Meeting with Minister Provides Hope for Hawthorn Road Users

Sir Edward Leigh MP has welcomed assurances from the Rt. Hon. John Hayes MP, Minister of State for Transport, following a meeting with local county, district and parish councillors and representatives of the campaign to save Hawthorn Road from closure, about the scheme's funding from central government.

Above: (Left to Right) Mrs. Sally Lidbury, Mr. Peter Moore, a
civil servant, Rt. Hon. John Hayes MP, Minister for Transport,
and Sir Edward Leigh MP

Concern has been raised by local residents that the scheme, as currently proposed, will lead to the closure of Hawthorn Road in Greetwell, just prior to the boundary of the city of Lincoln, having a detrimental effect on the ability of local people to commute to and from Lincoln. The group protesting the closure does not question, nor oppose, the bypass. However, they consider the retention of the road, as a carriage way, essential.

One of the group's spokesmen, Mrs. Sally Lidbury, told the minister:

"Our objective is to seek support from the Department for Transport to facilitate a minor change to the current scheme. We are not here to ask for additional funding, or short-cuts in the policy process. We strongly support the Lincoln Eastern Bypass but object to the closure of Hawthorn Road. We feel that residents will be disproportionally disadvantaged as a result of the closure under current plans."

Following the meeting District Councillor Giles McNeill, who represents the parish of Greetwell where the proposed closure is designated to occur, said:

"I think Lincolnshire County Council have been unsure as to the security, after the end of the current financial year, of the £49.5million being supplied to the project by central government. The minister has been able to reiterate the assurances of the Secretary of State that the money - key to making this project happen - will not automatically disappear in March next year. I am confident that Lincolnshire County Council will want to be absolutely certain that the cost of retaining the use of the road for motor vehicles is not prohibitive, but would expect that a revision is now very much something the county council will want to pursue."

Cllr. Ian Fleetwood, who represents Cherry Willingham and Reepham, at Lincolnshire County Council, said:

"If the money is not going to vanish I can’t see why the county council will not engage with the local residents to see if an affordable option is open to them. The minister was able to point us in the direction of the Local Enterprise Partnership which has just got additional monies from central government, and may be able to support the marginal additional cost of a road bridge, estimated at around £100,000 on the £96million scheme."

Sir Edward Leigh MP said:

"This meeting has been very positive and productive. I welcome the minister's offer to help support the common sense of retaining the vehicular access on Hawthorn Road. I hope to work with Lincoln's Member of Parliament, Karl McCartney, to persuade Lincolnshire County Council to think again and make this minor change and am fully prepared to bid for money from the LEP."

The minister agreed to write to the county council to provide additional details regarding the funding arrangements.

Local MP Wants State Schools to Replicate Private Schools

Advice to improve schools by 'replicating what goes on in the independent sector', including selection, is 'entirely in line' with the Government's intentions, a minister has said.

Speaking at Education Questions in the Commons, Edward Leigh, MP, Conservative (Gainsborough Constituency), said independent schools had many things to teach about boosting standards. Mr. Leigh asked:

"Will you agree with me the real way to improve standards in the state sector is to replicate what goes on in the independent sector?

"Mainly to allow headteachers to hire and fire teachers, to select their own curriculum and to select and de-select pupils."

John Hayes MP, Conservative (South Holland & the Deepings), Minister of State for Further Educations, Skills and Life Long Learning, who attended a dinner in the Gainsborough Constituency in the summer of 2011, replied:

"What we seek is a system driven by demand, the choices of pupils, helped to make informed judgments by the information they are given, businesses driving the skills system and headteachers and college principals free to respond to local needs.

"That is precisely our mantra, entirely in line with your intentions and ambitions."

Local Conservatives Welcome Minister of State, John Hayes MP

Local Conservatives yesterday evening welcomed Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning John Hayes MP to a dinner at the acclaimed Cross Keys Restaurant and Bar in Stow, north west of Lincoln.


Above: John Hayes MP, Minister of State for Further
Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, answers
a question, Cllr. & Mrs. Parry observe.

Speaking to local activists the Minister talked about renewal as the key theme of what he wants to achieve and the achievements that have already occurred since becoming a Minister last year - including the creation of 90,000 apprenticeship places. The Minister paid tribute to Gainsborough parliamentarian, Edward Leigh MP, he said:

"Edward is my closest parliamentary colleague; which comes from, as yet, not having found anything that we disagree about."

Chairman of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr. William Parry, Conservative (Scotter Ward), who is the Gainsborough Constituency Conservative Association's Deputy Chairman (Membership and Fundraising), chaired proceeding giving local party members - both young and old - and others from outside the constituency, the opportunity to ask questions of the Minister. The questions were answered with considerable poise and the minister gave a number of undertakings to bring local people's concerns back to the Departments of Education and Business, Innovation and Science and their respective Secretaries of State. The Minister noted that he was in the unusual position of belonging to two departments. In a surprising revelation the Minister described his working relationship with Secretary of State for Business, Rt. Hon. Vince Cable MP (Liberal Democrat):

"I have never had any interference from the Secretary of State, he has supported me in a number of areas: but I am delivering the Conservative manifesto on further education that I was elected on, and you voted for, and spent my time in opposition, in apprenticeship - if I may put it like that - preparing."

Alan Duncan Spotted At Cornerstone Party

Mr. Tim Montgomerie on ConservativeHome reports that last night at the annual Cornerstone Group drinks party, hosted by Lincolnshire parliamentarians John Hayes MP, Conservative (South Holland & The Deepings) and Edward Leigh MP, Conservative (Gainsborough), that Alan Duncan MP, Conservative (Rutland & Melton) was one of forty members of Parliament present and 'certainly the most surprising guest'. Mr. Duncan famously called Cornerstone the 'Tombstone Group' and lambasted the party's Taliban tendency.

The Guest of Honour was Lady Thatcher was also greeted by about twenty Prospective Parliamentary Candidates. Just about everyone present wanted a photograph of them meeting the woman described by Edward Leigh, Cornerstone's co-Chairman, as 'our greatest peacetime Prime Minister'.

Mr. Montgomerie reports that women were much on her mind as she told the guests, many of whom were female candidates, that 'Parliament badly needed more women'.

Acknowledgement: ConservativeHome | ToryDiary | 28/01/10