June 1, 2015 3.02 pm
This story is over 82 months old
Lincolnshire home support charity to protest after council cuts funding
All funding cut: There’s a huge question mark over the future of a charity group which support hundreds of Lincolnshire families after the county council decided to remove 100% of its funding.
There’s a huge question mark over the future of a charity group which support hundreds of Lincolnshire families after the county council decided to remove 100% of its funding support.
The Home-Start charity group is planning a protest in front of the Lincolnshire County Council offices on Newland in Lincoln at 9.30am on Friday, June 5 against the potentially crippling cut.
The loss amounts to more than £435,000 per year to support around 809 families with 1,718 children (2014/15).
The group, which is made up of eight local schemes in Boston, East Lindsey, Gainsborough, Grantham, Lincoln, Sleaford, South Holland and South West Lincolnshire, has said they may not survive long enough to secure another form of funding.
The cut, from October 1 2015, could see the 560 vulnerable families lose support and the role of 500 volunteers put at risk.
Across Lincolnshire, the eight Home-Start schemes provide free, emotional confidential support and practical help for families facing difficulties.
Support is provided by carefully selected and trained volunteers who have parenting experience, and support is tailored depending on the needs of the family.
Home-Start in Lincolnshire has been providing one-to-one support for parents and families for the past 30 years and has supported families with issues ranging from debt, domestic abuse, inadequate housing, mental ill health, disabilities and isolation.
Mandy Sowerby from Home-Start Lincoln said: “It costs around £1,459 per year to support 1 family – that’s £28 a week.
“But it’s not just the families we are fighting for, a volunteer workforce of more than 500 people will also be at risk.
“As this week is volunteers week we are not only highlighting the impact of the loss of the service for families but also for the volunteer workforce which the government places so much emphasis (Big Society).
“We hope that our protest on Friday will help highlight these points and would really appreciate your support if you are able to cover the story and help us raise awareness of the issues.”
Ericka Moon from a Lincolnshire Home-Start scheme added: “We understand that these are challenging times, and that all local authorities are having to make tough decisions that affect people’s lives.
“As a group of small charities we are working hard to find other, sustainable funding and looking at how we can provide the best value services.
“To cut all of our funding like this means that some schemes may not survive for long enough to secure their future. Effective early intervention has been shown to save money in the long run.”
The county council is in the process of reviewing its services in order to make savings. The council need to find £120 million of savings over the next few years – on top of the £150 million of savings already found in recent years.
Councillor Mrs Patricia Bradwell, Executive Councillor for Children’s Services, said: “In this difficult financial climate when we have to find substantial savings, we have to prioritise those essential, frontline services, which has meant that Homestart will no longer receive funding from the county council.
“The contract with Homestart has reached its natural end and we have had to review what is provided as we do with all our contracts.
“We recognise groups like Homestart provide good support to many people but this isn’t one of our statutory services and we have to protect frontline children’s services such as safeguarding and fostering and adoption, ahead of any other funding support we give.
“We have also been supporting other providers of similar services in the market to promote their offers and our children’s centres will continue to provide good support for families and their children – I’d advise parents and carers to check out their local centre”.
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Officers were called to reports of a burglary in progress at a premises on Harlow Street, Grimsby at 5:20am this morning (Thursday 26 May).
Following a prompt response from officers five men (from London, Essex and Loughborough) have been arrested on suspicion of burglary.
Whilst carrying out a search of the area and property officers also discovered a cannabis grow at the premises alongside equipment often used when growing cannabis.
Electricity had also been abstracted dangerously.
If you have any information that may assist us with our enquiries, please contact us on our non-emergency number 101 quoting log 46 of 26 May.
A man from Crowland has been fined more than £21,000 for storing waste illegally after pleading guilty to operating a waste site without permission and allowing others to fly-tip there.
Raymond Wortley, 75, of The Streddars, Hundreds Road, accepted and stored waste illegally at his home without a permit. While some of the waste was burned, he also left his gate open which allowed fly-tippers to deposit other waste on his site.
Wortley was sentenced at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on May 24, 2022. He pleaded guilty to operating a waste facility without a permit and knowingly permitting others to deposit waste.
In mitigation, it was explained Wortley had misunderstood the scope of the regulations and had made efforts to comply. He had recently cleared the site and was in the process of making an application for planning permission.
He was fined £21,693.50 which included the avoided permit costs and financial benefit Wortley had gained by running the illegal site. He was ordered to pay a contribution to prosecution costs of £10,000 and a victim surcharge of £181.
A man from Lincolnshire stored waste illegally at his home without a permit. | Photo: Environment Agency
Waste including tree cuttings, plastics, treated wood and construction waste was kept on land at Wortley’s home between October 23, 2019 and June 2, 2021.
Officers visited the site in October 2019 after reports of material being burnt at the site. Smoke from the fire was so thick the officers were unable to see each other.
Metal sheeting, aerosols, ceramic pots and plastic were all found on the burn pile. At the time, Wortley only had permission to burn green waste produced at his site.
Surveillance was then carried out at the site during February 2020, and June to July 2020. Officers noted tipper trucks bringing waste to the site on numerous occasions during this time.
They were told by drivers a fee of £20 was being charged per load to bring waste to the site.
Smoke from the fire was so thick that the officers were unable to see each other. | Photo: Environment Agency
Wortley was told verbally and in writing on several occasions he was not allowed to run the site in the way he was doing. Despite this, he continued to do so.
Further visits were made to the site in July 2020. An attempt to regularise some of the activities had been made with the green waste now being shredded, but this still required a permit.
Additional visits were made in February 2021 and again in October last year. Despite further warnings telling him to stop, Wortley continued to operate from the site with mixed waste including carpets, plastic and household waste being found.
In, November 2021, the site was inspected via drone and found to still be operating as a waste transfer station without any permits.
Peter Stark, enforcement team leader at the Environment Agency, said: “We take illegal waste activity very seriously and will take the necessary action to disrupt criminal activity and prosecute those responsible.
“Wortley was advised to stop on numerous occasions but continued to disregard environmental law. He is now receiving the consequences of those actions.”
Members of the public can report waste crime report on 0800 807060. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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