Dear resident,

I had hoped I wouldn’t be writing another covid newsletter but with the very recent news of Leicester City being put in lockdown I feel I must.  As I write Rutland still has very few confirmed cases or coronavirus related deaths but neither the local authority nor the police can legally stop people visiting our beautiful county and, unknowingly, bring the virus here.  So, to keep safe, the message remains: wash your hands frequently and thoroughly; social distance when going out and stay at home as far as possible.

Meanwhile Rutland County Council officers are working hard to keep us all safe and are also working very closely with colleagues in Leicester and Leicestershire, albeit virtually, to ensure we learn from what is happening in Leicester.  Therefore don’t expect things in Rutland to return to normal any time soon.  There are no plans to open libraries and the museum nor the CA site at Cottesmore (North Luffenham remains open) and day to day business such as reviewing parking problems will not be happening; the Council simply doesn’t have the capacity.  Rutland Council’s web page for Covid is regularly updated https://www.rutland.gov.uk/my-services/health-and-family/health-and-nhs/health-and-support-services/coronavirus/ and offers useful information and the help line, 01572 729603, remains open during office hours.  Please feel free to contact me if you need any help. Stay safe.  Stay happy.

Gale Waller

County Councillor, Normanton Ward gwaller@rutland.gov.uk

Please see the attached notice of the temporary closure of Glebe Road between the above dates

The church has been deep cleaned and is now open. For private prayer only on Wednesdays and Sundays. For your own safety, observe social distancing & hand sanitising instructions

Please click on the link below

Please be aware that a man is going from house to house this morning trying to sell ‘Persian Rugs’ for £1 each that he says were left over from a sale in Uppingham.

A company that leases land from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation began parking articulated lorries at St Georges Barracks without the required planning permsission. A retrospective planning application was submitted to RCC and objected to on a number of grounds by North Luffenham Parish Council: https://publicaccess.rutland.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=PUBXRWNNL3I00

A multiple number of residents have objected to this application due to the increase of large vehicles causing noise, vibration and pollution. The retrospective planning application has not been decided on and yet, at the last count, 95 coaches, in addition to the lorries, were being parked on the site. At no stage has there been consultation with local communities.

You may wish to comment on the application by clicking on the above link.

Please see the attached notice from RCC with regard to the night time closure of Station Road railway crossing to allow improvements to the track by Network Rail.

The night time closures will start from 9.00pm on the 15th July through to 7.00am on 24th July 2020.

We are continuing to collect and deliver prescriptions from Empingham surgery to residents who require this. Once you have ordered your items please let us know when they are expected to be available, and any specific instructions such as collecting items from the fridge.  We will then schedule for the closest Wednesday or Friday pickup.  If you typically check the box on the back of the prescription to receive the same next time, please let us know that so we can indicate as such when we collect your prescription.

If you have a prescription from a GP after a consultation let us know so we can arrange collection of that too

Note that we have a collection time at the surgery between 4 and 5pm so depending on volume you may not receive your prescription delivery until close to 6pm.

Telephone 07825 697 841 or email nlgns2020@gmail.com

Please note that we are also still collecting from Uppingham surgery but the volume being collected is much lower and therefore we don’t have scheduled days although everything else remains the same.

03/06/2020

Dear resident,

It has been a little while since I last wrote and we have seen some relaxation of the lockdown rules. We can now meet family and friends in our gardens; albeit with limited numbers and social distancing remaining. Many have returned to work and some returned to school. Year 6 children were particularly keen to return, judging by the statistics, no doubt because it is their last year at primary and many will be separated from friends as they move on to different secondary schools in September.

The opening of the civic amenities site has been a success and I would like to say thank you to the residents of North and South Luffenham for their forbearance in putting up with the additional traffic travelling to the site. Remember, though, if you have bulky waste to dispose of you can have that collected by RCC https://www.rutland.gov.uk/my-council/council-news/bulky-waste-collections-resume/, some waste can go in the normal bins and some you can store till everything returns to normal.

If you run a B and B, a charity, a non-rated business or are a market trader you may be entitled to the Local Authority Discretionary Grant provided by central government. Total funds are limited and there is a system of prioritisation so read all the guidance before you apply, both that provided by government and that provided by RCC. Details can be found here under “Local Authority Discretionary Grant”. https://www.rutland.gov.uk/my-services/health-and-family/health-and-nhs/health-and-support-services/coronavirus/business-advice-and-guidance/#an-LADGFupdat

Finally, Rutland Water partially re-opened this week and whilst they do not anticipate any problems whatsoever I have had people asking me about the potential for visitors to park on verges and cause a nuisance. As many RCC officers have been redeployed to covid related duties the Council will not have the staff to monitor the situation so if you encounter any real problem please feel free to get in touch with me.

Stay safe. Stay happy.

Gale Waller

County Councillor, Normanton Ward gwaller@rutland.gov.uk

Please see the attached road closure notice from RCC concerning Station Road railway crossing from 22.00 hrs on 4th July to 9.00 on 5th July 2020

Please see the attached notice to close Glebe Road North Luffenham on 3rd July to allow inspection of the railway bridge

Please see the attached Notice of Vacancies following the resignations of Geoff Mason and Wayne Bishop from North Luffenham Parish Council

The Rutland Community Wellbeing Service has scheduled a series of webinars, and a virtual Volunteer Party to inform and support volunteers and Community Groups across Rutland.  Please click on the link below for information.

The reopening of the Household Waste and Recycling Centre on Tuesday 19th May will possibly result in a considerable increase in traffic. The way the route to and from the site has been organised means that there will be more two way traffic through North Luffenham, Glebe Rd. to the Pilton Cross Rd.. The return route from Morcott is through South Luffenham, North Luffenham Rd., The Settings and Glebe Rd..

These lanes are popular with walkers, often in family groups, and cyclists so please take extra care or try other lanes to walk and cycle.

North Luffenham Parish Council suggested an alternative route that would have substantially reduced this two way traffic but this was not accepted.

North Luffenham Household Waste and Recycling Centre will reopen for essential waste from Tuesday 19 May 2020. The site will be open six days a week (Tuesday to Sunday), from 10am to 4pm. Waste should only be brought to the site if it cannot be stored safely at home or disposed of in other legitimate ways.

Wherever possible, we are asking people to continue using weekly kerbside waste and recycling collections, our Bulky Waste Collection Service or hold on to bulk waste for a few more weeks.

 A number of special measures will be in place to maintain social distancing and run the site safely. These include:

• A temporary road closure and one-way system between Pilton crossroads and the village of Morcott. No access to North Luffenham HWRC from the direction of Morcott. Access will be maintained for residents
•  A maximum of four vehicles unloading on-site at a time, with no more than two persons per vehicle
• Visitors must observe social distancing and stay two metres away from each other and site staff at all times
• The site will close for 15 minutes at 12.00pm, 2.00pm and 4.00pm each day so that it can be cleaned
• No trailers will be accepted on-site because of the need to move vehicles in and out as quickly as possible
• Visitors are asked to pre-sort their waste and separate out materials like metal, wood and plastics before traveling to the site
• Staff at the site will provide instructions but cannot help to unload or put waste items into containers
• Please see the attached frequently asked questions