Martin Hill

By Martin Hill Leader of Lincolnshire County Council

For many years, we at Lincolnshire County Council have been striving to provide top class services in the most cost-effective way.

As the council’s leader, I believe that it’s our duty to always look for ways of saving public money while at the same time maintaining and, where we can, improving our frontline as much as possible.

With this in mind, we are undertaking a massive review of the properties that we run alongside other similar organisations such as the emergency services, the wider NHS, other councils and national government.

This is part of a government programme known as One Public Estate, run locally by Lincolnshire County Council on behalf of the Greater Lincolnshire Partnership. It has seen us working more closely together to make the best use of our sites including using them to boost the local economy.

It is so important that our buildings are used to their capacity so that we don’t waste any money. This can mean closing down buildings that are under used and, better still, sharing locations with our public sector colleagues.

Not only does this enable us to share property and the costs of running it, but also means that we are working closer with other organisations with the aim of delivering better and more joined-up services.

We are aiming to move towards having one public point of access in an area, which will make it easier for you to get in touch when you need help or information from a public sector body.

We have already enjoyed great successes with our emergency services’ Blue Light Collaboration programme which will save our county millions of pounds in the years to come.

Our major flagship project has seen fire and rescue staff come together with the police to form one shared headquarters at Nettleham north of Lincoln.

The building, formerly the police headquarters, has been refurbished to provide accommodation for both service’s chief officers, administrative staff and 999 control rooms.

The former fire HQ at South Park in Lincoln will become a new £19 million ambulance, police and fire station and is set to open next year. This will be the new base for police from the city’s West Parade site.

In the east of the county, the new Louth Fire and Ambulance Station opened late last year.

And this spring, fire crews and ambulance staff will move into a new shared station in Sleaford. This is part of a £6 million project which includes offices for LCC staff.

While it is true that we have had to make major investments in building projects, money will be recouped through selling old sites and a major reduction in running costs, with modern properties being much more efficient.

And the most important thing is better services for you through working more closely together and reinvesting the money saved.

Martin Hill OBE is the Conservative Leader of Lincolnshire County Council. A former farmer, Martin was elected to Lincolnshire County Council in 1993, representing Folkingham Rural. He became council leader in 2005 and was later awarded an OBE for services to Lincolnshire. Martin lives in a former pub at Kirby Underwood with wife Janice and their irrepressible Patterdale Terrier, Boris.

By Martin Hill Leader of Lincolnshire County Council

It has been yet another momentous year at the county council.

May saw the county council elections in which my Conservative group gained a clear majority.

While I was naturally pleased at this strong endorsement for the way we have managed local services, we have not rested on our laurels and have ambitious plans for the future.

We were elected on five key commitments:

• Securing the best Brexit deal for Lincolnshire
• Spending taxpayers’ money wisely
• Keeping Lincolnshire moving
• Good health and wellbeing – protecting the vulnerable
• Promoting our communities – a good quality of life

As you can see, we are always looking for ways to improve the lives of Lincolnshire people.

With that in mind we have launched our Fairer Funding campaign. Councils across the county have received far less money than metropolitan urban areas.

We believe that supporting our communities across a sparsely populated rural area provides its own challenges and that we should be funded by central government accordingly.

We are actively lobbying alongside our MPs for the funding system to be reviewed.

I would like to thank everyone who has backed our campaign so far. Look out for updates on progress throughout the coming year.

I am pleased to say that after years of planning, the city’s biggest road project in decades, the £99 million Lincoln Eastern Bypass – from the A158 Wragby Road roundabout to the A15 at Bracebridge Heath – is now well under way.

Not only will this cut congestion it will also add an estimated £600 million to the local economy.

There are also plenty of other plans in the pipeline for other road improvements in the Lincoln area including the £4 million A46 Dunholme/ Welton roundabout and the £2 million Wragby Road/ Wolsey Way improvements.

We are also working on an outline business case for the North Hykeham Relief Road.

Better broadband is another major improvement we are actively supporting.

In the 21st century, it’s vital for any modern home or business.

The onlincolnshire partnership, led by Lincolnshire councils and BT, has been continuing the roll-out of superfast broadband.

The latest phase will see coverage of almost 97% of the county by the end of 2019.

More than 90% of the county can now sign up with an internet service provider and enjoy faster speeds.

Over the last few years, we have had major opportunities to celebrate Lincolnshire’s rich history, with the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta and then with the Charter of the Forest.

2018 will see us marking a different kind of history when we commemorate our aviation heritage as part of events to highlight the 100th year of the founding of the RAF.

Lincolnshire: Bastion in the Air, 1915-18, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund runs until April 30, 2020.

The project aims to promote the work carried out in constructing aircraft and defending British airspace during the First World War, which led to the formation of the RAF in 1918, and the continuing links between the county and the RAF.

There will be a series of travelling exhibitions throughout the county during the three-year period, as well as two major static exhibitions in 2018 at RAF Scampton and in The Collection Museum.

New Year’s resolutions

On a local level, as I have already mentioned, I am really hopeful that our Fairer Funding campaign will reap benefits for Lincolnshire.

On a national and international level, we all recognise that the Brexit negotiations have been tricky. But this makes it all the more important that our government sticks to its principles and continues to work hard to deliver the best outcome for all of us.

With that optimistic note, I would like to wish Happy New Year to all readers of The Lincolnite!

Martin Hill OBE is the Conservative Leader of Lincolnshire County Council. A former farmer, Martin was elected to Lincolnshire County Council in 1993, representing Folkingham Rural. He became council leader in 2005 and was later awarded an OBE for services to Lincolnshire. Martin lives in a former pub at Kirby Underwood with wife Janice and their irrepressible Patterdale Terrier, Boris.