Council to examine Selston suggestion
IT HAS been suggested that Shepshed Town Council raises money for a police contact point and a dedicated patrol car.
The idea was put to councillors at a meeting on Wednesday, October 11 by Coun Robert Ewing who had seen a similar project executed in the Nottinghamshire village of Selston.
He told councillors Shepshed has a poplation of almost 15,000 and Selston 12,000 - but the latter has two police officers and a community support officer.
Coun Ewing said: “They raised money to get their own police station, they converted a room in the village hall into a rest room for police. They also got their own dedicated police car.
“We have a population of almost 15,000 and growing, they have a population of around 12,000. If they can do it, why can’t we?”
Coun Raymond Draycott commented that he believed the money may have come “from closing police stations elsewhere.”
Coun Jane Lennie presented a report to the councillors at the meeting telling of her visit to the Leicestershire Police Headquarters in September.
Her report states Chief Constable Simon Cole was asked about “the issue of a police car for Shepshed, particularly at peak traffic times when the police have difficulty even getting to Shepshed”.
Coun Lennie said she was told the council could email him to request it “be looked at”.
Speaking at the meeting, Coun Lennie said: “It’s all very well looking to the local authority to fill funding gaps and section 106s [developer contributions to the community after the construction of a building development] but at the end of the day Leicestershire County Council and Charnwood Borough Council are having there funding cut too.
“It may be worth talking with the council in Nottinghamshire to see how they managed it.”
The discussion was noted and the clerk to Shepshed Town Council Brenda Snape is to contact Selston Council.