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Shane Croucher

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Shane reports on politics and local authorities in Lincolnshire. He studied investigative journalism at the University of Lincoln and also edited the student newspaper.


— Updated on June 30 @ 9.12am

Several Lincoln schools are closed as two teaching unions strike over pensions on Thursday, June 30.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is walking out of classrooms across Britain in a stand against government plans to increase teachers’ personal pension contributions and extend their retirement age.

Schools in and around Lincoln city that are affected by full closure on June 30 include:

  • Lincoln St Faith & St Martin CE Junior
  • Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School
  • Sincil Sports College
  • Lincoln Queen’s Park School
  • North Hykeham North Kesteven
  • North Hykeham Robert Pattinson
  • Nettleham CE Junior

Those affected by partial closure include:

  • Lincoln Fortuna School

A full list of school closures in Lincolnshire can be found on the County Council’s website.

Karl McCartney, Lincoln’s Conservative MP, said: “I, along with many parents and taxpayers in Lincoln, am very disappointed at the proposed industrial action by some teachers and other public sector workers on Thursday.

“If some schools in Lincoln close as a result of a number of teachers going on strike, there will be considerable disruption, not only to children’s education, but to the lives of parents whose livelihoods depend on schools being open.

“At a time when private sector taxpayers in Lincoln and the country have taken hits to their own pension schemes, it is not right that these same private sector taxpayers should be propping up a more generous pension scheme for public sector workers.

“I think private sector taxpayers will quite rightly feel disappointed at the acceptance of this inequality shown by some public sector workers who are willing to go on strike.”

The health of Lincoln city got a damning indictment its Local Health Profile for 2011, published by the Department of Health.

Key points from the document include:

  • Deprivation is higher than average for England, with 4,385 children living in poverty
  • Life expectancy is 11.9 years lower for men and 6.9 years lower for women in the poorest areas than the richest
  • 20.3% of year 6 pupils in the city are obese
  • Teen pregnancy levels are significantly worse than the England average
  • Early deaths from strokes, heart disease and cancer are higher than average
  • Overall, death rates are falling, but are higher than the average
  • Only 54.7% of white pupils in Lincoln’s schools achieved grades in school exams
  • Lincoln is among the worst cities in the country for rates of people staying in hospital because of self harm

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