Lauren Westwood

By Lauren Westwood lauren

At the Community Leadership Scrutiny Committee (CLSC) on August 23 councillors and authorities including the Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire Police met to discuss anti-social drinking on the streets of Lincoln.

Residents have requested new measures for dealing with anti-social drinking and a Designated Public Place Order (DPPO) would give police officers more power to deal with anti-social drinking in public places.

We asked Lincolnites for their experiences with anti-social drinking in the city.

Julie Speakman (55) Lincoln, Tesco employee

Julie Speakman

“I think a [DPPO] would be really good. I’ve been robbed. [People] were drinking and they saw that I was on my own and shot upstairs and nicked my purse. So I do think [DPPO] would be a good thing. Even further up in town we see them, I walk to work and they’re there drinking. I see them with cans in their hands. You think, how many have they had? It does make you think. Hopefully something will be done. People don’t need to drink outside; they can go to their houses or the pub.”

David Holmes (36) Lincoln, window cleaner

David Holmes

“You get a lot of alcoholics that drink in town and they just tend to sit there really. They look a bit unsightly but the majority of them don’t do any harm. I don’t really think there’s a big problem [in Lincoln]. It’s more drugs that are [the problem] as there are a lot of hard drugs in Lincoln for the size of the place.

“I’m not in favour of giving police more control over anything. As far as banning people from drinking [on the street], if they’re walking up to people and accosting them then something needs to be done. It’s mainly a summer thing when people are out with cans.”

Claire Anderson-Smith (48) Lincoln, housewife

Claire Anderson Smith

“Lincoln hasn’t got the amount of worries that other cities have, e.g. Leeds, London etc. But I do think that even in Lincoln we do have to be careful that we don’t turn into a Leeds. If you come into Lincoln on a Friday or Saturday night, you do see people drunk, fights, and inappropriate behaviour. We do have to make sure we don’t have the trouble that London has had in the past.

“I do think that the police need more power across the whole country. At the moment all they can do is stand there; they can’t even lay a hand on somebody and they do need more power to be able to physically stop people. I have seen things going on when I’ve driven through town and to be honest it’s not great for the city, as tourists will see these things. Not to the extent of other cities, but enough to put people off and [Lincoln’s] too nice to have that going on really.”

Timothy Mellors (21) Lincoln

Timothy Mellors

“Around Lincoln [anti-social behaviour] doesn’t seem to be much of a problem. In principle I think that the police should have more power to deal with it as it arises. I come from Chesterfield originally and around there you get a lot more of it. It does seem a lot of the time that police are so worried about getting prosecuted for overreacting that they are scared to do anything at all. People should respect the police.”

Zoe Shelton (20) Lincoln, student

Zoe Shelton

“You could get into trouble if you end up having to deal with something yourself that’s on your own doorstep. Police should always have power just in case, to make people feel safer. You should always feel safe no matter what’s going on.

“I’ve been [in Lincoln] for a few years as a student. I used to be scared walking through the middle of town past all of the pubs and clubs. There always used to be people outside, really drunk. As a girl walking down on my own it was quite terrifying.”

Lauren has recently graduated from Loughborough University with a Masters in Creative Writing. She enjoys film, literature and kickboxing.

By Lauren Westwood lauren

On August 18, students across the nation discovered their academic fates following the release of this year’s A-level results. We asked Lincolnites what they think about A-levels, next steps and the on-going debate that those all-important exams are getting easier.

Philip Sayles (42) Lincoln, Director of Access and Advanced Education at Lincoln College

“We’ve been absolutely delighted with our results this yr. We got a 98% pass rate and 100% pass rate in 14 subjects. Lincoln College is one of the largest A-level centres in Lincolnshire. We’re delighted to see our students going off to a whole diverse range of universities including Cambridge; there are some high flyers who are going to do really well in their careers. It was fantastic yesterday to see the excitement of students when they got their results. We saw it as a really fitting end to a great academic year at Lincoln College. We offer a strong supportive environment which is exciting and interesting socially. We’re very proud of what we do. We really help students to move on.

“I don’t think [exams are getting easier] at all; I think when you see what the students go through in terms of the learning they have to do and the pressure they’re under in exams, I wouldn’t want to be going through that again. The exams are hard and I think that the pass rates reflect students who have worked hard. If they’ve done their studying and we’ve done our jobs they should absolutely be passing. A-levels are recognised internationally as a very tough examination system. They are a good quality qualification.”

Lizzy Wright (20) Lincoln, recent graduate

“I don’t really understand how people are saying that exams are getting easier. When I did them they certainly didn’t feel easy. Years ago it was a big thing to get into university, but now everybody’s doing it. When you got in it was expected that you’d get a better paid job, but now there are less people getting jobs. It seems a bit backwards and counterproductive. All these people are trying really hard to get into university and then universities are having to raise their entry levels. There aren’t enough jobs to go around for people who have got really good grades.

“My brother just got his A-level results and he has managed to get into this first choice university which he is really pleased about. He didn’t quite get the grades they wanted but it was high enough.”

Georgia Alcock (19) Lincoln, student at Leeds College of Art

“I actually did a National Diploma so I still had to wait for my results. It was a nerve-wracking day. I know a couple of people [going through it now]. Everyone was really nervous.

“I wouldn’t have thought [exams] are getting easier. I think maybe people are trying harder because it’s harder to get into universities now, especially good ones anyway.”

Andy Hurst (16) Lincoln, student at North Kesteven School

“I’m quite anxious about [GCSE results] next week. I’m staying on for 6th form for two more years and I think I’m going to university. I know [an A-level student] and they received their results yesterday and they weren’t very happy about them. They’re staying on for another year at 6th form.

“I wouldn’t say [exams] are getting easier. There were a lot of mistakes with our exams; a couple of the questions were wrong and they had to redo the paper.”

Lucy-Anna Mulvihill (16) Lincoln College

“I’m a bit nervous about [going to Lincoln College] but more because of the people there as I don’t know what they’re going to be like. I’ve heard it’s quite good; that’s why I’m going there instead of 6th form. I preferred Lincoln College. [A-levels] sound a bit tricky. I think people should lay off saying that they’re getting too easy.”

Photo: Hammersmith and Fulham Council

Lauren has recently graduated from Loughborough University with a Masters in Creative Writing. She enjoys film, literature and kickboxing.