September News

Two Rendering Site Applications

The first planning meeting about the two rendering sites at Norton Disney and Skellingthorpe is on September 4^th at 5pm and 6.30pm respectively, at North Kesteven District Council, Sleaford NG34 7EF. As consultees, they will make recommendations to the County Council Planning, where I also have a seat. Book to attend online or online or by phone 0333 247 0253, as places are limited by the available space.  The officer recommendations for Council response are published; search using “the planning committee agenda September 4^th 2018”

https://democracy.n-kesteven.gov.uk/ ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=700&MId=7595&Ver=4

The Council agreed to object to both applications as they stood. The record will be on the NKDC’s web shortly.

The application will next be heard at the County Council. Please comment on line and a copy to me is helpful. Thank you to all who have already written.

https://www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/residents/planning-and-building/planning/planning-applications/planning-online/

• PL/0055/18 – Jerusalem Farm, Skellingthorpe
• PL/0036/18 – Villa Farm, Norton Disney

Or e-mail dev_planningsupport@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Highways success and more to do

Thank you for your support in reporting potholes and other defects. I have been keeping up the pressure, with constant communication with highways. You may also remember that recently I began focussing on bigger resurfacing repairs and haunching of edges. I am delighted we have considerable success and you will have seen there are several hundred potholes in my division that are now filled and many of our roads resurfaced. There is more to do and it is important to get as much as we can done before Winter.

I asked for improvements to the website. The new website is better or call 01522 782070. Take the link “Report a highway fault” from the home page of County Council website.  www.lincolnshire.gov.uk

After some pressure, I obtained a list of all the repairs in my division, reported online both last year and this, and their progress. As we knew, they were hopelessly behind schedule and some of our reports had vanished. The exact location in the rural areas is quite difficult, especially where mobile signal is poor.  I asked for and got “all potholes to be repaired” along particularly bad stretches of road and indeed, the whole village, in the case of Welbourn.

We have also managed to get quite a lot of resurfacing so far. Some of it is tar and chip, but in some cases, you will have noticed the road has been “planned off”, the tarmac melted on site with added “glue” and reapplied, making a stronger new surface.

Exam Results

Congratulations to all our young people on their exam results this year. In Lincolnshire, A-level results were well above the national average. One quarter were A grades and half were A or B.  Sir William Robertson School did better still with 70% of grades being A* to C. Students also did brilliantly in their BTEC level 3 Sports Diplomas.

In Lincolnshire, GCSE results are slightly improved this year, both overall and in Maths and English.

Tourism

Like me, you probably quite often visit Lincoln Castle, the Cathedral and Whisby Nature Park, helping to make them the top three visitor attractions in the County.  We, that’s you and I with our public money, have invested heavily in Lincoln Castle, Whisby and the new visitor centre at Gibraltar Point, part of the “Coastal Park”, all actively organising events, visible on the Visit Lincoln, Visit England or visit Lincoln Coast websites. Mrs Smith’s Cottage in Navenby is progressing, albeit a rather slow pace!

Overall tourism in Lincolnshire is up by 7.3% to 20m visitors in 2017, spending £1.47bn.

Local Visitor Attractions Continued…

New use for 10,000 2p pieces, sculpture at Doddington Hall, part of a big exhibition open until September 9^th – well worth a visit!

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue

Safety events for people working in care homes, hotels, licensed premises , shops and offices include Lincoln South Station on 13^th September and Grantham Fire Station on the 14^th. Book on fire.safety@lincoln.fire-uk.org.

 Three Big Centenery Celebrations:-

RAF, Armistice and Women’s right to vote for MP

The Cliff Villages are putting together a series of events around October 14^th to mark these celebrations.

Navenby Lion and Royal, celebrate RAF Guy Gibson’s wedding. Bracebridge Heath is having a celebratory tea in the village hall 2-5pm. Would you like to get involved?

Please give me a ring if you can lend a hand. 07920235364

Supporting Businesses

Is your business entrepeneurial? Why not enter for an award and increase your profile? Three Lincoln businesses are shortlisted this year. Visiondrive from Lincoln who move vehicles, Beauty BLVD colour cosmetics and skin and body care, including glitter lips from Dragon’s Den and Greenborough Management Ltd, who provide ideas and support small businesses. Deadline 1 March annually. https://www.greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com

Health: local issues, national influence

You may have seen my TV appearance this month, speaking nationally on a few health and care issues. It turns out that UK is one of the most obese nations in the world. Over 22,000 children leaving primary school are already severely obese and life expectancy in Lincolnshire has been dropping over the past few years.

Although the number of people under 64 is staying the same, the number over that is increasing. If we can get healthy lives, and avoid say 20pc diabetes, heart disease, stroke, then we get a significant advantage for ourselves, the economy and the health service. Moderate activity, such as walking fast ten minutes a day, or 150 mins per week, gives a benefit equivalent to giving up smoking. Thanks to our local U3A’s and activity groups for these enjoyable ways to help our health and happiness.

You may also have heard me on the radio talking about the health hazards that Councils have found in fake cosmetics and perfumes. Some contain lead, mercury and chemicals that burn skin. If suspicious, please ring the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline 03454 04 05 06 for support from Lincolnshire Trading Standards.

Councillor passes away after 44 years duty

Condolences to the family of Cllr Mrs Brighton OBE. Marion served as a councillor for 44 years, leader for 16 years and passed away aged 88.

Street Lighting

The year-long review of the County Council lighting switch-off midnight to 6am is complete. 5,000 comments were received and five recommendations made to ease the impact of the policy; Communication to allay fears and allow Parish Councils to part fund. Ongoing data is sought on the connection with crime and road safety, not yet proven, they say, despite what the police have been telling us for years. One positive suggestion was that defibrillator sites do need to stay lit at night. The advantages of Carbon and energy saving are undermined by the fact that the power stations keep running overnight anyway. Changing to the LED lighting has brought a significant saving in running costs, with a ten-year payback. Residents probably want to make sure their house numbers are very visible for emergency services.

Hottest English Summer on Record

I hope you have enjoyed more outdoor activities, with more reliable weather. Garden produce at the village shows was down, reflecting the lower crop yields. Flying insects including butterflies, like this Brimstone on Field Scabious, seem to have done well.

Village Produce Shows

Congratulations to everyone involved in organising these brilliant, traditional events. Congratulations to all the winners, including Christine and Linda (below) and to the child who won for making these puppy cakes.

In Wellingore on Sunday, huge congratulations to the overall show winner, Chloe Dodd aged 11, who wrote a magnificent poem in celebration of her home village, Wellingore.

Wildlife Watch

Bats and Moths came out in good numbers for our fun Wildlife Watch camp at Hilltop Farm, Welbourn, discovering more about nocturnal animals in our gardens. Next is the Autumn Crafts^. Contact me or Jean on 01636 626176.

Good Neighbour Award

Do you know a good neighbour who deserves a special thank you? The Co-op and Neighbourhood Watch are inviting your nomination before midnight on September 5^th. neighbourawards@ourwatch.org.uk