Funding scandal: Independent candidate Mervyn Barrett is standing down from the Lincolnshire Police Crime Commissioner elections.
Independent candidate Mervyn Barrett is standing down from the Lincolnshire Police Crime Commissioner elections.
His nomination was withdrawn on Wednesday morning.
His entire campaign team resigned earlier this week after The Telegraph alleged in a report that Mervyn Barrett’s campaign was funded by a US-based neo-conservative think tank, the Fund for the New American Century, which has a variety of corporate donors with an interest in public-sector privatisation.
Lincolnshire Police was the first force in the country to sign an outsourcing deal worth £200 million with private security G4S to take over many of its civilian roles.
The incoming PCC would control the policing budget and also decide on the future of the Lincoln Police Station: such as the plans to build a new custody suite in Nettleham, and a new police station in the city centre.
He said in a statement on Monday in response to the newspaper article: “I am not for sale, I never have been for sale and I never will be for sale.
“If anybody who donated to my campaign thought differently they are very sorely mistaken. It is disingenuous in the extreme to suggest that I am in some way anybody’s puppet.
“The policies contained within my manifesto were developed and agreed by me alone. They represent the results of my best thinking and my experience developed over three decades in the field of criminal justice.”
Mervyn Barrett also cancelled an appearance at a hustings event in Lincoln on Tuesday evening.
The Lincolnshire PCC elections so far have not been short of controversy, as two other candidates pulled out previously.
Labour had to replace their initial candidate, Phil Dilks, after he stepped down over an offence relating to a schoolboy prank in the 1960s, which resulted in a £5 fine.
Elliott Fountain from the English Democrats previously announced he will be running for the role, but he was not on the final nominations list.
The remaining four candidates for the Lincolnshire PCC role are Richard Davies (Conservative), Paul Gleeson (Labour), Alan Hardwick (Independent) and David Bowles (Campaign to Stop Politicians Running Policing).
The PCC elections take place on November 15.
A dramatic video shows a car engulfed in flames in the car park at Lincoln County Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
An on-call crew from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue attended the scene on Greetwell Road shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, April 13.
The crew used one hose reel to extinguish the fire and fortunately no casualties were reported.
The car is probably a write-off. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Dramatic pictures from the scene show the severe damage that was caused to the front of the car.
Fall in county infections but a Boston spike
There have been 50 new coronavirus cases and three COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday — compared to 58 cases and no deaths this time last week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 26 new cases in Lincolnshire, 19 in North Lincolnshire and five in North East Lincolnshire.
On Tuesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, none in North East Lincolnshire and -1 in North Lincolnshire. Fluctuations in data are usually due to some deaths in those areas being reallocated to other regions across the UK or a miscount. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England has reported two new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust hospitals.
On Tuesday, national cases increased by 2,472 to 4,375,814, while deaths rose by 23 to 127,123.
In local news, people aged over 45 can now book their COVID vaccinations on the NHS website after the government reached its target of offering a first dose to the nine most vulnerable groups.
There were recently some technical difficulties for people accessing the NHS website, but vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the issues have been fixed – book a vaccine online here and find out if you are eligible.
Over the weekend, Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate has fallen, with a spike in Boston only.
Similarly, the England average has also seen a drop in infections, but still remains nearly half Greater Lincolnshire’s rates.
Lincoln has dropped by more than half over the weekend and now has one of the smallest rates in the UK, with just 9.1 per 100,000 of the population infected with COVID-19.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s COVID-19 infection rates up to April 12:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 5 to Apr 12. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
In national news, Boris Johnson has warned that the reduction in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths “has not been achieved” by the rollout of COVID vaccines.
The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates.
England is giving out its first doses of the Moderna jab, the third COVID-19 vaccine in the nation’s rollout.
It will be available at 21 sites, included the Madejski Stadium in Reading and the Sheffield Arena.
Along with the Pfizer jab, it offers an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for under-30s, after concerns about a possible link to very rare blood clots.
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,772 cases (up 50)
2,184 deaths (up three)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (up two)
4,375,814 UK cases, 127,123 deaths
There will be another Kill The Bill protest in Lincoln next week, rallying against a new government bill that diminishes protesting rights.
Protests have been rife across the country since the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was first discussed, with scenes turning violent in Bristol.
Over two hundred people peacefully took part in the city’s first march at Speakers’ Corner on April 3, including Extinction Rebellion activists and Socialist and Labour supporters.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Now, after a post started doing the rounds on social media, another protest has apparently been scheduled for 2pm on Monday, April 17 at the same location on Lincoln High Street, as part of a national day of action.
A poster promoting a second event has been shared across social media platforms.
Protests are lawful once again after the government eased lockdown restrictions on March 29, but organisers are required to submit a risk assessment prior to any event.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Organisers of the last protest were in close communication with police to make the event safe, and The Lincolnite has asked Lincolnshire Police if they have been made aware of another protest, but are yet to receive a reply.
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