Late-night opening for 100 Lincoln shops

A video has already appeared online showing a man throwing the first eggs at the newly installed £300k statue of Margaret Thatcher in Grantham town centre.

The video, shared by Twitter user @DesignsBarnes shows a male in a white t-shirt and khaki trousers walk to the statue with a box of eggs and a newspaper under one arm before lobbing the eggs towards the monument.

South Kesteven District Council declined to comment on the incident.

It comes as opponents say the statue of Margaret Thatcher erected in Grantham on Sunday will “bitterly divide” the town and nation.

The £300,000 bronze memorial to the Iron Lady was installed at 7am on Sunday morning.

Conservative leaders hailed it as a “fitting tribute” to to the first female Prime Minister who grew up in the town.

They said the hope was to “inspire, educate and inform” people and said the town should “never hide from our history”.

However, opponents say the statue will only serve to cause harm to the town in its current prominent location.

Many believe the statue should not have been installed, or if it must, then it should be within the town’s museum.

Labour group leader at the authority, Councillor Lee Steptoe said: “‘She remains the most divisive PM in history, who cared little for the town she was born in or the millions who lost their jobs under her rush to de-industrialise and privatise the economy.

“Her place should be in the museum with a balance sheet of what she undoubtedly achieved against the cost of her policies such as the Poll Tax riots that helped bring her down.

“Like her statues are divisive and these Victorian concepts have no place in 21st Century.

“Sadly like her, the statue will now bitterly divide Grantham and the nation.”

Some have pointed out that the timing of the installation may indicate that those behind the plans were well aware of the threats that have been made around the statue and the opposition to it.

Twitter user @Rusthallred pointed out: “7am on a Sunday a normal time to put such a widely respected and loved person on a plinth?”

South Kesteven Liberal Democrat Councillor Amanda Wheeler said: “It’s interesting that they chose to erect it quietly without any fanfare on a Sunday morning.

“As a district councillor I wasn’t even aware it was happening and I suspect my invitation to the official opening may well be lost in the post.”

On social media, the divide was also already present.

On Twitter @OCallaghanRedux wrote: “Look forward to seeing the statue when I’m next in town. It’s important for towns to celebrate their famous sons and daughters; promotes civic pride and gives encouragement to the next generation.”

@Jrex62, however, wrote: “The witch was the architect of all the is wrong in the UK today. Let’s hope it doesn’t last long.”

Many already feared it would soon be damaged by vandals – something the council was warned about when it approved the plans in 2009.

@trawlerrider said: “It is a great thing but I fear it will be a constant object of attack from the idiots.”

Some even joked the harness lifting her into place, which had the appearance of a noose, should have been left on.

@Wag06237000 said: “Don’t take the lifting strap off, it suits her.”

A controversial £300,000 statue of Margaret Thatcher, approved by councillors despite threats of vandalism, has finally been installed on its stone plinth in Grantham town centre.

The massive memorial to the iron lady was installed on Sunday morning, May 15.

South Kesteven District Council had previously been coy to confirm details of the installation of the sculpture created by Douglas Jennings due to animosity and threats of damage.

Leader of South Kesteven District Council, Conservative Councillor Kelham Cooke, said: “This memorial statue of the late Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven will be a fitting tribute to a truly unique political figure.

“Margaret Thatcher will always be a significant part of Grantham’s heritage. She and her family have close ties with Grantham. She was born, raised and went to school here.

“It is, therefore, appropriate that she is commemorated by her home town, and that the debate that surrounds her legacy takes place here in Grantham.

“We must never hide from our history, and this memorial will be a talking point for generations to come.

“We hope that this memorial will encourage others to visit Grantham and to see where she lived and visit the exhibition of her life in Grantham Museum.

“This is about inspiring, educating and informing people about someone who represents a significant part of Grantham’s heritage.”

Baroness Thatcher was the UK’s first female Prime Minister.

Margaret Thatcher (nee Roberts) was born and raised in Grantham and attended Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School, before gaining a scholarship to study at Oxford University.

Her father Alfred, a grocer, was town mayor from 1945 to 1946.

Sources close to SKDC told the LDR service there are plans to hold a big ceremony in the last week of May to unveil the town’s new feature – though this has still not been confirmed by the council.

Preparatory measures including anti-graffiti protection, were carried out just weeks ago.

The bronze memorial to the Iron Lady was originally passed in February 2019 despite reports acknowledging it “would be a likely target for politically motivated vandals.”.

It is 10foot tall and sits on an equally high 10foot plinth – towering over St Peter’s Hill Green at 20ft tall overall.

It was brought to the town by Grantham Museum, SKDC and a Public Memorials Appeal.

Graham Jeal, of the Grantham Community Heritage Association said: “There has long been a conversation in Grantham about a more permanent memorial to the country’s first female Prime Minister who was an enormous political figure, both nationally and internationally.

“The delivery of the memorial has secured the museum for the next few years and has helped the museum finances survive the Covid pandemic.

“It is recognised that the full spectrum of views exist in Grantham about the legacy of Margaret Thatcher and an exhibition inside the museum illustrates this.”

Opponents to the plans have been loudly vocal about the damage some of  Mrs Thatcher’s policies did to miners, the country’s energy supplies, LGBT rights and AIDs treatment.

However, supporters believe the first female Prime Minister, born and raised in Grantham, should be paid tribute for her successes and for putting the town on the map.

Plans to erect the statue in Parliament Square had previously been rejected by Westminster Council.

The build was delayed following the installation of the plinth in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A planned unveiling event itself became a source of controversy after it emerged that the council was proposing to underwrite the estimated £100,000 the ceremony would cost with taxpayer money, taken from the authority’s reserves.

That decision, which drew anger from local residents and saw opposition councillors describe it as ‘nothing more than a party,’ was reversed at a council meeting in March 2021.