A 27-year-old man who pleaded guilty to the murder of his grandfather has been sentenced life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 15 years. Benjamin Dunlop, of no fixed address, appeared at Leicester Crown Court today (Friday) to be sentenced for the crime he admitted at the same court in November 2022. Benjamin Dunlop Ronald Dunlop, 75, was found dead at the address where Ben Dunlop was staying with his grandfather temporarily in Hart Drive, Measham, just before 5pm on Wednesday 1 December 2021. Police were called to the address by East Midlands Ambulance Service. East Midlands Ambulance Service were at the address following a call of concern about the welfare of the two men and worries Ben had harmed himself. At the address, Ronald was found dead along with a cat, which was also dead, belonging to a neighbour. Benjamin returned to the address a short time later, and made admissions to harming both his grandfather and the cat to the attending ambulance crew. Benjamin Dunlop was charged two days later with murder. He was also charged with criminal damage in relation to the death of a cat. For this he was ordered to serve a six-month sentence concurrently. Senior Investigating Officer for the case, Detective Chief Inspector Nicole Main from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “Firstly my thoughts remain with the family of Ronald. “While this sentence doesn’t bring him back, or repair the tragic situation this family has found itself in, knowing that Ben is serving his time for what he did, will I hope allow them to move on from what has been a lengthy wait for justice.” Ronald Dunlop

Two improvement schemes are due to take place in the new year on Leicester’s Narborough Road and Braunstone Gate. Leicester City Council is carrying out work as part of two ongoing projects designed to make both areas more pedestrian friendly, and in the case of Braunstone Gate, remodelling it as part of a “Mini Holland” scheme to installing safe walking and cycling infrastructure and reduce car access. Maintenance work on Narborough Road has been carried out in stages over the last two years. The latest phase is due to start on January 8 and will take about 10 weeks. It includes making pavements more pedestrian-friendly by installing new bollards and cycle racks to prevent pavement parking, as well as replacing broken or loose slabs and tackling drainage problems on a section of the outbound side of Narborough Road between its junctions with Ruding Road and Roman Street. It will mean some temporary disruption to parking and waiting in the area while works are taking place. Work will also continue at Braunstone Gate as part of a larger £1.5m redevelopment scheme financed by the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund (TCF). The latest phase, will begins on January 23, will focus on the junction of Braunstone Gate and Narborough Road and will include removing the existing left-turn lane from Braunstone Gate onto Narborough Road, resurfacing and creating a new footway. The existing pavement will be re-laid with new high-quality block paving, while three trees whose roots are damaging the footway will be removed and replaced. A bus stop at the southern end of Braunstone Gate will also be moved onto Narborough Road. Letters are being sent to residents in both the areas concerned, ahead of the work taking place. Leicester Deputy City Mayor for transport, clean air and climate emergency, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “These works both in Braunstone Gate and Narborough Road aim to improve facilities for pedestrians and cyclists and make it easier to access these shops, bars and other local businesses safely. “Some of the work is straightforward repairs and improvements to pavements and street furniture such as cycle racks and bollards, whereas in Braunstone Gate we are working on the latest phase of a more comprehensive redesign to transform the street for the better.” The redevelopment work at Braunstone Gate began in May 2022, to help create a more people-friendly place and give more priority to cycles and pedestrians by limiting vehicle access, closing the road to unnecessary traffic at busy times and creating wider pavement areas for visitors to the shops, cafes and bars in the area. New, wider footpaths have been created and a section of the street has been repaved in high-quality block paving. A new red asphalt road surface and tree planting also form part of the scheme. Access to Braunstone Gate from Duns Lane and New Park Street is now restricted to buses, taxis and cycles only, and the left turn from Western Boulevard has been closed to traffic, except cycles. Most on-street parking on Braunstone Gate has been removed, with the extra space used to create wider pavements. Businesses will be able to apply for street café licences and outside seating areas. Disabled parking bays will be retained and additional pay-and-display parking spaces will be included on neighbouring Bede Street and Western Road.

Leicester City Council will not be making any changes to the waste and recycling collection days over the Christmas and New Year bank holidays. Collections will take place as usual on all days over the festive season this year. All bins and orange bags should be put out for collection by 7am on the correct day. Households can put out as many orange recycling bags as they need for their recyclable waste. Festive items like sweet and biscuit tins and tubs, glass bottles and jars, cardboard boxes, and non-glittery wrapping paper and greetings cards can all be bagged for collection as recycling. Electrical items, in particular those containing lithium batteries, can cause fires and explosions when mixed with other items, so it is important that any item that is rechargeable is taken to a recycling centre to be disposed of safely. However, there will be some changes to the opening hours of the city’s two household waste and recycling centres over the holiday period. Both the Gypsum Close and Freemen’s Common Household Waste Recycling Centres will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. The sites will be open from 8am until 2pm on Christmas Eve (24 Dec) and New Year's Eve (31 Dec), and from 8am until 6pm at all other times. Details of opening times for the Gypsum Close trade recycling centre are available on the city council’s website. For more information visit www.leicester.gov.uk/recycling

Bus lane enforcement is due to begin on a busy main road into Leicester next month. The A50 Groby Road is a major bus route but services often become delayed due to heavy traffic and a pinch point at which the road itself narrows. A designated bus lane has been in place on Groby Road since July 2022 and Leicester City Council is now bringing in camera enforcement to ensure only permitted vehicles – buses, Hackney carriages and cycles – use it. It will come into effect from January 2, 2023. The enforcement camera will be on the city-bound section of the A50 near Medina Road. During the first two weeks – January 2 to 15 – drivers will receive a warning notice, informing them they would be fined for driving in the bus lane once enforcement begins. Drivers who continue to flout the law after the two-week grace period – from January 16 onwards – will be fined £70 if caught driving in the bus lane. The camera will be active 24 hours, seven days a week, including bank holidays. Bus lane camera enforcement is already in place at several other sites across Leicester, to ensure that important bus routes are not obstructed by other vehicles, delaying vehicles and adding to traffic congestion. Enforcement on Groby Road is the latest measure designed to improve safety and traffic flow on that section of the A50. The 30mph speed limit has recently been extended to cover more of that section of road, to manage traffic flow and to cut the number of traffic accidents. The A50 bus lane camera enforcement is costing around £60k, from the Government’s National Productively Investment fund. Leicester deputy city mayor for transport, clean air and climate emergency, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “The city’s bus network is a key part of our transport infrastructure, providing people with reliable, affordable and convenient public transport. “However, people depending on bus services need to know they will be on time – congestion caused by other vehicles using bus lanes can cause unnecessary delays and disruption. “We’ve been working closely with local bus companies to improve the city’s vehicles, services and infrastructure to ensure passengers have the best possible service, as part of the Leicester Bus Partnership. “The A50 Groby Road is a vital part of the jigsaw, and therefore camera enforcement will help ensure traffic flow continues to move freely for the benefit of all road users.” More details of the Leicester Bus Partnership are available at its website here. Leicester City Council News

Leicestershire Police has a new crime-fighting duo on paw-trol this Christmas. PC Kier Wilson and his furry four-legged companion, police dog (PD) Nash, are the latest partnership in the force’s dog unit after recently passing their eight-week training programme. The 16-month-old German Shepherd is now a fully-fledged general-purpose police dog – responsible for tracking offenders, helping to locate vulnerable people and protecting officers in potentially dangerous situations. Following in the paw prints of his older brother three-year-old PD Jura, who is also part of the Leicestershire Police pack, PD Nash has already been able to put a lot of his training to use. Since hitting the streets with PC Wilson on Saturday 10 December, the crime-fighting canine has attended a number of incidents and had success in tracking a suspect found hiding under a hedge, as well as preventing a burglar from running from officers. And when not on shift PD Nash is settling very well into life at home with PC Wilson and his family. Having worked for the force since 2009, it was always PC Wilson’s ambition to become a dog handler. In April 2021 he was given the opportunity to make his dream a reality and for the first year of his career he was paired with PD Tia - before she retired in April of this year. He said: “I have a passion and love for dogs and consider myself extremely lucky to do the job I do. “I had a great first year with Tia and although we’ve only been together a few months the bond between myself and Nash is already incredible and continues to grow every day. “It makes me very proud to see him putting into practise what we’ve been training extensively for these past couple of months and after a long shift it is great to be able to take him home with me and do all of the things other dog owners do with their family pet.”

Over the last few weeks, the detectives investigating the disorder in East Leicester have made a number of arrests. The investigating team are working through the evidence and have identified a number of suspects and carrying out enquiries to work up to making arrests. There have been a further 12 men arrested or and one voluntarily interviewed, with three men being charged with offences relating to a number of disorder offences. Detective Chief Inspector Rob Arthur is leading the investigation team. He said: “We’ve been working hard behind the scene reviewing the CCTV footage and all the hours of body worn video from officers who were working and making IDs of those who may be involved. “This work has led us to be able to make these arrests and bring these people into custody in order to get their accounts. “It’s work that has taken time, due to the nature of it, and it’s work we’ll be continuing to carry out.” Deputy Chief Constable David Sandall added: “Identifying the number of people that are involved is a significant investment but these arrests and charges are a step closer to bringing those responsible for the disorder to justice.” On 8 December, a 30-year-old from Leicester, was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in relation to an incident in Harewood Street, Leicester, on 22 May 2022. He was released under investigation pending further investigation. On 12 December, a 27-year-old man from Leicester, was arrested on suspicion of breaching his court bail conditions. His original arrest was in connection with disorder in the city on 5 September. He was released on police bail pending further enquiries. On 13 December, a 32-year-old man from Leicester, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon in relation to disorder in the city on 17 September. He has been released on police bail pending further enquiries. On 15 December, two men were arrested for their alleged part in the disorder on 17 September. A 36-year-old man, from Leicester, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and subsequently released on police bail to allow the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to make a charging decision. A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a section 4 public order offence and subsequently charged. Zakir Umarji, of Gwendolen Road, Leicester, will be appearing at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on 20 January 2023. On 19 December, three men were arrested for their alleged roles in the disorder on 17 September. A 29-year-old man from Leicester was arrested on suspicion of section five public order offences. He was released with no further action to be taken. A 30-year-old man, from Leicester, was arrested on suspicion of a section 4 public order act. He was released on bail to allow the CPS to make a charging decision. A 42-year-old man from Leicester was arrested on suspicion of section five public order offences. Jadved Patel, of Leicester Street, Leicester, was subsequently charged with the same offence and released on bail to appear at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on 11 January 2023. On 20 December, three men were arrested. A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of section 4 and section 5 public order offences relating to disorder on 18 September. Hassan Chunara, of Morley Road, Leicester, has been charged with a section 4a public order offence. He will be appearing at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on 12 January 2023. A 22-year-old man was interviewed on suspicion of affray in relation to the disorder on 22 May 2022. He has been released under investigation pending further enquiries. A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a section four public order offence relating to disorder on 17 September and has been bailed pending a CPS charging decision. On 21 December, a 38-year-old man from Leicester, was arrested on suspicion of a section five public order offences on 17 September. He was subsequently released with no further action to be taken. On 22 December a 25-year-old man from Leicester was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon in relation to the disorder on 17 September. He has been released with no further action to be taken.

Warm and friendly places to meet, hot meals and Christmas dinners are being offered to people who are homeless, and other vulnerable people, over the festive period. Local charities, faith groups, the city council and other organisations in Leicester will be providing a wide range of services throughout the festive period to help ensure that anyone at risk of sleeping rough can get the support they need but also enjoy some Christmas cheer. A full programme of support and activities has been coordinated by Leicester’s Homelessness Charter, which brings together a range of local organisations working together to tackle homelessness in the city. Cllr Elly Cutkelvin, assistant city mayor for housing, said: “Our aim is to ensure that no-one needs to sleep rough at any time of the year and our Dawn Centre is open every day – including Christmas day – to offer emergency accommodation and support. “Local charities and faith groups in Leicester provide invaluable support all year round and at Christmas they go the extra mile to make sure that some of the most vulnerable people in the city can have a Christmas meal and enjoy good company in a warm and welcoming place. “We’re very grateful for the work they do and to Leicester’s Homelessness Charter which helps bring together these fantastic organisations. It really does make a huge difference to people’s lives and is needed more than ever at this time of the year. “Unfortunately, sometimes people will refuse our offers of help – even when its freezing – but outreach support will be running seven days a week and will persist in getting everyone in and making sure that they receive the support they need.” Rebecca Pawley, project coordinator for Leicester’s Homelessness Charter, said "Leicester's Homelessness Charter was established to bring those who work with people experiencing homelessness together in partnership. It is really heart-warming to see organisations working closely to ensure that anyone experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping will be able to find a place of warmth and safety, access support and enjoy some festivity." Services and extra support on offer for homeless people, rough sleepers and vulnerably housed people over the Christmas period include: The Dawn Centre, in Conduit Street, will be open every day throughout the Christmas and New Year period. Help the Homeless, in Abbey Street, will be providing help with food, clothing and toiletries, as well as guidance and advice on an appointment basis. It will also be open on Friday 23 December (from 12noon-4pm) for warm food, mince pies and hot chocolate. The Bridge Homelessness to Hope charity, 43 Melton Street, offers hot food in a warm and friendly place to meet and chat on weekdays (except Wednesdays, and both bank holiday Mondays) from 9.30am to 2pm. It will also be hosting a special lunch on Christmas Day from 10am to 2.30pm. For details email David@BridgeLeicester.org Rachel’s Table will be offering food, hot drinks, toiletries and other essentials from its base in Calais Hill throughout the festive period. It will be open on Mondays, Thursday, Saturdays and Sundays (except Christmas day) from 3.30-4.30pm. It will also be offering a Christmas meal on Thursday 22 December from 3.30-4.30pm. Triangle at Holy Trinity Church, off Upper King Street, will be offering a Christmas meal, with gifts and a food hamper, on Friday 16 December from 6.30pm. The group will also be offering a free hot evening meal on Friday 23 December from 6.15pm, and runs a foodbank on Wednesday mornings from Turner Street Rooms (closed on 30 December). Midland Langar Seva Society (MLSS) will be providing freshly cooked hot meals from the following three locations over Christmas and New Year: Wesley Hall, 76 Hartington Road – Friday (16 Dec), Monday (19 Dec), Wednesday (21 Dec), Friday (23 Dec), Wednesday (28 Dec) and Friday (30 Dec) from 12noon-1pm. St Peter’s Highfields Church – Saturday (17 Dec), Saturday (31 Dec) and Sunday (1 Jan) from 5.30-6pm St Margaret’s Church, St Margaret’s Way – Sunday (1 Jan) from 5.30-6pm MLSS will also be offering a takeaway festive meal, with Santa hats and treats, from St Peter’s Highfields Church on Christmas Eve (5.30-6pm) and Christmas Day (11.30am-12noon) Robert Hall Memorial Church, 147 Narborough Road, will be providing a warm festive dinner on Wednesday 21 December from 5pm, and a takeaway Christmas meal on Christmas Day, from 11.30am. No5, at 5 Hill Street, and The Y Support project, 165 Granby Street, will be offering flexible access arrangements for support, advice and guidance over Christmas and New Year, with a free breakfast available for rough sleepers. To help identify people who are sleeping rough, the city council’s homelessness outreach team is out in the early hours seven days a week, ready to offer a bed and other support. Full and up-to-date details of all services available over the festive period, including opening times and addresses, are available online at www.leicester.gov.uk/homelessservices and at www.leicesterhomelessnesscharter.co.uk If you’re concerned about someone sleeping rough, you can report it online at streetlink.org.uk and the city council will send an outreach team to offer a bed and any other help they may need. Anyone who has been made homeless or is rough sleeping can call the city council on 0116 454 1008 during working hours from Monday to Friday. This will enable a homeless prevention officer to properly assess their needs. In an emergency situation only – at weekends and out of hours – people can call the Dawn Centre on 0116 221 2770. Leicester city council news

“You’ve called 999, what’s your police emergency? Yes, I want to report my fridge is too noisy.” A part of our focus on the force’s Contact Management Department, we have today released examples of inappropriate and misused emergency calls received by the force in the past year. So far since the beginning of 2022, Leicestershire Police has received over 187,000 999 calls. Calls to police on the 999 system should be for emergencies only when a crime is in progress, when there is danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened. Calls to 101 should be made to report a police matter which does not require an immediate response or attention. This year, examples of calls made on the 999-emergency line to the force include: A caller reporting a noisy fridge A caller reporting it was too cold to wait for a train A caller reporting there were flies in her house in the summer A caller reporting they had forgotten their keys and they were locked out A caller who had no phone credit and wanted police to make calls for them on their behalf A caller, who admitted he had been drinking, but did not require police assistance. He later made two further calls and during one, he asked the call handler what her bra size was A child calling and asking the call handler if they like gummy sweets. A child calling and swearing to the operator before hanging up An abusive caller who spent the entire call swearing and talking about how much he hated the police A caller who had missed his bus stop in Shepshed and had arrived in Coalville instead A caller who he had lost his dog before hanging up. A caller also called the 101 non-emergency number to report they had bought a car and was now not happy with it. Superintendent Steve Durrant, from the force’s Contact Management Department, said: “We have released the details of a number of calls so the public get a real understanding of the types of matters reported to us and the issues our call handling staff unfortunately have to deal with. “Some members of the public do call 999 without knowing instead they should be calling 101, the non-emergency line, but we do also receive many calls from people who do not need the police at all and have made the call with blatant misuse and disregard. “Every minute that our call handlers spend dealing with an inappropriate emergency call, means those with real emergencies may experience a delay in getting through, potentially putting lives at risk. “Our call handlers do a very often stressful job under immense pressure and demand. They are there to help the public when they need us most and should not have to be exposed to abuse or frustration when the caller has called 999 unnecessarily.” Only call 999 in an emergency. In a non-emergency, call 101 or make an online report at www.leics.police.uk Leicestershire Police News

As the festive season continues, please look after yourselves, have fun and celebrate safely. Over the past few months, the force has been busy planning for the upcoming weeks including ensuring proactive patrols are in place across the whole force area and that our officers and staff are here to help keep you safe. This includes extra patrols and shifts which are planned for key dates across Christmas and New Year which are usually some of the busiest nights of the year for the force. Superintendent Aimeé Ramm said: “As the festive season gets well and truly underway, we want to ensure that all your celebrations are fun and safe. Our officers are out and about, carrying out proactive high-visibility patrols both at day and night to be there for you, to help you and to respond quick and effectively to incidents and reports when required to. “Please work with us by looking after yourselves and your friends and families and celebrating responsibly while having fun. This includes taking steps such as ensuring you plan ahead when having a night out, staying with your friends and ensuring you know how you are going to get home. Please also remember the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme which allows anyone who feels intimidated, threatened or in a vulnerable situation while in a bar or club to discreetly alert staff who will provide support. Further information can be found at the bottom of this release. “If you feel unsafe on a night out or start to feel unwell, please always make sure you tell someone such as a member of bar staff and please ensure you report any suspicious behaviour or incidents to police.” Licensing teams across force continue to work with pubs, bars, clubs and licensing teams within local authorities. This work includes continuing to ensure premises are aware of signs to look out for in relation to potential spiking incidents and that any incident is immediately reported to the police. Our social media channels will also continue to share safety advice and information across the coming weeks. Superintendent Ramm said: “Thank you for working with us in this way and we wish you all a safe and enjoyable festive season. Thank you also once again to all of our officers and staff who are giving up time with their own families to help keep our communities of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland safe during this festive season.” You can report incidents to us online at www.leics.police.uk or by calling 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.

With us at the mid December of this year’s extended Winter Drink Drug drive campaign Leicestershire Police have arrested 64 drink and 23 drug drivers, along with 4 who failed to provide, and including one person who was recorded over four and half times the legal limit! While forty nine of those arrests have been made in Leicester city (32 drink, 13 drug and 4 fails), drivers have also been detained across the Leicestershire and Rutland, these arrests include people of all ages, backgrounds and communities. Jonathan Clarkson, spokesperson for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Road Safety Partnership said, “I wanted to remind people to think about booking a taxi, using public transport or having a designated sober driver as the only safe way to get home and not to risk starting the New Year with a drink drug drive conviction.” This year’s campaign has been launched earlier to coincide with the World Cup and the campaign will end on 1st January, however, Police patrols will still operate around the clock stopping those drivers who are unfit behind the wheel and helping to make our roads safer. If you see someone who appears to be a drink or drug driver enter a vehicle to drive away, make a note of the registration plate and the direction of travel and call your local police on 101 or make a make a free and anonymous call to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

THE LORD-LIEUTENANT of Leicestershire has launched his 2023 awards designed to showcase and celebrate the achievements of young people aged 13 to 19 across the city and county. Family, friends, teachers, and other professionals and community leaders who see the best our young people have to offer are being urged to nominate inspiring young people in their communities for this year’s Lord-Lieutenant’s Award. As always, the categories for this year celebrate the very best examples of effort and achievement. People can nominate for Young Person of Courage, Young Volunteer, Young Leader, and Young Artist. Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Mike Kapur OBE, said: “I am delighted to formally open the nominations for the 2023 Lord-Lieutenant’s Awards. "As ever, the award categories highlight bravery, creativity, strength of spirit and selflessness – which can inspire us all in Leicester and Leicestershire. I hope this year’s awards will once again offer local people the opportunity to celebrate young people they know who amaze, support and inspire those around by overcoming obstacles and bringing people together in their communities. “As Lord-Lieutenant I am privileged to meet so many fantastic young people and I really look forward to hearing about the remarkable efforts of our amazing young people and their outstanding endeavours. So, with your help by nominating young people who deserve recognition I’m convinced that competition will be as strong as ever.” The finalists and their parents or guardians will be invited to a special ‘red carpet’ awards evening and dinner, hosted by the Lord-Lieutenant, to be held next year. The closing date for this year’s nominations is 17 February 2023. The award scheme is open to all 13 to 19-year-olds. Nominations can be made by other young people, their school, parent or carer, as well as any other agency or individual. To find out more about the awards or to nominate a young person, visit www.leicestershire.gov.uk/llawards

A project designed to create school meals that are kinder to the planet has changed the menu at dozens of city schools. The Lower Carbon Lunches project got children to think about the impact their food choices have on the environment, focusing on the carbon emissions linked to energy use, packaging waste, food waste and meat-based meals. Workshops led by the city council’s Sustainable Schools team earlier this year introduced the children to the four key greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases – and helped them to identify the carbon footprint of various foods, giving them the knowledge they need to choose lower-carbon meal options. Games, videos and other activities were used to encourage learning and help the children draw up their own action plan for reducing energy use or food waste at their school. Around 160 youngsters were then invited to try some healthy new planet-friendly meals developed by school meals provider City Catering – including Moroccan Rainbow Tagine, Traffic-Light Couscous and Vegetable Ball Curry – before the new dishes that passed the taste test were added to the lunchtime menu. Yoshi, a Year 5 student at Stokes Wood Primary in Leicester, said: “We played a fun game which helped us understand about recycling and which bin we should throw which packaging in. All the food we tasted was plant-based so it is healthier for us and better for the environment as when it is produced there is less carbon dioxide put into the air.” Anish Thomas, catering operations manager at City Catering – which provides meals at 41 city schools – said: “Animal agriculture and intensive farming are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, so – as part of the Lower Carbon Lunches project – we’ve reduced the amount of meat, fish and dairy on our menus by around 15% and have introduced more plant-based meals. “Monday is now ‘Love Your Planet’ day, when meat is completely off the menu at 26 city schools. “We’ve swapped a lamb pasta bake, for example, with a meat-free bolognese, and replaced a pork sausage hot dog with a jacket potato served with beans and cheese. “We know that lots of children want to do their bit for the environment and choose food that’s not only delicious, but also as planet-friendly as possible, so we make sure that the plant-powered dishes are always clearly highlighted on the menu.” The city council has worked on the project with ProVeg UK – a non-profit organisation that works with local authorities and school caterers to increase the health and sustainability of school food. Colette Fox, programme manager for ProVeg UK, said: “We are delighted to be supporting City Catering and Leicester City Council to make school food in Leicester both healthier and more sustainable by reducing meat and increasing plant-based options for all children. “It is really encouraging to see such positive climate leadership from Leicester City Council and we look forward to continuing to partner together to bring about positive change for our children and our planet." Deputy city mayor for transport, clean air and climate emergency, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “This is a brilliant project that’s got children and young people working with their schools, their school meals’ provider and our Sustainable Schools team to learn about greenhouse gases and the environment and then putting it into action by changing the food on their lunchtime menus to help reduce their carbon footprint. “I’d like to thank all the young people who took part in the project for reminding us that if we all take small steps, together we can make big changes.” Diets high in plant-based foods and lower in animal products are proven to be less damaging to the climate, with the Climate Change Committee recommending a 20% shift away from all meat and dairy by 2030 – rising to 35% by 2050 – in order to put the UK on the path to net zero. The Lower Carbon Lunches project also aimed to reduce gas and electricity use in school kitchens by improving efficiency, recognising that energy consumption accounts for around 40% of a school’s carbon footprint. It targeted food waste too, ensuring that any waste was composted or processed correctly, and aimed to reduce the amount of food packaging that ends up as waste. In total, 12 Leicester schools, and around 280 students, were involved in the Lower Carbon Lunches project. They were: Avenue; Buswells Lodge; Catherine Juniors; Charnwood Primary; Dovelands; Hazel Community Primary; Krishna Avanti; Lancaster Academy; Mayflower Primary; Sandfield Close; Stokes Wood; Wyvern Primary. The Lower Carbon Lunches project is one of the initiatives in the city council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan. Leicester has an ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2030, with the city having already reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by around 40% since 2005. More information about Leicester’s Climate Emergency Strategy can be found here