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’realwayssayingis,it’sreallyimportanttobetransparent.Andonthisissue wefeelthatthecouncillorjustwasn’ttransparent,andthepublicdeservesanswers,” 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.
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A pair of anti-vaxxers have decided to temporarily stop sharing conspiracy theories on Facebook and stage a protest at a roundabout in Lincoln instead.
The duo were spotted on the Riseholme roundabout on the A15 on Friday afternoon, armed with misinformation signs that appear to suggest England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty has an “evil agenda”.
The protest signs appeared to be against child vaccinations, which suggests that the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation were against young people being jabbed, despite a statement in July saying the Pfizer dose had been authorised for use in people aged 12 and over.
They seem to be at loggerheads with Lincolnshire’s own Jonathan Van-Tam, none other than England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, who urged people this week to “trust professionals, not Instagram” as fake propaganda posted on social media is being attributed to vaccine hesitancy.
Another sign held up spouts rhetoric about heart problems from the COVID-19 vaccine, while a third notice shows children with masks on and reads: “Is this the future we want for our kids?”
For reference, in case you cannot make it to the Lincolnshire Showground for your vaccination, there will be a free shuttle bus service to take you to and from the jab site starting next week. Read more here.
Up to 86% of adults in Lincolnshire are double-jabbed, and over 25% of 12-15-year-olds.
A special lights show celebrating Lincolnshire’s plants will take place at Boultham Park on Saturday.
The Lincspirational Lightshow will start at 5.30pm on October 23 after the original event was postponed earlier this month due to the weather forecast.
The free show is the final of event of Lincolnshire Wildlife Trusts’ LoveLincsPlants project.
The evening will feature a lightshow parade, artwork projects, park illuminations and music inspired by nature from Sinfonia Viva. During the event the 30 artworks created by the public will be projected onto a large screen.
There will also be an opportunity to bid on the 130 artworks submitted as part of the exhibition. They will be available via an online action, with the 30 winning pieces starting at £40.
The evening will feature a lightshow parade, artwork projects, park illuminations, and more. | Photo: Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
The money raised from the sale of the artworks will help fund nature’s recovery in Lincolnshire. It will also help the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust create wildflower rich habitats across the county.
Lincolnshire County Council’s Labour Group will call on the Conservative-led authority to rethink its policy of turning off street lights in built-up areas overnight.
The present situation, introduced in 2016, means that most street lights in Lincolnshire are turned off at midnight, as the council said in March this year that lighting has “no impact” on night-time crime levels.
This statement came after a petition signed by over 5,000 people demanded that street lights were kept on overnight following the death of Sarah Everard in London this year.
The response to Sarah Everard’s death was one of concern for women’s safety, to which the council responded by saying “women’s safety is about much more than street lights.”
A memorial for Sarah Everard in Lincoln on university campus. | Photo: The Lincolnite
More than half of Lincolnshire’s street lights were turned off in 2016 as the council looked to save £1.7 million, and despite the petition and concerns raised, just one parish council asked for lights to be switched back on in 12 months, according to the county’s highways chief.
Now Kev Clarke, Labour County Councillor for Boultham Division in Lincoln and member of Lincolnshire County Council Highways Scrutiny Committee, will be raising the issue at the next meeting on Monday, October 25.
He will be calling for a review of LCC’s street lighting policy, and asking for the council to consider the possibility of keeping the lights on overnight.
Councillor Clarke argues: “After recent sad events – attacks on females – a lot of people feel unsafe and anxious when walking home at night when the county is plunged into darkness at midnight.
“Lincoln is being promoted as a university city with young people leaving home for the first time and moving to Lincoln to study here and gain a first class education. Wonder if the parents were told that lights go off, if so they may look at other locations for their children.
“To boost our local economy we want to attract visitors to Lincoln to visit not only as day–trippers, but to stay over for longer periods to enjoy the benefits of the city and county – one of which is not the turning off of the lights.
“Labour County Councillors are not alone in this plea to Lincolnshire County Council to review the current street lighting policy particularly in Lincoln before it’s too late. Students at the University of Lincoln also want to see changes to the current policy.”
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