It has been a year since Conservative Karl McCartney was elected as Lincoln MP. We caught up with him to find out about his first 12 months representing the city.
The Lincolnite: You hold regular surgeries where constituents can express their thought on various issues affecting them. What seem to be the most talked about issues at your surgeries?
Karl McCartney: Constituents can come to me with a whole range of issues or problems, usually personal problems, most commonly: housing, immigration, benefits and problems with the Child Support Agency (CSA).
Occasionally, constituents also wish to see me to express their concerns about a particular aspect of government policy such as reform of the Disability Living Allowance or tuition fees.
My regular advice surgeries are a great opportunity to meet constituents and to stay in touch with the real issues affecting the lives of people who live in Lincoln and the surrounding area, and often I also visit constituents or meet up informally with them if an advice surgery appointment is inconvenient. Whilst not all Members of Parliament choose to hold advice surgeries, they are, for me, an integral and very worthwhile part of the job I was elected to do.
The Lincolnite: Your first PMQ about Libyan gold was received with a mixed response by constituents because it was not addressing any Lincoln issues. In hindsight, would you have asked the Prime Minister a different question?
Karl McCartney: I don’t accept the premiss of your question at all, and if you actually look again at the content and substance of my question, I was comparing Libya’s sensible decision to hold onto its gold reserves, with the previous Labour Government’s irresponsible decision to sell Britain’s gold in order to bolster the failing Euro, at a very reduced price.
This is just one aspect of the previous Government’s financial mismanagement that has affected detrimentally the whole country, including my constituents in Lincoln. Moreover, if you look at other questions and issues I have raised in recent weeks in Parliament, they often directly affect the people of Lincoln such as broadband provision in Bracebridge Heath; fuel prices; welfare spending; and Network Rail issues such as the direct link to London and the High Street level crossing.
The Lincolnite: Do you think the Coalition Government cuts to local authorities in Lincoln and Lincolnshire had a positive effect on the city so far?
Karl McCartney: Whilst I accept that councils are being asked to help play their part in tackling the inherited deficit from Labour, I do believe that they have been given a huge amount of spending freedom over their budgets with new powers to ensure that the front-line services people rely on are protected. This Government has performed a difficult balancing act, ensuring that the most vulnerable are shielded from cuts and that taxpayers’ interests are given priority.
Councils will, in many cases, have to re-examine the way they do business, however many councils to date, including the City, County and North Kesteven councils have shown how savings can be made and frontline services for residents protected.
It is my hope that innovative councils can make efficiency savings through sharing back office staff; eliminating waste; cracking down on senior pay and collaborating to spend smarter in order to maintain the key priorities of local residents and protect vital front line services.
The Lincolnite: Almost a year on since the proposal to bring back horse racing on the West Common was withdrawn, what is your involvement with the Lincoln Racecourse Regeneration Company? Do you still consider horse racing has a future in Lincoln?
Karl McCartney: Whilst I accept that horse racing on the West Common will not happen any time soon, I certainly would not necessarily rule it out forever. I will always promote ideas of economic regeneration within the city, for example, by supporting the proposed Magna Carta anniversary exhibition in the Castle and seeking to persuade both the Highways Agency and ministers alike of the potential benefits to Lincoln of erecting more brown tourist signs so that visitors to the county can readily find and access the Cathedral, Castle and our other attractions from the A1 for example.
But back to the horse racing proposal, I am still — and will continue to be — of the belief that horse racing on the West Common would be right for Lincoln and, were it ever to go ahead, would bring much-needed investment into our city, improving the amenity of the West Common, the local economy and showcasing our city and county for tourism and business, improving the bottleneck of the Carholme roundabout and implementing to the West at least ‘Park and Ride/Walk/Sail’ options at long last to improve flows of traffic and decrease traffic congestion for Lincoln.
The Lincolnite: If Lincolnshire County Council could start work immediately on either the East-West Link Road, the Eastern Bypass, or the Park & Ride project, which one would you prioritise?
Karl McCartney: Lincoln’s transport problems and needs are as varied as they are complex. I wholeheartedly support the East-West link, the Eastern Bypass, Park and Ride, as well as looking at initiatives to ease the congestion caused by the High Street level crossing.
Moreover, I feel that Lincoln would greatly benefit from a bicycle scheme similar to that introduced by Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, and, although the idea is at a very early stage, I have been making enquiries to this end.
I am very clear: as the Member of Parliament for Lincoln, I am convinced that resolving Lincoln’s transport issues is pivotal to our city’s future prosperity and levels of quality of life for its inhabitants. Politics often boils down to difficult choices and whilst my priority is doing all I can to improve Lincoln for those who live, work and visit our city, improving Lincoln’s transport infrastructure will enhance so many of these aspects of city life. I will do all I can to bring about all of these projects and ideas, as efficiently and effectively as possible.
The Lincolnite: What would you consider your biggest achievement as Lincoln MP so far?
Karl McCartney: I feel that there have been a number of campaigns which I was glad to support. For instance, I was delighted by the news that from May 2011 a new Lincoln to London direct rail service will commence, though I will be seeking to persuade East Coast Trains that more direct trains are required than the present one per day in each direction.
I also receive tens, sometimes hundreds, of emails, letters and telephone calls daily from constituents who sometimes have nowhere else to turn to for help. Constituents require help with all sorts of situations: from the state of the footpath along a particular stretch of street; to asking me to make the minister aware of concerns for the welfare of Christians in Iraq. The work of backbench MPs largely goes unnoticed in this respect, but I am very pleased that I am in a position to help people across my constituency and often bring about a positive outcome.
Photo: Kelly Moore for The Lincolnite
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The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
As well as the testing kits themselves, you will also receive instructions on how to take the test and how to report each result to the NHS.
A series of short videos explaining how the kits work have been put together by the Department of Health and Social Care.
The rapid tests should provide results within 30 minutes, and are for people without symptoms of COVID-19.
Anyone who has symptoms of the virus is still being asked to self-isolate and book a regular PCR test.
The home testing kits have been made available as part of an extension of the government’s coronavirus testing programme.
Since rapid testing was introduced, over 120,000 positive cases have been identified that would not have been found otherwise.
It comes as businesses and non-essential retail prepare to reopen on April 12 in line with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown.
The PM said: “Massive efforts have been made by the British public to stop the spread of the virus.
“As we continue to make good progress on our vaccine programme and with our roadmap to cautiously easing restrictions underway, regular rapid testing is even more important to make sure those efforts are not wasted.
“That’s why we’re now rolling out free rapid tests to everyone across England – helping us to stop outbreaks in their tracks, so we can get back to seeing the people we love and doing the things we enjoy.”
A group of food-loving Grimsby men have started a unique business in the town, offering rainbow-coloured bagel burgers with locally sourced ingredients — and The Lincolnite went to check it out.
The Bad Boy Bagel Company began just six weeks ago in late February, and is the brainchild of directors Max Barnet and brothers Max and Charlie Leonard.
Their rainbow coloured bagels have been a huge hit with the people of Northern Lincolnshire, and chef Max Leonard said it’s all about standing out.
Max Leonard is a chef at Bad Boy Bagel Co, a brand new food delivery company in Grimsby. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
He told The Lincolnite: “Everything in modern day life is about pictures, we used the colourful buns as a way to stand out from the crowd.
“We have other unique selling points too: we are the only local place that uses wagyu beef, and all of our produce is locally sourced.”
The impressive Bad Boy Hash Bagel. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Of course we had to try it out, so we trialled the bestseller, the Bad Boy Hash Bagel, as well as some loaded dirty fries.
Taste wise it was genuinely sensational, the 4oz wagyu beef patty was tender, and was complimented brilliantly with the hash browns, bacon and crispy onions.
The hash browns really are a key part of this brilliant bagel. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Naturally you expect the bun to taste peculiar, but it tastes just as good as a regular bun, so add onto that the bright colours and it’s a win-win.
The loaded fries came in an large portion, served with pulled pork, mozzarella, smoked cheddar, crispy onions and a top secret Bad Boy sauce.
Enough to make your tummy rumble, the loaded fries are a sight to behold. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The bagels vary from £8-13 in price, while the loaded fries are either £4.95 or £5.95 depending on toppings.
As well as this, we tried out the intriguing Cake Shakes, which consist of a slice of homemade cake blended with local ice cream and milk.
A meal fit for a king. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
They set you back anywhere between £4 and £6, but if you have a sweet tooth they are an absolute must.
Max has had a lifelong passion for food, and developed his skills from a young age when he would watch his mother make roast dinners.
Demand for sales have been beyond the Bad Boy Bagels’ wildest expectations since opening.
Troy is one of the staff at Bad Boy Bagel Co, and he was described as “the king of Cake Shakes!” | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
“In the first weekend we ordered an adequate amount of stock and it sold out straight away. Then the next weekend we doubled our orders and sold out again.
“I’m a vegetarian but I know that our meat tastes great, the feedback we have received so far has been overwhelming.”
They are so good that even Wind the community Imp was eyeing them up! | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The lads from Grimsby have also been running ZBR Performance over the last year, a meal prep business for fitness and nutrition.
Max Leonard does not work for ZBR, but said: “I come in and cook the things that people really want to eat!”
They are available for collection or delivery, and you can browse the menu for yourself here, or visit the Bad Boy Bagel Co Facebook page for more.
The menu is centred around Gyros including chicken, pork and grilled halloumi, which are all served with Tzatziki sauce, onion, tomato and chips. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
A luxury four-bedroom barn conversion in a Lincolnshire village is on the market for £1 million and even has its own self-contained annexe and bar.
Bramble Barn is located at East End in Langtoft and also includes four bathrooms, three large reception rooms, sitting room with wood-burning stove, open-plan dining kitchen and entertaining area.
The self-contained one-bedroom annexe and home office with bar is one of the standout property’s features. Let’s take a look inside.
The contemporary kitchen. | Photo: Pelham James
Open-plan dining kitchen. | Photo: Pelham James
The sitting room. | Photo: Pelham James
Family room. | Photo: Pelham James
Guests, friends and family can relax in front of the wood-burning stove and the open plan living area extends into a contemporary fitted kitchen.
The fully fitted bar is described as having an authentic pub-vibe. A door from the bar leads onto a decked and enclosed garden for enjoying a drink or two in the sun.
The private fully fitted bar. | Photo: Pelham James
The principal bedroom. | Photo: Pelham James
The principal suite. | Photo: Pelham James
One of the four bedrooms at Bramble Barn. | Photo: Pelham James
Upstairs is the mezzanine level, a home office, studio or cinema room.
The south-west facing terrace and gardens provides a great space for hosting summer parties and barbecues.
The garden. | Photo: Pelham James
The Annexe Kitchen. | Photo: Pelham James
The Annexe private garden. | Photo: Pelham James
Bramble Barn in Langtoft. | Photo: Pelham James
The property is being marketed by Pelham James – see the full listing here.
There have been 308 coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire and nine COVID-related deaths so far this week – a 46% drop in cases and 25% reduction in deaths from the previous week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard on Friday recorded nine new cases in North Lincolnshire but -69 cases in Lincolnshire and -4 in North East Lincolnshire. This is due to the dashboard changing the way it reports cases.
On April 9, four deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, two in North East Lincolnshire and one in North Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
The way cases are reported has changed.
NHS England reported no hospitals this week so far, down from four recorded this time last week.
On Friday, national cases increased by 3,150 to 4,365,461, while deaths rose by 60 to 127,040.
In local news, COVID-19 mutations of concern have been detected by health officials in Lincolnshire, but they said they’ve been contained, and there is “no longer transmission, no issues.”
The Brazil and South Africa variants have worried scientists because they are thought to be much more contagious than the original strain, and can therefore spread faster in the population, and potentially be vaccine-resistant.
Health bosses have also said there have been no hospitalisations or deaths from a care home coronavirus outbreak in West Lindsey at the end of March.
Everyone in Lincolnshire can now get two free rapid asymptomatic coronavirus tests a week, and this is how you can access them.
Great Lincolnshire has seen a fall in all of its districts’ infection rates since Wednesday, however South Holland and North Lincolnshire are still in the UK’s top 20 highest rates.
The England average infection rate has fallen too but is still below Greater Lincolnshire’s average by around 20 per 100,000 of the population.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates up to April 9:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 2 to Apr 9. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
Nationally, Europe’s drugs regulator is reviewing possible links between blood clots and Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine.
The move comes after four serious cases of rare clots with low platelets were reported after the COVID-19 jab, one of which was fatal, according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
People in England can start thinking about booking foreign holidays again this summer, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said.
But he said the £100 cost of the COVID tests required needed to be driven down, amid criticism from the travel industry.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, April 9
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,544 cases (up nine)
40,813 in Lincolnshire (down 69)
9,176 in North Lincolnshire (up nine)
8,555 in North East Lincolnshire (down four)
2,180 deaths (up seven)
1,608 from Lincolnshire (up four)
304 from North Lincolnshire (up one)
268 from North East Lincolnshire (up two)
of which 1,300 hospital deaths (no change)
808 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
450 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
4,365,461 UK cases, 127,040 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.