Emily Norton

Men and women will boycott bars and nightclubs in Lincoln this evening due to concerns about a rise in ‘spiking’ incidents.

The Lincoln Night In event on October 27 is part of the national Girls Night In movement – recently changing its name to become more inclusive. It aims to empty the streets of the city, protesting the prevalence of spiking in the nighttime economy.

Organisers of the Lincoln event say they hope to “demonstrate a statement of solidarity and symbolic action against women, whilst promoting safer streets and creating a better dialogue surrounding these issues.”

Fears have grown among revellers, particularly with stories surfacing of people being spiked with needles.

Lincolnshire Police said that eight cases of drink spiking were reported to them in the first weeks of October. While none of those reported involved needles, stories have emerged that were not reported to police.

Some campaigners have been critical of the move, suggesting victims should not miss out, and venues financially penalised.

An online petition asking the UK Government to impose laws on nightclubs to search all guests on arrival has now reached almost 170,000 signatures.

Councillor Calum Watt, City of Lincoln Councillor for the Boultham Ward, said he was pleased to see young people standing up and participating.

“It is unfortunately common to dismiss the issue as something which “just happens” sometimes on nights out – with the blame often falsely landing on the victim for “not keeping an eye on their drink”. But the alleged use of intravenous needles being used in these attacks, has brought the issue into sharp focus and it is quite plain that more now needs to be done to protect people on nights out in Lincoln and elsewhere,” he said.

“The solutions lie in education and in nightclubs improving the way they look after their patrons – it is hardly an unreasonable demand, and one which we must heed now, or else risk an epidemic of spiking or drugging incidents costing the health and possibly even the lives of people simply looking to enjoy a night on the town.”

Venues across the city have been implementing a number of procedures to address the issues surrounding drink spiking. The Strait and Narrow reiterated that it was the first bar in the world to run the Ask For Angela scheme.

Home Lincoln and sister businesses Moka, Bierkeller and Void have introduced testing kits for suspected spiked drinks, as well as toppers to block any potential spiking.

If you have been affected by spiking in Lincoln, and wish to speak to a journalist, you can get in touch with the team confidentially via [email protected] or 01522 837217. 

A care home near Lincoln will close due to difficulties recruiting care and management staff.

The Old Rectory in Saxilby, which was rated ‘Good’ this year by the Care Quality Commission, is in the process of rehoming the 18 residents before it closes its doors.

It is working with Lincolnshire County Council officials to do so.

Some 32 staff, and remaining residents, were informed of the decision this week. Some staff will move to the sister home Wispington House Care Home in the village.

Owners, who have run the facility since 2012, said continuous pressures on recruiting care staff and management positions made it impossible to stay open.

The home will remain open until a place can be found for all residents

Owner Brij Patel said during the past two years there has been “a rise in external influences which have made it increasingly difficult to sustain high standards – with the near impossibility of recruiting and retaining care and management staff compounded by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“We have worked tirelessly during the 18 past months to overcome various difficulties,” he said. “But regrettably, unsuccessfully, and now unfortunately this has left us in a position without any alternative but to close the home.

“This is not a decision that we took lightly, and we fully appreciate that this will come as a shock and disappointment to our staff, our residents and their loved ones. We are however, committed to manage the process as smoothly and fairly as possible.

“We can now focus our staff, resources and expertise on Wispington House and ensure that we deliver the quality of care the residents and their families deserve.”

The decision comes days after the Care Quality Commission released a report revealing that health and social care services are “under greater strain than ever”.

The report said care workers are suffering under a tidal wave of “anxiety, stress, exhaustion and burnout” post COVID-19.

Across England, numbers of unfilled jobs are rising month on month, the researchers found, from 6% in April to more than 10% in September.

The Government recently announced a new £162.5 million workforce retention and recruitment fund to bolster the dedicated care workforce – but critics say it may too little too late.