Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council
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Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Bulletin, spring 2025 (edition 97)

Page 8 to 13

We're keeping your council taxes down

The Borough Council is to increase its council tax charge for 2025/26 by £5 following a decision of the full council at its budget-setting meeting on 20 February 2025.

This means the average Band D council tax (including the Special Expense Area) for Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council will increase to a charge of £159.87 for the 2025/26 financial year, the lowest in Leicestershire and anticipated to be the 15th lowest in England, and certainly within the lowest quartile.

This figure will be supplemented by the charges levied by Leicestershire County Council £1,681.50, the Police and Crime Commissioner £300.23 and the Fire Authority £86.65.

Overall, this increase in council tax and the other measures set out in the council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy enable the council to plan with more certainty and to operate a balanced budget.

Residents are reminded they can pay their bill annually, half-yearly or monthly. In a full year the monthly instalments will normally be paid from April to January, however residents can also opt to pay their council tax over 12 instalments if they prefer.

Councillor Keith Lynch, Executive Member for Finance, said “At this time when the country continues to suffer from a cost-of-living crisis and many individuals and families are suffering financial hardship, the council does not want to make another increase in the council tax. 

“However further reductions in government support grants have put yet more pressure on the council’s finances forcing us to raise the Borough Council tax by £5 a year (9.6p a week) to try to maintain our present level of public services. However, I am pleased to be able to say that, even after the increase, the Hinckley and Bosworth council tax will still be the lowest in Leicestershire and among the lowest in the country.”

Council Leader, Councillor Stuart Bray said: “Given the government’s plan for local government reorganisation across the country over the next few years, that reorganising will lead to harmonisation of council bills across the county which will inevitably lead to Hinckley and Bosworth residents paying more.”
   
To check your council tax, visit council tax

Don't forget to renew your garden waste service

Green-fingered residents are reminded that they will need to renew their subscription to the garden waste collection service by 31 May. 

The new subscription charge will be £47.50 per year per bin, with the service beginning on 1 June 2025.

Residents who pay for the garden waste collection by direct debit do not need to do anything. Instead, the council will collect payment of £47.50 for each garden waste bin from bank accounts on 1 April and send a new sticker by mid-May. New stickers should be placed on bins as soon as they are received.

Anyone who does not pay by direct debit can renew their subscription from 1 April onwards. Customers are advised to ensure they do not renew later than 16 May to avoid disruptions to the service. This will also allow plenty of time for the new stickers to arrive.

Renewals for customers who do not pay by direct debit can be made from 1 April onwards; the fastest way to do this is by visiting garden waste, or if you don’t have online access. Simply call the council on 01455 23814. Payments can be made by credit or debit card. 

For those who choose not to subscribe to the service, there are other options for disposing of garden waste including:

Hollycroft Park is the people's choice

Park users across the country have once again voted for Hinckley’s Hollycroft Park as one of their most impressive green spaces in the 2024 People’s Choice Awards – a Top 10 park in the country.

Research shows that for parks to be able to contribute to improvements in health and wellbeing, they must be accessible, well-managed and maintained, and offer something for everyone within the community.

Hollycroft Park was one of 2,227 UK parks and green spaces which met the standard of the Green Flag Award, the international quality standard managed by Keep Britain Tidy which recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces.

The public has since voted the park among their top ten favourite Green Flag Award parks in the People’s Choice Awards.

Councillor Lynda Hodgkins, the Borough Council's Executive Member for Street Scene Services, Parks and Open Spaces said: “The news that Hollycroft Park has for the third time been voted in the top 10 nationally is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team that make the park a great space that everyone can enjoy.  

“I also must thank our fabulous team of volunteers ‘Friends of Hollycroft Park, who are a tremendous support.”

Get ready to vote for your County Council

Elections will be taking place across the borough on Thursday 1 May 2025. These are to elect councillors to represent the people of Hinckley & Bosworth on Leicestershire County Council. 

Soon, you’ll be receiving a poll card through the post, with all the information you need to get ready to vote in May.

How do I get ready? 

Here’s a checklist of all the things you need to know before you vote in May.

Make sure you’re registered to vote at the right address.

You should receive your poll card by 1 April 2025. If you’ve not received it and you’ve recently moved or you will turn 18 soon, you might not be registered to vote at your current address. 

People often think they are registered to vote because they are registered with council tax. This is a myth! 

You can register to vote online (GOV.UK) or you can contact Electoral Services using the details below. You will need your National Insurance number and date of birth. The deadline to register is midnight on 11 April 2025.  

Think about how you want to cast your vote

Polling day is on 1 May 2025, from 7am to 10pm. Your poll card will tell you which polling station to visit. 

If you’re not able to get to your polling station, you can apply to vote by post:

The deadline to apply to vote by post (or change your existing postal vote) is 5pm on 14 April 2025. 

Postal votes are sent out in the two weeks before polling day, so you should consider if this is the right option for you if you are going on holiday before polling day. 

You can also apply to vote by proxy, which is when someone you trust goes to your polling station on your behalf. If you might be interested in applying to vote by proxy, contact Electoral Services for more information.

Get your ID ready.

If you want to vote in the polling station, you’ll need to make sure that you’ve got your valid photo ID ready. 

You can find a list of acceptable ID documents (electoralcommission.org.uk)
Your ID can be expired, but it should still look like you. 
If you’ve not got a valid photo ID, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (free form of photo ID):

You’ll need your National Insurance number and a passport-style photo to apply.

The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on 23 April 2025.

Contact Electoral Services:

Award for life-saving council employee 

A Borough Council employee who saved the life of a colleague while at work has been recognised with a community award.

Andy McGreal, grounds maintenance supervisor, gave lifesaving first aid to colleague Pete Battison late last year.

Pete, from the council’s waste management team, had stopped breathing while at work early in the morning. Andy made sure his airway was clear and got him breathing again until paramedics arrived.

Andy’s quick thinking, calm approach and decisive actions helped to save Pete’s life. Councillor Robin Webber-Jones, the Mayor of Hinckley and Bosworth, presented Andy with a community award at a recent council meeting.

The Mayor read out a personal message from Pete. It read: "My partner Jade and I would personally like to thank Andy and other colleagues for their fast and robust actions during my time of need.

"I have a rare neurological disorder that can affect me at times. Due to the team’s fast actions, robust thinking and teamwork all four of them managed to keep me alive during my time of need. Andy made sure my airway was clear and made sure I was breathing, which was no mean task.

"The true spirit of friendship and teamwork was shown in my time of need by these four selfless individuals. I, my partner Jade and my children would like to thank them all for their teamwork to save my life."

Now Andy and Pete are keen to make as many people as possible aware of the importance of first aid training so that others can be helped. 

Andy said: “I’m grateful I was able to help my colleague through the first aid training I’d received. I fully believe that first aid is the most important skill anyone can learn, and I would encourage everyone to take the time to learn at least the basics of first aid as you never know when you may need to employ it.”

Council Leader Councillor Stuart Bray said: “It has been remarkable to hear and read about what Andy and his colleagues did to help Pete that day. Pete’s family and friends and everyone who works with him are so grateful for their swift actions.

“It also highlights just how important it is not only to learn first aid, but to also keep on top of those skills. I would urge everyone to learn the basics of first aid if they can.”

Last updated: 19/03/2025 16:01