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Football: Leicester City star Jeff Schlupp pleased with Lloyd Dyer partnership
Jeff Schlupp has hailed the impact of Lloyd Dyer on Leicester City's promotion push this season – and on his own personal development.
The Ghana international is a striker by trade and partnered David Nugent in attack in the defeat against Nottingham Forest 11 days ago.
However, Schlupp has been utilised predominantly at first-team level at full-back, where he has partnered Dyer down the left wing.
The two have provided plenty of pace and power down the flank, and Schlupp said Dyer had been a great influence on him and City's good start to the season.
"I love to get forward, especially when I am playing with Lloyd Dyer on the wing because we can interchange," said the 20-year-old, who came through the City youth ranks.
"He always fills in for me, which gives me the freedom to go forward.
"Lloyd is always a threat. He is always up there with the assists but he is also scoring a few this season, which is a bonus.
"For both of us, a key part of our game is our pace.
"It must frighten a lot of defenders when they see the team sheet and both me and Lloydy are down the left.
"It is a real bonus for the team, as well, to be a threat all game.
"When I play with Lloyd, I get the freedom to roam and almost play as a winger. It is really good."
Schlupp says captain and centre-back Wes Morgan, who plays inside him, has also helped him adapt to playing in a different position, although he stresses he does not mind where he plays for City.
"I think everyone knows how good he is and to have the likes of Wes alongside me, talking to me throughout the game, it really helps me with my defensive positions," said Schlupp.
"With the quality of the players we have, this season I think we are quite solid at the back.
"I am just happy to be playing in this team.
"I think there are still improvements to be made but, when you are playing with Wes, he is always covering you up. I am always learning."
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New protest over cuts to playgrounds in Leicester
Another protest is planned tomorrow against proposed cuts to supervised play schemes in Leicester.
Earlier this week, about 150 youngsters and parents gathered outside Leicester Town Hall to lobby Labour councillors as they attended a political meeting.
A repeat demonstration is to be held in the same place before a full council meeting tomorrow.
The protesters are concerned about the Labour-run council's intention to rethink the way it funds supervised play schemes at 10 locations, including eight adventure playground, it owns.
It spends £910,000 annually on supervised play and wants to put up for re-tendering the contracts it has with independent organisations that run the sites.
Under the proposed new terms, supervised play in December and January would be scrapped and council staff would be put in charge of maintaining them.
The current site staff fear they may not win back the contracts and decades of experience they have working with communities, in some of the most deprived parts of the city, will be lost.
The Labour group meeting after the previous protest was held behind closed doors, but the Mercury understands a number of councillors challenged assistant mayor for young people, councillor Vi Dempster, and city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby over a lack of consultation, having met the protesters outside.
They echoed concerns that the council's executive appeared to have presented the changes as a done deal.
One Labour member, who did not wish to be named, said: "It was tense. Vi was left in no doubt that quite a few of us were upset by how she has handled this and wanted a change of approach."
Coun Dempster was unavailable for comment yesterday, but Sir Peter accepted there was a need for a "period of reflection" on the issue.
He said: "We are open to listening to alternative approaches but I think the adventure playgrounds have accepted that changes have to be made. Close to £1 million is spent every year to support them and that is unsustainable.
"We do want to discuss how to best bring about change that keeps and improves supervised play."
The schemes affected are based at adventure playgrounds at Braunstone, Goldhill, Highfields, Mowmacre, New Parks, St Andrew's, Woodgate and Northfields and Belgrave Playhouse and What Cabin, in St Matthew's.
Under the proposed changes, each play area would see 15 hours of supervised play a week while they currently provide 17.5 hours.
The council wants to introduce supervised play at weekends, Easter and during half-term holidays.
Kuljit Wallia, manager of the St Matthew's What Cabin, said: "We could tender for a new contract but with a cut of effectively 40 per cent. That's setting us up to fail. Kids have other stuff to do at the weekends with their families. We've tried weekends before. It doesn't work."
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Leicester loses bid to be named UK City of Culture 2017
Congratulations to Hull. Maybe we're too cultured in Leicester already?! #UKCityofCulture2017
— Sarah Reed (@Cheggers1971) November 20, 2013
Commiserations to @Leicester2017 but let's show 'em we don't need the label and continue to be one of the best cities of Culture in the UK!
— LASS (@LASSleics) November 20, 2013
Seriously though, @Leicester2017 put up a jolly excellent campaign. And Leicester is the most cultural UK city either way...
— Richard III (@richard_third) November 20, 2013
Congratulations to Hull. Very disappointed for Leicester. The bid team should be very proud of what they did. #proudofthecity@BBCLeicester
— Rob Nixon (@robnixoncity) November 20, 2013
Congratulations to Hull but well done everyone involved in the Leicester bid
— Jonathan Ashworth MP (@JonAshworth) November 20, 2013
Congratulations to Hull. Very disappointing for Leicester but we're still an amazing city to visit any year.
— Ross Grant (@RossIGrant) November 20, 2013
We don't need a title to know we are already a city of culture! Along with a city of diversity and pride! @Leicester2017#Home#Leicester
— Bhavik Ghelani (@bhavikghelani) November 20, 2013
Hull? City of culture?? Boo. What has Hull got that Leicester hasn't???
— Trevor Wood (@trevorwood) November 20, 2013
@BBCLeicester Gutted for our City. Leicester has so much more to offer than Hull. But well done to them and lets be proud of who we are!
— Mandy Windram (@CrazyMand79) November 20, 2013
@2017Hull@SwanseaBay_2017@wedundee@Leicester2017 nice to see Swansea and Leicester congratulating Hull! Good sportsmanship!
— Sharon Sutcliffe (@suttyx) November 20, 2013
Disappointed to learn that Leicester lost out to Hull as #CityofCulture2017 This wont change the extraordinary development of Leic culture.
— Andrew Hugill (@ahugill) November 20, 2013
City councillor Barbara Potter quits Leicester's Labour group while legal proceedings against her continue
A city councillor has quit Leicester's Labour group as she prepares to face a charge of perverting the course of justice in court.
Councillor Barbara Potter told Labour colleagues she would be "stepping aside" while legal proceedings against her continue.
However, she will remain as an independent member for the city's Humberstone and Hamilton ward.
She addressed the Labour group on Monday, in a meeting behind closed doors, having appeared before magistrates on Friday.
Yesterday, Coun Potter told the Mercury she felt let down by the majority of the 51 other Labour councillors, claiming they had not supported her.
She singled out the group's hierarchy – chairman Councillor Patrick Kitterick and Councillor Neil Clayton, who succeeded her as chief whip earlier this year – for particular criticism.
She said: "I stood in front of them and I told them I felt they had let me down.
"When I was chief whip, I defended every party member and stood up for them.
"I have been through a very difficult time and they have not supported me. I told them I did not think that was right."
The Mercury asked Coun Potter what kind of support she expected.
She said: "They should have backed me up. I am a member of the party and some of them treated me like I had the plague. I thanked some of the members who did stand by me."
Speaking about Monday's meeting, she added: "I didn't want a response from them. I was there to tell them what I wanted to say and I did. I wasn't there to listen to them. I feel victimised and isolated.
"If I hadn't stepped aside, I would have been suspended."
She said she would "continue to fight" for residents in her ward.
Coun Potter will appear at Leicester Crown Court later this month to enter a plea to a charge of perverting the course of justice, by making a false report to the police about her ex-partner, Andrew Taylor.
She added: "I will be pleading not guilty and I will be clearing my name."
Councillor Clayton said he had never had a specific request from her for help.
"Where possible, she has been assisted and the non-support issue is wholly without foundation," he said. "She has done the right thing stepping aside as she does face a very serious allegation."
Councillor Kitterick said: "She has never approached me for help or advice. If she is cleared of the charge, she can apply to rejoin the group."
Coun Potter, 47, told the Mercury she was not sure if she would apply to rejoin.