James Turner

Lincoln MP Karl McCartney (Conservative) believes the debate over whether the city’s beloved Christmas market should return ought to be “above party politics.”

Nearly a year has passed since the Labour-led City of Lincoln Council decided to cancel the popular four-day event due to concerns about overcrowding. The decision has divided many in the city, with some insisting that it had lost its way, while others continue to vouch for its return.

The event, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2022, attracted around 320,000 visitors, requiring costly crowd control measures for future safety.

In its place, the City Council introduced a new programme of year-round events and activities, including a small two-day local music festival, an inflatable Monsters Invasion atop various city buildings, and an ice sculpture trail. However, they faced significant criticism from local residents and businesses, who agreed they are not a fit replacement for the Christmas Market.

During what would have been the 41st annual Christmas market, McCartney launched a campaign urging local residents and businesses to share their views on the matter.

Lincoln MP Karl McCartney | Photo: LDRS/The Lincolnite

“The clear message I am continually receiving is that Lincoln’s public, shopkeepers, hoteliers, businesses and charities want their Lincoln Christmas Market back,” Karl McCartney said.

“One that is both refreshed and traditional with a focus on its roots in supporting Lincolnshire’s arts, crafts, farmers, traders and charities.

“Bringing back the Christmas Market should ideally be above party politics, with all of us from all sides of the political divide working together to find a solution for the greater good of the city.

“It is hard to understand and is still very disappointing that the Labour-run council are simply refusing to even consider bringing the market back, a position fully and absolutely supported by Labour’s general election candidate.

“So unless they change their mind and work for the greater good, there will be a clear choice for local people this year.

“If you vote Labour at the local elections and general election, then there will be more obstacles to overcome in bringing the market back. If you vote Conservative, there won’t be.”

In the past week, the City Council Conservative group has also pledged to restore the market if they gain control of the City of Lincoln Council in this May’s local elections.

Leader Thomas Dyer underscored that, if his party gains power, he would reassess plans to hold the market due to the Labour leadership’s apparent reluctance to reconsider their decision, despite the upcoming retirement of leader Ric Metcalfe.

Hamish Falconer will be standing as the Labour candidate for Lincoln in the next election | Photo: LDRS/The Lincolnite

Meanwhile, Lincoln Labour MP candidate Hamish Falconer insisted it was actually Mr McCartney who was playing party politics, stating: “Karl McCartney is playing politics about the Christmas Market — he has absolutely no plan to bring it back nor any ideas to address any of the concerns that were raised. If he does, let’s hear it?

“Councils of all persuasion across the country have cancelled their markets, so people in Lincoln shouldn’t believe for one second that Karl or his colleagues at the City Council have any real plan, they just want to distract from the awful record of their government.

“When I’m out talking to people across the city, they tell me they want a change, a focus on the cost of living crisis, on fixing the NHS, and seeing off the government’s mad plans for Scampton. They know how to show Mr McCartney and the Conservative Party the door: by voting Labour.”

MP Matt Warman is hoping to close the last hotel in Skegness used for housing asylum seekers, pointing out the lack of necessary support for them.

At a community meeting at Bateman’s Brewery in Wainfleet, the Conservative MP said that the seaside resort “will always be the wrong place” for hotels accommodating migrants, following announcements that all but one will shut down after April.

In 2021, five hotels in the town became temporary homes for hundreds of asylum seekers, leading to protests by far-right groups.

| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Initially, there was hope that they would be relocated to RAF Scampton following the Home Office’s announcement to convert the former airbase into an asylum centre. However, this did not materialise. Consequently, many hotel owners expressed concerns about a potentially disappointing summer season, worried that the presence of migrants might deter tourists.

The situation escalated when Saad Gomaa, 34, was accused of raping a woman in Tower Gardens in June. The Egyptian national faced trial at Lincoln Crown Court, where he was ultimately acquitted of all charges, insisting that the encounter was consensual and that the drunk woman had initiated it.

In January, East Lindsey District Council announced that the situation was “now drawing to a close,” with all but one of the hotels set to close by April. However, Skegness MP maintains that even one hotel housing asylum seekers is too many.

“We are in the process of changing the law, we have massively sped up the processing of applications and we have closed all but one of the hotels. That is progress, but it is still not enough,” he said.

“One is ultimately one too many. Skegness will always be the wrong place for hotels housing asylum seekers.”

The Conservative MP added: “It’s huge progress. I think people are widely aware that there are fewer hotels, and they’re glad of it. But we’ve also now got to turn our attention to what returning those hotels with their proper use looks like.”

Skegness has captured widespread attention recently after the distressing discovery of two-year-old Bronson Battersby, who died of starvation beside his father. The father had died from a heart attack over Christmas in their home on Prince Albert Avenue.

One week later, the body of 23-year-old Petra Ross was found near the Gibraltar Point nature reserve. A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of her murder but was later released on bail.

Gibraltar Point nature reserve, Skegness | Photo: James Turner

Following these incidents, Skegness residents and business owners have reported feeling “scared to go out at night,” with some also citing a series of local stabbings.

Addressing these concerns, Mr Warman noted: “I think the reality for Skegness is that we still get hundreds of thousands of people coming every year. They’re coming as tourists because it’s a great place to visit and because it’s got all of the vibrancy that has been attractive for centuries.

“That said, we have to tackle both the reality and the underlying problems that come with the deprivation that we saw with the Bronson case.

“Some of it is about saying, look, there’s a good reason why people come here, there’s a good reason why businesses are really successful.

“But when you hear people expressing concerns that reflect genuinely how they feel, I think it’s down to councillors, myself, and businesses to say, you know what, actually, the crime rates here mean that you shouldn’t be feeling those things, and we’ve got to demonstrate that. It’s a hard balance because you can never tell people how to feel.”

The former Minister of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, together with other Lincolnshire leaders, recently voiced criticism of National Grid’s proposed Grimsby to Walpole pylon plan. They highlighted concerns that the project would leave a “permanent scar” on the county’s beautiful landscape.

The proposed route | Image: National Grid

The news has prompted the launch of several petitions by concerned residents throughout the county, including one by 21-year-old Tabitha Siddorn from Beesby, near Alford.

Ms Siddorn described the proposed route as “disheartening,” highlighting the picturesque nature of her small village. She added: “It’s not actually bringing anything to Lincolnshire, it’s power for London. They are going to be destroying wildlife and ruining the future of agriculture.”

Warman urged local residents to participate in the ongoing consultation to voice their concerns to the firm, stating: “Right now, we are at a very early stage in a consultation process. What needs to happen is for people to make it very clear that they don’t think this scheme is the right scheme and that there are better options available.

“At this stage, no decisions have been made. It’s my job, and it’s the job of everyone who cares about this, to make their views known.”

He further noted that opting for underground cables in the proposed scheme would lead to a substantial increase in costs. According to National Grid’s estimates, implementing the plan with overhead pylons would cost around £1.74 billion, while the underground alternative would surge to £6.54 billion.