Nobody is standing down yet
Opposition councillors at North East Lincolnshire Council have failed in their bid to oust authority leader Councillor Philip Jackson over business links between his former deputy leader and a convicted fraudster.
A Labour motion before the authority’s full council on Thursday called for a vote of no confidence in Conservative Councillor Jackson, accusing him of failing to take decisive action or an independent investigation into Councillor John Fenty’s links with convicted fraudster Alex May.
Councillor Fenty stood down as deputy leader in December 2020 after it was revealed the former chairman of Grimsby Town FC had invited Mr May to meet with club directors, and that the convicted con artist had also met with senior council officials.
Mr May, formerly known as Alick Kapikanya, led a gang targeting elderly house-owners in 2007 in Manchester. He managed to steal £3.5 million and tried to steal another £3.3 million.
He was jailed for six years for his part in the scam.
He had started a company with Councillor Fenty but, according to the latter, it had never started trading and they had since split as business partners.
Labour said Councillor Jackson standing down would “give the council a fresh start”.
Members said a full investigation should have taken place into any conflicts of interest at meetings with Mr May and who was in attendance, with allegations made that residents were continuing to question the events or even “laughing” at the council.
Labour leader Matthew Patrick said: “Despite the welcome and much-needed resignation of Councillor Fenty from his cabinet position, the leader […] who appointed Councillor Fenty despite protests from opposition members, has failed to either act decisively in the public interest over events, or be seen to do so.
“Councillor Jackson has failed in his duty to uphold the integrity of his office, failed to meet the standard of conduct expected by residents, and moreover, has allowed his cabinet to risk being seen to breach the Nolan principles of office.”
Fellow Labour member Councillor Debbie Rodwell said there were a number of unanswered questions and that there hadn’t been an opportunity previously to raise the issue in a public forum.
She accused Councillor Jackson of avoiding questions asked at previous meetings.
“We’re always saying is, it’s really important to be transparent. And on this issue we feel that the councillor just wasn’t transparent, and the public deserves answers,” she said.
Alex May was convicted of fraud in 2007.
However, Councillor Jackson said the move was a “shallow political stunt in the run up to the elections”.
“If Councillor Patrick really believes that Councillor Fenty and I have failed to uphold the integrity of our respective offices or not met the standard of conduct expected, then why has it taken him three months to take any action when there is a process for exactly this sort of situation within the council’s constitution,” he said.
“He’s failed to do this, so he’s the one who’s demonstrating lack of leadership.”
He said he was satisfied that councillor Fenty had acted “assiduously” in stepping away from his role and added that no member of the public had made a formal complaint or triggered the standards process.
“This motion is long on innuendo rumour and allegations, which have no substance.”
Councillor Jackson then went on to list what he considered the failure of leadership of his opposite member, including the Toll Bar Roundabout, children’s services and alternatives to the Tory budget.
“This is a distraction from the important progress that this administration under my leadership is making.
He added that, instead, Councillor Patrick should be the one to resign.
Councillor Jackson was backed by his party, including Councillor Ron Shepherd, who said his leader had the full support of colleagues.
“Councillor Jackson leads from the front and has spearheaded the group’s rise to being the party in administration,” he said.
Humberston and New Waltham councillor Stan Shreeve was appointed as the new deputy leader of the council following Councillor Fenty stepping down.
Councillor Fenty remains a councillor for Humberston and New Waltham, but has previously confirmed he does not intend to stand again in May.
Following the revelations, Grimsby Town Football Club revealed they had rejected Mr May’s offer to the club.
A dramatic video shows a car engulfed in flames in the car park at Lincoln County Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
An on-call crew from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue attended the scene on Greetwell Road shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, April 13.
The crew used one hose reel to extinguish the fire and fortunately no casualties were reported.
The car is probably a write-off. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Dramatic pictures from the scene show the severe damage that was caused to the front of the car.
Fall in county infections but a Boston spike
There have been 50 new coronavirus cases and three COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday — compared to 58 cases and no deaths this time last week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 26 new cases in Lincolnshire, 19 in North Lincolnshire and five in North East Lincolnshire.
On Tuesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, none in North East Lincolnshire and -1 in North Lincolnshire. Fluctuations in data are usually due to some deaths in those areas being reallocated to other regions across the UK or a miscount. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England has reported two new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust hospitals.
On Tuesday, national cases increased by 2,472 to 4,375,814, while deaths rose by 23 to 127,123.
In local news, people aged over 45 can now book their COVID vaccinations on the NHS website after the government reached its target of offering a first dose to the nine most vulnerable groups.
There were recently some technical difficulties for people accessing the NHS website, but vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the issues have been fixed – book a vaccine online here and find out if you are eligible.
Over the weekend, Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate has fallen, with a spike in Boston only.
Similarly, the England average has also seen a drop in infections, but still remains nearly half Greater Lincolnshire’s rates.
Lincoln has dropped by more than half over the weekend and now has one of the smallest rates in the UK, with just 9.1 per 100,000 of the population infected with COVID-19.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s COVID-19 infection rates up to April 12:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 5 to Apr 12. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
In national news, Boris Johnson has warned that the reduction in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths “has not been achieved” by the rollout of COVID vaccines.
The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates.
England is giving out its first doses of the Moderna jab, the third COVID-19 vaccine in the nation’s rollout.
It will be available at 21 sites, included the Madejski Stadium in Reading and the Sheffield Arena.
Along with the Pfizer jab, it offers an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for under-30s, after concerns about a possible link to very rare blood clots.
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,772 cases (up 50)
2,184 deaths (up three)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (up two)
4,375,814 UK cases, 127,123 deaths
There will be another Kill The Bill protest in Lincoln next week, rallying against a new government bill that diminishes protesting rights.
Protests have been rife across the country since the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was first discussed, with scenes turning violent in Bristol.
Over two hundred people peacefully took part in the city’s first march at Speakers’ Corner on April 3, including Extinction Rebellion activists and Socialist and Labour supporters.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Now, after a post started doing the rounds on social media, another protest has apparently been scheduled for 2pm on Monday, April 17 at the same location on Lincoln High Street, as part of a national day of action.
A poster promoting a second event has been shared across social media platforms.
Protests are lawful once again after the government eased lockdown restrictions on March 29, but organisers are required to submit a risk assessment prior to any event.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Organisers of the last protest were in close communication with police to make the event safe, and The Lincolnite has asked Lincolnshire Police if they have been made aware of another protest, but are yet to receive a reply.
Whatsapp
