Councillor Davies' CrowdHall page where he answered the questions from people.
Councillor Richard Davies, the executive councillor for Highways and Transportation at Lincolnshire County Council, held a new kind of public meeting over the past two weeks, online.
He has become the first politician, and probably the first person in the UK, to use a new online social media tool called CrowdHall, a tool for politicians to enter a two-way dialogue with local people in a more organised way.
Over the past two weeks he has received and replied to a series of questions regarding transport in Lincolnshire, with the most voted questions and answers reproduced below:
Q: Lincoln prison is overcrowded. Why not have teams from the prison out on the roads filling potholes?
I support the idea of prisoners’ time being used constructively and I’d love to see prisoners out there working on our roads. However, the reality is that security and logistics issues mean that this isn’t something we’ll likely be able to achieve in the near future.
What is more achievable is for us to help prisoners find work when they leave prison. This reduces the chances that they will reoffend in the future, meaning lower crime and fewer victims. Many of our road maintenance contractors have established good relationships with prisons and have recruited many ex-convicts who’ve gone on to be model employees.
61% of people leaving prison re-offend within two years but if they get a job that drops to 19%. Statistics like this show that we can make a real difference to society through programmes like this, and so I’d like to see these schemes developed and expanded during my time in office.
Q: Why is LCC focussing on increasing the use of sustainable transport in LN6 only, an area that already has good bus and cycle links?
When we applied for funding from the Department for Transport in 2012, we had to focus on an area with a large population, traffic congestion and the potential for economic growth.
LN6 was highlighted as a key area due to mass residential expansion in Hykeham (growth of 20% in the last 30 years); traffic congestion around Tritton Road, Newark Road and the business parks in LN6; and the potential for economic growth with the developments around Teal Park and the A46. This was a competitive process so we had to be confident that the area we had chosen met all of the requirements from the Department for Transport.
We eventually won £4.9 million and we were delighted that our bid was successful. Although the Access LN6 programme focuses on LN6, the wider Smarter Choices and Accessibility team at the council are working hard to deliver other sustainable transport projects across the county.
And of course if we had never applied, this multi-million investment would never have come to Lincolnshire, it would have gone elsewhere in the country.
Q: Why is LCC still wasting money on The Road Safety Partnership when the money could be spent on improving the roads?
I could not disagree with you more on this. Put it this way – ten years ago, there were 104 deaths on Lincolnshire’s road in a single year. Last year, there were 39.
Technology hasn’t come on that much in a decade. Driver behaviour has changed. We’re smarter and we’re more informed of the risks. Consequently, we’re all safer.
Let’s put emotions to one side. Look at the evidence above. If we can save 20 lives a year (and that’s a conservative estimate), the tax revenue that we can protect is enormous. Nearly one in three of those killed or seriously injured on UK roads is under the age of 25. The income that they will generate over their lifetime goes into the millions.
By failing to properly educate drivers and enforce speed limits, we are significantly reducing our county’s future tax base – which means we will have less money to maintain and build our roads. I’m not saying the LRSP are a perfect organisation, they’re not.
All council services can and must provide more value for money. But I think people miss the point about road safety, they just focus on the emotional impact of road deaths. We must also think about the loss to our economy and wider society when a young, productive person dies 50 years before they naturally would. Preventing that kind of waste is not a waste of money.
Q: Will flexibility be included in the new speed limit policy as per government guidelines? When will a decision be reached for 30 mph in Fulbeck?
We’ve set up what’s called a ‘task and finish group’ to review the council’s speed limit policy. These groups are established to conduct an in-depth review of a given subject. It will allow councillors and officers to do a thorough analysis of the current policy. It will incorporate site visits, speaking to other councils and community representatives, and examining technical evidence from a variety of sources.
The review will culminate in a final report which will contain recommendations that will be submitted to the council’s Executive for approval. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to wade in and pre-empt the findings of the review. However, I am confident that the findings and the subsequent policy will balance the needs of local communities and the travelling public. I’m sorry, I’m not able to give you a date when a decision will be made about Fulbeck at this moment in time.
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A single week in December saw Lincolnshire deaths reach 13 times the yearly average, explained local health bosses frustrated with COVID deniers.
Lincolnshire County Council’s Director of Public Health Professor Derek Ward told BBC Radio Lincolnshire that the week including December 14 would usually see an average of 23 deaths.
In 2020, there had been 301 deaths, some 13 times the usual figures. “Anybody who says COVID isn’t real, think about those numbers,” he said.
“COVID is a killer, let’s make sure we stick with that hands, face, space message.”
Government figures say 1,241 people in Lincolnshire have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus, with 664 having died in the county’s hospitals. Nationally, 94,580 deaths have been recorded.
A chart showing COVID deaths in Lincolnshire since the start of the pandemic. | Graph: Gov UK
Professor Ward said the figure was higher than the average excess mortality rates.
“We were fortunate with the first wave, we actually had fewer deaths due to COVID than we thought we might have, given we’ve got an older population, but really sadly we’ve seen quite a lot of deaths over over the winter period.”
He said it was “hugely frustrating” that people still denied the pandemic but that they were a “tiny, tiny proportion”.
However, he added: “It’s not just about COVID, it’s about the impact… on our NHS.
“All you’ve got to do is look at the hospital situation, or listen to [the news] to realise that if you are unlucky enough to be in a car accident or have a heart attack, if all the beds are full of COVID patients you are not going to get the support that you need from the NHS.
“That’s why it’s really important that we minimise the number of people who’ve got it, because it will have an impact on people who don’t get it but need NHS care.”
His family described him as an “NHS hero who dedicated his life to his career” and now he will be honoured as such at his funeral on Friday, January 22.
Tony Chadbourne worked in the ambulance service for over 20 years. | Photo: EMAS
Tony had recently received his 20 year service medal from EMAS, and was promoted to Duty Operations Manager a month before his passing.
EMAS posted a tribute on social media on the day of the funeral, vowing to mark Tony’s life with a minute’s silence at 12.45pm.
It reads: “Due to current national restrictions, we cannot pay our respects in the way we normally would for a colleague and so instead will be marking a minute’s silence at 12.45pm today, wherever we are.
“If you would like to join us in observing a minute’s silence to remember Tony, wherever you are at 12.45pm, please do.”
A number of heartfelt tributes have been shared by people at EMAS to remember Tony, from staff and bosses alike.
Richard Henderson, EMAS chief executive, said: “Losing Chad is incredibly sad, and it’s difficult to find the words to express how colleagues across the service will be feeling as they hear this devastating news.
“My thoughts are with Chad’s family, and his close colleagues and good friends, many of whom will be at work today and over the coming weeks; continuing to provide emergency and urgent care for those who need it.”
Her Royal Highness, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, surprised local healthcare staff at the Lincolnshire General Practice Nurse Conference.
The Queen’s daughter-in-law, who is married to Prince Edward, joined the start of the conference on Wednesday, January 20 and thanked all healthcare staff in Lincolnshire for their efforts during the pandemic.
She was welcomed to the conference on what was her 56th birthday by Dr Helen Garr.
She spoke with the nurses and healthcare assistants and asked how they were coping during the pandemic.
Nurses and HCAs attending the conference.
The day before her 89-year-old father had his COVID vaccine and Sophie said “it was a huge weight off my mind”.
“I know that that wouldn’t be happening without the care and attention of the nurses out in general surgeries,” she said.
The conference also included professional development sessions, the launch of the ShinyMind wellbeing app, and the General Practice Nurse and Health Care Assistant Awards.
The Lincolnshire Training Hub Team.
Lisa Freeman, Director of Nursing at Lincolnshire Training Hub, said: “To have such a high profile visitor attend our conference and recognise all of the hard work which goes on with nursing teams in Lincolnshire General Practice has provided a much needed boost to our workforce.
“We all headed into the practices with a spring in our step.”
Dr Runa Saha, GP and Medical Director at Lincolnshire Training Hub, said: “We are committeed to supporting the recruitment, training and development needs for General Practice in Lincolnshire. Our workforce are passionate about meeting the needs of the Lincolnshire patients.
“We are proud to be supporting the growth of the workforce through placements in Primary Care for students from the University of Lincoln and other institutions, creating a new generation of healthcare staff.”
Awards winners
Nurse of the Year – Celia Hughes
HCA/NA of the Year – Peter Malleappah
Nursing Team of the Year – Church Walk
Student Placement of the Year – Abbey Medical Group
The Extra Mile Award – Sue Smith
Outstanding Contribution to General Practice – Adele Parsons
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