Cllr Joseph Boam - Whitwick Division

12/06/2026

🚨 FACT CHECK: SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE 🚨

You may have seen claims about Leicestershire County Council’s school food service. Here’s the reality. 👇🏼

❌ Myth: Reform is cutting school meals.
✅ Fact: Every school has secured a new meal provider and children will continue receiving school meals as normal.

❌ Myth: The service was profitable and shouldn’t be closing.
✅ Fact: The service has made substantial losses every year since the pandemic, with some exceeding £2.5 million. Last year’s improvement only came after significant price rises, restructures and job reductions.

❌ Myth: This is an ideological decision.
✅ Fact: Schools and academies have been choosing alternative providers for years. Around 80 schools have left the service over the last three years, making it increasingly difficult to operate competitively and sustainably.

❌ Myth: Staff have been abandoned.
✅ Fact: The vast majority of staff are transferring to new providers, with only a small number still at risk of redundancy. We continue to support those affected.

📉 Initial estimates suggested closure costs could reach £650,000.

✅ Through careful management, that figure is now estimated at £360,000 and may reduce further.

This is not about reducing support for children.

It’s about recognising market realities, protecting taxpayers’ money and making responsible decisions for the future of Leicestershire.

Action. Delivery. Reform. 🩵

07/06/2026

🐦 GREAT NEWS FOR LEICESTERSHIRE’S SWIFTS 🐦

Reform UK is delighted to support a further £12,000 investment in swift conservation across Leicestershire and Rutland. 🌳💪🏼

Following the success of a two year project which delivered more than 350 swift nesting boxes and 150 sound callers, even more nesting sites will now be installed to help support these iconic summer visitors. ☀️

This fantastic project has been made possible through the hard work of dedicated local volunteers and community groups who continue to make a real difference to our local environment. 👏🏼

Protecting wildlife, supporting local communities and delivering practical environmental improvements across Leicestershire. 🩵🇬🇧

That’s Reform in action. ✅

27/05/2026

24/05/2026

Just a helpful bit of information for residents because I’ve seen a few people confused by this recently. 🚗

If you have a dropped kerb, it is generally NOT illegal to park across your own driveway.

However, there are some important exceptions and situations where enforcement can still happen, especially involving shared access or incorrect dropped kerbs.

Always worth double checking local rules if unsure. 👍🏼

21/05/2026

Good to attend Whitwick Parish Council tonight and take part in some positive discussions about local issues affecting the village. 🇬🇧

I also presented my annual County Councillor Report and really appreciate the kind feedback and support it received from councillors.

Credit as well to the Chair and Clerk for the professional way the meeting was conducted throughout.

Always important that local people and representatives continue working together for the good of Whitwick.

18/05/2026

18/05/2026

Just back from another Flood Drop-In session in Whitwick discussing the ongoing flooding issues affecting residents around the Grace Dieu Brook. 🌧️

One of the key issues raised was the culvert on Grace Dieu Road, which the Environment Agency believes urgently needs de-silting to improve water flow and help reduce flood risk.

The Environment Agency has asked whether Highways may be able to contribute funding towards the work and I’ll be speaking with the new Cabinet Lead for Highways tomorrow to push this issue forward.

Flooding has impacted far too many residents over the years and people understandably want to see practical action taken.

Huge thanks as well to Flood Mary, the Environment Agency, Severn Trent and the LCC flood team for all their support and advice throughout the session. 👏🏼🇬🇧

14/05/2026

Yesterday at Full Council I brought forward my motion regarding concerns raised by residents over the Church Lane bus route in Whitwick. 🚌

I’m pleased to say the motion was passed.

As a result, the County Council will now formally review:

📄 The operation of the route
🛣️ Safety and punctuality concerns
📊 Passenger usage
📍 Ongoing engagement with residents and the operator

This means the issue is now formally on record and will return to scrutiny within six months with a written report.

Thank you to everyone who has contacted me about this matter and taken the time to share their views. Resident feedback has been incredibly important throughout this process.

I’ll continue working constructively with all parties involved to ensure local concerns are properly considered moving forward. 🇬🇧

13/05/2026

A busy and productive day at Full Council today.

Among the matters discussed and voted on were youth justice, local transport, support for veterans and council governance arrangements.

I was also pleased to successfully propose my own motion regarding concerns raised by residents over the Church Lane bus route in Whitwick.

This will now lead to:
📄 A formal review of the route
🛣️ Consideration of safety, punctuality and passenger usage
📍 Continued engagement with residents and the operator
🏛️ A report back to scrutiny within six months

Thank you to everyone who has contacted me regarding this matter and continues to engage constructively.

As always, I’ll continue working to ensure local residents’ voices are heard at County Hall.

10/05/2026

It’s true.

ONE thing I’ve learnt very quickly serving residents is that getting things done in local government takes persistence, pressure and a willingness to keep pushing when others have moved on.

Even relatively small issues can drag on for months if nobody is prepared to properly chase them through the system. Residents don’t always see the emails, meetings, follow-ups and constant pressure that happens behind the scenes, but that’s often what it takes to finally get results.

That said, sometimes issues can actually be resolved very quickly when somebody is prepared to take ownership of them. A recent example being a damaged manhole cover which had been causing concern locally for months in another councillor’s division. After it was raised with me, I reported it directly to Severn Trent, pushed the relevant department to push them, and within two days the issue had been resolved.

Whether it’s flooding concerns, road resurfacing, damaged infrastructure, parking issues or everyday local problems raised with me directly, my approach has always been simple: keep pushing until something actually happens.

Over recent months, I’ve also learnt there’s a big difference between quietly getting things sorted and suddenly appearing at the final stage once the issue is already being dealt with.

Residents are far more switched on than some people in politics seem to think.

Personally, I’m not interested in newspaper columns on page 12, political point scoring or pretending long standing problems have only just appeared. I’m interested in outcomes. If local people contact me about an issue, I’ll continue doing everything I can to push for action and keep applying pressure until something changes.

Local residents deserve representatives who are visible, proactive and prepared to challenge the system when necessary, not just when there’s an opportunity for publicity.

At the end of the day, it’s not about who shouts the loudest, it’s about who actually gets stuff done. 🇬🇧

And Reform UK, Gets Stuff Done