Thousands of items of personal protection equipment are being stored at councils across Lincolnshire as officers ramp up preparations ahead of the local elections.
It will be a very different situation when residents vote on May 6. The county’s polling stations will have hand sanitiser on arrival, voters will be asked to wear face coverings and socially distance while staff and volunteers will be situated behind plastic screens for protection.
People will be asked to bring their own pens where possible, though some will be available, and a one-in, one-out system will be used.
Council bosses, however, have said there will not be any detrimental impact over the changes.
Graham Watts, elections manager at City of Lincoln Council, said the changes were no different to the kinds of things you’d find in a supermarket currently.
“I’m very confident that it’ll be an efficient visit to the polling station and we can get people through as we would normally relatively quickly,” he said.
The significant investment required for the preparations will be funded, once tallied, by central government grant funding.
The timing for this year’s local elections will include:
Thursday, May 6 – Voting takes place from 7am to 10pm
Thursday night – Votes are verified ahead of the count and transferred to the Assembly Rooms
Friday morning – County council votes will be counted and announced
Friday afternoon – City council votes will be counted and announced
Saturday – Votes for the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner will be counted
Screens have been set up for staff, postal votes will be opened and verified in this room.
Graham reassured residents that votes will be locked in a safe environment until they are counted and will be monitored 24-7 to ensure they cannot be tampered with.
It’s not just the safety precautions around polling stations either, some locations have changed in order to provide bigger premises, but restrict the use of schools.
“We tend to use quite a few schools in Lincoln and across the county as well,” said Graham.
“[There’s an] issue in terms of trying not to impact education any further than it’s already been impacted this year, so in Lincoln, we’ve had to be quite innovative.”
A list of the items in one box of PPE.
For instance, the Ian Shammon showroom, on Boultham Park, along with other local businesses will play their part in the election this year.
Postal votes are starting to arrive now as well, and so far, Graham said there had been an increase but not in the numbers they had expected yet.
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We are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a collision caused serious injuries to a 23-year-old man.
Just before 3.30pm yesterday (2 July), we received reports of a collision on Barholm Road in Tallington. It involved a grey BMW 335D estate, a blue BMW 116D and an orange KTM motorcycle.
The motorcycle rider, a 23-year-old man, sustained serious injuries during the collision and was taken to hospital.
If you witnessed the incident and are yet to get in touch with us, please do so. If you have any other information or dashcam footage available that may have captured the road along the A1175 at the time of the collision, get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 282 of 2 July.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 282 of 2 July in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
The 2022 Destination Lincolnshire Tourism Excellence Awards are open for applications, and Destination Lincolnshire giving you the rare chance to co-create your application with Nell Barrington, a tourism awards veteran, who has helped hundreds of businesses write winning applications over the last 15 years – including national VisitEngland winners.
The Tourism Awards Masterclass is taking place on Tuesday 12 July at 11am for one-hour online. Laura Freer, Head of Marketing at Destination Lincolnshire said: “This is a golden opportunity, after years of hard work and heartache, to get your business and team recognised and rewarded.
“A well written application is key to achieving a coveted place on this year’s shortlist, and I’d encourage all tourism and visitor economy businesses who are thinking of entering – whether they are seasoned at writing award applications or not – to join us for this exclusive masterclass.
“Nell Barrington has worked with us and VisitEngland on the founding application processes of these awards, and she is perfectly placed to assist in co-creating applications that you can be proud of. This is a great opportunity for business development too – whether you are shortlisted for an award or not – discovering how to effectively apply for awards and talk up your business adds another string to your bow.
“Booking is essential and places are limited to just 35 – so be quick! This year we’ve made our masterclass available to partners and also to those who we are yet to work with for free. Call it an added bonus, after two years away from the awards circuit.
The awards masterclass is focussed on the application process, and it will spell out what the judges are looking for. You’ll learn how to make your application stand out from the local competition, helping your chances of going through to the national VisitEngland Awards in 2023.”
There are fifteen categories open for nominations from visitors attraction, accommodation providers, hospitality businesses and many more.
The deadline for nominations is July 29, with online judging starting on July 30 and mystery shopping from August 13. Finalists will be announced on Monday, August 15.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Engine Shed on October 21, and will be hosted by Lincs FM presenter, John Marshall.
The event is organised by Stonebow Media, publishers of The Lincolnite, to celebrate the best businesses in Greater Lincolnshire, alongside headline sponsors Lincoln College and Destination Lincolnshire.
We would also like to thank our other sponsors Visit Lincolnshire, Heart of Lincs, Duncan and Toplis and LNER, insight6 and EV Camel.
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