contact them via email office@helpinghandsadvice.co.uk, Facebook @helpinghandsadv or by calling 0116 278 2001.

There are a variety of ways to donate to help the work of Helping Hands.

Oadby and Wigston Borough Council manage the Community Support Hub to support vulnerable residents living in the Borough and for individuals or organisations wanting to volunteer their time or services to help those in need across Oadby, Wigston and South Wigston.

Full details and how to request help or sign up are here.

Useful Contacts & Information

You can contact your local councillors by phone or email. Details are at the end of this email.

Oadby and Wigston Borough Council Covid-19 Service Updates & Advice.

Leicestershire County Council Covid-19 updates page.

Helping Hands Community Trust.

Oadby Food Bank.

Get in touch with your local councillors:

If there are any issues that we may be able to help you with, please reply to this email or contact us on 0116 212 0602. To contact a specific councillor, please visit Oadby and Wigston Borough Council’s list of councillors . You can find out who your local councillors are (and email them) by putting your postcode into the Write To Them web site.