Nearly 70 people have been banned from Lincoln’s Library over the past five years while offences in public buildings elsewhere in Greater Lincolnshire include urinating and defecating.
A total of 136 people have been banned from libraries and leisure centres over the past five years in the county.
The figures were obtained following a Freedom of Information request to authorities and service providers across Greater Lincolnshire.
The figures show 83 people have been banned from Lincolnshire’s Libraries – which are managed by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), while 53 have been barred from leisure centres.
A number of leisure facilities across Greater Lincolnshire are contracted out on behalf of councils, for example North East Lincolnshire’s are run by Lincs Inspire and South Kesteven’s centres are managed by 1Life.
Lincoln Library tops banning numbers
Nearly 70 people have been banned from Lincoln Library for anti-social behaviour over the past five years.
Since 2015, Lincoln Library has barred 67 people from its premises following antisocial or criminal behaviour.
The figure is almost 10 times that of second-highest Boston library which has barred seven people over the past five years.
The highest number of bans was handed out in 2015/16 when 22 people were barred, however, so far in 2019/20,just seven people have faced punishment.
Latest figures “extremely low” for city centre library
A spokesperson from GLL said: “Lincoln Library has excluded seven individuals during 2019. That equates to just 0.005% of visitors, an extremely low figure, particularly for a public facility situated in a busy city centre.
“The Library remains a welcoming space for the whole community and anti-social behaviour is dealt with promptly in order to keep it so.”
Across Greater Lincolnshire, 83 people have been banned from libraries over the past five years.
Louth and Horncastle libraries have both barred two each over their behaviour, while Grantham, Spalding, Stamford, Long Sutton and Market Rasen libraries barred just one person each.
Gainsborough, Mablethorpe, Sleaford and Woodhall Spa libraries have not had to take any action.
Two people were banned from Grimsby library for urinating in a public place.
Urinating in a public place leads to North East Lincolnshire bans
North East Lincolnshire’s list of ban reasons include two people last year urinating in a public place – though it does not say if this was inside or outside the library.
The authority has handed out the punishment to a total of 39 people over the past five years, with the majority (19) in Grimsby. In Immingham a total of 14 people have been banned, while Cleethorpes has seen just six.
Most of the reasons are down to disruptive or anti-social behaviour or aggressive and threatening behaviour.
North Lincolnshire has banned three people from its libraries since 2015 including three from Barton-upon-Humber for threats of violence and two in Brigg for “vexatious behaviours”.
Leisure centres see “public affray” and “deposit of excrement”
Facilities across Greater Lincolnshire have banned 53 people from returning following incidents including a “deposit of excrement” left at one centre.
Magna Vitae, which runs centres across East Lindsey District Council, revealed the details were among one of two barrings it has issued.
The incident took place at Meridian Leisure Centre, in Louth, in early 2018. The customer was given the temporary ban as a result of abusive behaviour – including the brown “gift”. It is unclear where the deposit was left.
A customer in Louth left a “deposit of excrement” during one incident.
In late 2018 a temporary ban was also issued by the leisure contractor at Skegness Swimming Pool after a customer failed to heed warnings about inappropriate abusive language being used towards staff and other customers.
Chief Executive Mark Humphreys said he was “pleased to say these incidents are very few and far between”.
“We always take what we deem to be a fair approach to give warnings about unacceptable behaviour before, if it becomes necessary, a ban is issued,” he said.
“We have only ever issued temporary bans.”
Seven people were banned from The Pods, in Scunthorpe, for public affray.
North Lincolnshire stopped seven people from entering The Pods, in 2019 which is run by the authority, after they were involved in”public affray” at the facilities.
The majority of bans across the rest of Lincolnshire are also mainly for people being violent or abusive to colleagues or other customers, with leisure centres in West Lindsey banning three people, Boston Borough two and North Kesteven and South Kesteven just one each.
South Holland’s leisure centres have not had any bans in that time period.
City of Lincoln Council had not responded to the request for information on leisure centres by the time of publication.
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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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