New Year’s resolutions from Lincolnshire Reporter columnists

A newly qualified teenage driver caused a fatal crash in which three of her young passengers were killed after she lost control of the car on a straight stretch of road, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court was told on Monday.

Kasey Boulton, 19, who had only passed her test weeks earlier, spun out of control as she drove along Heath Lane just outside the village of Welton near Lincoln in March 2019, resulting in her Vauxhall Astra colliding with a tree.

Ian Way, prosecuting, told the jury that three passengers Ricky Sharp, 17, Aiden Sawyer, 17, and Joby John Scrimshaw, 14, were killed. Boulton and her two other passengers were seriously injured. No other vehicle was involved.

Mr Way said that the car was only designed to hold four passengers but Boulton had five, with Ricky Sharp sitting in the footwell behind the front passenger.

The prosecutor told the jury that the overloading of the car caused the vehicle to be unbalanced which contributed to Boulton losing control.

Boulton had recently passed her test at the time and had only had the Astra for three weeks before the collision occurred.

Lots of flowers have been left at the scene of the crash. | Photo: Connor Creaghan for The Lincolnite

Mr Way said: “Miss Boulton had just gone through a right hand bend before coming onto a straight stretch of road.

“It was 160 metres after coming out of that bend that she veered to the right, crossed over the centre line and into the opposite carriageway.

“The car rotated in a clockwise direction and it hit a tree nearside on. The car sustained what can only be described as catastrophic damage.”

The jury was told that passing motorists stopped to give assistance and the emergency services were called.

Ricky Sharp and Joby John Scrimshaw were both pronounced dead at the scene and Aiden Sawyer died later in hospital.

The incident happened as Boulton was driving towards Lincoln, having picked up a house key from her home at Welton just minutes earlier.

Mr Way said: “The police accident investigator concluded that the overloading of the vehicle was likely to have caused an imbalance affecting the stability of the car.

“He said the loss of control would likely be caused by the overloading of the vehicle.

“The issue for determination in this trial is the standard of Miss Boulton’s driving at the material time.

“The prosecution assert that it was dangerous driving which falls far below that of a careful and competent driver.

“We say Miss Boulton’s driving was dangerous because she made the decision to drive the overloaded and imbalanced car.

“The officer’s view is that the overloading was a critical factor.”

The prosecutor said that following the collision Boulton gave negative readings when tested for alcohol and drugs.

Kasey Boulton from Welton, near Lincoln, denies three charges of causing death by dangerous driving as a result of the incident on March 25, 2019.

The trial continues.

Lincoln’s Usher Gallery continues to be a source of division for the county’s councillors as both sides refuse to move forward.

The City of Lincoln Council said on Monday that Lincolnshire County Council refused its offer to house birth, death and marriage services at City Hall in a bid retain the Usher as an art gallery.

The Usher Gallery, which is owned by City of Lincoln Council and leased to the county council, was built to house pieces of art and historical artefacts.

It was bequeathed to the city by the late jeweller James Usher in 1927.

However Lincolnshire County Council announced in September it intended to hand back control of collections at the Usher Gallery to City of Lincoln Council and reconsider how the building operated.

It included using the landmark as a venue for weddings and other events.

At the time the city council leader Councillor Ric Metcalfe said it was a “betrayal of the county’s rich heritage”.

The authority has since been trying to save the building from the plans.

City of Lincoln Council leader Cllr Ric Metcalfe (left) and Lincolnshire County Council leader Cllr Martin Hill.

Councillor Metcalfe said he was disappointed by the rejection of the latest offer, which he said was trying to “create a win-win” for both sides.

He said: “Lincolnshire County Council has a long-term lease to operate the Usher Gallery in its entirety as a gallery for the benefit of people living and visiting the city.

“This is a long-term contractual commitment on the part of the county council.

“If they do choose to close the Usher Gallery, this will be a tragedy for the city, it will put into jeopardy possible future investment from national bodies for both the Usher and The Collection and could damage the reputation of the county council for some time to come.

“We understand the county council wishes to use the Usher Gallery as a wedding venue and we remain willing to explore the potential for this, but at a scale that does not detract from the building continuing to function as primarily an arts venue across both floors of the building.”

Plans to change the use of the Usher gallery sparked petitions and protests. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Lincolnshire County Council leader Councillor Martin Hill however, said the city council needed to have “flexibility and imagination” to move forward.

He said the authority was grateful for the offer, but that it did not “support the long-term financial sustainability” of the gallery or the “future vision for the wider service”.

Councillor Hill denied the move was driven by saving money on office space, but “to find the right location, so that we can develop our buildings to deliver a thriving and sustainable art offering within our community.

He said constraints such as the listed building status, lack of security and environmental controls limited what could be done.

He pointed to the council’s work at Lincoln Castle as an example of success, adding the plans would “respect the spirit of the Usher bequest” by continuing to display art alongside its other uses.

“As I suggested to Ric, this exciting vision, coordinating artistic, historical and aviation heritage, will only succeed if we all accept flexibility and imagination to move forward and gain external support.”

Limited funds, he said, mean the council was “better to focus spending activity in achieving this on the Collection building” which he said was “more suitable to how gallery spaces are built for modern audiences” and already attracted “significantly greater” visitor numbers.

“We have a bold exciting vision for the future of heritage in Lincolnshire and very much hope that City of Lincoln’s Usher Collection and building will be part of that but we will all need to provide unconditional support.”

It has now seven months since the start of lockdown and certainly the business world has experienced many changes in terms of responding to, and getting to grips with, the impact of the pandemic.  

The way we work, where we work, when we work and even the type of work we do has changed for most of us, if not all.

As is often the case with such significant changes and circumstances, it is not untypical for new words and phrases to come to the fore as we look to be able to communicate with each other on and around the situation.

Over the last few months or so there have been a number of words and phrases banded about, some perhaps new words and some words and phrases that have gained increased use or used in a new context.

The following 10 words or phrases are the ones that seem to have had wider use and perhaps some of these provide a little light relief:

1. Unprecedented – How many meetings or discussions are including this word and the use of the word ‘times’ to follow as we try to understand and assess the situation we are in and the conditions we face.  

2. New norm – in a world turned seemingly upside down and with our pre-lockdown sense of the norm and routine gone, we are all trying to define and even shape what normal now is and looks like. Most of us want some sense of order, routine, processes and structure so that we can function and have a sense of purpose.

3. You’re on mute – whilst the likes of Zoom, MS Teams and google hangouts existed pre lockdown the norm was still to have in person meetings, perhaps with the occasional virtual one. Virtual meetings though have given rise to its own language and typical behaviours. It would be interesting to know how many times someone has said ‘you’re on mute’ as someone attempts to re-enact a silent movie without the subtitles.

4. Sorry I am late I had trouble connecting – with our roads less busy, stuck in traffic is unlikely to be something you hear from someone late for a meeting. It now seems either as a genuine or less so excuse we seem to blame our connectivity or this has become an acceptable excuse.

5. Pivot – whilst some businesses may have considered the need to respond to lasting change brought about by the pandemic, others have been more focused on short-term survival. In doing so they have chosen to ‘pivot’ their business looking at business models or practices conducive to survival.  According to the Harvard Business Review, pivoting is a lateral move that creates enough value for the customer and the firm to share.

6. Repurpose – whilst sounding like a word you might here in a spoof business comedy as some form of management speak, many business leaders and managers have had to either look for alternative markets for their goods or services or look to different business models and processes. The skills and role of those able to repurpose are likely to be in demand for some time – perhaps with businesses even looking to appoint Repurposing Officers (ROs).

7. Blursday – a new made up word being used to describe the situation when lockdown and working from home has got to the point that you have no real idea what day it is, even that you didn’t realise it is a non-working day.

8. Quranteams – a term being used to describe your virtual work bubble – we do like to have a name for everything.

9. Worklife blend/balance – even before lockdown greater consideration was being given by individuals to their worklife balance. Though for those working and perhaps surprisingly those furloughed, greater consideration and importance is being placed on one’s worklife balance, wellbeing and mental health.

10. Embracing technology – whilst technology, its use and application has accelerated the pace of change it has never been as fast as it has been since lockdown. The term embrace technology has possibly been used to describe the situation where we all, whether in our work, personal or family life, have had to get to grips with and use more technological applications. For some this may have been easier than for others, however it has highlighted issues around skills and proficiency and the need for training, support and investment.

No doubt more words and phrases will come to the fore over the coming months, some will be lasting in terms of vocabulary and some new words may even make the next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. 

James Pinchbeck is Marketing Partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, a top 40 UK accountancy practice. James, as a specialist in marketing professional services, is responsible for the development and implementation of the firm's strategic marketing as well as its engagement in the community it which it works and serves. His role allows him to capitalise on his broad interest in the national and local economy as well as his passion for enterprise. As part of his wider interest in enterprise, marketing and education, James is a board member of NBV – the East Midlands Enterprise Agency, an FE College Governor and a board member of the University of Lincoln’s Business School. He is also an Institute of Director’s past Branch Chairman.