Leicester
Introduction
Located on the River Soar and at the edge of the English National Forest, Leicester is the second largest conurbation in the East Midlands after Nottingham, though a third of the urban area consists of suburbs outside Leicester City Unitary Authority and in the surrounding county of Leicestershire. It has direct road links to the M1 motorway and the West Midlands and is on the Midland Mainline railway line to London St Pancras.
The local economy is still adapting from a former dependence on textiles manufacture towards a mixed post-industrial economy. A thriving ethnic community accounts for more than a third of the population and continues to enrich city life.
Recent Visits
- 31 March 2008 - the Prime Minister launched the national Concessionary Bus Fare scheme
- 17 March 2008 - Phil Hope MP, Minister for the Third Sector and Minister for the East Midlands addressed the Solution for Older Customers conference
- 21 February 2008 - Home Secretary Jacqui Smith MP visited PREVENT
* See Audit Commission web site for more. Council Tax bands were averaged from Parish Precepts.
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Leicester City Council |
MPs |
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Address: New Walk Centre, Welford Place, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 6ZG
Tel: 01162 549922
Website: www.leicester.gov.uk
Chief Executive: Rodney Green
Leader of the Council: Ross Willmott (Labour)
Regional Minister for the East Midlands: Phil Hope MP
Council - Political Control: Labour |
Keith Vaz - Leicester East (Labour)
Sir Peter Soulsby - Leicester South (Labour)
Patricia Hewitt - Leicester West (Labour)
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Demographics for Leicester
Mid-2006 Population Estimates
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Population
All ages
2006
(Thousands) |
Percentage of
Children 0-15
2006 |
Percentage of
Working Age
16-64 Males / 60 Females
2006 |
Percentage of
Older People
65 Males / 60 Females and over
2006 |
Live births
(Thousands)
2006 |
Deaths
(Thousands)
2006 |
|
Leicester |
289.7 |
20.7 |
65.0 |
14.4 |
4.7 |
2.6 |
|
East Midlands |
4,364.2 |
18.8 |
62.1 |
19.1 |
50.0 |
41.8 |
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England |
50,762.9 |
19.1 |
62.3 |
18.6 |
623.3 |
474.5 |
Figures updated annually. Last update August 2007. Source: Office for National Statistics.
Children and Learners
• the Samworth Academy opened in September 2007 serving south Leicester and in particular the Saffron neighbourhood, identified by Leicester Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) as one of six areas in need of special attention in terms of deprivation
• attainment rates at Key Stage 2 decreased in English in 2007 and stayed the same in maths. Leicester is in the lower quartile for both and is the worst performing local authority in the country for English, and failing to close the gap with the average. Performance at Key Stage 3 is better
• joint working with the County Council is increasing, particularly on 14-19 Curriculum, Connexions transition and safeguarding
• Leicester is developing a joint approach to transforming the way it deals with young people based in the New Parks area of Leicester
• children centres and extended services programmes are developing well across the city
• Leicester, with its partners, have developed a joint strategy for implementing the 14-19 Curriculum across the greater Leicester area (this includes part of the County)
• Leicester City designated 18 children’s centres over Phases One and Two (2004-2008)
• Leicester City is delivering two pathfinders for the Department for Children, Schools and Famillies. The first aims to improve the take-up of formal childcare amongst ethnic minority families by focusing on improving take-up of the childcare element of Working Tax Credit through integrating welfare rights advice with childcare, support for providers, better integration between Job Centre Plus and local authorities, and working with providers and communities to raise awareness of three and four year-olds nursery places
• the second pathfinder, will deliver the new free entitlement to early education for two year-olds of 12.5 hours per week over 38 weeks of the year
Health and Well Being
• the new £6.5m cancer facilities at Leicester Royal Infirmary opened in April 2006. New equipment installed in the expanded cancer hospital includes a CT (computerised tomography) scanner, an additional simulator for planning and an additional linear accelerator
• the new £12.8m Charnwood Health & Social Care Centre is due to open in early 2009. This development is funded through the Leicester Local Improvement Finance Trust Public/Private Partnership
Crime
• Leicester is one of the four designated High Crime Areas in the East Midlands and is expected to secure a 22.5 per cent reduction in British Crime Survey comparator crimes by the end of March 2008 compared with the baseline of March 2004. In the year ending March 2007, Leicester had secured an 11.2 per cent reduction. The key challenges faced by local partners include violent crime and criminal damage
• in order to improve local partnership working and delivery, the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership and Drug and Alcohol Action Team merged on 1 April 2008 and became more closely aligned with the Youth Offending Team
•the local partnership used over £600,000 of Neighbourhood Renewal Funding (NRF) in 2007-08 to address violent crime, focussing on domestic violence and the alcohol-related violence in the city centre
• Leicester City Basic Command Unit was allocated £334,772 in 2007-08 to assist local partnership working and deliver crime reduction activity
• Leicester was part of one of five national pilot areas for the use of a single non-emergency number aimed at addressing anti-social behaviour. They are now working with Leicestershire and Rutland to develop an Inter-agency Community Safety Bureau to enable local partners to respond more effectively to a wide range of anti-social behaviour, including criminal damage
• Leicester's strong record in tackling anti-social behaviour has been reflected in their designation as one of forty Respect Action Areas in England and the Youth Task Force support for a local family intervention project
Transport
• the Central Leicestershire second (2006-11) Local Transport Plan (LTP) was awarded £8.1m in the 2008-09 settlement (announced November 2007) for small (sub-£5m) integrated transport and maintenance schemes. The second LTP was assessed in 2006 as 'excellent' by the Department for Transport. Their delivery report covering 2001-06 was assessed as ‘very good’
• the City Council received acceptance for its Upperton Road Viaduct major maintenance scheme, including up to £19.1m of Government funding. Work is expected to be completed by September 2008
the Three Cities/Counties Transport Innovation Fund project, modelling and testing alternative road pricing schemes to tackle congestion in the sub-region, reported in April 2008. The authorities announced in May that, although they had decided not to submit a bid to DfT for further funding to implement a road pricing scheme, they would continue to work together to develop proposals to tackle congestion
Social Inclusion and Regeneration
• £16.5m was allocated for 2004-06 through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF), to improve public services in the most disadvantaged communities. The 2004 spending review announced extended NRF support until 2008 but funding amounts are yet to be confirmed
• more than £3.3m was awarded from the Community Empowerment Fund for 2004-05 and 2005-06 to support participation of voluntary and community groups in the Leicester LSP
• over £8m was allocated between 2004-05 and 2005-06, from the Community Chest Fund, to support the activity of the voluntary and community sector in Leicester
• £49.5m was awarded through the New Deal for Communities (NDC) scheme to the Braunstone Community Association, to support its work improving health, education and employment, and reducing crime in the most deprived area of the East Midlands throughout 2000–07
• a £6.3m Social Care Centre in Braunstone, opened in early 2006. It is being funded by NDC money to support the work of Leicester City West Primary Care Trust and other service providers in the re-development and re-generation of the community
• Communities and Local Government confirmed Leicester as part of the Three Cities new Growth Point (along with Nottingham and Derby) in October 2006, establishing a long term partnership for growth. £1.5m was secured for 2007-08 to upgrade the public realm of the Waterside and Abbey Meadows Leicester Regeneration Company intervention areas
• the Three Cities Growth Point has been awarded an additional £24.2m over 2008-11 to support the growth outlined in their Program of Development
European Funding
• Leicester Economic Regeneration Partnership was allocated over £16m of European Regional Development Fund for the period 2000-06 for projects in the Leicester area
• the Learning and Skills Council in Leicestershire was awarded nearly £2.5m of Objective 3 European Social Fund (ESF) for 2002, over £6.4m for 2003-05 and a further £18.6m for 2004-06
• East Midlands Job Centre Plus was awarded approximately £10.3m funding from the Objective 3 ESF for 2003–05, and a further £10.5m for 2004-06 to support projects across the region, including Leicestershire
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Leicester |
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Labour market |
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Employment |
Oct 2006/Dec 06 |
Oct 2007/Dec 07 |
% Change |
Claimant Unemployment |
Apr 2007 |
Apr 2008 |
% Change |
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Leicester |
124,834 |
120,747 |
-3.3 |
Leicester |
8,488 |
7,485 |
-11.8 |
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East Midlands |
1,994,547 |
2,018,041 |
+1.2 |
East Midlands |
62,207 |
55,969 |
-10.0 |
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England |
22,943,890 |
23,636,750 |
+3.0 |
England |
767,702 |
695,260 |
-9.4 |
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Youth Unemployment |
Apr 2007 |
Apr 2008 |
% Change |
Long-term Unemployment |
Apr 2007 |
Apr 2008 |
% Change |
|
Leicester |
575 |
300 |
-47.8 |
Leicester |
1,550 |
850 |
-45.2 |
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East Midlands |
3,815 |
2,640 |
-30.8 |
East Midlands |
9,955 |
6,445 |
-35.3 |
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England |
45,915 |
33,125 |
-27.9 |
England |
130,110 |
89,270 |
-31.4 |
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Education |
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Average Funding Per Pupil |
2004/ 05(£) |
2005/ 06(£) |
% Change |
Number of Teachers |
Jan 2006 |
Jan 2007 |
% Change |
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Leicester |
4,410 |
4,650 |
+5.4 |
Leicester |
2,820 |
2,660 |
-5.7 |
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East Midlands |
3,890 |
4,090 |
+5.1 |
East Midlands |
36,900 |
37,000 |
+0.3 |
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England |
4,350 |
N/A |
N/A |
England |
435,600 |
435,200 |
-0.1 |
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% of 11yr olds achieving required standard in English |
Sep 2005/Aug 06(%) |
Sep 2006/Aug 07(%) |
Change |
% of 11yr olds achieving required standard in Maths |
Sep 2005/Aug 06 |
Sep 2006/Aug 07 |
% Change |
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Leicester |
72 |
N/A |
N/A |
Leicester |
69 |
70 |
+1.4 |
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East Midlands |
79 |
80 |
+1.3 |
East Midlands |
76 |
77 |
+1.3 |
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England |
79 |
80 |
+1.3 |
England |
76 |
77 |
+1.3 |
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% of 15yr olds achieving 5 or more GCSEs A-C (or equivalent) |
Sep 2005/Aug 06(%) |
Sep 2006/Aug 07(%) |
Change |
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Leicester |
48 |
51 |
+8.2 |
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