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.
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.”
The Westfield Park development is one of the major developments in Louth given permission in September.
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.”
Businesses in Louth’s market area.
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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City of Lincoln Council has approved a 1.9% tax hike despite a series of cuts for 2021-22 due to the financial uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 1.9% rise will take city council’s share of council tax for a Band D property in Lincoln to £285.39 – an increase of £5.31.
The executive committee agreed on increasing allotment charges, council house and garage rents.
Council bosses predict a budget gap of £1.75 million and said it must close the hole for financial stability.
Allotment charges will also see most tenants pay between £58.70-£78.30 per year from 2022, an increase of between 38p and 51 pence per week.
Council housing rent will increase by an average of 1.5%, while council garage rents will increase by 3%.
Attendees at City of Lincoln Council’s executive on Monday.
The authority said it faces a number of ongoing challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic and requires a substantial reduction in all of its budgets.
Cllr Ric Metcalfe, Leader of City of Lincoln Council said: “It’sareasonablymodestincreaseformostpeople,andwewill support lowincomegroups stillwiththeconcessions.”
The council has saved more than £9 million annually over the past decade, however will have to increase savings by £850,000 next year, rising to £1.75 million by 2023/24.
Due to the pandemic’s impact on government funded reliefs, empty properties and business closures, the authority estimates it will only retain £5.1 million of the £42 million of business rates generated in the city.
The draft budget will go to consultation and return before the council later this year for a final decision.
There have been 372 new coronavirus cases and nine COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Monday.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 325 new cases in Lincolnshire, 30 in North Lincolnshire and 17 in North East Lincolnshire.
Some nine deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in North and North East Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported nine new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust on Monday. Hospital deaths have now surpassed 1,000 since the pandemic started in Greater Lincolnshire.
National cases increased by 37,535 to 3,433,494, while deaths rose by 599 to 89,860.
Leader of South Holland District Council, Cllr Lord Gary Porter, put the spike down to outbreaks in two care facilities, one being a children’s care home.
A group of urban explorers who travelled from three different counties to look around derelict buildings were caught and fined in Grantham for breaching lockdown rules. Two groups of revellers in the woods near Woodhall Spa have also been fined.
In national news, Public Health England have confirmed 4,062,501 people have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Those in England aged 70 and over, as well as the clinically extremely vulnerable, will begin receiving offers of a coronavirus vaccine this week.
Ten hospital trusts across England consistently reported having no spare adult critical care beds in the most recent figures available.
It comes as hospital waiting times, coronavirus admissions and patients requiring intensive care are rising.
All UK travel corridors, which allow arrivals from some countries to avoid having to quarantine, have now closed until at least February 15.
Travellers arriving in the UK, whether by boat, train or plane, also have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test to be allowed entry.
Supermarkets face increased inspections from local councils to ensure they are COVID-secure amid a push from the government to clamp down further on coronavirus transmission.
Local governments have been asked by ministers to target the largest supermarkets for inspection to ensure companies are enforcing mask wearing, social distancing and limits on shopper numbers.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate up to January 17 according to the government dashboard:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Jan 11 to Jan 17. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Monday, January 18
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
44,374 cases (up 372)
30,784 in Lincolnshire (up 325)
6,927 in North Lincolnshire (up 30)
6,663 in North East Lincolnshire (up 17)
1,686 deaths (up nine)
1,196 from Lincolnshire (up nine)
268 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
222 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,006 hospital deaths (up 10)
612 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up nine)
30 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
363 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)
3,433,494 UK cases, 89,860 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.
Eight people were fined for two separate COVID-19 rule breaches over the weekend, after being found partying and camping near Woodhall Spa.
Officers were called to two different incidents at Ostler’s Plantation, a woodland area near Woodhall Spa on Saturday, January 16 and on Sunday, January 17.
Five people were issued with £200 fines after a report of partying at around 11.08pm on Saturday.
The next morning, police were again called to the area at 8.21am after people were seen camping at the location.
Three people were fined as a result of this, again valued at £200 due to being first time offenders.
If these fines are paid within 14 days of the offence, the cost will be cut in half to £100.
On the same weekend, but this time in a different location, six urban explorers were fined after travelling from three different counties to try and gain access to an abandoned hospital in Grantham.
The behaviour of COVID-19 rule breakers has been described as “dangerous” by Lincolnshire Police’s assistant chief constable Kerrin Wilson, who referred to them as “Covidiots”.
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