Every four years people in Lincolnshire have a direct opportunity to decide who should run the county council. The election on May 4 this year will decide whether we should continue with the policy of cuts in public services or take a different path. There are many terrific people running services for which the county…
Every four years people in Lincolnshire have a direct opportunity to decide who should run the county council.
The election on May 4 this year will decide whether we should continue with the policy of cuts in public services or take a different path.
There are many terrific people running services for which the county council has responsibility. From social workers to fire officers, from health visitors to care workers, from teachers to pot hole fillers, they have done a great job despite having less and less money to keep their services going.
Since the Tories took over at Westminster there have been huge cuts in funding for local services. Here in Lincolnshire the Conservative administration has enthusiastically followed the government lead.
Despite having over £150 million in the bank, they have cut, cut and cut again, closing down the youth service, withdrawing help from hundreds of old people and ending support for those in crisis.
Having denied they were going to get rid of libraries prior to the last election the first thing they did once they got into power in 2013 was to propose sacking most of the public library staff and closing most of the libraries in Lincolnshire.
Labour councillors, working with Save Lincolnshire Libraries, campaigned for libraries to be kept and took the council to the High Court which found it had acted unlawfully. The cuts were delayed and a new operator was found which is now running the public library service albeit with smaller libraries having to be run by volunteers or be closed.
Having made a mess of the libraries they then decided they would change the way many back office functions are run and get a new contractor in 2015 – Serco.
Labour councillors warned them that Serco was unlikely to be capable of running such a contract. How right we were. It has been a disaster and two years into the contract, things are still not right.
The problems have not just been for the council but for many schools too, with suppliers not being paid and staff being paid too little or in some cases too much!
In 2016 drastic cuts to the fire and rescue service across the county were announced, including down grading the Lincoln South Fire Station. Labour councillors, working with the community and firefighters, campaigned to secure the future of the Lincoln South Fire Station.
Other threatened cuts to bus services and children’s centres have only been prevented by vigorous campaigning by Labour councillors alongside the community.
And now they are turning off the lights in Lincolnshire. When it was first announced last year they planned to turn them off even earlier at 10pm.
Again a campaign led by Labour councillors and the community forced them to think again and keep the lights on until midnight, though because of the poor technology it could be an hour either side!
In February Labour put forward a costed proposal to turn the lights back on. It was voted down. We will continue to campaign on this and will turn the lights back on as soon as possible after the election.
It’s not just the lights – they are also going to stop cutting the grass all over Lincolnshire. For a county that prides itself on its beauty and its tourism industry this is unbelievable.
Services are being cut while the rates are being increased. While no one is keen to pay a tax rise, people are even less enthusiastic about getting less for their money.
Labour is determined that people should get value for money, which doesn’t always mean the cheapest – look at Serco. Public services are really too important to be only provided by private companies looking for a profit.
And it’s not just the cuts they have already announced that we need to worry about. We already know about the threats to school funding, the funding of our local NHS, the rising cost of adult social care, and the long term funding of the essential Citizens Advice Service in Lincolnshire.
What about other future cuts and increased charging? Parents having to pay more for post 16 school transport, vulnerable adults facing increased charges for their care, more public services disappearing?
We need to do things differently.
John Hough is a Labour councillor at Lincolnshire County Council. He has represented the Louth South division since 2001 and has been the leader of the Labour opposition since September 2013. He also chairs the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee.
Fewer cases but more deaths this week
There have been 1,643 new coronavirus cases and 83 COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire this week – compared to 1,670 cases and 71 deaths last week.
Some 304 new cases and 17 deaths were reported in Greater Lincolnshire on Friday – the third day in a row with 17 deaths.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 252 new cases in Lincolnshire, 28 in North Lincolnshire and 24 in North East Lincolnshire.
On Friday, 14 deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, two in North East Lincolnshire and one in North Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported six new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, four at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG) and one at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals. Some 51 hospital deaths have been recorded this week, compared to 48 last week.
On Friday, national cases increased by 40,261 to 3,583,907, while deaths rose by 1,401 to 95,981.
Lincolnshire health bosses estimate that 80-90% of new coronavirus cases in the county are now a mutant, more infectious strain of COVID.
Figures earlier this week said that by January 8, 59.2% of cases had confirmed the new virus — up from 36% by the end of 2020 — and now county leaders estimate the number to be even higher.
The COVID mutation that has taken over most new cases in Lincolnshire is not only more infectious, but also more deadly, it has been revealed.
NHS bosses are hoping to offer all care homes in Lincolnshire the first COVID vaccine dose by the end of the week. This comes as almost 5.4 million people have received jabs nationally.
Director of Nursing at Lincolnshire CCG Martin Fahy told BBC Radio Lincolnshire that about three quarters has been completed so far.
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 explained that the week including December 14 would usually see an average of 23 deaths, but 2020 say 301 deaths that week.
In national news, there are no plans to pay everyone in England who tests positive for COVID-19 £500 to self-isolate, No 10 has said.
The PM’s official spokesman said there was already a £500 payment available for those on low incomes who could not work from home and had to isolate.
The coronavirus R number in the UK has fallen sharply since last week, suggesting the lockdown is slowing the spread of coronavirus.
The R, which refers to the number of people that an infected person will pass COVID-19 on to, is between 0.8 and 1 across the UK, according to the figures released by the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).
This means for every 10 people infected with COVID-19, they will pass the virus on to between eight and 10 others.
Lincoln City has taken the top spot with the highest infection rate in Greater Lincolnshire.
This week saw South Holland at the top which was put down to two outbreaks in care homes with up to 100 cases. South Holland has now dropped to third place in the region.
Greater Lincolnshire still remains way below the national average infection rate of 472.9, with just 217.3 per 100,000 of the population.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate over the last seven days up to January 22 according to the government dashboard:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Jan 15 to Jan 22. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
45,645 cases (up 304)
1,760 deaths (up 17)
of which 1,047 hospital deaths (up 11)
3,583,907 UK cases, 95,981 deaths
The charity project turned into a business
A Lincoln couple will reopen their independent pizzeria at a new location on Friday night, with an array of main and signature pizzas and Belgian waffles.
Weirdough’s Pizza Emporium will open at Tap & Spile on Hungate from 5pm on Friday, January 22, but it initially started out as a charity project making Neo-Neapolitan pizzas.
Husband and wife team Matt and Rachel Barnes have lived in Lincoln for around five years and last year they wanted to do something to raise money for the NHS.
Matt starting to prepare a pizza. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Kneading the dough. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Matt used to work at a Lincoln school, but they were closed to most pupils for a few weeks in March, so he started working on a project and Weirdoughs Pizza Emporium was born.
It was initially run from The West End Tap from the end of last summer, but in January the pub announced it would not reopen again under its current management, so Weirdoughs had to find a new premises.
The base ready for the next stage of the pizza making. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Matt putting the pizza into the oven. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The tasty pizza in the oven. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Adding the finishing touches to the pizza. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
All profits made from the food sold – just under £2,000 – went to the NHS. The couple also did some drop offs at the coronavirus ward at Lincoln County Hospital.
Matt was made redundant at the end of May and Rachel was due to give birth four weeks after that.
It was a hectic time for the couple as Rachel, who works at a primary school in Peterborough, would be on maternity leave and Matt would soon have no income.
The Margz main pizza – San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The Weirdough – San Marzano tomatoes, parmesan, Emmental, mozzarella, red onions, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, spicy Nduja sausage, rocket, balsamic glaze and garlic drizzle. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
As the pizzas were working so well and following feedback from customers, the couple decided to turn it into a business.
Dan Neale, who previously ran the West End Tap, has joined the Weirdoughs team of four as a pizza chef.
Or why not try a Create Your Own Weirdoughs Waffle? | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The dough is homemade 24 hours ahead to make their special main and signature pizzas, while customers can also order a create your own Weirdoughs waffle.
The Belgian waffles come with a variety of toppings such as Kinder Bueno, Crunchie, and Galaxy Caramel, with sauces including white and milk chocolate, salted caramel and toffee, with ice cream.
Weirdoughs will open Friday to Sunday 5pm-9pm and Wednesday to Thursday 5pm-8pm for takeaway or delivery.
Pre-ordering is advised via Facebook or Instagram or by calling 07734 297 035, with the latter option preferred if it is after 4.30pm.
Owner Matt Barnes will help meet your pizza needs. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Delivery is available to the following areas: Ermine, St Giles, Monks Road, High Street, Bailgate, Boultham, West End and the city centre.
Weirdoughs will try and accommodate other areas too, but it may incur additional charges, while the takeaway will also be joining Uber Eats in the near future.
Weirdoughs will be based inside the Tap & Spile pub in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Once pubs are allowed to reopen again, customers at the Tap & Spile will able to order Weirdoughs food straight to their table and Matt said he can’t wait for people to able to experience it that way.
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