Strike Boosts Lincolnshire Businesses

Business leaders say the strike over public sector pensions brought an unexpected and welcome boost to trade in the county, reports the Lincolnshire Echo.

Two million public sector workers walked out on strike across Britain.

More than one hundred of the three hundred and sixty-seven schools in the county were closed and three hundred county council workers (10% of the workforce) – downed tools.

Protesters took part in a small march through Lincoln city centre, culminating at the Lincoln Drill Hall.

Prime Minister David Cameron rightly branded the industrial action 'a damp squib' that failed to cripple Britain.

It turns out that the strikes had one unintended outcome; any traders here saw an upturn in business.

Mr. Simon Beardsley, Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, said:

"An indirect result seems to be that last Wednesday was a better day for retailers as it has given some parents who have children off school the opportunity to go Christmas shopping, therefore a potential benefit to the economy.

"This may just be timing, in that they will buy now rather than closer to Christmas, but this is likely to be a comfort to cash flow at this time."

Mr. Beardsley said the main impact was the knock-on effects from school closures with parents taking the day off the look after children.

"It is difficult in such circumstances to place a value on the disruption as this cover may have been accommodated from existing holiday allocation and as such the impact is felt more directly by employees losing holiday allocation.

"Our major concern is if the frequency of the dispute increases and accommodation becomes more difficult, as this is when businesses are also likely to see direct impacts in terms of operating costs and lost revenue."

Mr. Barry Reeves, Chairman of Sincil Street Traders, in Lincoln, who runs the Central Snacks cafe on the market, said:

"Can we have another strike soon? By going on strike, they turned last Wednesday into a bumper day of trade. It couldn't have come at a better time."

It is likely that the boost in trade will be reflected the quarterly figures for the last three months of the year and will give the government a boost as well in January.

West Lindsey On Track For Balanced Budget

West Lindsey District Council already has a lean budget, thanks to changes made by Conservatives who took control in May 2008. It is now apparent that most of this year's spending will be balanced by efficiency savings and income, with no services being scrapped.

The authority currently has one of the lowest charges in the country and is also debt free.

Leader of the Council, Cllr. Burt Keimach, Conservative (Market Rasen Ward), said:

"We received the worst district council settlement on government funding in Lincolnshire and among one of the worst in the country, but we are proposing no council tax rise.

"We still have a lot of work to do, but early indications show we will be able to balance our budget for this financial year without impacting on key services, making expensive redundancies or increasing council tax."

The council needs to save £2.5m over the next two years and another £250,000 as a result of other pressures, such as inflation. Although the council's budget will not be officially agreed until Monday, 7th March 2011, there is cause for optomism.

Reprieve for Local Residential Care Home

Lincolnshire County Council has revealed more details on its proposals to improve respite and day care centres across Lincolnshire with brand-new, state-of-the-art facilities.

Closing five council-owned care homes is expected to save taxpayers one million nine hundred thousand pounds a year whilst those opposed to the scheme claim it to be "another nail in the coffin".


The proposal recommends the authority's homes in Lincoln, Gainsborough, Boston, Spalding and Louth should be closed. With the potential for up to two hundred and thirty jobs losses. But the remaining three facilities in Nettleham, Sleaford and Grantham are expected to see changes if the plan is approved next month.

Linelands, in Nettleham provides twenty-seven beds, including fifteen for intermediate care and fifty-six day care places per week. Under the plans, the number of beds remains the same, but the number of day care places drops to forty-five.

Protests against the changes have been taking place throughout the year. Mrs. Elaine Smith, who cares full-time for her mother, Mrs. Lilian Smithson, and has used both Linelands and Bonner House in Sleaford for planned respite care is reported in the Lincolnshire Echo as saying:

"We made it clear that we were not just fighting to keep Linelands open, but all of the eight care homes.

"It does not make good business sense to have spare beds available for respite.

"The vast majority of people who go to these homes have a carer and it’s another nail in the coffin for carers who save the Government millions and millions of pounds a year. It's appalling."

The Conservative-controlled authority says it costs nearly one-thousand pounds per week for a bed in its care homes. This would decrease to five hundred per week for a bed under a new system run by private and charitable companies.

The paper reports that the authority insists changes are required with the introduction of personal budgets, which provide people with more choice by allowing them to buy the care they want, rather than a council choosing where they go.

The county council intends that any monies raised from selling buildings would be reinvested in providing better dementia care services.

Leader of the Council, Cllr. Martin Hill OBE, Conservative (Folkingham Rural Division) is reported to have commented:

"It's not about saving money, it's about providing a much better service and much more dementia services."

The local Branch Secretary of Unison, Mr. John Sharman, said:

"We can see our campaign has saved three of the homes and we would say this is a partial victory."

Nettleham Parish Councillor, Giles McNeill, said:

"Local residents will be pleased that pressure from a number of sources, including Nettleham Parish Council, has potentially secured the future of Linelands. The County Council face difficult decisions in this area and the whole basis of financial planning for the authority must be being examined."

Staff Battle to Save Care Home

The planned closure of several care homes in Lincolnshire has sparked anger from staff. Staff at Linelands Care Home in Nettleham, say their main concern is the elderly people who spend their days there. Potentially eight care homes may be closed and new provision set up.

There are no firm details of what can be expected as future plans are being developed with significant consultation with communities and the families of those being cared for. however, Lincolnshire Councty Council has said is that its vision is for new housing schemes which could include self-contained apartments with en-suite bedrooms with care support on site, communal areas and social facilities such as shops, cafes and pubs. Other big plans are specialised dementia centres. New facilities would be delivered in partnership with 'independent sector providers'.

UNISON representative Mr. Mick Barnshaw who is fighting against these changes on behalf of staff, has raided his concerns. Local parliamentarian, Mr. Edward Leigh MP, visited Linelands yesterday.

Mr Barnshaw told staff:

"We need to be clear, purpose-built care homes would be an obvious improvement for everyone.

"However, a building without quality staff to give first class care is not in anybody's interests.

"On current information provided by Lincolnshire County Council, it is undecided who will administer the care – public or private. It is strongly indicated it will be private.

"There is at present, a real lack of detail on the way forward.

"We need a thorough and detailed assessment, not just a glossy DVD and we need to have everyone involved."

A consultation meeting will take place at Nettleham Junior School, Mill Hill on Monday, 11th January 2010 starting at 6pm.