March 16, 2017 10.09 am
This story is over 80 months old
John Hough: A chance to do things differently
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…
Labour county councillor John Hough (Louth South) Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
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.
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.
Residents, visitors, and traders have expressed their disappointment following the cancellation of the beloved Lincoln Christmas Market, on what would have been the inaugural day of this year’s four-day event.
Although the poor weather might have deterred some people, the city’s Bailgate area was notably quiet around 12pm on Thursday, typically the time the event usually opens its doors.
Although Lincoln’s famous Christmas Market is no more this year, and won’t be opening today, there are still alternative festive events happening in Lincoln.
City of Lincoln Council’s decision to cancel the 40-year-old event over safety concerns prompted backlash from people and business but, despite pleas from opposition members, its leaders would not change their stance.
There are, however, still some events in Lincoln to get you in the festive mood this week, including these highlights:
Christmas Market at County Assembly Rooms
The County Assembly Rooms in the Bailgate will still hold its own Christmas Market that it has done for many years.
Manager Gill Hunter said stallholders had already pre-booked and 70% still wanted to do it despite the cancellation of the city’s 40-year-old Christmas Market in uphill Lincoln.
There will be a range of festive stalls, food, drinks and performers when it opens at the following times:
Thursday, December 7 (4pm-9pm)
Friday, December 8 (10am-9pm)
Saturday, December 9 (10am-9pm)
Sunday, December 10 (10am-7pm)
This coincides with the free parking at selected city council car parks in uphill Lincoln on Thursday and Friday. This is available at these car parks: Westgate 1,2,3, St Pauls, Castle Hill, The Lawn, and Langworthgate
The bar at The County Assembly Rooms will be serving hot chocolate, festive sandwiches, alcoholic beverages and more. There will also be a brewery selling bottle ale and roasted hot chestnuts will also be available to buy.
Lincoln Castle Illuminated
Lincoln Castle Illuminated will run from Friday, December 8 until Saturday, December 23.
The Castle grounds will be bejewelled with festive lights and illuminated Christmas features. You can take a drip down Candy Cane Lane and also see the resident Castle dragons Lucy and Norman.
The Castle has retained its popular Illuminated Wall Walk, but the lift is currently out of action so it can only be accessed via the spiral staircase.
You can also board the ‘Mini Polar Express’ and enjoy traditional fairground rides.
In addition, there will be local vendors offering sweet treats and winter warmers, including hot chocolate and mulled wine.
Dog friendly evenings will take place on December 13 and 20.
The full Lincoln Castle Illuminated experience costs £11 for adults, £10 for concessions, £6 for children, and £28 for family tickets. Alternatively, you can choose to visit the grounds only for £3 per head (free for under 5s).
Festive fun at Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral will be hosting an array of festive events this month, including during what would have been the Christmas Market period.
Crafters market in the Cloisters – December 8 and 9 (10.30am-4.30pm)
Nativity Crafts – December 9 (10am-3.30pm)
London Concertante: Christmas at the Movies – December 9 (7.30pm). Ticket prices range from £33.99 to £47.72
‘After Hours’: Walking towards Christmas – December 10 (6.45pm)
Winter Market at Lincoln Museum
Lincoln Museum on Danes Terrace is holding a Winter Market on Saturday, December 9, which has been organised by Shelf Editions.
There will also be workshops to take part in including metal wreath (£45) and felt decoration (£15) making, which can be booked via the museum’s website.
For the younger visitors there is also a free drop-in Calendar wreath craft session with the Elbow Room Collective.
Entry to the market is free from 10am-4pm with the cafe serving a festive menu from 11am-3pm.
Lincoln Ice Trail
Lincoln Ice Trail will run from 10am-8pm on Saturday and Sunday, December 9 and 10.
There will be 20 Lincoln-themed ice sculptures to find – you can pick up a map of the trail from the Visitor Information Centre.
In addition, there will be festive entertainment, as well as live-ice carving demonstrations of the Cathedral.
The Travelling Historical Christmas Market
Although this event is next week, The Travelling Historical Christmas Market offers another festive alternative for people in Lincoln.
The free event will take place at St Mary le Wigford Church on St Mary’s Street between December 14 and 17 at the following times: