News items from August 2016
Important message from Leicestershire County Council / Leicester City Council about bogus callers
Leicestershire Police have recently received a report of a suspicious caller posing as being from both Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council, advising people that they are required to make an additional payment to their council tax. The caller then went on to try to take the payment over the telephone.
Neither Leicester City Council or any of the district councils who collect Council Tax would ring you to try to take a payment over the telephone.
If you do receive a call from someone in relation to Council Tax, ask them to give you the Council Tax reference number and the balance outstanding, and check this against your bill.
Never give bank details or personal information to anyone that you don't feel is 100% genuine. Any reputable company will be happy for you to check they are who they say they are before you give out personal information.
If you receive a call of this nature please be cautious and double check that the person calling is who they say they are.
If you live in the county your council tax is dealt with by the relevant District or Borough Council, not Leicestershire County Council.
We recommend asking the caller for their name and contact details so that you can call them back in order to check that they are legitimate. Official callers should have no problem providing you with this information as they will understand that you are cautious about giving out personal information over the phone.
If the caller is not genuine they are likely to become defensive or flustered when questioned for this information. If the caller provides you with their contact details, please check the number against the number of the relevant council tax department for your area. If the numbers do not match we recommend calling the number on the council's website and asking to speak to the person who has called you.
Details of the numbers for the Borough/District councils can be found here. If you have a Council Tax query for the city council, call 0116 454 100.
If you believe you have been a victim of this type of call please report it by calling 101.
Community Life Choices - have your say!
Leicestershire County Council has said it's facing its biggest ever financial challenge with the authority having to consider savings in all areas. Have your say on proposed changes to Community Life Choices.
The Council has launched a consultation to seek feedback on proposed changes to Community Life Choices.
The consultation will run until midnight on 4th September 2016.
Community Life Choices are better known as day services, and provide a safe and supported place for people in Leicestershire with health needs such as learning difficulties, physical disabilities and mental illness.
The Council currently spends £7.7 million on Community Life Choices and are proposing to make reductions of £500,000 in 2017/18, rising to £750,000 in 2018/19, a saving of 9%.
In order to respond to this the Council needs to explore how they can provide a more efficient service, while minimising the impact on service users and their families.
The consultation will run until midnight on 4th September 2016, with the findings reported back to the Council’s ruling cabinet in Autumn 2016.
To submit your views, please read the summary document provided, then continue to the online questionnaire to provide your feedback.
Paper copies of the survey are available on request by calling 0116 305 0232 or if you currently receive Community Life Choices your service provider will be able to give you a copy.
If you need help to complete the questionnaire or have any questions about the consultation, please call 0116 305 0232 or email [email protected]
Thrummy Drummers Dementia Social and Support Group
Do you care for someone with dementia and live in Charnwood or Melton?
THRUMMY DRUMMERS Dementia Social and Support Group meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month from 10.30am to 12.30pm at Elizabeth Park Sports & Community Centre, Thurmaston, Leicester LE4 8FN.
The group extends a very warm welcome to all who are affected by dementia, including families and carers. They said:
"We're a friendly group and our sessions include socialising, music-related entertainment and refreshments."
