Why have the 12 months flown by so quickly? That’s easy, because we have been so busy. Added to the task of delivering excellent services (assessed by national data number crunchers) we have been busy addressing how we will save/generate a further £2.5 million by 2020-21 due to the reduction in government funding.
Please don’t let this spoil your festive cheer. It’s all in hand. We have a plan!
We’re building a crematorium in a beautiful rural location. Somewhere to bury my bones when the Gainsborough regeneration programme is completed. It’s a great design with a dedication area and water feature.
The planning application is now being considered which should give us the go ahead in the new year.
Since 2014, we’ve taken a commercial approach to the way we operate.
Within the 105 service strands in West Lindsey we have identified 19 which we can offer as a chargeable service to the private sector or other local authorities.
By investing in property both in and outside the district, whilst continuing to find efficiencies, we will continue to strengthen our financial position.
Gainsborough and the district is a beautiful place to live. Our regeneration proposals for Gainsborough are a real challenge.
There are more obstacles than free rides, many of the obstacles you cannot see but they are real. Thankfully our regeneration team are tenacious and have agreed to continue working through Christmas. (I’m sending them a picture of our roast turkey on Christmas day. Just to keep their spirits up.)
Our leisure offer is presently out to tender which hopefully will see the establishment of a new dry leisure facility for Market Rasen.
As we all know, this is a rapidly changing world, you must not let the moss grow. (First it blocks the drains, second you have to recognise and understand your environment.)
That is why we are presently operating without a CEO. Our last CEO has moved to pastures new and I can only thank her for everything she brought and delivered for West Lindsey. My sincere thanks Manjeet.
We will decide early in the new year whether to reappoint or continue with a three director management team.
The lack of government funding has now forced us to charge for green waste collections. We have resisted this over the last four years, affirming, we only charge when we have to.
In the last Autumn Statement it was so obvious that the government is pumping money into devolved authorities.
A stark reminder, government has the whip hand. If you don’t dance to their tune, you don’t get an invite to the ball!
Devolution for Lincolnshire would have been very positive.
Leading up to Christmas has been great. First a ground-breaking ceremony for a new 56 bed Travelodge hotel along with a joint venture with Dransfield Properties Ltd to regenerate shops along Market Street and North Street.
The following week a new Lidl store opened providing one hundred more car parking spaces.
Finally, I’d like to wish every one a very happy and prosperous new year from West Lindsey.
New Year’s resolutions
Personal: I will eat less, exercise more, become fitter and leaner in an attempt to keep up with my wife! Spend more time revelling in our beautiful countryside bird watching, walking, cycling and visiting new places. Whilst enjoying all above I will pursue a dynamic agenda of business for the council.
Professional: We will continue to provide the best services across the council that our budgeted resources are capable of delivering while ensuring we fully address the physical and social needs of all residents. We will continue to enhance the physical, financial and social benefits for all constantly pushing for improvements in health, education and work opportunities.
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Councillor Jeff Summers is the leader of West Lindsey District 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.
People were in happy festive spirits on the second day of the Lincoln Christmas Market and told The Lincolnite they were delighted to see the event back after a year off.
Lincoln Christmas Market was postponed in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it returned this year on Thursday, December 2 and will run until Sunday, December 5.
The 38th Lincoln Christmas Market festive has over 150 stalls and fun for all the family, including a fun fair and big wheel offering spectacular views of Lincoln – see the full list of stalls here.
The Edwards family travel from Leicestershire every year to attend the Lincoln Christmas Market. | Photo: Joseph Verney for The Lincolnite
The Lincolnite went to speak to locals and visitors who attended the second day of this year’s Lincoln Christmas Market, including the Canners, the Higgins, the Hawes, and Hewes families who have been at the event several times before, while the Cussans family were visiting for the first time.
It was also great to see such a variety of stalls and the welcome return of iconic Lincoln Christmas Market treats, such as Bratwurst and Mulled Wine.
Ben Smith and Courtney Gregory from German Swing Grill, which sells the iconic Christmas Market treat Bratwurst. | Photo: Joseph Verney for The Lincolnite
Neil Martin and John Giles from Steep Hill Wines are selling mulled wine and spiced cider at the Lincoln Christmas Market. | Photo: Joseph Verney for The Lincolnite
PCs Kirkwood and Dady patrolling the Christmas Market to ensure everyone remains safe. | Photo: Joseph Verney for The Lincolnite
Scunthorpe-born television heart-throb Jake Quickenden believes the next few weeks could be “make or break” for many smaller venues due to the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the industry.
Panto was unable to go ahead in 2020 due to the pandemic, so it will be a welcome return when The Beauty & The Beast takes centre stage at the New Theatre Royal Lincoln between December 7, 2021 and January, 9, 2022.
Jake plays the part of baddie Flash Hugo and he joins the largest ever cast for Lincoln’s longest running traditional pantomime. Zoe Hanna May from ITV’s The Voice will play the lead role of Belle.
Jake told BBC Look North: “Everything means a lot to them, every show they need to sell so they can keep it open. Just look around, it’s beautiful, you just would not want it to shut down and anything happen to it so it is make or break.”
He added: “I’ve done alright for myself, I’ve come through it and I perform now which I’m so grateful for, but if I hadn’t taken that step into the arts I don’t know what I would be doing, I’d probably still be working at the steelworks as a brickie like I was before.
“We’ve got to think about the younger generation they’re the ones that need levelling up because there the ones that are going to be growing up in Scunthorpe and hopefully having these opportunities.”
Natalie Hayes-Cowley (left), the theatre’s Artistic Director and the show’s producer with three leading cast members – James de Lauch Hay, Jake Quickenden and Zoe Hanna May. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Natalie Hayes-Cowley, the theatre’s Artistic Director, said: “We just navigate it the best we can, even now all we can do is follow government guidelines and just hope that throughout the pantomime run things keep going in the right direction and not backwards, because that would be detrimental for us definitely.”
In upcoming Beauty & The Beast panto, CBBC’s ‘Yonko’ Chris Johnson will play Belle’s father Professor Ivar Brainstorm, while Britain’s Got Talent finalist Christian Lee will play Marcel Allumette, the quirky candelabra.
Strengthening the cast further are Lincoln’s own Chris Hayes, Paul Aitchison, and Georgia Hayes-Cowley, who will star as Humphrey Battenburg, Mary Muffintop and Mindy Singit respectively.
Camilia O’Grady, Vanessa Dumatey and Laura Wenton will be making their New Theatre Royal Lincoln debuts starring as Serenity Rose/Gigi Vavaoo, Cindy Singit and Lindy Singit respectively. The role of Carrie Cupcake will be shared by Ruby Grayson and Kyla Hurdley.
The death of a Red Arrows engineer who lost his life after a jet burst into flames could have been avoided, according to the coroner investigating the incident.
Corporal Jonathan Bayliss, 41, from Ingham in Lincolnshire, lost his life on March 21, 2018, when a Hawk T1 aircraft he was in the rear seat of crashed on the runway at RAF Valley in Anglesey.
A coroner’s inquest into Bayliss’ death found that he died from smoke inhalation and a low grade head injury, as the pilot on board, Flight Lieutenant David Stark, survived after ejecting moments before the plane hit the ground.
Coroner Katie Sutherland rejected calls from Bayliss’ family for a conclusion of unlawful killing, and instead said she would send a report to the Ministry of Defence to draw up steps to be taken in order for future deaths to be prevented.
Flight Lieutenant David Stark joined the Red Arrows in 2017. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
A Defence Safety Authority Service inquiry has resulted in 25 recommendations being made for future incidents, highlighting shortcomings in training for ejection procedures at the time.
In a report published by the DSAS, the Service Inquiry Panel said that the jet departed from the RAF Valley with the intention of simulating an engine failure in a training exercise.
It was then supposed to fly to RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, but during the training manoeuvre, the plane stalled and crashed near the runway, as it was flying too low to recover.
The wreckage lay covered in what looked like red tarpaulin was surrounded by firefighters that afternoon. Photo: David Robert Jones
Ms Sutherland stated that the evidence suggested the crash could have been avoided, and the MoD breached its duty, but not enough to reach a conclusion of corporate manslaughter.
As well as this, it was discovered that surviving pilot David Stark did not breach his duty of care during the incident, and he was carrying out a practised engine failure on take off at the time.
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