The film advises mums and dads about about crucial time in their children's development A fun, informative animated video has been created to help new parents learn the importance of their child’s first 1001 days of life. The Baby’s First 1001 Days is part of a campaign by Leicestershire County Council to highlight the critical significance of early growth and development by supplying information and advice to new and existing parents on how they can best support their baby’s brain development. The first 1001 days of a child’s life, from conception to age two, is a time of particularly rapid growth and brain development. Leading child health experts agree that the care given during the first 1001 days has more influence on a child’s future than at any other time in their life, making this a pivotal period for their future health and happiness. Further advice and information on the first 1001 days can be found by clicking the button below. Leicestershire County Council News Release

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue service are currently fighting a fire on London Street in North Evington Leicester. Best Buy cash and carry, located of Leicester Street and London Street, 6 fire crews are currently attending. Initial reports were received at 00:43 Call received to smoke issuing from a premises. Initial attendance of 3 appliances. Assistance Message received from incident ground to make pumps 6 for personnel and large amounts of smoke issuing. Fire service currently dealing with incident, please avoid area. 6 Fire Appliances and Command Support Vehicle from Stations across the City were deployed. Residents have been advised to close their doors and windows so as to avoid the effects of smoke inhalation, Police are also in attendance. 🔴 UPDATE* - 0220hrs - Fire located and extinguished. 4 Firefighters in breathing apparatus using 2 hose-reel jets extinguished fire. Damping down taking place. Fre investigation now taking place. #LFRS #LeicsPolice #LondonStreet #CashandCarryFire

This was the footage captured as an uninsured driver being pursued by police drove at speed on the wrong side of the road and the wrong way around a roundabout. With three police vehicles ending up being involved in the pursuit, the footage also shows the driver Lamin Conteh narrowly miss hitting one police car as he mounts a pavement. This leads to one of the other police cars being forced to make tactical contact with the silver Ford Fiesta Conteh is driving. Despite this, Conteh continues to make off at speed before eventually coming to a stop in a nearby car park where he is arrested by officers. On arrest, it was found Conteh only had a provisional driving licence. No L plates were displayed on the vehicle. One officer suffered a minor injury as a result of the pursuit and significant damage was caused to one of the police cars as well as Conteh’s vehicle. On Wednesday (9 March), at Leicester Crown Court, the 20-year-old, of Aston Hill, Leicester, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years after previously pleading guilty to dangerous driving, driving without a licence and driving without insurance. He was also disqualified from driving for two years and ordered to take an extended retest, ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work, pay costs of £350 and a victim surcharge of £156. The incident had happened at around 12.30am on Friday 21 January this year when Conteh had overtaken an unmarked police vehicle at speed in Raw Dykes Road. Checks then showed the Fiesta car had no insurance leading to officers activating their vehicle lights signalling for Conteh to stop. Conteh failed to stop leading to the officers activating the vehicle’s sirens. Conteh continued to fail to stop instead making off at speed and driving on the wrong side of the road in Western Boulevard, the wrong way around a roundabout and onto the wrong side of Upperton Road. As Conteh drove into Upperton Road, two marked police vehicles, with blue lights illuminated, were on the road to assist with stopping the vehicle. At this point, Conteh swerved at speed to avoid colliding into one of the police vehicles heading towards the pavement. The second police vehicle made tactical contact with the Fiesta vehicle to try and bring it to a stop but Conteh continued to drive along the pavement before rejoining the carriageway. Still being pursued, Conteh then drove into a car park where he eventually came to a stop and stepped out of the car where he was arrested. Sergeant Steve Jackson, from the force’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “Conteh put members of the public and a number of officers in serious danger on this night. It is extremely fortunate that no-one was killed or seriously injured as a result of his extremely dangerous actions. “Thanks to the skills of the officers involved, Conteh was safely brought to a stop before anyone was seriously hurt and following investigation was charged with a number of offences.”

"We must be ready to help", says county council leader Nick Rushton The county council is spearheading work to make sure that Leicestershire is prepared to welcome and support Ukrainian refugees when they arrive in the county. More than two million people have so far fled the violence in Ukraine since the illegal Russian invasion began a fortnight ago. They have been seeking safety in neighbouring countries and other parts of Europe, including the UK. County council leader councillor Nick Rushton wants to ensure that Leicestershire is ready, willing and able to give assistance to any Ukrainian refugees fleeing President Vladimir Putin’s forces. The British Government has extended a scheme to issue more visas to Ukrainians with relatives in the country and details are awaited of a ‘community sponsorship’ scheme which will support the arrival of others seeking refuge. The authority has asked the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Resilience Forum (LRF) to set up a Ukrainian Refugees Group to help resettle refugees and deal with the challenges caused by them being forced to flee their war-torn country. The new Leicestershire group will meet for the first time on Friday March 11, to coordinate the action to help Ukrainians. The group is made up of the nine Leicestershire local authorities and Rutland County Council, the police and fire services, as well as NHS representatives, charities such as the British Red Cross and Government officials from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The county council is also preparing to play its part by helping find school places for children as well as supporting new arrivals with social care. Cllr Rushton said: "We haven’t been given firm details about numbers of Ukrainian refugees coming here but we, as a council, and all our partners, must be ready to help them in every way they need. "That’s why we have mobilised this resilience forum group early on. "We are expecting mainly women and children who will have experienced terrible violence, trauma and disruption to their lives and they will need a lot of support. "We will need proper Government support to make sure they get all the help and support they require. It is morally the right thing to do.” Cllr Rushton added: “I’ve already had lots of emails from ordinary people pledging their help and support, such as the offer of a spare room. "It’s wonderful that, once again, Leicestershire people are showing their generosity and willingness to help those in desperate need." "The LRF group will coordinate efforts and consider how to best help Ukrainians who are fleeing Putin the dictator’s war on their country. "It’s the very least we can do to assist those in a very desperate situation." The Government has set up a website to advise people how they can make donations and apply to sponsor refugees from Ukraine. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukraine-what-you-can-do-to-help

The city council is calling on Leicester residents to set up direct debit payments to pay their council tax, to reduce delay in them receiving Government support of £150 to help with rising energy costs. Most households in council tax bands A-D will be eligible for the one-off payment. The council will be able to pay the money to people who pay their council tax by direct debit as it has their bank details. However around 70,000 city households don’t pay their tax this way. The Government says these households will need to claim the payment. It will not allow the council to deduct the £150 from their council tax bills unless they request this. This means the council’s finance team is having to set up a new system to enable these households to either provide their bank details and claim the £150, or ask for their council tax bill to be reduced. Each claim will have to be individually checked and processed, which will inevitably delay the payments being made. If these households don’t claim by September, they will miss out on the money. The council is also concerned that with the energy bill support funding allocated to council tax payers, some landlords who pay their tenants’ tax but don’t pay their energy bills, will benefit from the support and not the people who need it. Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “Any support the Government can give to help people with this cost of living crisis is of course welcomed. However, not enough thought has been given as to whether the funds will reach those all of those who really need them, and how councils will be able process these payments. “Our finance team is already dealing with hundreds of applications for the household support grant and the new omicron business grant. Officers are now also devising a system to enable this new funding to be given to everyone entitled to it, including those people who don’t have a bank account at all. “I would urge everyone who does have a bank account to sign up online before the end of March to pay their council tax by direct debit, as this will enable them to make the payment to you much more quickly.” City residents can find out more about the Government's £150 payment, and sign up to pay by direct debit on the council’s website here: https://bit.ly/3hUoJEu Leicester has more than 140,000 properties on its council tax list, of which 95% are in bands A-D. The city council does not have bank account details for around 70,000 of these. Leicester City Council News 10th March 2022

People living in Westcotes ward in Leicester are being invited to tell the city council about the things that they love about life in the area – and the things that they want to change. Leaflets are being delivered to the ward’s 8,000 households, inviting residents to drop in to Westcotes Library on Wednesday (16 March) to take part in ‘Westcotes – have your say’. Ward councillors Sarah Russell and Jacky Nangreave will be joined at the event by police officers, city wardens and staff from the city council’s cleansing and licensing teams to listen to residents’ ideas and concerns. Residents will be able to talk about whatever’s on their mind, which could include issues around parking, littering, anti-social behaviour, traffic or noise, or share their ideas for improving amenities in the area. Deputy city mayor Cllr Sarah Russell said: “We really want to hear what people think about living or working in Westcotes. “We want to know what they like about the area, and what they’d like to see change – and these could be small things that would make a difference, or big ideas that people could get behind. “If you live in Westcotes, we want you to tell us what you see as your priorities, so we can make sure that funding is aligned to those priorities in future.” ‘Westcotes – have your say’ runs from 10am to 6pm on Wednesday 16 March. The drop-in event will take place in an annexe at Westcotes Library so that the library can open as normal. Westcotes Library is on Narborough Road, LE3 0BQ. Leicester City Council News

Plans have been submitted for a major heritage project that will help restore Leicester’s Grand Hotel to its former glory. The Grade II listed building, in Granby Street in the city centre, is set to be repaired and restored as part of Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zones. Under the plans, the shopfronts that line the hotel would be reinstated as close to the building’s original design as possible, using a sustainable hardwood timber and toughened glass. A new retail unit on Belvoir Street would also be created. Recessed doorways and delivery entrances would be fitted with bespoke iron gates, and uniform signage would be introduced, in keeping with the building. There would also be improvements made to the hotel’s entrance, with cleaning and repairs made to the oriel windows and balcony. Specialists would look at the existing canopy above the entrance and determine whether it could be retained and restored. The project follows another successful grant for £750,000 secured from the High Street Heritage Action Zone programme in November, which will be used to fund vital repair works to the ISKON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) building on the corner of Granby Street and Bishop Street. This iconic Victorian building, designed by architect Joseph Goddard, will benefit from extensive roof repairs to protect its structure and remove it from the Buildings At Risk register. The work being carried out as part of the Heritage Action Zone, and the linked pedestrianisation works at the end of Granby Street, are part of the council’s efforts to revitalise the city centre and encourage more businesses to invest and people to visit, post-pandemic. A number of new business have set up recently along the street. Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke said: “The Grand Hotel and ISKON buildings are fine examples of Leicester’s Victorian past, and we have an important responsibility to preserve them for future generations to enjoy. “The Grand Hotel - now owned by the Mercure group - has always been considered one of Leicester's most prestigious hotels, but today the ground floor is spoilt by poorly designed shop fronts, cheap modern materials and oversized signage. “In February 2020, thanks to the hard work of the council’s conservation team, Historic England announced that Leicester had been successful in securing £1.5m towards a High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme for the Granby Street and Church Gate conservation areas. “This means we have been able to support the hotel to get an expert conservation architect team, Conception Architects, to survey the building, and plans have now been submitted for changes that will highlight and enhance the building’s important and attractive historical features.” High Street Heritage Action Zones are areas up and down the country which have been singled out by Historic England for funding support. They encourage local councils, businesses, architects and contractors to work together to bid for funding which can be used to sympathetically restore historic buildings. In order to access the funding from Historic England, a grant application will be assessed in detail by a local grants panel – chaired by Cllr Clarke and made up of volunteers including architects and surveyors. The panel will check the quality of the design, experience of the contractors proposed, and value for money. If this is satisfactory, the grant will be approved and work can begin. Louise Brennan, Regional Director for the Midlands at Historic England, said: “This is a welcome step forward in the revitalising of this wonderful area of Leicester. The Grand Hotel is a prestigious building, and we are looking forward to supporting the repair and refurbishment of its street-facing ground floor. Hopefully, this will encourage more people, both tourists and local residents, to step inside to see its fantastic interior and become part of this historic building’s future.” The plans for the project will now be considered by the city council’s planning department. If granted planning permission, work on the project is likely to start in summer 2022. Leicester City Council News 8/3/22

Motorists and bus users are advised to expect delays to their journeys on Thursday evening (10 March), ahead of Leicester City’s Europa Conference League tie against Ligue 1 side Rennes. A multi-agency policing operation will ensure that visiting fans can get to the King Power stadium safely, with a series of rolling road closures in place from around 6pm on Thursday to allow 600 Rennes fans to make their way to the stadium on foot. Roads along the route will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so. City Highways Director Martin Fletcher said: “We’ll be supporting the policing operation on match-day and we’re advising people to allow extra time for their journey. “Whether you’re on your way home from work, or you’re on your way to the match, please expect some disruption to your journey and set off in good time. “Peacock Lane and the Southgates slip road towards Newarke Street will be closed from 6pm for around half an hour, and we’re expecting the rolling road closures to have particular impact on the inner ring road around Southgates underpass and its slip roads from about 6.15pm-6.30pm, with delays likely around the Swan Bridge area at about 7pm. “My advice would be to avoid these areas at these times if you are able to.” Leicester City’s Europa Conference League match again Rennes kicks off at 8pm on Thursday (10 March). For up-to-date traffic information in Leicester, follow the city’s Area Traffic Control team on Twitter at @ATCLeicester

Nocturnal exploration of Leicester’s city centre A curious night time event awaits audience members as The Leicester Midnight Run explores the city in a unique urban cultural adventure. For two nights only on 25th and 26thMarch, ArtReach and Fuel invite you to join a special creative escapade through the city’s streets at night - with workshops creative activities to get you to experience the city from a brand new perspective. The route will journey past iconic sites as well as the lesser-known nooks and crannies of Leicester, as the event celebrates a return to cultural activity. The Run will be facilitated by poet and Midnight Run artist Andy Craven-Griffiths, joined by 3 local Leicester-based artists and 3 European guest artists who will collaborate to provide a unique experience for their runners. But not to worry, there is no actual running involved! Delivered by local Arts Council England funded charityArtReach, this special Leicester Midnight Run promises to be analtogether unique experience - and as there are only 15 public tickets available, it will also be one of the more exclusive events in the city’s cultural calendar. Maddie Smart, Executive Artistic Producer for ArtReach, explained the idea further: “ArtReach has been delivering events in Leicester for over 10 years now- including Journeys Festival International, Night of Festivals, Light Up Leicester and many other events in the city - and the audiences in Leicester have always been fantastic. Most of these are large-scale events for big audiences, with The Midnight Run however, we are trying something a little more intimate. This event has taken place over 50 times in 7 different countries with over 125 artists involved,so each run truly is a one of a kind for each location. Even though the route is the same on both nights, the people in the audience won’t be, which genuinely makes each night a once in a lifetime experience.” This particular run will feature artists from across Europe as well as closer-to-home lead artist, poet and writer Andy Craven-Griffiths, who is excited to host The Midnight Run in Leicester is about creating small moments of wonder, of awe and inspiration across a city that you think you already know so well. Working with European artists from the Liberty EU programme and the communities in Leicester beforehand will allow us to uncover, and create, some genuine magic around the city’s streets today. The run is open to all, and each route is designed to be fully accessible. There isn’t actually even any running and you don’t need any experience to join in. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to experience something fun, exciting, and unique.” The well planned route is kept secret, so you can enjoy a sense of exploration along the way. Therefore the starting point is only revealed 24 hours before the event begins, but it will be within the city centre realms! Only 15 public tickets are available per evening for The Leicester Midnight Run as a select number of tickets are given directly to local community groups, residents and workers who live in the areas which are explored. To explore Leicester in a curious night of culture and creativity like never before, go to www.libertyukfestival.com to find out more and book your tickets fast!

Issued on behalf of the National Crime Agency (NCA) A Loughborough-based businessman has agreed to hand over assets worth £500,000 to settle a National Crime Agency civil recovery claim based on his alleged links to money laundering. Leicestershire Police began investigating in 2009, after it became aware of funds being paid through a money service business account called ‘Route of Asia’, leading them to suspect the owner, Salim Miah, of operating a large-scale money laundering scheme, which facilitated the transfer of funds out of the UK. Officers identified the proceeds of a mortgage fraud, totalling almost £420,000, into the Route of Asia account. In 2009 Miah used almost £300,000 of this money towards the purchase of the Warwick Arms, a restaurant he owned in Loughborough. He sold the business five years later and used the proceeds to purchase another four properties. Those properties were collectively valued at £1.08 million and eventually became the subject of the NCA’s civil recovery claim in 2019. Approximately £650,000 of the property value is believed to have originated from the mortgage fraud. The money service business was denied official authorisation by the Financial Services Authority (now the Financial Conduct Authority) in 2013, at which point it ceased to operate. On 4 March 2022, a civil recovery order by consent was agreed following earlier discussions of a settlement between the NCA, Salim Miah, his wife Milan Begum and business associate Joshim Uddin (who both shared joint ownership of property with Salim Miah). The civil order, worth £500,000, relates to a residential rental property, a plot of land and a cash payment of £32,500. Andy Lewis, Head of civil recovery at the NCA said: “Money laundering is a key enabler of organised crime and professional services like Money Service Businesses, can often be abused in order to ‘clean’ cash linked to criminality. “The NCA is able to use tools such as civil recovery orders, to ensure those who benefit from the proceeds of crime do not hold on to illicit wealth. “These assets will eventually be sold with the proceeds going towards combatting further crime.” “Rachael Herbert, Head of Threat Response for Money Laundering at the National Economic Crime Centre said: “The NECC works with operational partners to ensure that the wealth generated by those engaged in organised criminal activity is targeted by both criminal and civil financial powers” “This case shows the value of using civil tools which do not depend on a conviction to deny suspected criminals their illicitly-obtained wealth.”

A man has been charged with murder following a fatal collision on the A46 last month. Mohammed Patel, 20, of Braybrooke Road, Leicester, has been charged with murder in connection with the incident which happened at around 1.30am on Friday 11 February on the A46 just before the Six Hills junction. The collision involved a silver Skoda Fabia which left the carriageway. Two men, Saqib Hussain, 21, and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, 21, both from Banbury, Oxfordshire, who were inside the car were pronounced dead at the scene. Following initial enquiries, two other cars were reported to have been travelling in the area at the same time of the collision. Patel has been remanded into custody and is due to appear at Leicester Magistrates Court tomorrow (Wednesday). Three women and two men have previously been charged with murder in connection with the incident. Natasha Akhtar, 21, of Alum Rock Road, Birmingham; Ansreen Bukhari, 45, and Mahek Bukhari, 22, both of George Eardley Close, Stoke, Raees Jamal, 21, of Lingdale Close, Loughborough, and Rekan Karwan, 28, of Tomlin Road, Leicester, have all since been remanded into custody. The person or people named in this post have been charged with an offence(s) and will be appearing in court. Nothing should be posted that could prejudice upcoming proceedings and care should be taken over any comment made.

The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Road Safety Partnership (LLRRSP) is reminding drivers that updated mobile phone laws will come into force later this month. The new rules ban drivers from using their phones to take photos or videos, play games or scroll through music playlists. It is already against the law to use a hand-held device to send a text or make a call while driving unless it’s an emergency. It is also illegal to use a phone whilst stationary in traffic or at traffic lights, as this still counts as ‘driving’, according to Jonathan Clarkson, LLRRSP spokesperson. “We know that using a mobile phone while behind the wheel is extremely dangerous and it puts not only the driver, but also other roads users, at risk. The updated law now removes any doubt, if you’re holding a phone while driving, and that includes when you’re stopped at traffic lights or in a queue, you can be prosecuted.” “We want to make sure every driver gets the message: any activity involving a mobile phone at the wheel is a potentially fatal distraction. If you’re tempted to pick the phone up on a journey, please think again. Do the responsible thing and don’t risk your own life, or someone else’s, by selfishly using a hand-held phone while driving.” The LLRRSP has a number of simple tips regarding mobile phones and driving: You’re allowed to use a mobile phone when you are safely parked, with the engine off and the handbrake on. Please do not pick up your phone in any other driving situation, including when you’re stationary at traffic lights or queueing in traffic. The only exception to this is if it’s an emergency and it would be unsafe or impractical to stop, in which case you may call 999. Don’t assume that using a hands-free kit means you have dealt with the risk. You are still allowing yourself to be distracted from the task of safe driving, and you could still be prosecuted for not being in control (an offence that carries a £100 fine and three penalty points). Take a few minutes before a journey to make important calls or to check voice messages and emails. Work together with friends, family, colleagues and work contacts to remove the expectation that we should all be available, all the time. Plan journeys to build in breaks from driving, where you can call, text or email or interact with social media in a safe environment. The updated law comes into force on Saturday 25 March 2022.