In an attempt to cut costs, the City of Lincoln Council is proposing to scrap its pest control service, after expected losses of up to £16,000 this year.
The City Council has to make cuts following announced public spending reductions from central government, and the loss-making service could be the first to go.
A report of the proposal will have to get the approval of the council’s Executive Committee at a meeting on November 22 at the City Hall.
The service delivers pest control treatments to residential customers within the city and does not treat public open spaces or commercial properties.
A council report says that demand for its pest control service was almost 75% down on previous years (842 vermin treatments in 08/09 and 218 in 09/10).
The authority did not take large incomes from the service either. Actual income for 09/10 was £4,523, around half of the projected income.
The predicted loss this year for the service is expected to be around £16,000.
If the service is discontinued, it is believed that the council’s Environmental Protection team will have to take on board the additional pressure.
However, the report claims that the Environmental Protection team does not have the capacity to absorb additional work from the pest control service.
By law, the council has a duty to deal with issues of vermin, whether or not it operates its own pest control service.
In 2009, the City Council tried to reform the pest control service, introducing a £40 fee, and a 50% reduction for those on benefits.
Scrapping the service would mean that those on benefits won’t have access to a pest control service at a lower concessionary rate.
If the City of Lincoln Council Executive Committee agrees to scrap the pest control service, it is yet to be decided when it will actually be discontinued.
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A man has been arrested in connection with a sexual assault that took place on Tritton Road in Lincoln near the Co-op funeral home last week.
The 30-year-old man from Lincoln was arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual assault, Lincolnshire Police said on Saturday, July 24.
He has been interviewed and bailed without charges, pending further enquiries.
The victim was assaulted at around 10.20pm on Saturday, July 17.
Lincolnshire Police said: “Our investigation is ongoing into this incident and if you have any information and have not yet spoken to us we would urge you to get in touch.”
If you’ve been the victim of crime, support is available, whether you have reported the crime to the police or not. Victim Lincs provide free, confidential advice and guidance, as well as access to specialist emotional support services. Visit victimlincs.co.uk or call 01522 947510 Monday – Friday 8am – 4pm.
Two men have died after a van crashed with a lorry on the A17 near Boston on Friday afternoon.
It happened shortly after midday on July 23, on the A17 between Bicker Bar and Wigtoft. The collision involved an HGV and a van.
A 46-year-old man and a 31-year-old man travelling in the van were pronounced dead at the scene, despite efforts from emergency services. Their families have been informed.
The driver of the HGV suffered minor injuries.
The road has been closed in both directions and will remain closed until at least 10pm on July 23, while officers carry out an initial investigation and recover the vehicles.
Lincolnshire Police are appealing for anyone who was in the area and may have witnessed the collision to contact officers as soon as possible.
Officers are particularly keen to see any dashcam footage which might have captured the vehicles prior to the collision, or the collision itself.
Detective Sergeant James Kirk from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “This is a devastating incident for all involved and our thoughts are with the families of both men at this time.
“We are in the very early stages of our investigation, and we would be very grateful for any assistance that the public can offer us in piecing together what happened.
“Any information, no matter how small you think it might be, will be a great help.
“We would be keen to see any relevant dashcam footage or speak to anyone who witnessed the collision.”
If you think you can help with the investigations please contact police in the following ways:
By clicking on the email link [email protected] with incident 212 of July 23 in the subject
Via our non-emergency number 101, quoting incident 212 of July 23
Through the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org
A Lincolnshire distance runner selected for the 10,000m race at the Tokyo Olympic Games is looking to do his county and his country proud, but he’s already done that and more for his Grimsby-based parents.
The Lincolnite caught up with Helen and Bob Atkin, parents of Team GB Olympic hopeful Sam Atkin, who will be running in the 10,000m event at the Tokyo games, an event that Sir Mo Farah famously won two gold medals in at the 2016 and 2012 Olympics.
During an incredibly emotional interview, with tears of joy and pride from parents Helen and Bob, they reminisced about Sam’s introduction into running and the obstacles he had to face along the way.
Sam Atkin will be representing Team GB in the 10,000m race at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Sam originally, and rather ironically, grew up playing as a goalkeeper in football, but it wasn’t until a cross country race at school where his true talents were realised.
Helen and Bob told The Lincolnite: “When he was 11, there was a cross country race at Healing school in Grimsby, and we told him if he finished in the top 10 we’d give him £100.
“There were some vey good runners out there, some who were training regularly, and Sam beat them by miles. We had parents looking around saying ‘wow, look at that boy so far in front!’
“That was the moment we knew he was special, we decided to sign him up for a running club straight after that.”
Sam is learning the game and is always studying tracks and trying to better himself.
Sam then joined Grimsby Harriers, winning every race he ran in, before eventually moving onto Lincoln Wellington at the age of 15 because he was getting so quick that he would win adult races.
While at Lincoln, Helen and Bob, who live in Grimsby, would have to drive Sam to and from training each day while juggling his school work and their own jobs at HMRC and Associated British Ports respectively, working flexible hours to support their son.
His dad Bob said: “We always knew he had talent, but it’s the unrivalled spirit and determination he has, you could almost call it stubbornness, which is just about the only thing I can claim he got from me!”
Sam moved to America when he was 18 and hasn’t looked back since.
His next big step came at 18-years-old, when he was offered a scholarship in Idaho in the United States of America.
Sam currently lives and trains in Idaho, meaning his contact with his family has been limited, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Success appears to run deep in the Atkin family, as Sam’s twin sister Jen is the reigning Miss Great Britain.
Sam Atkin will represent Team GB in the 10,000m race at the Olympics in Tokyo, but it all started in Lincolnshire.
Helen said that the twins were huge parts of one another’s careers and successes, thanks to the “special bond” they both have.
Sam qualified for the Olympic Games in dramatic fashion, after narrowly missing out on the 5,000m qualifying time, which is his preferred event, but then went on to run the now 5th fastest 10k in UK history.
Sam nearly missed the call up to the Olympic squad entirely after changing his phone, but in a rather poignant sequence of events, he found out the news while back at home with his parents.
The biggest stage of Sam Atkins’ career is just round the corner.
Bob explains: “He got a new phone number, but the Team GB selectors had his old number so they couldn’t get through to him. Eventually his agent was contacted and he let Sam know, but Sam didn’t tell us for 30 minutes! We were stunned into silence when he told us.”
His heat run will take place at 12.40pm on Friday, July 30, and Sam’s parents will be watching the race from home, but in different rooms!
“We both get very nervous watching Sam run,” Helen explains. “When we went to events with him I’d be at one end of the field and Bob would be at the other end.”
He chased the dream and now he can achieve it.
Sam is set to be the only self-funded runner of the 29 competitors in the event, giving him an underdog status that his dad Bob says he thrives under.
“It’s like Grimsby Town being chucked into the Premier League, it sounds negative but trust me it’s not, wherever he finishes he’ll make us proud.
“When he was younger we just used to tell him to run as fast as he can, now that he’s reached the top level, the advice gets tougher, so we sent him a message to go with his Team GB kit that just read: ‘Keep your head up and get on with it’.
“We cannot express the pride we feel for him, it’s all too much to be honest with you. Make no mistake about it, he’s earned his way there and he deserves this so much.”
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