Lincoln Independent Traders Knight to take city spotlight this Easter weekend

Nearly 2,000 ‘well-paid, high-skilled and sustainable’ jobs are set be created at a new Advanced Manufacturing Park in Scunthorpe being developed by North Lincolnshire Council.

The council has completed the acquisition of a 60-acre site at the edge of Scunthorpe using money from the government’s £3.6 million “levelling up” Towns Fund. It said it will be developing the UK’s first carbon-neutral advanced manufacturing park.

The project, which will create more than 4 million square foot of advanced manufacturing space, will now go through planning. The required infrastructure will be built to connect the site with the nearby M181 motorway.

Aerial view of the 60-acre development site at the edge of Scunthorpe. | Photo: North Lincolnshire Council

The scheme is one of several being developed under the Towns Fund programme, which is overseen by the Scunthorpe Towns Fund Board and is linked to the Future High Street Fund. The money is part of the government’s levelling up agenda.

Around £35 million has so far been committed by government for Scunthorpe through the Town Deal and Future High Streets Fund, plus £12 million for the Burringham Bypass connectivity improvements on the M181, £14 million for flood defence on the River Trent, and £35 million for the new pumping station at Keadby.

Councillor Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “This is a massively exciting project which will have profound effects on the area for generations. It will create hundreds of well-paid, high-skilled jobs in advanced sectors and will be a globally significant hub for research, development and innovation.

“We are already leaders in advanced steel making and this development will create the right environment for more world-leading businesses to join the North Lincolnshire stable, creating and developing innovative, leading-edge products.

“With the fantastic motorway links and clear ties to the ports complex, access to national and international markets will be immediately available – helped of course further through the government’s flagship freeports project which will help make these companies even more competitive.”

“Ask me in two weeks, I’ll know a lot more then” – is the answer Lincolnshire’s health boss gave when asked to predict if Christmas lockdown was on the cards.

Lincolnshire County Council’s director for public health, Professor Derek Ward, called on people to put the headlines about Downing Street Christmas Parties to one side and act to protect themselves and their loved ones as he welcomed the Government’s announcement around Plan B measures on Thursday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new measures during a press conference on Wednesday night. They include face masks in indoor venues from Friday (with some exemptions), a renewed work from home order from Monday and the introduction of COVID passes for entry into busy venues from next week.

Professor Ward told Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Jaines: “From a public health perspective I welcome it. A lot of what was announced are things that I would be doing or that the county council, for example, are already doing so that’s good.”

The latest news follows a series of headlines about allegations of Downing Street Christmas parties and gatherings within days of restrictions being announced last year. The news has sparked a backlash from both sides of Government and resulted in leaked videos of officials laughing and joking about parties.

The government’s press secretary Allegra Stratton yesterday resigned in the wake of the potential scandal.

It has resulted in many asking why they should follow the rules if those who make them don’t.

Professor Ward said: “It’s completely understandable that people think like that.

“What I would ask people to do is put that to one side and think about themselves and think about their loved ones and the risks for them.

“What I’m saying is that as your director of public health in Lincolnshire I do not know enough about Omicron yet that I feel comfortable saying you should do X, Y and Z apart from minimise your risk.”

He said the latest measures would help delay the “very rapid spread” of Omicron and give more time to understand the impact.

A key concern for Professor Ward was how the new variant’s infections were doubling every two to three days with 484 cases officially confirmed in the UK yesterday evening and predictions that it could reach 16,000 by the end of next week.

Only one case has been officially confirmed in Lincolnshire, however, Professor Ward said: “I guarantee there are a significantly bigger number than one case of Omicron in Lincolnshire just like there are across the country – we just haven’t picked them up yet.”

He urged people to continue getting their booster jab and keeping to hands, face, space under the new measures.

Lincolnshire County Council’s Director of Public Health Professor Derek Ward. | Photo: Lincolnshire County Council

Asked if people could, or should, attend Christmas parties when they’re being told to work from home, he said: “Everybody’s going to have to make their own choice, but it’s on the balance of risk.”

“If you work in a small office with the same four or five people day in, day out your risk is less than if you’re going to a party with 200 to 300 others”, he said.

“For me, I would want to prioritise seeing my mum, my sisters, my brother over Christmas if I can and so, I’m not going to go into a pub or a restaurant, not that I’ve been invited, with work colleagues that I don’t normally work with when that might risk my ability to go and see my my loved ones over Christmas.

“In terms of where we’ll be at Christmas? Ask me in two weeks I’ll know a lot more about Omicron then.”

“Flying the flag for Lincolnshire, louder, harder and higher” will be a “driving requirement” in 2022, despite the challenges that lay ahead, the county council’s economy boss has said.

Lincolnshire County Council’s Executive Portfolio Holder for Economy Councillor Colin Davie said there had been a number of success stories in 2021. He signalled extra funding for businesses affected by COVID, the Government’s announcement around Free Ports in the Humber and East Midlands and the retainment of the Red Arrows.

He said the success of the Holbeach Food Enterprise Zone in selling the entirety of its first phase in a few months was a “huge story”, adding: “The massive interest in food generally and in Lincolnshire as a place for innovation in that sector is incredibly important… getting that message out about opportunities across Greater Lincolnshire is a game changer in the medium to long term.”

However, he acknowledged there would be challenges including labour shortages and material cost rises and supply shortages and diplomatic relations or difficulties internationally.

More than 600,000 people in the UK have quit their jobs during the pandemic, while materials and construction costs have risen by 50% in some cases.

Getting young people excited about working in the county

Councillor Davie said some of the issues would be tackled by “skills programming” – getting into schools earlier to promote to young people the benefits of Lincolnshire life.

“Young people need to know what’s available in Lincolnshire – they can have great jobs, great opportunities, a great life without actually leaving the county.

“Selling Lincolnshire has been one of my big themes of next year, I intend to put my foot on the gas even more in ’22 with my colleagues in North and North East Lincolnshire, making that clear argument that the Greater Lincolnshire economic area is valuable, is a huge contributor to the national economy and by working with us, we can deliver greater benefits not just for our place, but for the national economy.

“So flying the flag for Lincolnshire, louder, harder and higher in 22 is going to be my absolute driving requirement that we get the Lincolnshire message out even further and even wider.”

National tensions and COVID impacting economy and budgets

Councillor Davie said tensions in countries such as China and Russia would have ripples on the global market that would impact Lincolnshire, warning “the national debt for some of our global leading economies is now so huge, that further shocks to the system could derail the economy for years to come.”

Further pressure had also been placed on the council’s capital projects by national issues such as COVID.

Holdingham Roundabout, which opened earlier this week, was completed under budget, however, Councillor Davie said it had been “tightly managed” to tackle serious pressures.

“Getting those projects delivered on time on budget, or within the variance of the budget without going over it is incredibly challenging,” he said.

“Can we deliver all of it in the current climate? I’m not sure about that. We will look at that in the new year and see where we are but the key thing is working together with our partners and our teams around construction, to make sure that we deliver the biggest bang we can for taxpayers money, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do in the future.”

Lincolnshire’s tourism to face stiff competition from abroad offer

Councillor Davie said there was plenty of opportunity and the county had a “fantastic offer” in terms of tourism. The recent launch of the Visit Lincolnshire website’s business section was hoped to be a boon to the sector.

However, asked about the future, he said: “If you asked me a couple of days ago, I would say next year was looking really, really exciting for the tourism sector, but with further news stories about COVID restrictions and how it might impact. I’m just a little bit more cautious.”

He said local tourism, and the industry would face more competition next year from European destinations warning that if the aviation sector was shut down any further it could bankrupt it. Therefore there was a need to promote flights and flying to other parts of the world to prevent it from becoming something “only the rich can do”.

However, he said again that workforce would be the “big challenge” for the leisure and hospitality industry.

“The care sector and leisure and hospitality normally recruit from the same sort of section of available workforce. It’s highly competitive,” he said.

Finally, he added there was a challenge in making sure tourism businesses were digitally connected so that they did not get “so far behind that their businesses will fail”.

People need to trust leaders – but party allegations “extremely disappointing”

He said people needed to “trust the government to lead them through dark times”.

“There are some questions that only inflame people to the point where they can’t actually trust people anymore.

“We’re seeing that with vaccinations now, people are starting to see flat-line on wanting boosters, etc, because there’s no trust that they’re having, it’s going to actually get them to a better place.”

However, he also said he would be “extremely disappointed” if Christmas parties reported in the national media actually took place.

He said headlines were “not pleasant to read as a member of the party”.

“We elect our politicians to make our laws for our society, and laws and rules apply not just to those who are not the lawmakers, but the lawmakers themselves.

“I would be extremely disappointed if it comes to pass that evidence is produced that clearly shows those rules and laws we’re all living with here in Lincolnshire, were not being obeyed by people in Westminster.”