Two Solar Farms Refused Planning Permission by West Lindsey District Council

West Lindsey District Council's Planning Committee has rejected two applications for solar farms between Burton and Riseholme following representations of planning grounds for refusal by local residents.

Protestors from Riseholme, Burton and South Carlton outside
the Guildhall, Marshall's Yard, Gainsborough

The two farms, allocated to agricultural land between the villages of Burton and Riseholme, were previously deferred so that the applicants could satisfy concerns over whether the sequential test had been met - meaning the the applicant had chosen the site for the best possible reasons.

The first application by AEE proposed a 42 ha site comprised of two separate elements off the B1398 around Burton by Lincoln village and the A15; whilst a second application by RGE Energy was for the construction of a farm on land off Middle Street, Burton-by-Lincoln.

Numerous residents from Burton and South Carlton (in the Saxilby ward) together with residents from Riseholme (in the Nettleham ward) attended the planning meeting on Wednesday, 12th November 2014 at the Guildhall, Marshall's Yard, Gainsborough. Prior to the commencement of the meeting the group protested with placards, demanding the refusal of the schemes.

Both planning applications were refused by the council.

Cllr. Giles McNeill, who represents the Nettleham Ward, and who seconded refusal of the first application and proposed refusal of the second said:

“Both applications have been refused due to incongruency with the saved Local Plan policies STRAT 12 (Development in the open countryside) and STRAT 13 (undeveloped breaks between settlements and green wedges around Lincoln). We also considered the National Planning Policy Guidance issued in March, earlier this year related to ground-mounted solar photovoltaic farms. 

“Whilst I am all in favour of reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, building a low carbon economy, to protect our global environment - I must have regard to planning policies, and in my view these proposals did not accord with the substantive weight the committee felt should be placed on maintaining the green wedge, and the distinctive breaks between settlements.”

Before the meeting, the group argued that while they were not against the idea of solar power, it was the positioning of the two farms that they disagreed with. Mr. Bill Maris, who farms at South Carlton, said:

“I farm the land near to where the solar scheme is proposed. I’ve just had my soil analysed and some of my land is grade one and it’s certainly all grade two.

“A lot of the land that is proposed for this site will also definitely be grade two and some of it will be grade one.

“I don’t object to solar, I object to it going on good, agricultural land. It should be used for farming and there are many alternatives to energy but there is only one place you can produce food, and that’s on land.

“I suppose to the farmer that is renting the land it’s easy money if you’re offered a thousand pounds an acre for 25 years.”

Local resident Mrs. Sue North said:

 “We are not opposed to solar energy, what we are opposed to is where the farms are proposed for. These farms are on what’s called the green wedge, which was given that status by West Lindsey District Council to separate the countryside from the town.

“The two farms, which we have to look at together because they are side by side, would create a tunnel for the old coach road that people walk through.”

Mrs. Alison Richards added:

“For a lot of people the historic coach road, which is mentioned in the Domesday book, is a recreational route for a lot of people in the area; walkers, cyclists, horse riders and a lot of families use it.

“For many it’s the only route for people to the north of Lincoln without trespassing on a field.”

Mrs. Desiree Applewhite said:

“It might only be a temporary twenty-five years slot but it would ruin an amenity for a generation. There are plenty of other brownfield sites which can be used, such as disused airfields.”

Nettleham Library Will Not Be Volunteer-Run By Parish Council

Following Lincolnshire County Council’s decision to proceed with its implementation of library closures, Nettleham Parish Council has now been left with no alternative but to withdraw its Expression of Interest in running a community-led library in Nettleham. 

Nettleham Parish Council had decided, in principle, at an extraordinary parish council meeting held on Wednesday, 19th March 2014, to submit a business plan to operate a community-led library in the village; this being conditional upon Lincolnshire County Council agreeing to an extension of the time in which to do so, renegotiation of section 2.2 of the Heads of Terms (the agreement between the county and parish councils), and finally the outcome of the judicial review.

A spokesman for Nettleham Parish Council said:

“The Parish Council believes that it has made every effort to bring about the establishing of a Community Library in the village but sadly the intransigence of the county council to negotiate a more realistic lease agreement has made this impossible. 

“Lincolnshire County Council would not agree to a minimum five year lease on the existing building, insisting that its Model Heads of Terms are applied allowing it to break the lease arrangement at any time.”

Nettleham Parish Council did not feel it could invest the time and money into this venture under such conditions and expressed appreciation to the ninety residents who had come forward to volunteer their services in an effort save this vital community asset.

The spokesman continued:

“The Parish Council is also grateful to County Councillor Jackie Brockway for her considerable mediating efforts with Lincolnshire and hopes it is not too late for any other interested parties to step in.”

The Chairman of the Parish Council Terry Williams added:

“This is an extremely disappointing outcome, but the Parish Council was left with no choice in the matter due to the insistence of the County Council on the inclusion of a condition in the Lease of the Building that meant they could terminate the arrangements at the drop of a hat.”

West Lindsey District Councillor for the Nettleham Ward, Cllr. Giles McNeill, commented:

“It is absurd that Netteham's library will almost certainly close despite Nettleham Parish Council and over ninety local volunteers having come forward to continue to operate a local library.

“Nettleham Parish Council requested a slight extension in order to put together the business plan, given the delays on the part of the county council this seemed a reasonable request. The business plan is important because it gives the county council assurance the community-led library will be successfully delivered; a request was also made to reconsider part of the agreement between the parties.

 “Nettleham Parish Council has had no option but to withdraw from the process, leaving local residents with an uncertain future for the library in the village.”

Lincolnshire County Councillor Nick Worth, Executive Member with responsibilities for Library Services, defended the county council's position saying:

"We offered the parish council a 10-year lease on the current library building. However, as is standard practice, this includes a clause allowing us to break the lease if the community hub is underperforming. 

"This is an important clause that's needed to ensure the public receive a quality service. 

"We thank the parish council for their efforts, and we will now focus on working with Lincolnshire Co-operative who have submitted a business plan for Nettleham."

In Nettleham, a bid from a community group has also been withdrawn, but Lincolnshire Co-operative remains in the running.

A total of thirty libraries are threatened with closure following the decision of Lincolnshire County Council's Executive who have decided to make cuts of £1.7 million to the Library budget by removing professional staff.

The move has been criticised by campaigners who lobbied unsuccessfully for the council to drop the proposals, and which are now subject to a judicial review. The county council has proceeded with the cuts despite receiving a petition against the closures which gained more than 23,000 signatures.

Communities across Lincolnshire provided thirty firm bids to run the libraries as 'community hubs'.

Nettleham Parish Council Responds to Lincolnshire County Council's Library Proposals Describing them as 'Irrational'

The following letter has been sent to Lincolnshire County Council's Head of Libraries and Heritage:-

-----

Dear Mr Platt 

Re: Proposed changes to library provision in Lincolnshire 

Further to your letter and Information Pack dated the 20 June 2013, the Parish Council held an Extraordinary Parish Council meeting on 11 September 2013 regarding the above proposals and in particular the proposal to close Nettleham Library. 

At the above meeting the Parish Council unanimously resolved to formally object to Lincolnshire County Council’s proposal to close Nettleham Library in May 2014.  The Parish Council’s reasons for objecting to the proposals are summarised as follows:-

1. As stated in your letter the statutory responsibility for providing Public Libraries lies with Lincolnshire County Council and the proposals to transfer your statutory function to voluntary organisations/Parish Councils is simply irrational.  
2. The Parish Council acknowledges that Lincolnshire County Council has to make savings due to the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, however, a 31% reduction in the library budget is totally unreasonable; cuts of 5-10% would be acceptable.
3. If the £1.9 million reduction sought in the library budget was spread across those living in the county (over 700,000) this would equate to merely 5p per person per week, which illustrates the absurdity of your current proposals.  
4. On the 50p coin that was issued in the year of the Millennium there is depicted “Public Libraries”, which was intended to celebrate 150 years (1850 – 2000) of such libraries across the whole of the UK. If LCC proceed with their current proposals, they will in effect be dismembering the work that was undertaken by our forefathers over that long period of time.
5. These proposals would have a significant impact on children’s educational needs, especially in the current economic climate.  Furthermore the elderly population would be adversely affected as they would be unlikely to access the proposed retained libraries due to transportation/health issues, etc.  A large proportion of the elderly do not have access to IT equipment which is becoming more and more necessary to undertake day-to-day activities. 
6. A library is not just about borrowing books; it is also a hub for seeking assistance from the professional library staff for a great number of activities including assisting with IT issues and gaining necessary information.
7. The library service could continue to be undertaken by LCC if it adopted a more commercially astute approach in terms of the running of this service.  For example, Nettleham Library at present only occupies a 1/3 of the overall building and rather than expecting other organisations to take over the management of the library service, some of the remaining 2/3 of the building could be rented to small/medium sized businesses thereby securing an income that could be used to off-set the costs associated with the running of the library. 
8. We have serious concerns in relation to the costs stated in the consultation document especially in relation to the support costs which were the highest in the country; some investigations need to be undertaken in relation to these costs. 
9. The online consultation process was not user friendly and the timetable (being held during the summer period) was grossly unfair.  Moreover, the requirement to lodge an Expression of Interest before the end of the Consultation process was fundamentally flawed. 
10. Finally, a topic of this magnitude should be decided by the whole Lincolnshire County Council voting on the matter and not by LCC’s Executive Committee; such an approach is quite frankly undemocratic. 

Despite its formal objection the Parish Council nevertheless decided as a fall-back position that it would submit, on a without prejudice basis, an Expression of Interest prior to the 30 September 2013 deadline. 

-----

Local residents voiced their concerns over Lincolnshire County Council proposals on BBC Radio Lincolnshire yesterday (24th September) when Melvyn Prior broadcast for 3 hours from outside the library.

You can listen again to 'Melvyn in the Morning' by clicking here.

Nettleham Parish Council To Object to County Council Library Proposals

Last night Nettleham Parish Council decided to join with other parish, town and district councils across Lincolnshire in objecting to proposals brought forward by Lincolnshire County Council.

Lincolnshire County Council, like other local authorities across England, are dealing with a difficult financial settlement from central government. Substantial reductions, savings or new revenue stream need to be found to balance the authority's budget.

Among the ways to achieve this is a cut of 31% to the Library Service budget, which will require a reconfiguration of the service away from a local authority model to a model with greater community engagement, through the use of volunteers running libraries in rural areas. Nettleham is one library that the county council would like to see run by volunteers.

Nettleham Parish Council held an Extraordinary Meeting at Nettleham Village Hall, Brookfield Avenue to consider the county council's proposals. Cllr. Terry Williams, the Chairman opened the meeting and explained how the meeting would be conducted. He introduced his fellow councillors, the council's officers and welcome 35 members of the public. The Chairman outlined the county council's proposals before welcoming Mr. Gary Porter, from the Library Service, and Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway, Conservative (Nettleham & Saxilby Division) to answer questions from the public.

Questions were asked about the process that political leaders would be taking, the county council's need to make spending reductions, difficulties at pilots with regard to volunteer access to computerised library management systems, the effect on reading groups and disabled access to alternative mobile library provision.

Following the question and answer session, Mr. Porter left the meeting. Residents were then given the opportunity to make their views on the proposals, all universally against the proposed changes.

Cllr. Mrs. Brockway made a statement, she outlined that she had been working hard to dissuade her colleagues at the county council from pursuing this policy and was not prepared to support it. She stated she was really please with the quality and thoughtfulness of the comments made by local residents and that it gave her encouragement.

Finally the members of the Parish Council would debate and discuss the matter. Each Parish Councillor spoke. Cllr. Malcolm Leaning - who is also a district councillor - Liberal Democrat (Nettleham Ward), harked back to his use and the arrangements of the bookcase at the Church Institute in the village.

Cllr. Giles McNeill, Conservative (Nettleham Ward), also a district councillor, spoke in favour of objecting to the county council's proposals. He said:

"There are plenty of arguments about the specific proposal for Nettleham and the proposals more generally. I would like to offer another option for those campaigning against these proposals to pursue. The County Council is run by a coalition of Liberal Democrats, Independents and the largest group is the Conservatives.

"The Liberal Democrats' manifesto from march makes no mention of the Library Service. However the Conservative Manifesto said this: 

"We will encourage more people to play their part in stronger communitites by encouraging volunteering and neighbourliness as well as a greater use of public buildings such as schools and libraries where approriate.  

"We Promise to... Continue a countywide library network with better access and opening hours. 

"I was Jackie's Agent in the recent local elections and Agent for nine other county candidates across the district, eight of the ten were elected. I have to say I am ashamed that so little regard is being paid to the promises made so recently."

Cllr. McNeill also stated that, following debate at the district council on the preceding Monday evening, he had joined the working party at West Lindsey District Council that would be submitting the district council's response to the proposals.

Cllr. Joseph Siddall described the 'consultation  document' as 'an insult to the word'. Whilst Cllr. Mrs. Janice Clayton, the Deputy Chairman of the Parish Council, wanted the county council to 'react positively to the public out cry and reconsider their position', however, she said she was 'a bit disappointed with the turnout tonight'.

Finally Cllr. Williams, address the meeting as a member of the Council, not in his capacity as Chairman, describing the proposal saying that the '31% reduction is wholly unreasonable' and that he hoped that as the provision of libraries was a statutory requirement that a case might be brought against the county council to the high court on the grounds that the decision was 'irrational', citing the use of the word in the case of the Police and Crime Commissioner's Suspension of the Chief Constable.

The Parish Council resolved to object in the strongest possible terms to the proposals for Nettleham Library and, without prejudice, would form a working party to put forward an expression of interest in a community led library bid for Nettleham; although it was made clear that this was a fall back position.

Nettleham Library Threatened with Closure

Lincolnshire County Council, who run local library services, have to make £125 million of savings. Already nearly £90 million has been achieved but a further £35 million has to be found in the next two years. The Library Service, which current has a budget in excess of £6 million is expected contribute by saving around £1.9 million on its current budget. It is proposed that a number of local libraries, including the one in Nettleham, be run by teams of volunteers.

 

Nettleham Parish Council met last night, and briefly addressed the proposed changes to library services within the village. Whilst it was not possible to include a full and substantive discussion on the matter, some consideration took place and representation were received from members of the public.

 

Nettleham Parish Council had been surprised by the county council's plans, only hearing last Friday that changes to the library service were needed, with other residents across the county, when the plans were leaked, prior to Monday, 2nd July, when public consultation was due to begin. The leaking of these plans has caused distress to staff in the libraries, who face an uncertain future, and who found out about the changes through local media's reports of the leak and not in line with the planned consultation timetable.

 

One local resident, Emily Evision, of Sudbrooke Lane, said:

"I had a moment to speak and tried to state the needs of all parts of the community, and how strongly people feel about saving our library. Councillor Jackie Brockway tried to change the [County Council's] decision into an opportunity to get something that works better for us. Giles McNeill offered us his support, and I believe that all of the Parish Councillors were unhappy with the idea of losing the library.

"[The Parish Council] decided to bring the subject up for proper full discussion at the next meeting in July. At that point we can table questions and be a part of the discussion. They also decided to hold a special public meeting on the library closure in early September."

District Councillor Giles McNeill, Conservative (Nettleham Ward) added:

"I want to see our library remain open and if that means looking at a range of different options to do that, then we must.

"Local Council's face a difficult time - on the one hand demand for services continues to increase, whilst on the other the money local authorities receive from central government is reducing. This is putting enormous pressure on politicians to square the circle and do as much as possible with constrained resources.

"I am really proud that local residents are taking the initiative to fight to retain a library in Nettleham.  I have offered my support to the campaign to 'Save Nettleham Library' and am prepared to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak, and offer a portion of my Councillor Initiative Fund monies to help any local community group look into the question of taking on running Nettleham Library.

"The information age presents great challenges to the traditional model of a library - but potentially it provides great opportunity for local people to recast a local service into more suitable provision, dynamic and reactive to local needs."

Details of the 'Save Nettleham Library' campaign group can be found on facebook. A petition has been started and can be found online here.

Edward Leigh Responds to Saxilby Terror Attack Link

Edward Leigh MP, who represents the Gainsborough Constituency in Lincolnshire, has said he has ‘every confidence’ in Lincolnshire Police as they assist with the suspected terror attack investigation.

Mr. Leigh was speaking as the Lincolshire Police force was supporting officers from the Metropolitan Police during a search on a house in Saxilby.

It is believed that one of the men arrested in connection with the killing of a soldier in Woolwich on Tuesday used to live in a house on Hotchkin Avenue, Saxilby with his family. Mr. Leigh said:

“Every effort must be made to ensure terrorists feel the full weight of British justice.”

“I have every confidence in Lincolnshire Police and their work in coordination with the Metropolitan Police.”

The Woolwich attack happened at 2.20pm on Tuesday as horrified witnesses, including children, looked on. Eyewitnesses say the victim was hacked to death by two men, named locally as 22-year-old Mr. Michael Adebowale and 28-year-old Mr. Michael Adebolajo. After the attack they waited for police, asking people to film and take photos of them.

One man, thought to be Mr. Adebolajo, was filmed holding a meat cleaver and knife, his hands covered in blood. He told onlookers he carried out the attack because British soldiers are killing Muslims every day.

They were shot as police tried to arrest them, are now under armed guard at separate hospitals in London.

Residents in Saxilby, near Lincoln, have spoken of their shock after police raided the former home of Mr. Michael Adebolajo.

The house, in the normally sedate Lincolnshire village, is believed to belong to his father, Mr. Anthony Adebolajo, understood to be a nurse.

District and County Councillor Jackie Brockway, who represents the Saxilby Ward of West Lindsey District Council and Nettleham & Saxilby Division on Lincolnshire County Council, lives in Sykes Lane, Saxilby. She was on the estate this morning offering to help however she could.

“I heard about this on my way to an appointment and I have come here to give my card with my contact details directly to the police. I want to say that any residents who need support or help to get in touch.

“We want to make sure that everyone is comfortable and not concerned in any way.

“I understand the police have got this very well organised. Obviously it is a serious police operation and it’s important for them to know that the community supports them.

“Regarding the incident in Woolwich I am absolutely horrified that this could happen on the streets of Britain. But I think we must be calm and go about our daily lives and support the authorities in their duties.”

Lincolnshire's UKIP Councillors Embroiled in Racism Row

The Sunday Mirror report that, despite a claim that UKIP have cracked down, the newspaper have investigated 'sickening rants' on social media.

Lincolnshire County Council's Leader of the Opposition, Cllr. Chris Pain, UKIP (Wainfleet and Burgh), who is the party's East Midlands regional Chairman, is named by the paper as the author of a commment that reads:

"Have you noticed that if you rearrange the letters in 'illegal immigrants', and add just a few more letters, it spells, 'Go home you free-loading, benefit-grabbing, resource-sucking, baby-making, non-English-speaking ********* and take those other hairy-faced, sandal wearing, bomb-making, camel-riding, goat-*******, raghead ******* with you."

Cllr. Pain claims his Facebook account had been hacked.

Another, Cllr. Ms Tiggs Keywood-Wainwright, UKIP (Boston North West), has complained that mosques being built in 'quintessentially English' Cambridge, asking:

"Is nowhere sacred for the Brits in Britain any more?

"Bottom line is we have too many muslims in this country!" 

Cllr. Ms Keywood-Wainwright has admitted that she 'probably' regrets some of her remarks. Claiming that she meant that in some areas there were too many Muslims, defending herself saying:

"My GPs are all Muslims and I have no problem with them at all.

"One of them is extremely nice and very, very good at her job."

At Lincolnshire County Council's Annual Meeting, held on Friday, 17th May 2013, All 16 UKIP Councillors refused to sign an anti-racism declaration, proposed by Group Leader, Cllr. Rob Parker, Labour (Lincoln West). Cllr. Pain said:

"I cannot support this document. It actually pushes forward the chance of multi-culturalism, one of the fundamental things that's wrong with our society.

"UKIP's stance is not racist. Our stance is on space and space alone."

Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway, Conservative (Nettleham & Saxilby) said:

"I'm very concerned that there's a theme developing that seems to be attacking the vulnerable adn we need to be careful about that."

Conservatives Improve Poll in Nettleham & Saxilby Contest Whilst Liberal Democrats Drop to Third Place

Conservatives were celebrating in the Nettleham and Saxilby Division as Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway, Conservative (Nettleham & Saxilby Division), was re-elected as the area's Lincolnshire County Councillor.


Above: Cllr. Mrs. J. Brockway

In 2001 the Liberal Democrat's successfully got their candidate, Ray Sellars, elected who secured 44% of the vote, he was successful in securing re-election in 2005 with 48% and in 2009 again with a 61% share of the vote. In September last year, at the by-election, following Cllr. Sellars untimely death, they dropped into second place with a 25% share of the vote. Last Thursday they dropped further to 21% and, in an additional humiliation, dropped to third place behind the U K Independence Party's candidate.

Meanwhile the Conservatives have surged from having 34% in 2005 and 2009 to 43% in last September's by-election. In the most recent election the Conservative candidate improved both her poll to 44%, and increased her majority.

The UK Independence Party had a good night locally, picking up 24% of the vote, mopping up votes from the Lincolnshire Independents and English Democrats who where not fielding candidates, but did do so last September when they recieved 8% and 1% respectively, the other gains by UKIP came at the expense of the Liberal Democrats.

Finally the Labour party held steady in the division with 11% of the vote, which is what they recieved back in September, last year. There vote was up from the 6% they recieved in 2009, but down on the two polls of 18% achieved in 2001 and 2005

West Lindsey is Home to Lincolnshire's Best Kept Village

Residents and parish councillors gathered in Nettleham this week for the unveiling of a bench recognising the village as one of the best kept in Lincolnshire.



Photo: M. Leaning

Nettleham was named as joint winner of the Best Kept Village 50th Anniversary award, organised by Community Lincs. Sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund, this special award was given to Nettleham - and also to Tealby - for having the most consistent scores in the past 50 years of the competition.
Pennells Garden Centres, which sponsor the annual award and donate trees to the winning villages each year, donated a bench to both of the overall winners. Managing director Richard Pennell said:

“These two villages over the years have been consistently good. The enthusiasm of the people involved and the care that they take is great.”

The Lincolnshire Best Kept Village competition has been run by Community Lincs since 1962. In that time Nettleham has won its category (for villages between 2,001 and 7,000 residents) 11 times, most recently in 2010. Tealby has won its category eight times, coming second on 10 occasions.

Speaking at the presentation of the bench on Nettleham village green, chairman of Nettleham Parish Council Cllr Terry Williams said: “This was very much a tri-partite effort. It was an effort on the part of our residents, businesses and the parish council.

“I thank the residents all for their contribution over a 50 year period, for making sure our gardens are kept neat and tidy.

“I also thank the businesses around the village for making sure their premises are neat and tidy and making sure they have flower displays.

“The contribution of the parish council has been making sure the verges are tidy and cut.”

Co-ordinator of the awards for Community Lincs, Teresa Palmer, said villages were judged on their presentation, including whether there was any litter, how memorials and churchyards were kept, whether wildlife is catered for, and community spirit. She said:

“One of the strong points of Nettleham is there are so many different groups and so much going on for all age groups.”

West Lindsey District Council has supported the competition for many years and both Nettleham district councillors, Cllr. Giles McNeill, Conservative and Cllr Malcolm Leaning, Liberal Democrat, attended the presentation. Cllr. Malcolm Leaning said:

 “I am delighted my home village of Nettleham, where I was born, has come equal first over the past 50 years in the ‘Best Kept Village in Lincolnshire’ competition.

“Having been a member of Nettleham Parish Council for 48 years I can remember the first time we voted to enter the competition in 1967 – which was also the first time we won it!

“The award of a seat will ‘sit’ and be well used on Nettleham village green.”

For more information go to http://lincolnshirebestkeptvillages.co.uk

Local Conservatives Support Parish Council's Get-Together

Nettleham Ward District Councillor Giles McNeill and Nettleham & Saxilby Division County Councillor Jackie Brockway, have used funds from their respective authorities to support Greetwell Parish Council's initiative of holding get-togethers in the MaCh resturant on Wragby Road in North Greetwell, to help improve the areas sense of community.

Cllr. Giles McNeill said:

"It is really important to build a sence of community, particularly in a parish like Greetwell, which has fragmented constituenct parts to it. These get-togethers go some way in helping local people get to know one another.

"These events also help by providing an opportunity for groups that may feel isolated to socialise in their locality, such as the elderly.

"I am really proud that Jackie and I have been able to find funding to help secure the future of these events in the coming months."

Chris Myers, the Clerk of Greetwell Parish Council, commenting following the news that £500 had been forthcoming from the West Lindsey Councillors Initiative Fund, said:

"This is really good news, as along with Jackie’s contribution we can cover the costs for the next year of events."

West Lindsey District Councillors have a pot of £2,000 to spend on local projects within their communities for the next two year - known as the Councillor Initiative Fund. Lincolnshire County Councillors have their own scheme, known as the Big Society Fund, which previosously was a pot of £4,000 available between 2011 and March 2013. The scheme is understood to have been renewed.

Double Victory for Conservatives in Local By-Election Contests

Local conservatives have celebrated a double, landslide success in two by-elections held for the Nettleham and Saxilby Division of Lincolnshire County Council and the Nettleham Ward of West Lindsey District Council.

Jackie Brockway, Conservative, triumphed in the Lincolnshire County Council contest while colleage Giles McNell won for the Conservatives a seat on West Lindsey District Council. The seats have not been in Conservative hands since 1981 and 1983 respectively


Nettleham & Saxilby Division Result

 Nettleham and Saxilby Division
Lincolnshire County Council

Jackie Brockway, Conservative - 1,026 (43.36%)
Charles Shaw, Liberal Demcrat - 600 (25.36%)
Howard Thompson, UKIP - 266 (11.24%)
Richard Coupland, Labour - 257 (10.86%)
David Watson, Lincolnshire Independent - 196 (8.28%)
Elliott Fountain, English Democrat - 21 (0.89%)
Turnout: 2,378 (27.98%)

Swing: 22.2% from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives



Nettleham Ward Result

Nettleham Ward

West Lindsey District Council

Giles McNeill, Conservative -565 (45.02%)
Guy Grainger, Liberal Demcrat - 513 (40.88%)
Howard Thompson, UKIP - 177 (14.10%)

Turnout: 1,270 (31.63%)

Swing: 15.3% from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives

Edward Leigh MP Visits Nettleham Garderners Association Show

Above: (from left to right) Jackie Brockway, Giles McNeill
and Edward Leigh MP

Edward Leigh MP visited Nettleham Gardeners Association Show at Nettleham Village Hall yesterday to see the produce on show and support Conservative candidates Giles McNeill and Jackie Brockway, who are running locally for seats on West Lindsey District and Lincolnshire County Councils respectively. 

Weather in recent months have caused problems for gardeners. Following the freeze of winter, came the water shortages and hosepipe bans of spring, as the ban came into force on Thursday, 5th April  it did so, with perfect irony, with rain, rain and more rain - in fact the wettest summer on record.

Most gardeners will have shrugged and got on with sowing seeds and planting potatoes, but the relentlessness of the deluge meant early sowings failed, potatoes rotted in the ground and plants produced stunted roots in saturated soil. Conditions including low soil temperatures and lower light levels meant only the hardiest of crops made progress. Plants needing good light outdoors, such as beans and sweetcorn struggled. Tomatoes being grown under glass ripened weeks late.

Nevertheless a good crop of vegetables were entered for inspection. Cakes too and artwork also featured. Everyone involved had put in considerable effort to participate in spite of the difficult conditions.

In Two Local By-Elections Only the Conservative Candidates Live in the Communities they will Represent

Local Team: Jackie Brockway and Giles McNeill are the
only candidates in the two by-elections to live in the area
they will represent.

Local residents are surprised to learn that only the Conservative Party is fielding local candidates in two contests called following the sad and untimely death of Cllr. Ray Sellars who represented the Nettleham and Saxilby Division of Lincolnshire County Council and Nettleham Ward on West Lindsey District Council. 

For the county council seat, Jackie Brockway (Conservative), lives over the road from the doctors’ surgery in Saxilby. Of the other candidates in the county contest three are from the City of Lincoln, Richard Coupland (Labour) lives on the Ermine West Estate, Charles Shaw (Liberal Democrat) resides off Carholme Road and David Watson (Lincolnshire Independent) is based off Skellingthorpe Road. Howard Thompson (UK Independence Party) lives twenty-five miles away from the Conservative Candidate in Claxby, between Market Rasen and Caistor. Finally the furthest flung candidate, Elliott Fountain (English Democrat), is based forty miles away from County Hall in Boston.

However, it is not just in the county council seat contest where the Conservatives have fielded the only local candidate, in the contest for the district council seat too, for the Nettleham Ward, Giles McNeill (Conservative), went to primary school in the village, has grown up in Nettleham and lived in the village behind the Infants' School for more than two decades. Guy Grainger (Liberal Democrat) is from Market Rasen and Howard Thompson (UK Independence Party), previously mentioned, from even further away, will contest this seat as well.

The Liberal Democrats have a consistently highlighted the view that elected councillors should live in the local communities they seek to represent. In 2011 they made it clear that, because one of the four candidates lived in Market Rasen, voters should vote for local candidates:

"You can’t do better than to vote for two Councillors who have an excellent record of hard work for the village and who both actually live in Nettleham".

Now they have the audacity to put forward an individual who is from Market Rasen!

If a candidate from Market Rasen, in their view, by virtue of where they live, was not suitable last year, why would one be suitable now? It seems to be nothing short of hypocrisy.

One Nettleham villager commented:

"I can not believe that someone from outside the village would make a good representative for us. Especially if they live as far away as Market Rasen, or beyond."

There has also been concern that Mr. Grainger, a former Market Rasen Town Councillor, was censured in 2010 by the Standards Committee at West Lindsey District Council. The Decision Notice read that:

"[Mr. Grainger] failed to declare a personal and prejudicial interest when considering the Town Council’s response to the former Town Clerk’s claim to an Employment Tribunal… The sanction imposed for this breach is that Councillor Grainger be censured."

Hopefully the residents of Nettleham, Grange-de-Lings, Riseholme and Greetwell will vote wisely on Thursday, 6th September 2012.

Former Council Leader Receives An Apology & A Substantial Sum in Damages

Above: Mr. Theobald in the Council Chamber when he was
Leader of West Lindsey District Council

The Lincolnshire Echo has today published an apology to Mr. Bernard Theobald, the one-time Leader of West Lindsey District Council, for linking information about the council's operations, a planning application by Mr. Theobald and the dismissal of a member of the planning department. The paper summerised there apology saying:

"We apologise unreservedly to Mr Theobald for any distress or embarrassment caused by this error."

Although the periodical spent, however, the preceding seven paragraphs quantifying their apology and blaming a press release from the Council; apparently the connection between 'potential fraud and mismanagement' and Mr. Theobald's planning application was made, relying on a press release from West Lindsey District Council dated 24th September 2009.

Mr. Theobald, who was singer Barbara Dickson's manager before entering politics, brought proceedings in the High Court, in London. The former Leader of West Lindsey District Council and Chairman of the Planning Committee, was caused serious distress and embarrassment by the stories, said his counsel, Mr. Ronald Thwaites QC. The first article appeared in December 2009 and alleged there were good and solid reasonable grounds to suspect Mr. Theobald had committed fraud in relation to the application, which he had made the previous June. Three days later, the allegation was repeated and it was also claimed that Mr. Theobald had lied in denying the newspaper's claim that his planning application had resulted in a council officer's suspension and investigation by the Audit Commission. A third article appeared in January 2010.

Mr. Thwaites said:

"There was nothing to justify the allegations as published. The allegations made against Mr Theobald were completely false and should never have been published."

On behalf of the publisher, Mr. Manuel Barca QC, said it apologised 'fully and unreservedly' for the publication of the false allegations. It is understood that they have agreed to pay Mr. Theobald a substantial, yet undisclosed, sum in compensation and his legal costs.

Councillor Gets Dirty

Donning safety boots, hi-vis jacket and gloves Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway, Conservative (Saxilby Ward), spent a day working side by side colleagues in the waste services team.

The West Lindsey District Councillor, who is chairman of the Community and Waste Services Committee, was surprised with her findings. She said:

"This job requires more skills than one might at first expect and I learned a great deal."



Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway having
a go at wheelie bin collections.

Cllr. Mrs. Brockway used a day of her summer holiday to do a shift as a refuse collector on one of the council's refuse freighters. She said: 

"I was surprised by the speed and fluidity with which they do their jobs and I found myself having to run to keep up at first, before getting into a routine.

"They showed me how to inspect the rubbish and to get the bins onto the lifting machinery which then tipped it into the back of the wagon.

"This was far from easy and it took me a few attempts before I got the hang of things.

"My new colleagues were extremely patient with me, even when I failed to get one bin to catch on the lift and the contents fell out onto the road."

Cllr. Mrs. Brockway said she was impressed with how the driver manoeuvred the twenty-six tonne lorry smoothly through some incredibly narrow and difficult traffic situations.

Staff worked with accuracy, managing to remember where every bin came from and Cllr Brockway watched them handling residents' queries with care and diplomacy.

Cllr. Mrs. Brockway added:

"This is not a job for the unfit and there is no slow point in the day when the men can simply stop and take a rest (apart from a short lunch break).



"They're on the go the whole time and they have to be very aware of hygiene, road safety and the needs of residents.

"I was appalled by the way car drivers pushed past the refuse wagon, often at speed, with no care for the safety of the refuse collectors.

 "I'm really grateful to the team for giving me the benefit of their time and experience."

The day was arranged by Operational Service Manager, Mr. Glyn Pilkington and Team Leader Mr. Andy Selby to work with a team of three experienced operatives.

Mr Pilkington said:

"I am really pleased that Cllr Brockway wanted to have a go.

"Refuse and recycling is one service that directly impacts on all residents and therefore it is important that councillors fully understand the difficulties of the service and the need to make it as simple as possible for residents to recycle".

£100,000 Flood Prevention Project to Start at Fiskerton

Work to strengthen flood defences in a West Lindsey village is set to start next week.

 

Fiskerton has been plagued by flooding problems for more than twenty years but now their misery is set to come to an end.

 

West Lindsey District Council has teamed up with a number of partners to help deliver an innovative solution to the problem.

 

Plans have been drawn up to intercept much of the surface and land drainage from the uphill side of the village and redirect it, back under, rather than through the village.

 

Mr. Tony Adams, Flood Prevention Officer at West Lindsey District Council, thanked everyone involved in making the scheme possible. He said:

"The involvement and contribution of the Church Commissioners, the tenant farmer, The Witham Third Internal Drainage Board and the Parish Council have been invaluable and without their support and passage through the school, then this scheme could not have come about."

Work is expected to start on the scheme on Tuesday at Fiskerton Church of England Primary School.

 

This part of the work is expected to be complete by September, in time for the children to return after the summer holidays.

 

Other and more extensive work will be carried out in the field north of the village hall and lesser works in the fields to the east and west and is expected to be complete by the end of September.

 

The work has been made possible thanks to funding from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

 

Cllr. Mrs. Meg Davidson, Conservative (Fiskerton Ward) said:

"This is exciting news - although there have been a few hurdles to overcome it is great to know it is going ahead.

 

"It really good how many people have worked together to make this happen, it has been a real team effort.

 

"Residents of Fiskerton were affected quite badly in the 2007 floods because of the pressures of the existing drainage systems and this news will give them a real boost.

 

"West Lindsey has done a huge amount of work in working with residents, making sure they knew what was happening and why.

 

"I would like to thank staff at West Lindsey for getting the DEFRA grant; it is a real credit to them."

Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway, Chairman of Community and Waste Services Committee at the council, said:

"West Lindsey and its partners have worked very hard to secure this money for the Fiskerton flooding scheme.

 

"I am absolutely delighted that work is going to start and hopefully it will relieve the problems for residents."

Disruption to the village as a whole will be kept to a minimum as work to all but the village hall and the school works will be via the entrance to the airfield at Reepham Road.

 

Work will be limited to the hours of 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings.

 

Part of the village hall grounds will be closed to ensure safe work and access.

 

Partners involved in the scheme include:

• The Church Commissioners
• The Tenant Farmer, Mr Philip Good
• The Witham Third Internal Drainage Board
• Anglian Water
• LincolnshireCounty Council - Highways
• LincolnshireCounty Council - Fiskerton C.E. Primary School
• West Lindsey District Council

New Community Sports Centre Opened In Gainsborough

Above: Marshalls Sport Pavilion official opening
(Left to Right) Mr. Brian Dalby, Mr. James Nicholson,
Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway, Cllr. William Parry and
Mr. Chris Barry.

A new energy efficient sports facility, which has cost almost £900,000, has been built in West Lindsey to benefit the whole community.

Marshalls Sport Pavilion on Gainsborough's Middlefield Lane has been fitted with solar water heaters to provide hot water to the showers and basins, natural ventilation in the function room, efficient lighting and much more.

The facility was officially opened by the deputy chairman of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr. William Parry, Conservative (Scotter Ward).

Cllr. Parry said: "I was privileged to officially open this superbamenity building of changing rooms and function roomfor the Marshalls Sports Clubs.

Funding from the Football Foundation and Gainsborough Development Trust, as well as the District Council, has enabled this excellent sports facility to be built."

West Lindsey District Council took over the running of the site from Marshall's Sports and Social Club about three years ago.

The original pavilion was in a bad state of repair and unusable.

However, sports groups continued to play on the fields and used portable cabins to change in to their team colours.

Now thanks to the funding, a new energy saving building has been built, providing top class facilities for teams to use.

It has been designed by the council's Technical and Contract Services team and Ross Davy Associates and was built by local contractors Gelders. Mr. Steve Gelder managing director of Gelders said:

"It is a fantastic building and by using local contractors you get more of an affinity with the project."

The facility has the following:

• Six changing rooms with their own showers and toilets
• A large function room
• Kitchen and stores
• Two official changing rooms
• Bag/equipment storage
• Entrance foyer with toilets
• The car park has also been extended.

Mr. Brian Dalby, Director of the Gainsborough Development Trust, said:

"This really is a superb facility. The money we have put into this project is surplus from the work carried out on the Riverside and it is good to see this project has also brought money into the town."

Mr. Chris Barry, Technical Advisor for the Football Foundation, grew up in the town and uses the facility regularly said:

"It is fantastic to see this good quality building open in Gainsborough as this is something that has been needed for a long time."

Mr. Graham Lyner, Chairman of the Lincolnshire Football Association, who has been campaigning for a facility like this for about ten years said:

"There has been a lack of facilities in Gainsborough. This building is absolutely wonderful. I would like to say congratulations to everyone who has been involved in making this come true. It is a credit to the town."

Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway, Conservative (Saxilby Ward), chairman of Community and Waste Services Committee was pleased to be at the launch. Speaking to everyone involved in the project, she said:

"You have not just built a building you have built a legacy of opportunity, good health and community. You have not just done it - you have done it well and I thank you."

The facility is fully inclusive for different social group mixes and will help the 14 children's teams, bowls, and cricket and football teams.

Mr. Dave Andrews, Chairman of Marshall's Cricket Club, said seeing the building had made him speechless. He said:

"It is a fantastic facility - beyond my wildest dreams."

From Wednesday, 1st September 2010, the facility will be handed over to Gainsborough Town Council, who will be taking over the running of it.

Mr. Paul Leeder, Clerk to Gainsborough Town Council, said:

"I think this is a fantastic facility. A lot of people have put in a lot of hard work in to getting this facility here. It would be good to get more people to use it not just sports groups."

West Lindsey Nets £181,000 To End Flood Misery

Two bids for flood alleviation funding totalling £181,000 compiled by West Lindsey District Council have been backed by the government.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has announced that £96,000 has been awarded towards a project at Fiskerton and a further £85,000 for work at Sykes Lane in Saxilby.

A further £53,000 has been awarded to a Lincolnshire County Council project to provide highways improvements and a water course diversion scheme in Waddingham which will also ease flooding.

A delighted Leader of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr. Adam Duguid, Conservative (Market Rasen Ward) said recognition from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was a just reward for councillors and officers who have worked tirelessly to bring flooding relief to local people.

"The terrible events of June 2007 focussed everyone's attention on the need to do as much as possible to prevent property flooding on that scale ever happening again. By implementing these grant funded schemes, approximately 90 households that were previously vulnerable to flooding will be protected.

"We have done remarkably well to secure a slice of only £5 million available nationally - West Lindsey was the only district council in Lincolnshire to be successful - and we are fully committed to doing everything we can to get more funding for other schemes in our area that urgently need implementing."

The terms of the funding mean that schemes have got to be complete by March 2011, and in Fiskerton work is due to be completed as soon as August 2010.

The Fiskerton project is the result of West Lindsey District Council, the Third Witham Drainage Board, developer Morris Homes and the local parish council all working together on a scheme which will intercept water from the north of the village and then divert it under the village - rather than through it - to the drains to the south and then out to the North Delph.

The scheme is designed to resist a six hour storm with an additional thirty percent capacity built in to allow for climate change.

In Saxilby there are known flood risk problems on Sykes Lane and the funding award will be used to tackle flood risk from surface and ground water after heavy rain and to re-route water away from the village towards established and maintained watercourses to the north.

Making the funding announcements, Environment Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said:

"Local authorities have a crucial role to play in tackling flooding and it's vital that they have these funds now so that work can begin on resolving local flooding immediately. At the same time they will have the chance to develop the understanding and skills they need for the longer term. We wanted to make sure these funds went to where they are most needed and where they can make the biggest difference."

Investigations Stall at West Lindsey as Liberal Democrat 'Fudge' Prevails

Update to Liberal Democrats Frustrate Investigations at West Lindsey and Fraud Inquiry at West Lindsey.

A member of West Lindsey District Council has admitted meeting a planning officer who was suspended as part of a fraud investigation. Cllr. Adam Duguid, Conservative (Market Rasen Ward), made the revelation during a tense two-hour council meeting last night, which saw the Tories defeated in their attempts to push ahead with the authority's investigation of the allegations.

Cllr. Duguid, Deputy Leader of the Council, said the meeting was not planned and that he was ‘ambushed’ by the officer – but confirmed he did speak to him.

The staff member was suspended as part of an on-going inquiry into fraud and mismanagement allegations made against the authority's planning department.

Liberal Democrat leader Reg Shore asked Cllr. Duguid whether he could confirm rumours of senior council members meeting with the suspended officer. Cllr Duguid said:

"I did meet a suspended member of council. However, I did not solicit that meeting and it was unavoidable. I declared that meeting to officers at the earliest opportunity."

Responding to Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Cllr. Reg Shore (Stow Ward) and Cllr. Malcolm Leaning, Liberal Democrat (Nettleham Ward), Cllr. Bernard Theobald, Leader of West Lindsey District Council, Conservative (Wold View Ward), commenting on the proposal to expand number of members and the remit of the 'Investigations and Disciplinary Committee' said:

"I think, I stand here in the same role as every other member of this council and that is to act in the best interest of the council taxpayer. We are charged to represent them. That's what we do, the council is really owned by the public and we are their elected members to come and run the council on their behalf, for their benefit. That is to ensure that we deliver the services they require at a cost that is affordable. And to try also to promote things that act in the well-being and interest of the council tax-payer.

"I heard with interest from Cllr. Leaning who said 'the mess we've got ourselves into'. I'm sitting here trying to think how we've as elected members have got ourselves into this mess because we've had no input into it. This is a mess we had no input into and think that's a problem. We will certainly be held accountable by the public, because we're their members. Therefore it is very important that when we are asked questions by the public we can give them an honest, open and transparent answers. And the only way we are going to be able to do that is by looking at what's happened within the council.

"Now I don't know about this disciplinary matter that was on-going, and I don't know how big an issue it is around other investigations that have taken place or not taken place. The Auditor, remember, is in at our invitation... I've met with the auditor there are issues that were raised in paper G that he said to me, quite categorically, that that is for the Council to look at."

Cllr. Theobald also criticised the way in which the Liberal Democrats' leadership appeared to be trying to gain some political advantage:

"I am sad if this gets turned into a party political football to make political capital out of.

"The auditor said to me that on what he'd seen so far 'their was no question of fraud', in his opinion, in the planning department... But in the meantime we still have a headline batting about out there that says 'Fraud and Mismanagement in the Planning Department'... [The Public] they've seen the headline, it's been put out there, they want to know what's going on."

Ultimately Cllr. Theobald said:

"This is the concern, this council belongs to the members, and the members need to reassure themselves of the conduct of each and everyone of us.. whether by election or whether by employment. We need to know we are all pulling together in the right direction in the best interest of the public, the people we serve."

Cllr. Leaning later responded to Cllr. Theobald's comments about the crisis not being of the members making by saying:

"I am in complete agreement."

In response to a fudge of delaying tactics that the Liberal democrats deployed Cllr. Theobald said:

"This is about being strong and decisive, it's about saying if their are issues here we want to find out what they are and understand them."

Recently re-elected Cllr. Jackie Brockway, Conservative (Saxilby Ward) who crossed the political aisle earlier in the year, gave a strong case for moving forward with the committee, not for the benefit of the councillors, but for the council's employees who do not need the additional burden of holding consecutive, rather than parallel investigations.

Cllr. Reg Shore gave notice that the three Liberal Democrat members would not attend until such time as the Audit Commission report had been received.

Cllr. Theobald, who with 22 Conservative Councillors, 13 Liberal Democrats, 1 Independent and 1 Vacancy (not expected to be filled until May 2010), should have been able to find enough support to carry the motion; but he failed to do so. In the end the motion fell 12:14 with 2 abstentions – Cllr. Theobald declared the issue ‘dead in the water’. Whilst only 28 of the 37 members of the council were able to be in attendance to vote - a number of the Conservative benches must have stayed away.

The Conservative Group Leader said he was disappointed that the opposition group would not allow the investigations committee, which included Cllr Duguid, to expand from five members to eight.

The increase was proposed after the Liberal Democrats refused to provide two members until the independent Audit Commission has completed its review on governance at the authority.

The Liberal Democrat opposition believed the Conservatives were trying to internalise the process by creating this committee.

How this will affect Cllr. Theobald's continued leadership of the Council and Conservative Group is unknown at this time.

Cllr. Theobald told the Lincolnshire Echo the allegations needed investigating to answer public concerns and accused the opposition of a cover-up.

"I am not sure why the Liberal Democrats don't want the matters investigated.

"Losing the vote does not question my authority but does question whether the Liberal Democrats should be in the authority. They are acting in other interests. The taxpayer has a right to know what is happening."

Cllr. Shore said there was ‘no chance’ of a cover-up from his party.

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