Obituary for Nettleham Parish Councillor Allan James Bonney

Nettleham Parish Councillor Allan James Bonney , born Monday, 18th September 1939, passed away on the morning of Friday, 3rd October 2014. 

Allan was by trade a Builder and Civil Engineer having served his apprenticeship under John Laing & Sons Ltd. After his retirement he came to Nettleham in October 2006 and settled in Highfields, Nettleham with a smaller and more manageable garden than he had been used to.

Allan James Bonney 1939 - 2014

Before moving to Nettleham he had been President of the Middlesex Bowling Association and a member of the English Bowls Association Committee. He was a member of the Nettleham Bowls Club where he collected old newspapers on their behalf to raise funds and was the ‘Greens Advisor’ for Bowls Clubs in Lincolnshire.

He was first elected to the council in 2010 where he filled one of three vacancies following the retirement of councillors Meg Davidson, Alf Frith and Ray Sellars. It was not long however before he would have to seek re-election to council the following year. He was successful and continued his service to the parish.

In 2011 Allan was appointed by the council to the Skate Park Steering Group and served as a Deputy on the Property Committee, Planning Committee and Mulsanne Park Users Committee. In 2012 he was appointed to the Nettleham Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee and became a full member of both the Planning Committee and the Mulsanne Park Users Committee. He was also appointed as one the the parishes first two Snow Wardens, along with the Vice-Chairman of the Council, Cllr. Mrs. Janice Clayton.

In 2013 he came off the Musanne Park Users Committee and was promoted by the council to be the lead Snow Warden, also becoming one of the parish's Flood Wardens. Finally, in 2014, with his health impaired, he stepped back to be a deputy again on the Planning Committee and relinquished his roles as a member of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee, and both the Flood and Snow Warden roles.

Allan's four year service to the parish of Nettleham was characterised by a determination to ensure the best for local people, that the council's resources were properly spent and represented value for money. He was never afraid to challenge and enquire about the actions of other authorities and bodies which affected the lives of people within the parish.

Allan was no stranger to the local Domino and Cribbage Club where he was an active member. He served on the Committee of Nettleham Garden Club and helped at their Saturday morning store.

The flag at the Old School, Mill Hill, Nettleham is expected to be flown at half mast on Monday, 6th October 2014. A service of Cremation will take place at 11:10 on Friday, 17th October 2014 at Lincoln Crematorium. 

Allan is survived by his wife Teresa, daughter Hazell and son Ian, together with his seven grandchildren

West Lindsey’s Conservatives Dedicate Benches to Former Colleagues

Conservative Councillors on West Lindsey District Council have had two benches in Marshall’s Yard, Gainsborough dedicated to the memory of former colleagues, Christopher Underwood-Frost and William Parry who both represented the Scotter Ward.

Double sadness struck last year when Cllr. Underwood-Frost lost his long-term battle with cancer in October and then a few weeks later, in December, Cllr. Parry also passed away.

Conservative Leader of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr. Jeff Summers, paid tribute to both men saying:

“Both Chris and William were real gentlemen; Chris with his determination and courage to fight for what he believed in and William with his gentle patience and resolute nature. They are both missed very much by their colleagues on the Council.”

The Conservative Group on the Council wanted to ensure a memorial to the two councillors was in a public place. It was agreed that benches close to the Guildhall would be a fitting location and following consultation with the families two benches were identified near Next and a form of wording agreed for the plaques. Cllr. Giles McNeill, who was Agent for both men in their recent election campaigns said:

“I cannot think of a better site, nor a more fitting tribute to William and Chris. Both men were very different characters. I had the enormous privilege of knowing both of them, helping them with their re-election campaigns in recent years. We are diminished by their loss, but strengthened by their memory.”

County Council Leader Slams Independent West Lindsey Councillor as 'Ignorant'

Conservative Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, Cllr. Martin Hill OBE has had to intervene and write a letter to the Lincolnshire Echo following comments made by an Independent West Lindsey district councllor, describing them as 'ridiculous and completely false'.

Two weeks ago, Cllr Chris Darcel made a number of claims that were so far-fetched they seemed unworthy of being answered. 

However, given that these claims were then repeated in last week's paper [The Lincolnshire Echo], I feel it's important that the record is set straight. 

Over the last few years the county council has had to take bold action to help put right the nation's finances, left in such a disastrous state by the previous Labour government.

Unlike some, we refused to bury our heads in the sand. We pushed ourselves to find new ways of doing things, finding savings of around £150m while protecting the vital services that our residents rely on.

And we have done this in an open and transparent manner, with the vast majority of decisions taken in public and all our accounts and committee records published online for all to see.

We also make sure we give people ample opportunity to voice their views, a recent example being our three-month consultation on local library services, which received hundreds of responses.

And by getting the public involved we were left in the enviable position of having a plan that not only saved money but extended services too. 

Unfortunately, we have now been asked to reconsider our decision and hold further discussions with a not-for-profit company that is interested in running services.

I would also like to underline the council's commitment to building the Lincoln Eastern Bypass.

Major projects like this are complicated and inevitably bring challenges.

We are now making a small adjustment to our design so we can address the planning inspector's concerns. 

Let me be clear though – we will build an eastern bypass, and this will not only relieve congestion by improving traffic flow in the city, but will have a tremendously positive impact on economic prosperity for the county as a whole. 

The points Cllr Darcel raised about the county's new Energy from Waste Facility were ridiculous and completely false. 

A full technical assessment took place to identify the best option for Lincolnshire, and the county council's officers negotiated a very good deal.  Far from wasting money, the contract has saved taxpayers £30 million over the next 25 years.

I'm afraid Cllr Darcel is simply ignorant of the facts both in respect to the alternative ways of dealing with waste, and with regards to the finance arrangements. We have tried to correct him on numerous occasions but, sadly, he refuses to accept when he's wrong. 

By being sensible with our finances and living within our means, we have successfully navigated perhaps the most challenging years local government has seen. 

Simply put, thanks to our efforts and those of our colleagues around the country, the nation is now in a far better position, with the economy starting to look far healthier.

Cllr. Martin Hill - Conservative Leader of Lincolnshire County Council

Victoria Atkins Chosen as Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Louth and Horncastle

Local people from the Louth and Horncastle constituency have chosen the next Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for their area in an open primary.

The fresh face of Mrs. Victoria Atkins has emerged triumphant from a hard fought primary battle and will replace long-serving parliamentarian, Sir Peter Tapsell, who is retiring at the 2015 general election.

Spilsby's Franklin Hall was the venue where three rounds of voting eliminated James Browne, Sarah Macken and Kelly Smith. Mrs. Atkins said:

"I am really excited and feel very honoured to be chosen as the Conservative candidate. I will take it a step at a time and look forward to learning from Sir Peter as well as doing things my own way.

"The three main concerns of local people are housing development, wind farms and flooding and my role is to continue Sir Peter's campaign on these issues and making sure we build on the good work of local councils."

Mrs. Atkins is married to her husband Paul and has a son Monty. She specialises in fraud and criminal regulatory work, with a practice in serious, complex crime.

Each candidate was interviewed and then subjected to a questions and answers session. A ballot was then conducted. The winner requiring fifty percent support to be selected. A number of ballots were held and if no candidate secured fifty percent support then the candidate with the least support was eliminated and another round of balloting conducted.

Chairman of the Louth and Horncastle Conservative Association, Mr. David Andrews, was pleased with Mrs. Atkins' selections, saying:

"We are very happy. All four would have been excellent candidates but Victoria is very good. She has a lot of hard work to do but we are more than confident she will be able to do it."

New Website

For up to date information on the activities of Cllr. Giles McNeill who represents the Nettleham Ward on West Lindsey District Council please visit: 

http://www.gilesmcneill.yourcllr.com/

Tragic Deaths of Two Individuals at Cherry Willingham Level Crossing

Two people have been killed after being struck by a freight train at a level crossing in Cherry Willingham.

The pair died after being hit by a freight train at the Cherry Willingham level crossing just before noon today.

The train is understood to have been heading to Immingham Docks.

British Transport Police said the incident, at Croft Lane in the village of Cherry Willingham, was reported at 11.57am and Lincolnshire Police and East Midlands Ambulance staff also attended.

East Midlands Ambulance Service attended but both people involved in the accident were pronounced dead at the scene.

A British Transport Police spokesman said:

 "Both people have been pronounced dead at the scene. Officers are now working to establish the full circumstances of the incident, which is currently being treated as non-suspicious. 

"The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has been informed."

A spokesman for Cherry Willingham Community School, close to the crossing, said:

"We have been told by the British Transport Police that we can't send children who live in the village home that way, and we have told all parents as much as we can."

Ms Annette Atkinson, a shop worker at Maddison's News in Cherry Willingham said:

"Several customers have been in saying they heard a train sounding its horn for a long time prior to this. 

"We heard the train hit a person at Green Lane, but took until Croft Lane to stop." 

Sir Edward Leigh MP for Gainsborough said:

"It is with shock and deep sadness that I have learnt of these tragic deaths today, in Cherry Willingham. Words will never adequately express the grief that will be experienced by the friends and family; a grief shared by the residents of Cherry Willingham and our wider community. I am confident that those in need of support at this terrible time will find it and that answers will be forthcoming to determine what has gone so tragically wrong. My thoughts are with the family, friends and community at this time."