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Councils warring over the future of Lincoln’s Usher Gallery may be about to make peace after new plans were revealed.

Lincolnshire County Council and the City of Lincoln Council have been butting heads over the art gallery since the county announced it wanted to use the landmark as a venue for weddings and other events in a bid for it to earn its keep.

However, new plans lay out how the gallery could instead be split in two, with the upper floor being used for events similar to the recent Museum of the Moon and Dinosaur exhibits at the Collection, while the downstairs would remain an art gallery.

County Councillor Nick Worth, executive member for heritage, said: “What we’ve said in our plan going forward is that to make that work we would need to have some flexibility.

“That way we can bring in a revenue stream on that top floor that would make it financially sustainable and then we could work with the [art and artefact] collections to bring in some big events in cooperation with the Usher.”

He confirmed that other locations had also now been found for the registrars and coroners court to go, and that the county would remain happy to look after the heritage it already does so – meaning there would be no need for it to be transferred to Nottingham under the city’s current plans.

Councillor Nick Worth, executive member for Culture and Heritage at the county council. | Photo: LCC

Councillor Worth hoped the events would attract tens of thousands of visitors and would also allow more artefacts to be displayed on a themed or rotating basis.

Currently he said, around 10% of the millions of artefacts under the council’s stewardship are seen, but under new plans that would increase to 30-40%.

“There are some fantastic stories in that basement and I would love to see them shown”.

“It’s a very simple message: just give us some flexibility on that top floor of the gallery and we’ve sorted the problem. We can have some great collaborative exhibitions between the collection and the actual gallery.”

City of Lincoln Council leader Ric Metcalfe. | Photo: Connor Creaghan for The Lincolnite

Leader of the City of Lincoln Council Ric Metcalfe welcomed the new plans and urged a return to the negotiating table.

He said: “We welcome the county council’s decision to explore alternative uses for the space at the Usher art gallery.

“We always had concerns that the services they proposed to move into the building were a poor fit.

“As they have now announced that they are seeking to move to a more arts event-based offering at the Usher, we would welcome a conversation with them to hear more about their proposals.”

It is hoped The Usher Gallery will reopen later this year as part of the Prime Minister’s roadmap out of lockdown.

Lincoln Castle and Collection are hoped to reopen in April with other destinations such as the Museum of Lincolnshire Live, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Usher gradually joining them after with social distance measures.

Lincolnshire hospitals bosses have appeared before a high court judge to defend their decision to close Grantham Hospital A&E and create a “green site” against COVID-19.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust appeared before London’s High Court on Thursday to face campaigners’ accusations that the decision in June 2020 to replace the A&E with an Urgent Treatment Centre was unlawful and lacked consultation or risk assessment.

Campaigners argued that the move, which resulted in the loss of 70-80 medical beds, had not provided enough information, or involved patients enough and left service users without locally accessible services.

They argued patients could have been brought into discussions at an earlier stage.

Speaking on behalf of the campaigners, Vikram Sachdeva QC said they recognised the “difficult position all trusts in the country are in” and said it would not be “reasonable for the court to set a standard for them to adhere to”.

“The pandemic is the worst public health crisis in 70 or 100 years and let’s not beat around the bush, all over the country trusts are in real trouble and are still in real trouble, and are pushed to the absolute limits of their abilities,” he said.

However, he said the pandemic was not enough to justify a failure to consult the public.

QC Sachdeva added: “The primary question is did they make adequate arrangements to secure involvement? And when one looks at the evidence, there seems to have been a conscious decision not to involve the public until the proposals were out,” he said.

“It’s really not for us to set out what consultation, what involvement was required, but there is a minimum, and the minimum we say, given the significance of the changes, was not complied with.”

Protesters held banners but stayed at distances during a protest over Grantham Hospital changes last year. Photo: Mel Powles

The trust however, said there had been an urgent need to make the decision, that releasing proposals at an earlier stage could have been confusing, and raised unnecessary concerns if they had changed and that the green site was the only option that met their criteria.

It added that reviews did take place on a regular basis.

Fenella Morris QC, on behalf of the trust, said the requirement to consult was couched in a way that extreme emergencies such as outbreaks might force instantaneous changes and there had to be a balance with other statutory obligations the trust had, such as patient safety.

She said the public were invited to trust board meetings and emails had been sent to stakeholders – including the chairman of the SOS Grantham Hospital group. She added that media interviews had taken place on a regular basis.

“We’ve got huge amounts of evidence both locally and nationally that people were just simply afraid to go to hospital,” she said, adding that the trust had to be fair, not just to those who felt they were losing services, but also to those who were worried about attending healthcare facilities.

“The clinical imperatives were really, really powerful,” she said.

“Where you’ve got such an anxious public having that regular slot on local radio and a Chief Executive that goes on and says this is what we’re doing is a very effective way of reaching out to the public and making sure that they know what’s going on.”

“What is patently the case is that at the time that the proposals were gradually being developed the public wasn’t involved, but it’s also the case that at the point that they did become involved, there was still scope for them to make a contribution to how the outcome would be.

“Where you’ve got a very limited timescale in my submission, that amounts to involvement in development.”

She said that at the time, there had been a “high premium on absolute clarity”.

Mr Justice Linden will now examine the evidence and make a decision at a later date.

The Lincolnite and publishers Stonebow Media have adopted Wind, one of the five community Imps preparing Lincoln for the arrival of an army of their bigger brothers this summer.

Some 30 1.55m tall Imp sculptures will the placed across the city from Newport Arch to St Marks, Brayford Waterfront to Monks Road from July 3 to September 8, 2021.

The sculpture is based on the WH Goss pottery IMP model that was produced by the Falcon Stoke-on-Trent pottery in the late 1800s / early 1900s.

Artists, both professional and amateur, local and national, applied creative, colourful artwork to the Imps army. Each imp has been sponsored by a local business or organisation.

See a sneak preview of the Imp Trail statues here

In the meantime, there are five, 1m tall, community Imps that are roving the city:

• Rainbow, sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Lincoln, on display at Pre-Loved From Lincolnshire on Burton Road
• Fire, sponsored by City of Lincoln Council, on display at the Visitor Information Centre
• Sea, sponsored by Continental Landscapes, on display at the Visitor Information Centre
• Lightning, on display at Coffee Aroma on Guildhall Street
• Wind, sponsored by Stonebow Media, on display at our offices on Rope Walk

Wind is looking out for Cathy from The Lincolnite offices, and there’s a poem on his back. | Photo: Steve Smailes

The artist behind all five community Imps is Leah Goldberg, who previously painted for the Barons and Knights trails in the city, as well as running the Makers Markets, and also working at the Pot Shop on Steep Hill.

Wind, of the five, is the Imp adopted by The Lincolnite, and before he starts his journey through the city, you can catch a glimpse of him in our office window — best viewed from the Engine Shed bridge.

A close-up of Wind’s intricate design, painted by local artist Leah Goldberg. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

There are also a range of smaller education imps, which together with the EBP, are being painted by school children across Lincolnshire for a special trail.

Once the main Imp trail wraps up, organisers Lincoln BIG will auction the statues in aid of St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice charity.

A farewell event will take place at Lincoln Castle between September 9 – 23, with the auction on Lincolnshire Day, October 1.

The roving imps will not be auctioned off, but they will remain as a legacy of the trail.

Daniel Ionescu, Founder and Editor of The Lincolnite, with Wind the Imp. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Daniel Ionescu, Founder and Editor of The Lincolnite, said: “The Imp is certainly the most recognisable mascot for Lincoln, and we won’t let a year’s delay spoil the fun of another trail in the city.

“The Lincolnite’s community dedication and unparalleled reach across Greater Lincolnshire meant it was a no-brainer to get involved with Lincoln BIG and help make the trail a success.

“While lockdown is still in full swing, people can check out Wind from our office window, but we’ll be taking him out soon, so get in touch if you’d like to get him to visit your business or shop.”

Lincoln landmark silhouettes features on the base of Wind’s plinth. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite