Following the meeting, Councillor Martin Hill, Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said:
“The minister gave us a good hearing, and we were able to explain our concerns, and those of local businesses and residents, regarding the proposed changes.
“We made sure we underlined the importance of the prison to driving down reoffending rates and delivering justice locally, as well as the significant contribution it makes to the county economy.
“This last point was further emphasized by persuasive presentations by the two local employers who joined us, representing our legal and construction businesses.”
The delegation also included Lincoln MP Karl McCartney, Tony McArdle from the County Council, Councillor Ric Metcalfe and John Latham from the City Council, Steve Gelder from Gelder Construction and Mark Neil from Sills & Betteridge solicitors.
Councillor Hill added: “We also stressed that, while the change might represent a saving to the prison service, it will certainly mean additional costs for everybody else.
“As well as highlighting the importance of the prison, we also pointed out that the facility is totally unsuitable for use as an immigration remand centre.”
“The minister has told us he expects to make a decision before Christmas, so we’ll be sending a letter reiterating the points we’ve made.
“Hopefully, the minister will take this fully on board and decide to leave the prison as it is.”
Keeping Lincoln Prison as it is
The Lincolnshire officials made the following points to the ministers:
Currently 39% of prisoners in HMP Lincoln have Lincolnshire release addresses and we know holding prisoners near their local community helps with their rehabilitation – this is essential for reducing re-offending rates. Lincolnshire is the 4th largest county in England and it’s rural nature and poor transport links makes it even more important to have a prison within the county.
By holding prisoners locally we can begin to build back up valuable relationships in their own community. Relationships not only with the various support services such as health and probation, but the all-important job opportunities in the community they will be returning to. It is important this process starts well before they are released to have a realistic chance of success.
The closure of the prison could also have knock-on effects on other parts of the criminal justice system, particularly the crown court and businesses in the legal profession. This could have a knock-on effect of putting the whole the criminal justice system at risk in Lincolnshire.
If the prison is changed to an immigration removal centre people would be brought in from elsewhere, most probably followed by their families. These families are likely to need a lot of support, much of which is not in place in Lincoln, as we currently do not have a large immigrant population. Many of the inmates will need language support – another service where the expertise is not available. This will put further pressure on local services.
While the change might represent a saving to the prison service, it will certainly mean additional costs for everybody else.
The prison employs hundreds of people and spends more than £11m in the local economy each year. The loss of the prison will have an impact on the wider local economy.
Over the last 3 years the prison has spent £26.5m on capital works to improve the infrastructure as a prison with a further £770.000 planned.
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We are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a collision caused serious injuries to a 23-year-old man.
Just before 3.30pm yesterday (2 July), we received reports of a collision on Barholm Road in Tallington. It involved a grey BMW 335D estate, a blue BMW 116D and an orange KTM motorcycle.
The motorcycle rider, a 23-year-old man, sustained serious injuries during the collision and was taken to hospital.
If you witnessed the incident and are yet to get in touch with us, please do so. If you have any other information or dashcam footage available that may have captured the road along the A1175 at the time of the collision, get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 282 of 2 July.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 282 of 2 July in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
The 2022 Destination Lincolnshire Tourism Excellence Awards are open for applications, and Destination Lincolnshire giving you the rare chance to co-create your application with Nell Barrington, a tourism awards veteran, who has helped hundreds of businesses write winning applications over the last 15 years – including national VisitEngland winners.
The Tourism Awards Masterclass is taking place on Tuesday 12 July at 11am for one-hour online. Laura Freer, Head of Marketing at Destination Lincolnshire said: “This is a golden opportunity, after years of hard work and heartache, to get your business and team recognised and rewarded.
“A well written application is key to achieving a coveted place on this year’s shortlist, and I’d encourage all tourism and visitor economy businesses who are thinking of entering – whether they are seasoned at writing award applications or not – to join us for this exclusive masterclass.
“Nell Barrington has worked with us and VisitEngland on the founding application processes of these awards, and she is perfectly placed to assist in co-creating applications that you can be proud of. This is a great opportunity for business development too – whether you are shortlisted for an award or not – discovering how to effectively apply for awards and talk up your business adds another string to your bow.
“Booking is essential and places are limited to just 35 – so be quick! This year we’ve made our masterclass available to partners and also to those who we are yet to work with for free. Call it an added bonus, after two years away from the awards circuit.
The awards masterclass is focussed on the application process, and it will spell out what the judges are looking for. You’ll learn how to make your application stand out from the local competition, helping your chances of going through to the national VisitEngland Awards in 2023.”
There are fifteen categories open for nominations from visitors attraction, accommodation providers, hospitality businesses and many more.
The deadline for nominations is July 29, with online judging starting on July 30 and mystery shopping from August 13. Finalists will be announced on Monday, August 15.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Engine Shed on October 21, and will be hosted by Lincs FM presenter, John Marshall.
The event is organised by Stonebow Media, publishers of The Lincolnite, to celebrate the best businesses in Greater Lincolnshire, alongside headline sponsors Lincoln College and Destination Lincolnshire.
We would also like to thank our other sponsors Visit Lincolnshire, Heart of Lincs, Duncan and Toplis and LNER, insight6 and EV Camel.
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