October 3, 2018 4.29 pm This story is over 65 months old

£2k blue plaques plan to honour historic Lincoln figures

People will be able to submit their own suggestions
The plaque on Steep Hill, Lincoln, commemorating author and soldier T. E. Lawrence. Picture: David Hitchborne

A £2,000 scheme has been proposed to honour Lincoln’s historic figures and events by erecting blue plaques across the city.

Under plans by the City of Lincoln Council, people would be able to suggest individuals to commemorate.

A small amount of plaques already exist, such as military and memorial commemorations, however there is no formal scheme.

Council officers said they decided to propose the plans after previous initiatives ran out and requests from the public to introduce plaques in areas of the city.

Now, officials have proposed to launch the Lincoln Commemorative Plaque scheme.

For a person to be considered, they must have lived or worked in Lincoln for five years and it must have been 20 years since their death.

Similarly, two decades need to have passed for a historical event to be commemorated.

James Ward Usher

No more than one plaque would be approved for each individual.

Notable people without plaques in Lincoln include philanthropist James Ward Usher and historian and former mayor of the city, Sir Francis Hill.

Residents would be able to apply to the city council for a plaque to be considered.

A £2,000 budget would be put up by the authority to fund the purchase, design and installation of the plaques.

The plan will go before councillors on the authority’s Policy Scrutiny Committee next week.

Pat Jukes, corporate policy business manager at City Of Lincoln Council, said: “We are asking our Policy Scrutiny Committee to consider supporting the proposal to introduce a blue plaque scheme for the city.

“Similar schemes have run in the past but there none currently in place.

“If the scheme goes ahead, we suggest no more than three plaques are installed each year and are linked to the relevant Lincoln Heritage Trail.”

People will be able to submit suggestions once and if the plan has been backed by senior councillors.

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