Fans are eager to be back in the stadium. | Photo: Lincoln City Football Club
Fans will have to wait a bit longer to watch Lincoln City play live at the LNER Stadium, as Lincolnshire will go into tier 3 lockdown.
Football supporters have been eagerly awaiting the return to stadiums, with professional matches being played behind closed doors since the Premier League restarted in June.
The EFL followed suit when the 2020/21 season kicked off, and has had no fans in grounds throughout the campaign so far.
As per the new government guidelines, and the move from national lockdown to a tiered system on Wednesday, December 2, fans in tier one and two areas can now welcome a small portion of fans back to the ground.
Due to Lincolnshire being in tier three, Lincoln City will not be able to have this luxury, and will instead continue to play behind closed doors until further notice.
No club in England’s top four divisions fell into the tier one category, which permits 4,000 fans to be in the stadium, but multiple were in tier two where 2,000 are welcome.
In Lincoln’s division, League One, 12 of the 24 teams fall into tier two, while the other 12, the Imps included, are in tier three and thus cannot have any fans in the stadium on match day.
Elsewhere in Lincolnshire, Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United have also been dealt the same fate, with no supporters allowed in the ground for their respective League Two fixtures.
Also, the new guidance allows for the likes of Boston United, Gainsborough Trinity and Lincoln United to resume matches after they were cancelled during lockdown, but fans cannot be there.
A review of the tiers is expected in the middle of December, and should Lincoln move into a lower tier, the club will be allowed to welcome fans back to the LNER Stadium.
Liam Scully, CEO of Lincoln City Football Club, said: “It is very disappointing news to Lincoln City, our fans and everyone associated with the club that we cannot welcome our unbelievable supporters back just yet, however, we respect the systems that have been put in place by the UK government.
“We have repeatedly asked the government for a road map for the return of fans to stadiums and whilst it’s disappointing that we are unable to benefit from this, it is heartening to see other clubs in tier one and tier two being able to welcome fans back into their stadiums.
“We understand the next review will be in the middle of December and in the meantime, all at Lincoln City FC remain fully committed to working with the authorities to enable fans to return safely once permitted.
“We urge all of our supporters to stay safe and hope to welcome you back soon.”
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Marc Jones, the re-elected Conservative Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said that his work is not done, as he’s looking forward to a further three years in the role.
Mr Jones won with a 57.9% majority of the poll from the first round of counting, with 102,813 votes from a 31% turnout. A total of 177,528 votes were placed county-wide.
The nearest candidate was Labour’s Rosanne Kirk, with a 19% share of the votes, with Lincolnshire Independent David Williams securing the third spot with 10%.
The breakdown of the votes cast on Thursday, May 6, and counted on Saturday, may 8, was:
Marc Jones (Conservative) – 102,813
Rosanne Kirk (Labour) – 34,310
David Williams (Lincolnshire Independent) – 18,375
Ross Pepper (Liberal Democrats) – 10,172
Peter Escreet (Reform UK) – 6,101
Marc Jones: “More work to do”
“It’s very gratifying to have concluded today on the first count, that was a really positive thing for what I’ve delivered so far,” said Mr Jones.
“But I’m under no illusions having spoken to many around the county there’s an awful lot more work to do.”
He said he wanted to assure the public that “nothing was taken for granted”.
Rosie Kirk – Labour – 2nd place
Labour’s candidate Rosie Kirk said she was “thrilled for her party” across all three elections that had taken place in Lincolnshire this week.
“The votes that we got was incredible. Our message got through and to actually come second in a Conservative county is really great,” she said.
However, she added that there were “lots of questions that still need to be asked” and promised to keep up her scrutiny of Marc in his role.
Ross Pepper – Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrat candidate Ross Pepper said the result was not “entirely unexpected”.
However, he said he was proud of the three Liberal Democrat councillors that had won seats in the local elections at Lincolnshire County and City of Lincoln Councils.
“I’m ready to work with them for a better Lincolnshire and a better Lincoln,” he said.
“In a Conservative heavy county we did a really good job of getting the Liberal Democrat message out there… and we continue pushing that message through local campaigning in the future.”
David Williams – Lincolnshire Independents
David Williams, the Lincolnshire Independents PCC candidate congratulated Marc Jones on his victory but said it is “not a surprising outcome”.
“I’m really pleased to have run for the post, because if I hadn’t have had a go to do a job that I really would have relished then I would have looked back and regretted not having taking the opportunity.”
Peter Escreet – Reform UK
Peter Escreet, the Reform UK candidate also said the result “was as expected” but actually he was “pleasantly surprised,” saying that this is “just the start”.
“The real campaign is in three years’ time” where Mr Escreet wants to grow a majority.
Conservative Marc Jones has been re-elected to the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner role.
He won from the first round of counting with 102,813 votes from a 31% turnout.
The PCC oversees the strategy and finances of the force, and also hires and fires chief constables, who are responsible for the daily policing operations.
Mr Jones will be in the position for three years.
The breakdown of the results is:
Marc Jones (Conservative) – 102,813
Rosanne Kirk (Labour) – 34,310
Ross Pepper (Liberal Democrats) – 10,172
David Williams (Lincolnshire Independent) – 18,375
Peter Escreet (Reform UK) – 6,101
Here’s the live result announcement, the reactions and acceptance speech:
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