Decisions made at Executive meeting – 8 May 2017

Councillors approved the established of a Local Authority Lottery to raise money for local good causes. Tickets for the lottery will cost £1 with weekly draws and a maximum prize of £25,000. Players can choose to support a specific good cause or a general good cause fund to be distributed by the council. Councillors also agreed to seek an external management company to run the lottery on behalf of Harborough District Council. The lottery will aim to help alleviate pressures on the council’s voluntary sector budget and help the voluntary sector raise funds to ensure sustainability. Harborough District Council joins other councils across the UK which have also set up lotteries to help fund local causes. In general, 60 per cent of the proceeds from tickets will go to good causes with the remaining 40 per cent going to the lottery operator. Harborough district has a population in excess of 85,000 so a successful local lottery could generate more than £30,000 per year for good causes. Local charity or voluntary organisations, wishing to benefit from the lottery, will be encouraged to help promote it.

Councillors agreed to accept an Independent Examiner’s recommended changes to the Lubenham Neighbourhood Plan and that the amended version should proceed to a referendum of voters within the parish of Lubenham on 20 July 2017. Neighbourhood plans are a way for communities to help decide the future of the places where they live and work. They can enable residents to choose where new homes, shops and offices are built. The Lubenham neighbourhood plan has been produced by the Lubenham Neighbourhood Plan Group, led by the Parish Council. Harborough District Council has supported communities with the neighbourhood planning process as part of its priority ‘to develop places in which to live and be happy’.

Councillors noted the findings and recommendations in the Harborough Cemetery and Burial Strategy and agreed a consultant should be appointed to undertake site assessments to identify a new cemetery to be allocated in the Local Plan. The aim of the Harborough Cemetery and Burial Strategy is to identify shortfalls in cemetery and burial space in the Harborough district and to inform decisions about the provision of additional space in the future.

View the Executive agenda and reports in full on the council’s website