East Lindsey Local Elections: Reduced housing, greater infrastructure and more for children

Residents in Louth say the number of housing developments in the town needs to be reduced or stopped and more facilities are needed ahead of local elections.

All of East Lindsey District Council’s 55 seats are up for election next month, however, the Conservatives are already three uncontested seats ahead of the game – with two others going to independent and Labour councillors.

The Tories hold power by 19 seats and would need to lose nine to have overall control taken away from them.

You can find all the election candidates for East Lindsey District Council here.

Ahead of the big day, local people have been expressing their views on what needs to be the focus of campaigns, ranging from reduced housing to better roads.

Dusty Miller, who moved to Louth from Lincoln some years ago, said the town was “on the breaking point of having major problems because of the expansion and not enough infrastructure built into the change in circumstances”.

“It has grown with great cost for children. We used to have nurseries and that kind of thing and there was plenty in the towns. Even the playing area near me has been reduced because of the leisure centre,” he said.

“Play areas for children have been compromised at the expense of children’s well-being. A lot more could have been done alongside developments.”

As a cyclist, he added that many of the roads in the town were unsuitable for the growth.

“At certain times traffic is never ending. You can have a queue from Upgate all the way down Eastgate.

“We are also getting increased pollution problems. There are days in summer when it does get still and it just builds up.”

Resident Mary Graves, said the number of houses being built on Grimsby Road was a worry. She believed it would negate the impact of the town’s bypass by bringing traffic back onto the road.

She added: “There’s not enough for kids to do either, when they’re denying the town McDonald’s and things like that they need to make sure they’re making up for it.”

Other residents called for prospective councillors to put continued pressure on hospital bosses to save or return health services to the area.

Issues included anti-social behaviour and vandalism of town facilities, while others criticised a recent introduction of charges to use the town centre toilets.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “Why should we be charged for something that comes naturally to all of us? I know it’s for upkeep but I think it should be a voluntary donation, not an absolute charge.”

East Lindsey District Council is currently Conservative-led, with the party holding 36 seats. The next biggest party is the East Lindsey Independent Group, which holds seven seats, while the make-up otherwise consists of Labour four, Lib Dems two, UKIP two, and one Independent.

There are currently three vacancies on the council.

However, the two UKIP members Danny Brookes (Skegness Winthorpe) and Mark Dannatt (Skegness St Clements) are both running under a Skegness Urban District Society banner this time round.

Two of the independents, Stephen Palmer (Sutton on Sea) and John Byford (Skegness Scarborough and Independent), are not listed as running this time round.

They will join five Conservative party members who are also not taking part in this year’s elections, those being Pauline Cooper (Croft), Susanna Gorst (Woodhall Spa), Robert Palmer (Marshchapel and Somercotes), Alan Vassar (Willoughby and Sloothby) and Siobhan Weller (Holten le Clay and North Thoresby).

The uncontested seats encompass three in Coningsby and Mareham (Conservatives Stan Avison, Martin Foster and Alex Hall) and two in Holten le Clay and Thoresby (Independent Terry Aldridge and Labour Phyll Smith).

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