Spring News

Keeping in touch

This is a newsletter I do for you every month, normally sent by e-mail. If you would like to receive next month’s edition, please let me know: info@lincolnshireindependents.org

Action for local health services

I called for support to help Witham St Hughs get the promised local health services, and we have worked on it at the District Council. Sadly, the conservative approach to add swathes of housing and centralize services for efficiency, leaves many of our residents struggling. The added pressure on A&E is also increased. With Grantham also under threat and Lincoln is over-burdened.

Now an alarming proposal to close Skellingthorpe Surgery is on the table. And where next? Are more of our local surgeries under threat? Even whilst development goes on unchecked and demands rise?  This week, I was very disappointed to see the Government abandon the maximum wait time of four hours.

We have offered to work with the local GP’s to reduce costs by sharing buildings at least. We have also looked at getting more from developers – currently a tough call!

If you would like to add your support, please let me know; we are running petitions, letters and social media campaigns.

Navenby Surgery

Action for Better Highways

I consistently fight for potholes to be properly filled and road surfaces improved.

As the elected Vice Chairman of the Local Government Association, representing 20,000 councillors across England and Wales. I met with the minister and said; “You know what I see? Vote Conservative – get potholes”. Not the only call no doubt, but an effective one. Result? £13.7m extra money came from Government into the highways budget for Lincolnshire this year. More is needed.

Improved road surfaces

Action for safer rural roads

We have made good progress. However, the contract is about to be re-let, this time with a worrying reduced service for rural areas, set by the Conservative administration at Lincoln. The new plan is to increase risk by taking longer to repair deep potholes from 28 days to 3 months, on many of our rural roads. This is dangerous and I have objected. A petition is here. www.lincolnshireindependents.org.uk

No more speeding through villages, please

When prosecutions are made, it often turns out to be local people, accidentally going too fast.  Villages and groups of villages have clubbed together to purchase a portable speed indicator device. They have been proven to be an effective reminder. The Cliff Cluster of Parish Councils is in the process of identifying a local person responsible, identifying their sites and contributing to the purchase.

The dreadful loss of lives on the A607 must drive us to do all we can to prevent further tragedy.

Supporting you on Planning

I have supported good applications that add to our communities and fought tooth and nail against poor applications that risk damaging our rural quality of life. I spoke and voted against the rendering site at Norton Disney and for a better access at Skellingthorpe.  More work is needed as they return this month with more environmental protection measures. Further afield, but with principles at stake, we together worked to save the recreation ground in Sleaford and against extraction of oil from rock in Biscathorpe, just announced as unviable.

“Stick up for our Environment”

The Great British Spring Clean – March 22 – April 23^rd Would you like to take part? Leadenham is one of the Schools and the Parish Councils who are planning an event to demonstrate to residents how they are contributing to keeping the village clean and tidy. Join them at the Village Hall, 11am – 12pm on Wednesday March 27^th Let’s get some more events organized, like beacons across our countryside. I am appalled at the state of our verges. You can report the worst cases of litter on 01529 414155. Please join our concerted campaign in all our communities.

Supporting our local heritage: your view?

The conservative proposal is to save £750K, by taking a tougher approach. The plan is to develop the Collection, keep the Castle but offload the Usher Gallery, Gainsborough Old Hall, Discover Stamford or Stamford Store and Ellis, Burgh le Marsh and Alford windmills. The heritage service would retain Heckington Windmill, Museum of Lincolnshire Life, and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

As with the libraries, the idea is to encourage volunteers to take on the responsibility instead. Please go to “Heritage consultation” on the County Council website and download the consultation form, which you fill in on line fairly quickly. The questions are designed to get specific answers, so you need to decide before you start whether you want to support the plan or not.

Local heritage facilities add to our local sense of pride in our identity, to our local economy and our wellbeing. Centralising facilities could be damaging on traffic, congestion and rural communities.

www.lincolnshire.gov.uk and search on “future-of-the-heritage-service-consultation/” and click on the consultation document at the bottom.

Bomber Gateway Trust, Norton Disney

The project is doing well with the foundations in place and podium imminent, with good local support, now targeting £140,000. www.bombergatewaytrust.co.uk

Supporting local businesses

I helped set up the Navenby Business Network to share marketing and advice for businesses in our area. Would you like to find out more? Contact me.

The Council have responded positively to my call to support small local businesses. Advice and grants are available. If I can help, please let me know.

Invitation

I have organized a visit to Beeswax Farms HQ at Nocton, March 20^th If interested, please let me know.

Community Pub in Harmston

Improvements are in progress, thanks to founder members and a £39,000 EU Leader Fund grant for improving our rural economy. It opens after Easter.

MP’s go Independent

You may have seen me on BBC Question-time, saying our MP’s should put their party politics aside and stand up for residents. It seems some of them were listening! Big party politics is failing. Instead, we need to think about people in our communities and work together to do our job well.

Wishing you all the very best, Kind Regards,

Marianne Overton MBE