COLUMN - Councillor Margaret Glancy (leader of Independents group on Melton Borough Council)
The Independent group on Melton Borough Council has been working hard on behalf of residents.
Recently we proposed a motion at full council to forego an uplift in members' allowances and create a community fund.
The first of many community grants was awarded by Councillor Leigh Higgins to The Friends of the Tenth at Burrough on the Hill.
The grant will help fund the new memorial pathway at the site.
Further community grants will be announced shortly, with details and photos on social media and press.
A memorial to recognise the vagrant cells at St Mary's hospital site has been completed.
The local community and ward councillors worked hard to ensure the vagrant cells were not forgotten when they were demolished.
This is a great example of what can be achieved by working together.
Special thanks go to the Heritage Society for the wording on the plaque.
Sadly, we have to express our extreme disappointment the Independent Care Board (ICB), part of the NHS, has decided a second Melton GP practice is not a priority.
The government and NHS need to work together with us to make this happen and, as an administration, we will be lobbying to ensure we are not ignored.
We have launched a petition to demand a robust health care infrastructure that meets our growing needs.
Details of the petition are on the Melton Mowbray Independents’ Facebook page.
We met with Saint Gobain last week to hear news of their plans for the Holwell site and we are extremely excited about the future employment and investment this will bring to our borough.
We also met with representatives of the theatre.
It is disappointing the theatre faces uncertainties due to decisions the new owners may make but we are committed to help where we can.
We have continued to make steady progress on numerous issues we inherited in May 2023.
We are getting to grips with both our assets and leases.
We have drastically reduced the rent arrears, helping tenants and recovering outstanding rents.
We have increased the reserves to ensure we can deliver projects for our borough.
By working with the local Police and Safer Communities team we have not only reduced anti-social behaviour but are also helping to address addiction.