I believe politicians should listen to the people they represent, not dictate to them. That applies not just on the national stage, as with the historic EU referendum, but also at a grassroots level here in Lincolnshire. And that’s why – as you may have heard – I want residents to have their say on…
By Martin HillLeader of Lincolnshire County Council
I believe politicians should listen to the people they represent, not dictate to them.
That applies not just on the national stage, as with the historic EU referendum, but also at a grassroots level here in Lincolnshire.
And that’s why – as you may have heard – I want residents to have their say on the future of local government in the county.
At the moment, we have a “two-tier” set of arrangements involving eight main authorities – Lincolnshire County Council and the seven districts.
Put simply, that’s just far too many these days – and it isn’t financially sustainable.
It’s estimated that a new “unitary” system, with far fewer councils, could save as much as £150m – or £82,000 every week – over five years.
That’s a huge amount of money that could be used to protect frontline services, which are under pressure as funding for local government falls.
The savings could also be used to keep council tax down, helping local families as they struggle to make ends meet themselves.
Besides being less wasteful, a streamlined system would be much less complicated for residents.
As things stand, people are understandably unsure which council to contact about a particular service – that confusion would disappear overnight.
What’s more, having one less tier would leave more space for town and parish councils to flourish, strengthening grassroots links with local people.
So why hasn’t a unitary system been brought in before?
In many areas of the country, it already has – and the benefits are obvious.
Crucially, greater simplicity has helped make services more affordable – and that’s a lesson Lincolnshire authorities can no longer ignore.
As budgets fall, the services we provide for county residents are having to be cut or, in some cases, stopped altogether.
That’s not something any of us want – and we need to find new and better ways of doing things.
Last year, a proposed Lincolnshire devolution deal was rejected by the county council following consultation with local people.
We were guided by the fact that 53% of those taking part in this area said they didn’t want an elected mayor.
Many of you clearly regarded this as an unnecessary new level of bureaucracy – and urged us to consider new unitary arrangements instead.
I believe the time for that debate has now come, and the issue is going before a full meeting of Lincolnshire County Council on February 24.
In that debate, members will decide whether to put the question to local people in a poll.
The poll would be designed to find out if you favour abolishing the current set-up of eight Lincolnshire councils and replacing it with some kind of unitary arrangement.
That could ultimately be a single countywide authority – or perhaps two or more councils covering smaller areas.
The principle, though, would be clear – each area would only have one main council providing services.
As regards timing, the poll would be held at the same time as the May local government elections.
That way, costs would be kept to a minimum, while still finding out the views of the people who really matter – the residents of Lincolnshire.
Martin Hill OBE is the Conservative Leader of Lincolnshire County Council. A former farmer, Martin was elected to Lincolnshire County Council in 1993, representing Folkingham Rural. He became council leader in 2005 and was later awarded an OBE for services to Lincolnshire. Martin lives in a former pub at Kirby Underwood with wife Janice and their irrepressible Patterdale Terrier, Boris.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
I believe politicians should listen to the people they represent, not dictate to them. That applies not just on the national stage, as with the historic EU referendum, but also at a grassroots level here in Lincolnshire. And that’s why – as you may have heard – I want residents to have their say on…
I believe politicians should listen to the people they represent, not dictate to them.
That applies not just on the national stage, as with the historic EU referendum, but also at a grassroots level here in Lincolnshire.
And that’s why – as you may have heard – I want residents to have their say on the future of local government in the county.
At the moment, we have a “two-tier” set of arrangements involving eight main authorities – Lincolnshire County Council and the seven districts.
Put simply, that’s just far too many these days – and it isn’t financially sustainable.
It’s estimated that a new “unitary” system, with far fewer councils, could save as much as £150m – or £82,000 every week – over five years.
That’s a huge amount of money that could be used to protect frontline services, which are under pressure as funding for local government falls.
The savings could also be used to keep council tax down, helping local families as they struggle to make ends meet themselves.
Besides being less wasteful, a streamlined system would be much less complicated for residents.
As things stand, people are understandably unsure which council to contact about a particular service – that confusion would disappear overnight.
What’s more, having one less tier would leave more space for town and parish councils to flourish, strengthening grassroots links with local people.
So why hasn’t a unitary system been brought in before?
In many areas of the country, it already has – and the benefits are obvious.
Crucially, greater simplicity has helped make services more affordable – and that’s a lesson Lincolnshire authorities can no longer ignore.
As budgets fall, the services we provide for county residents are having to be cut or, in some cases, stopped altogether.
That’s not something any of us want – and we need to find new and better ways of doing things.
Last year, a proposed Lincolnshire devolution deal was rejected by the county council following consultation with local people.
We were guided by the fact that 53% of those taking part in this area said they didn’t want an elected mayor.
Many of you clearly regarded this as an unnecessary new level of bureaucracy – and urged us to consider new unitary arrangements instead.
I believe the time for that debate has now come, and the issue is going before a full meeting of Lincolnshire County Council on February 24.
In that debate, members will decide whether to put the question to local people in a poll.
The poll would be designed to find out if you favour abolishing the current set-up of eight Lincolnshire councils and replacing it with some kind of unitary arrangement.
That could ultimately be a single countywide authority – or perhaps two or more councils covering smaller areas.
The principle, though, would be clear – each area would only have one main council providing services.
As regards timing, the poll would be held at the same time as the May local government elections.
That way, costs would be kept to a minimum, while still finding out the views of the people who really matter – the residents of Lincolnshire.
Councillor Martin Hill is the leader of Lincolnshire County Council.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Grimsby Town signed defender Rollin Menayese on loan until the end of the season.
The 23-year-old central defender is coming from fellow League Two side Mansfield Town, who he joined in the summer of 2020 after three years at Bristol Rovers.
It is new manager Paul Hurst’s second signing of the window, as he looks to turn the club’s fortunes around after Ian Holloway’s departure.
Menayese has made 14 appearances for Mansfield this season, scoring two goals, and he hopes to now help Grimsby in their fight against relegation.
The new signing said: “I found out a couple of weeks or a week ago, when I spoke to the manager, spoke to my agent and I was very interested and keen to join.
“I think it’s the right time for me because I really want to push myself, I want to keep on improving and hopefully we can get some wins.”
Grimsby Town manager Paul Hurst was pleased to be able to bolster his defensive options for the coming games.
He said: “He’s a player that I have been aware of for some time.
“At the start of this season, I had said that I had been watching games and he is someone that caught the eye while he has been at Mansfield.”
Rollin will be available to play in the Lincolnshire derby with Scunthorpe United on Saturday, which could be huge in how the relegation fight pans out.
Scunthorpe are currently hovering just two points above the relegation zone, with Grimsby currently in the bottom two, staring demotion to the National League in the face unless form turns around.
It’s very tight at the bottom of League Two, but Scunthorpe and Grimsby are in danger of relegation. | Photo: BBC Sport (accurate as of January 18, 2021)
The first appointments went ahead at 11am on Monday, January 18, with the site having the capacity to deliver 1,500 vaccines every day.
The new COVID-19 vaccination centre in Boston. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
It will be open seven days a week from 8am to 7pm, prioritising the most vulnerable people in the area before expanding to the wider community.
Letters have been sent out to people over 80 years of age who live within 45 minutes driving distance of the centre.
The letter invites people to book their vaccination through the national booking service, either online or by telephone.
Details will only be given to those who are sent a letter or contacted, so people are being urged not to contact their GP about this and wait for the NHS to come to you.
1,500 jabs could be delivered every day at the Boston vaccine hub. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
It is part of a national push to get people vaccinated across the country, as health secretary Matt Hancock said he is aiming for everyone to have had the first dose by September.
The site is another option for people who are eligible for the vaccine at this stage, meaning they can secure an appointment for the Boston PRSA up to seven days in advance.
Alternatively, people can wait to be called by the NHS and be invited to their local vaccination sites, of which there are now 21 in Greater Lincolnshire.
The full list of sites operating as vaccination hubs in the county are:
Hospital Hubs
United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust
Lincoln County Hospital
Boston Pilgrim Hospital
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust
The boy attended today’s hearing remotely by video link from the secure accommodation unit where he is being held on remand.
Tributes left for Roberts Buncis, 12, near Alcorn Green in Fishtoft, where his body was found. | Photo: John Aron
During the 14 minute hearing the boy sat on a settee next to his defence barrister Tara McCarthy. Both of them wore protective visors.
No charge was put to him and the matter was adjourned for a further case management hearing to be held on April 6.
Judge John Pini QC remanded the defendant to the secure accommodation unit. The judge previously set down a trial date to commence on June 21. The hearing is expected to last two weeks.
An order has been imposed under section 45 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act of 1999 preventing publication of the identity of the accused boy.