North Kesteven District Council’s leader has called a motion urging him to write to government calling on the PM to allow remote meetings a “waste of time” because he has “already signed a petition on change.org”.
The motion was put forward by Lincolnshire Independent Councillor Marianne Overton on Thursday night in a bid to put pressure on MPs to discuss the issue in the House of Commons.
She said temporary relaxations of the rules during the COVID pandemic had been a success for local democracy.
“The benefits have included increased attendances at remote meetings by both councillors and the public; significant cost savings for some authorities arising from much less travel to meetings; environmental benefits of less travel, particularly in large rural authorities; a better work life balance for councillors… and opening up opportunities for more people to stand for election as councillors,” she said.
The campaign is backed by the Local Government Association and the National Association of Local Councils and has been challenged through the High Court.
However, the government says it would require a change in primary legislation and that there is not sufficient parliamentary time.
NK Administration leader Councillor Richard Wright told members: “This is a waste of time.
“On January 13 all members of the council were informed that I had signed, on behalf of the council, a petition to change.org for the very thing we are talking about.”
He said the LGA backed the approach and that it would have strength in numbers if successful.
However, he said that despite claims from councils that they wanted to progress with the change there were still fewer than 10,000 signatures on the petition.
At the time of writing the petition Councillor Wright referred to had 9,161 signatures.
Councillor Wright said it was “disappointing as a lot of councils have indicated that they allegedly did want to move down this route”.
“But clearly that has not changed into actual signatures on petitions.”
The motion was defeated 12 votes to six with two abstentions.
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Improvements will be made to the cycle network between Pinchbeck and Spalding after the government awarded a payout of £1.8 million to fund Lincolnshire County Council’s Active Travel Plans.
The money allocated to Lincolnshire will be spent on improving facilities along both the Spalding and Pinchbeck roads, subject to feasibility.
The two communities of Pinchbeck and Spalding will be connected with a safe and direct active travel route while also linking up with the important destinations along Wardentree Lane and Enterprise Way.
This route was identified as a priority for active travel development during the council’s work with stakeholders on the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan for Spalding.
Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “I’m delighted to see further active travel money coming to Lincolnshire. Active travel is something that can benefit all of our communities and I’m pleased to see the development of a route in the south of our county.
“Having been actively developing this idea for one of our Local Cycling and Walking Plans (LCWIPs) it’s clear to see that the benefits are going to be widely felt. This is a great success in one of our bids to the Department for Transport.
“Lincolnshire has invested in developing a LCWIP for each of our strategy board areas. We believe the LCWIPs will be the key for unlocking more of the active travel funding and we look forward to working with the DfT to develop more ideas from our plans for Lincolnshire.”
The deputy headteacher at a now-closed down special needs school near Grantham is appealing against his convictions for rape and sexual assault.
Lincoln man David Taylor, 71 at the time of conviction, and 86-year-old Raymond Longley, were convicted of several sexual offences at the former Stubton Hall School, spanning over a 20-year period between 1983 and 1995. Taylor was sentenced to a total of 19 years and six months behind bars, while Longley was jailed for four years.
A former pupil who was sexually abused by the deputy headteacher from the age of 10 previously encouraged others to speak up about abuse as a civil lawsuit mounted against Lincolnshire County Council, who owned and ran the school.
Taylor, who worked at the school between 1975 and 1995, was granted permission to appeal against his conviction by a High Court judge on March 29, 2022. The date for the appeal hearing, which will be held in public, has yet to be confirmed.
Solicitor Katherine Yates from Andrew Grove and Company is currently acting for 40 claimants from across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire who are seeking damages from Lincolnshire County Council for the sickening abuse they endured. They recently sent a letter before action to the authority which is the first stage in the civil court proceedings.
Katherine said: “What we are being told is quite horrific and it’s hard to believe that Taylor is appealing his conviction given his despicable crimes and the fact that he fathered a child with one of the girls who he began abusing when she was under 16.
“Although we have started court proceedings against Lincolnshire County Council, we are still taking statements from witnesses and claimants as part of our ongoing investigations, and I’d urge anyone who was physically or sexually abused at Stubton Hall School to contact my firm.
“It doesn’t matter if you have not previously come forward to the police – we are listening, and we can help you seek the compensation you are entitled to. This money can’t erase the past, but it could help you build a better future and can be used to pay for counselling or training, for example.
“All claims are being funded by way of a ‘no win, no fee’ agreement so financial concerns should not prevent anyone from making contact and bringing a claim.”
David Taylor (left) and Raymond Longley (right) were two management level staff members at Stubton Hall School near Grantham. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Clare (not her real name) was seriously sexually abused by Taylor throughout her time at the school for vulnerable children between 1982 and 1987 and is one of the claimants seeking damages in the civil court.
She said: “When I found out from the police about the appeal I broke down in tears. I thought it was all over and I could try and move on with my life. Now I cannot do that. A jury found Taylor guilty and he got what he deserved. I hope the appeal court sees through it.”
Heather Sandy, Lincolnshire County Council executive director for children’s services, previously said: “LCC expresses deep regret over the abuse suffered by the victims in this case.
“We wish to apologise to the victims and are pleased that justice has been done through the convictions in the criminal case.
“We hope that this brings some comfort and closure to the victims. We are unable to comment further regarding potential legal claims.”
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