November Norton Disney Rendering plant, Funding, Make Votes Matter

NEW APPLICATION

There is a plant in Skellingthorpe, still called “Hughes” by many, that cooks and squashes dead animals into “meal” for animals and “tallow”. Prior to their planning application, they are asking your opinion on whether they should start working in Norton Disney Parish on a largely greenfield site at Villa Farm, Folly Lane. The exhibition was packed all day with residents from the nearby Lincolnshire villages, from Witham St Hughes to Bassingham. The developers’ presentation at Norton Disney Parish Council was well attended, with very strong questioning. Let me know your views, so I can best represent you. As I sit on the planning committee at both District and County Councils, I must retain an open mind until the vote. However, it is my job to listen and represent your views and to make sure you know and can fully access the planning process. marianne.overton@biosearch.org.uk

FAIRER FUNDING CAMPAIGN
Nationally, as Vice Chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), I have worked with colleagues to get better funding for our councils and for rural authorities like Lincolnshire. We made the case for better funding for adult care and gained an extra £2bn. Lincolnshire got its share which has made a significant improvement in our County. We made the case for more funding for repairing potholes and got £600m. Next we are working on funds for children. You may have heard me campaigning for funds for local leisure facilities to help reduce our NHS bill. Our full submission is on the website of the LGA.
The current Leader of LCC has also now met the minister, I understand, but sadly is reported as saying he thought we could manage for a couple of years as we are, with some further “savings”.
In contrast, I am pushing for better funding now and the budget is due on 22nd November.
This government has cut our core government funding and reneged on letting us keep all the business rates, leaving us seriously short. We must continue to battle for our fair share. www.lincolnshireindependents.org

MAKE VOTES MATTER
The current “winner takes all” system of voting in England, has all members elected on “first past the post”. This means the elected body, such as a Council or Parliament, is usually not representative of the way people voted. This system gives all the power to just a few people, who have little incentive to listen to anyone other than their own voters. In the Welsh and Scottish assemblies and many European countries, they have first past the post, but also a portion of members who win on “top-up” places to make sure the final assembly represents the votes cast. Thus Independents get their fair share.
Nationally our Independent Group have investigated the issue thoroughly, including expert witnesses and produced a document which was supported at our AGM. This week, working with others, we got 103,000 votes for our petition to change to a fairer system, triggering a debate in parliament. There were some excellent speakers and it seemed to me that the petitioners clearly won the debate, if not the battle!

Campaigning for a better democracy: Make Votes Matter

NEW SCHOOL GOVERNANCE
From February 2018, both Sir William Robertson Academy and Bassingham Primary School will be run by the newly formed Aspire Learning Trust. Both academies will have representation on the main Trust Board and each will have its own separate Local Governing Body. The intention is to bring added strength of a bigger organisation and a closer link between Primary and Secondary Schools.
It was very good to see our local schools pupils do so well in “Democracy Day” at North Kesteven last month.

Make Votes Matter Campaign: In Parliament ready for the debate

UNIVERSAL CREDIT
The idea of combining people’s benefits into one seems fine, but it is used as a vehicle to make life extremely difficult for people looking for work. Nationally, colleagues and I have been urging a “pause” in its introduction. The debate was overwhelmingly in favour of the Pause and the vote would have followed, but incredibly, the Conservatives did not vote and so no vote was recognized. You couldn’t make it up. Colleagues and I are urging that the six-week wait after registering and the two weeks payment omitted is scrapped. I am also very concerned about the charities who get people back into work, but rely on the housing benefit. Universal Credit requires people to spend 35 hours a week on a computer site, or suffer deductions in their money. One partially blind person told me he was now only getting £6.25 per month. People with chaotic lifestyles struggle with debt and then become homeless. In areas where it has been trialled, the use of food banks is much increased and there is concern about crime. South Kesteven has already started and others are now due to follow.