Olympian backs new Lincoln cycling challenge

Former West Lindsey District Council Leader Giles McNeill has stepped down from the authority a month after admitting fraud offences, it has been confirmed.

Mr McNeill, who was kicked out of the Conservative Party, pleaded guilty to a number of offences totalling £31,000 at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court at the end of September and is due to appear before Lincoln Crown Court for sentencing.

It is understood his appearance, due to be Thursday, October 28, has been delayed – though this has yet to be confirmed.

A statement from Chief Executive of West Lindsey District Council Ian Knowles said: “I have received the resignation of Councillor Giles McNeill and as such the council will now carry a vacancy.

“A Notice of Vacancy will be available on the website from today (Wednesday, 27  October).”

Residents had questioned why Councillor McNeill held on to his position as an Independent member for Nettleham after admitting eight theft, fraud and forgery charges totalling £31,201.04 from his own party, over a period of six years.

However, a councillor cannot be disqualified until sentence has been passed for a period of not less than three months without the option of a fine.

McNeill was leader of the council from May 2019 until announcing in September 2020 he was stepping back from the role for “personal reasons”.

He was also organising secretary and communications manager for Gainsborough Conservative Association and was employed in a similar role by the constituency MP Sir Edward Leigh. He stepped down from both positions last year.

McNeill became the council’s youngest member when he was first elected to represent the Nettleham ward at a by-election in September 2012, at the age of 30. After stepping down as leader he left the Conservative Group but continued to sit as an Independent councillor.

Councillor McNeill and the Conservative Party have been contacted for comment. Councillor McNeill also appears to have deleted his Twitter account.

An elevated property situated right next to the famous Lincoln Castle walls is up for sale for just shy of £1 million, boasting some of the finest views in the city.

The property on Drury Lane is overlooked by the walls of Lincoln Castle, and has been listed on the housing market by Savills for a guide price of £950,000. See the full listing here.

For your money, you not only get sensational views of the city’s most picturesque landmarks, but you also get five double bedrooms, a gym with a sauna, a gated driveway and an open fire in the spacious sitting room.

The house was built in the 1980s but has been brought into the modern world. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

Outside there is a veranda in the garden, which is floodlit throughout, and a large patio surrounding the house at ground level, with further space for garden furniture if required.

An outdoor space with endless potential. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

Roo Fisher, head of residential sales at Savills Lincoln, comments: “I especially love the spectacular views from 20 Drury Lane, overlooking the whole of Lincoln. Imagine waking up every morning with a coffee and seeing that.”

Let’s take a look inside:

Well, that’s not a bad view. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

The property has a gated parking area. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

Dinner with a view from this dining room. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

The sitting room has an open fire and a perfect gazing spot with a large window. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

| Photo: Savills Lincoln

The kitchen has been refurbished for modern living. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

The master bedroom, oozing with natural light. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

The house comes with an ensuite shower room as well three additional bathrooms. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

Rooms span across four floors. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

There’s even a library/study for you to kick back in. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

An ideal sun trap during summer months. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

Lincoln Cathedral peering round the corner of this wonderful property. | Photo: Savills Lincoln

You can see for miles! | Photo: Savills Lincoln

Men and women will boycott bars and nightclubs in Lincoln this evening due to concerns about a rise in ‘spiking’ incidents.

The Lincoln Night In event on October 27 is part of the national Girls Night In movement – recently changing its name to become more inclusive. It aims to empty the streets of the city, protesting the prevalence of spiking in the nighttime economy.

Organisers of the Lincoln event say they hope to “demonstrate a statement of solidarity and symbolic action against women, whilst promoting safer streets and creating a better dialogue surrounding these issues.”

Fears have grown among revellers, particularly with stories surfacing of people being spiked with needles.

Lincolnshire Police said that eight cases of drink spiking were reported to them in the first weeks of October. While none of those reported involved needles, stories have emerged that were not reported to police.

Some campaigners have been critical of the move, suggesting victims should not miss out, and venues financially penalised.

An online petition asking the UK Government to impose laws on nightclubs to search all guests on arrival has now reached almost 170,000 signatures.

Councillor Calum Watt, City of Lincoln Councillor for the Boultham Ward, said he was pleased to see young people standing up and participating.

“It is unfortunately common to dismiss the issue as something which “just happens” sometimes on nights out – with the blame often falsely landing on the victim for “not keeping an eye on their drink”. But the alleged use of intravenous needles being used in these attacks, has brought the issue into sharp focus and it is quite plain that more now needs to be done to protect people on nights out in Lincoln and elsewhere,” he said.

“The solutions lie in education and in nightclubs improving the way they look after their patrons – it is hardly an unreasonable demand, and one which we must heed now, or else risk an epidemic of spiking or drugging incidents costing the health and possibly even the lives of people simply looking to enjoy a night on the town.”

Venues across the city have been implementing a number of procedures to address the issues surrounding drink spiking. The Strait and Narrow reiterated that it was the first bar in the world to run the Ask For Angela scheme.

Home Lincoln and sister businesses Moka, Bierkeller and Void have introduced testing kits for suspected spiked drinks, as well as toppers to block any potential spiking.

If you have been affected by spiking in Lincoln, and wish to speak to a journalist, you can get in touch with the team confidentially via [email protected] or 01522 837217.