Cllr Leon Hadji-Nikolaou is one of the three District Councillors of Rothley Brook
My name is Leon Hadji-Nikolaou
I moved to Rothley from Leicester in 2007, with my wife Naoimh and my two daughters, who attended DeLisle and Loughborough Colleges. I have been working in Glenfield Hospital as a Consultant cardiac surgeon for 23 years.
I was involved in local politics because I passionately want to preserve the character of our villages. I am a strong advocate of cozy, friendly, supportive and interconnected communities around local parishes in the picturesque villages of Charnwood.
My primary aim is to fight against massive new developments which are threatening to swallow Rothley and Mountsorrel and make them a mere extension of Leicester City. Most of our friends and acquaintances are from Rothley, Mountsorrel, Thurcaston, Cropston, Swithland, Quorn and Loughborough and they all share the same concerns and passion for preservation.
The late Cllr Brian Page and I fought together with the ‘Save Rothley’ campaign and managed to stop 150 houses built in the heart of Rothley. I account this as one of my biggest achievements and it shows that passion and a fighting spirit can stop some of the deeply unwanted and unbalanced developments in our villages.
I was elected as a Borough Councillor in Charnwood in 2015. At the Borough, I have served in the Audit Committee, Members Conduct Committee and I chaired the Scrutiny Committee for Corporate Services for a short time.
I have directly supported the Soar Valley Foodbank for years and more recently the Thurcaston & Cropston Gardening Club through Members Funds. I have made monies from the Members Highways funds available to the Rothley and Mountsorrel Parish Councils. I am proud that I have been working harmoniously with all the Parish Councils, in Rothley, Mountsorrel, Thurcaston and Swithland.
The most recent issues I have been dealing with are the expansion of the Mountsorrel Quarry, the parking issues around the Public X café in Mountsorrel and the prolonged road works in Rothley and the risk of closing Cossington lane for months. I am seriously concerned about the concept of converting green belts into grey belts. This will inevitably influence the decisions of the Plans committee and we may see massive new developments in Rothley and Mountsorrel.