Author Archives: Tim Smith

Free December Bus Travel

Rutland County Council will be offering free one-way and return travel on all its local bus routes in December – including Saturdays – when passengers board in Rutland after 9am.

This means that all bus journeys starting in Rutland after 9am will be free, whether they end inside or outside the County. Tickets for journeys bought anywhere outside the County and finishing in Rutland will be priced as normal.

Free Christmas shopping bus

There will also be free return travel on three city buses to Nottingham, Peterborough and Leicester on the following dates:

• Saturday 9th December – Nottingham

• Saturday 16th December – Peterborough

• Saturday 23rd December – Leicester

Each of the three buses will collect passengers from Langham, Barleythorpe, Oakham, Gunthorpe, Preston and Uppingham, before travelling on to their destination. Dates for these buses are as follows, with specific timetable information to be published on the RCCs website and at bus stops in the near future.

Free parking for Christmas markets and Small Business Saturday

• Saturday 2nd December – Small Business Saturday (all car parks, all day)

• Thursday 7th December – Uppingham Christmas Market (Uppingham car parks only, 3.00pm onwards)

• Monday 11th December – Oakham Late Night Shopping (Oakham car parks only, 3.00pm onwards)

This initiative forms part of Rutland’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, which was approved by the RCC Cabinet in September and has secured national funding specifically intended to encourage greater use of public transport.

Any residents who have questions about these initiative can direct them the Transport Team at RCC by emailing: transport@rutland.gov.uk or for parking parkingmanagement@rutland.gov.uk or by calling: 01572 722 577.

Rutland’s New Local Plan – Planning for Rutland’s Future

Rutland County Council are consulting on the Preferred Options (Regulation 18) stage for the new Local Plan from Monday 13th November until it closes at 4pm Monday 8th January 2024.  This is the second stage of public consultation for the preparation of the new Rutland Local Plan. 

The Local Plan covers the period 2021-2041 and will, when adopted, set out policies and proposals for future development in Rutland.

The easiest way to comment is via the online consultation portal. By using the portal, you will be able to save draft responses and come back to them later. It also enables easy access for future consultations. In addition, comments made by other people can now be viewed on the system once they’ve been made live rather than wait until after consultation has closed and the Consultation Statement has been published.

The new Local Plan web page includes more detailed information on how to submit comments in the Preferred Options consultation www.rutland.gov.uk/localplan

For any further enquiries please email localplan@rutland.gov.uk or call the Council’s customer services team on 01572 722 577 who will arrange for a member of the Local Plan team to contact you to provide you with a response.

The attached Public Notice provides a summary of the Preferred Options stage and how you can get involved

Christmas Shopping trip to Springfields outlet, Spalding

North Luffenham Good Companions have arranged a Christmas shopping to Springfields outlet centre in Spalding on Wednesday 15th November. With over 50 big name brands offering discounts an ideal opportunity to start that Christmas shopping, alternatively enjoy their winter wonderland walk.

There are currently 4 spaces left on the bus if anyone would like to attend. The cost is £10 per person and the mini bus leaves The Fox, Pinfold Lan, North Luffenham at 9.30am returning from Springfields at 2.30pm.

Should anyone be interested in attending please call Jason on 07773396153.

Church St. Clean Up: Thank you to the volunteers.

The main focus of the clear up was the removal of the Ivy on the stone wall of The Oval. The before and after photos demonstrate the improvement. The area around the restored village pump was also cleared up and looks much better. Efforts will be made in the future to prevent regrowth, possible damage to the wall, and keep the village pump an attractive feature.

Before

After

Mobile Vaccination Service

A mobile vaccination service is coming to Rutland, as part of NHS Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland’s (LLR) Covid-19 and flu vaccination programme, to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

Just drop in to one of the following sessions between 10am – 4pm for your Covid-19 and flu vaccinations or to speak to the vaccination team:

  • Wednesday 4th October, Oakham Market (LE15 6DT)
  • Friday 6th October, Uppingham Market (LE15 9QH)
  • Monday 6th November, Catmose House Car Park (LE15 6HP)

These drop-in sessions are complementing the Covid-19 vaccination programme available at The Rutland Late Night Pharmacy, 45A High Street, Oakham, LE15 6AJ which can be accessed by booking an appointment. Appointments can also be booked for Covid-19 booster and flu vaccinations using the National Booking Service.

Over the next few months, a mobile vaccination programme will be visiting villages in Rutland too. Details of these visits are currently being finalised and we will communicate the confirmed route as soon as possible.

For more information please visit the Rutland County Council website: https://www.rutland.gov.uk/council-news/2023/09/mobile-covid-flu-vaccination-service-coming-rutland

North Luffenham Neighbourhood Plan: Hard Copies Available.

Hard copies of the Neighbourhood Plan (NP) are available to read in the Community Centre. If necessary a copy can be delivered to your home for two days. Please contact clerk@northluffenham.org.uk or timsmith@northluffenham.org.uk for either access to the Community Centre or delivery.

The NP can be downloaded: https://northluffenham.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NLNP-Final.pdf

 For more information about the Referendum process,please visit the link below:

https://www.rutland.gov.uk/my-council/electoral-registration-and-elections/elections-and-referendums/neighbourhood-planning-referendums/