Labour South Leicestershire

25/05/2026

Let's see how many of these proposed increases were in their 2025 Manifesto.

The Reform-run council says the measures are part of its efforts to tackle an £85m budget gap.

21/05/2026

The state of the local high street is one of the ways people measure whether the country is going backwards or forwards.

Where once there were shops and restaurants and people, now there are v**e shops, bookies, and barbers shops with no customers. In one area of Manchester, there are now 51 v**e shops across just two streets.

We all know some can help smokers to quit, but this is clearly more than anyone could ever need or use.

People are sick to the back teeth of their towns and cities being dominated by these shops, against the will of local people. Councillors want to take action but simply don’t have the power.

And so often these adult gaming centres are clustered in deprived areas. We have already brought forward Gambling Impact Assessments to allow councils to limit the number of gambling premises in their areas.

And now we’re giving councils new powers to restrict certain shops on the high street, take over empty shops, and use the spaces to run services or activities or businesses.

This comes hot on the heels of the Home Office’s High Street Organised Crime Unit, which will target organised crime operating out of businesses including v**e stores and barbers.

Communities’ ambitions will be backed by a new Neighbourhood Guarantee, meaning cleaner streets, filled potholes and other vital public services

20/05/2026

Chancellor to announce ‘Great British Summer Savings’ - a UK wide scheme to help families enjoy this summer

20/05/2026

Patients, employers and GPs are set to benefit from an overhaul of the broken fit note system following the launch of several pilots by the Government today to reform the system for workers who fall ill.

Patients, employers and GPs are set to benefit from an overhaul of the broken fit note system following the launch of several pilots by the Government today to reform the system for workers who fall ill. 

20/05/2026

19/05/2026

A historic £100 million will drive a crackdown on child s*xual abuse, including tracking down vile grooming gang members, protecting victims and bringing offenders to justice. Perpetrators who thought they got away with horrific grooming gang offences will be held to account as closed cases are reopened.

Operation Beaconport will receive a tenfold cash injection, building on the £4 million the operation received when it launched last autumn. £38 million has been set aside for the National Crime Agency (NCA) and operational partners to reopen and investigate cases and put more offenders behind bars. It is focused on furthering critical work to protect victims wherever abuse takes place – in our communities, families, online and institutions.

Police forces in England and Wales will also have greater access to pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) technology to w**d out and bring predators to justice more rapidly. To support this, the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), will receive £9.3 million this year.

This includes a suite of advanced, AI-enabled intelligence tools, ensuring all forces, regardless of size or local resources, can use cutting-edge technology to pursue offenders faster and better safeguard victims.

This enables officers to analyse large datasets, translate foreign-language material in seconds, and identify patterns and relationships between suspects. By reducing manual processes and unifying access to proven tools, the programme focuses on accelerating investigations and creates a more consistent, intelligence-led national response.

£11.7 million will also back the Undercover Child Abuse Online Network, which targets predators in the darkest corners of the internet and stops abuse before it happens. The network tracks and identifies offenders, intervenes early and drives arrests and prosecutions. Their work helped safeguard 1,748 children between April 2024 and 2025, with 1,797 arrests also made.

Today’s funding sits alongside the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, which seeks to root out past failures wherever they occurred. It is laser‑focused on grooming gangs and will explicitly examine the role of ethnicity, religion and culture of the offenders and the response of institutions.

The Home Office has announced £100 million to fight child s*x offences and protect victims and survivors, including £38 million for Operation Beaconport.

18/05/2026

The Small Business Protections Bill (formally known as the Commercial Payments Bill) delivers the toughest crackdown on late payments in a generation – putting a clear duty on large firms to pay smaller suppliers on time and giving small businesses the certainty they need to keep investing, supporting jobs and growing their communities.

It comes as the Prime Minister and Business Secretary are expected to welcome small business owners and Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) representatives to Downing Street to mark what leaders have called a “historic moment for small firms”.

Ministers announce the introduction of legislation to tackle late payments and protect small businesses.

18/05/2026

Children and young people will get earlier support to steer them away from crime under a major overhaul of the youth justice system unveiled by the Government today

Children and young people will get earlier support to steer them away from crime under a major overhaul of the youth justice system unveiled by the Government today (Monday 18 May).

15/05/2026

Adults balancing responsibilities such as work and childcare will now have a new route into university and college thanks to radical reforms to create a new, more flexible student finance system.

From September 2026, for the first time ever people will be able to access student finance for shorter, flexible, bite-sized courses, known as “modules”, as well as traditional university degrees.

Today the government has confirmed the first 130 universities and colleges approved to offer the new smaller courses through the system, which people will be able to apply for this September.

The change is part of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, as set out in the government’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper last year, with people now able to see the universities and colleges across the country where they will be able to use the new funding system.

Government announces first 130 universities and colleges approved to offer new bite-sized courses, with applications opening this September.

13/05/2026

Any women allowed?!

The county council's cabinet for the next 12 months has been set.

Appointments have been made after today's annual general meeting.

Leader (inc. local government reorganisation, resilience and emergency planning) – Councillor Dan Harrison
Deputy leader and culture and heritage – Councillor Kevin Crook
Children and family services – Councillor Charles Pugsley
Adult social care – Councillor Michael Squires
Environment, flooding and waste – Councillor Adam Tilbury
Highways and transport – Councillor Andrew Hamilton-Gray
Resources and finance – Councillor Harrison Fowler
Growth, economic development and planning – Councillor John Bloxham
Health – Councillor Paul Harrison
Communities and community safety – Councillor Carl Abbott

Read more using the link in the comments

13/05/2026

This Labour Government has now banned the online bots which have been scraping up driving test slots. This will help to prevent the exploitation of learners and drive down test waiting times.

- 👉 Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgpl9zdw3po