A world-class small city: Ric Metcalfe sets out his vision for Lincoln
City Council Leader Ric Metcalfe: “Are we as a city able to build a shared vision, reconcile some of the inevitable competing aspirations which will arise along the way, and become a world class small city?”
By Ric MetcalfeRic Metcalfe, City of Lincoln Council Leader
I am quite often asked as Leader of the City of Lincoln Council what my vision is for the future of the city and then face the dilemma of having to appear either a hopeless idealist or a dullard with no ambition or creativity.
I tend towards the former. I passionately believe it is important to have a clear idea of how you would like things to be and not to have these ambitions over tempered by what is possible in the short-term.
Fundamental to our success as a city over time has been economic growth. If you read history books about Lincoln you will find that the fortunes of the city over the centuries have ebbed and flowed with economic success.
We now, more than ever, need for Lincoln to have a dynamic, resilient, inclusive and carbon neutral economy, but this needs to be sustainable socially, so everyone genuinely shares the fruits of economic advancement and to be sustainable in the way that natural resources are used.
The city has always suffered from being on the periphery, a bit on the “edge”, so connectivity and having some distinctive qualities of creativity and innovation become all the more important for us. A bit like that special shop or restaurant that is inconveniently located but is so good you will go out of your way to get there.
A key part of that distinctiveness that will contribute to our ambitions for Lincoln as a “world-class small city” is its culture, its heritage, its recognition as a place of learning and special character.
We have a world-class cathedral. Although not someone of faith, it never fails, whether inside or out the building, and even after 30 years, to fill me with awe and wonder.
Our fantastic university that continues to grow as a respected place of learning enriching in so many ways what we are as a place. The rest of our heritage; the castle, our amazing ancient Guildhall and the rest of the historic core of the city all compare with the best in the world.
Against the background of our ambitions for growing Lincoln we have to ensure that this growth does not detract from our distinctive character, which is why we envisage that the city will grow through sustainable urban extensions, fitting well with existing infrastructure and avoiding the amorphous sprawl that has become typical of other places.
Although we have high quality environments in Lincoln we want to become a greener and healthier city, with a truly holistic approach to the urban eco-system, and where all of our energy needs come from sustainable sources of energy.
As a council we are passionately committed to playing our part in local action to meet the global challenge of climate change. This is why I am very excited by the possibility of a combined heat and power plant solution to the city’s future energy needs.
We also know that Lincoln is changing. More young people are coming here to study, more people from EU countries are coming here to work and older people are coming here for a high quality of life in their retirement. We need to respond positively to all the opportunities these changes bring.
Above all, I hope Lincoln will be recognised and valued as a city of cultural, generational and ethnic diversity, but one that has made significant social progress and achieved a high degree of social cohesion.
Thinking about the city’s past, Lincoln as a significant centre of military power, as a hugely important place of celebration of faith, as an immensely successful centre of trade, as world-class centre of engineering achievement, we have to ask ourselves: can we be great again?
Are we as a city, together, all of us, able to build a shared vision, reconcile some of the inevitable competing aspirations which will arise along the way, and become a world class small city?
I believe we can.
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Councillor Ric Metcalfe is the Labour Leader of the City of Lincoln Council.
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It wasn’t disclosed which players would be missing for Lincoln City, but manager Michael Appleton said four players could be out for up to three matches.
The postponing of this fixture will allow for the Imps to recover their squad and get everyone back to fitness.
A rearranged date for the match will be announced in due course, as well as information for fans who bought an iFollow match pass.
Lincoln City are currently three points clear at the top of the League One table, daring to dream of a promotion to the Championship.
Next up for the Imps, weather permitting, will be a home game against relegation battlers Northampton Town, on Saturday, January 23.
Thirty dogs with fur so matted their breeds were unrecognisable, and many covered in faeces, were found in a neglected state in kennels outside a property in the Skegness area.
The RSPCA was alerted to the plight of the dogs last week and the owner agreed to sign the pets over into the care of the animal welfare charity.
The dogs were taken by rescuers for immediate veterinary attention. Several of them were so badly matted that they had to have their fur shaved off.
The matting had caused skin problems for some of the dogs. Many also needed emergency dental work to enable them to eat properly.
One dog had puss leaking from her mouth and the situation reduced the rescue staff to tears.
Thirty dogs were found in a neglected state in kennels outside a property in the Skegness area. | Photo: RSPCA
The dogs were all cross-breeds and included Dachshunds, Yorkshire Terriers, Toy Poodles and German Shepherd types.
All the dogs are in need of care and rehabilitation from the RSPCA. When they are ready they will then be rehomed at a later date.
The dogs were in such a bad way their breeds were unrecognisable. | Photo: RSPCA
Ella Carpenter, manager at RSPCA Radcliffe Animal Centre in Nottinghamshire, said: “Clearly the dogs had been neglected for a significant amount of time and required their coats to be completely shaved and urgent dentals to be carried out. They were unrecognisable as to their breeds.
“One dog was in such a state she has pus leaking from her mouth. It was so upsetting to see it reduced rescue staff to tears
“Thankfully, dematting and removing the vast majority of their overgrown fur has already given the dogs a new lease of life.
“They are now able to move freely without experiencing the pain of those heavy matts, glued together with excrement, pulling and tearing at their skin.
“We will continue to regularly bathe them to help improve their skin condition and we will spend the coming weeks rehabilitating them and will give them lots of care and attention so when we are ready to re-home the dogs we can match them with a perfect future owner.”
The father of a woman who went missing in her teens nearly 30 years ago issued a fresh appeal to help try and find his daughter on her 43rd birthday.
Jaime Ann Cheesman was just 16-years-old when she was reported missing in November 1993, but she has never been found despite extensive and numerous reported sighings.
The last confirmed sighting of Jaime was on November 2, 1993, when she was seen by neighbours walking in Comber Place in Grimsby.
Reports were also later investigated that she was going by the name of Naomi and was in a hotel in London. More recently, there was an unconfirmed sighting of Jaime in Alnwick, Northumberland in 2019.
Her mum passed away without ever knowing what happened to her daughter, but her father Eric has made a fresh appeal via Humberside Police for help in tracing Jaime on what would have been her 43rd birthday.
Jaime as a child and a digital image of how she may look today. | Photo: Humberside Police
Eric said: “It’s been a long time but I am still hopeful. I do really miss her – like any dad would. I just want my daughter home.
“I don’t have a clue what happened to Jaime but I will never give up hope that I will see her again. I am confident she will be back home one day.
“I know she had a lot of friends in Grimsby, so I’m hoping that someone who knew them all may be able to help us.”
Jaime aged 14. | Photo: Humberside Police
Humberside Police have been involved in the search for Jaime for the past five years after taking over from Northamptonshire Police.
Since taking over the case, Humberside Police have carried out a forensic examination of the now demolished property at Comber Place.
They have also gone over more than 500 of Jaime’s letters, diaries and notes. From those, police have put together a list of names of those she was closest to (as seen below).
Jaime’s links to Grimsby. | Photo: Humberside Police
Detective Sergeant Sam Cunnington, who is now leading the investigation, said: “Due to the length of time Jaime has been missing, this is a very complex and difficult investigation.
“We have no CCTV, mobile phones or social media to assist us and many witnesses can’t remember accurate times and dates for when they may have seen her.
“However, we will not give up hope of finding her. I hope she is living a safe and prosperous life somewhere.
“Jaime, if you’re reading this, please get in touch with me or your dad to let us know you’re okay. You may not want to come home and that’s fine but we need to know that you’re safe.”
The investigation timeline. | Photo: Humberside Police
He added: “Although she was brought up in Westminster Road, in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, Jaime spent a lot of time in Grimsby where her best friend Joanne had family links.
“In the early 90s, Joanne’s parents – Clive and Valerie – secured a council house in Comber Place and the family moved to the area.
“They moved back to Wellingborough in 1993 but in November of that year Jaime returned to Grimsby with Clive and Joanne’s boyfriend Peter to tie up some loose ends.
“She and Peter stayed at Comber Place but we are told she stormed out following an argument over some CDs but when she didn’t come back or return to Wellingborough, she was reported missing.”
Anyone who remembers Jaime, or is one of the people named in the list of friends, should contact police on 101 or via email at [email protected].police.uk.
Information can also be reported anonymously to Missing People by calling or texting 116000.