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Letter writers from Stamford, Spalding, Grantham and Rutland share their views with LincsOnline




Readers have had plenty to say on what’s in the news.

Here we share some of the letters, emails and comments that have come in over the week, including this cartoon from John Elson.

John Elson’s cartoon is sponsored by the Assist Group
John Elson’s cartoon is sponsored by the Assist Group

Send your letters to: news@lincsonline.co.uk

Can you donate jigsaws?

I am accepting any jigsaws people might wish to donate for a sale to be held at 15 Lonsdale Way, Oakham on Friday, March 28, to Sunday, March 30, inclusive between 10am and 3pm. Any money raised at the sale will go towards buying more daffodil bulbs to enhance and extend the Oakham in Bloom Daffodil Trail.

Anyone who can make up any jigsaws will be warmly welcomed. The idea is to complete any of the puzzles and sandwich them between cardboard (kindly cut to size and donated by a High Street retailer) or just donate a jigsaw so that people can collect and complete them.

Now is the time to take part as the dark nights are still here, so please donate to 15, Lonsdale Way, Oakham, LE15.6LP or telephone for more details: Joyce Lucas on 01572 755718.

I can deliver to any housebound person living within Oakham.

Please help to make Oakham even more florally beautiful.

Thank you in anticipation.

Joyce Lucas

Oakham

Chance to chat to councillors

I would be most grateful if you note that the February Oakham South Ward meeting will take place on Saturday, February 1, at the George Hotel in Oakham Town Square, 10am to midday. Councillors Paul Browne, Diane Ellison and myself will be in attendance. As usual no appointment is needed. I would also like to take this opportunity to address the issue of Local Government re-organisation which the current Central Government has raised.

Please note that this is not an issue which Rutland County Council has raised nor one which we have an opinion on. There is a lot of speculation about this development but that is currently all it is speculation! We are engaged in informal conversations with a number of our fellow local councils on a possible way forward, but these are merely exchanges of ideas, thoughts and opinions. What I can say is that NO decisions will be made without full and through consultation with all parties involved and that especially means Rutlanders! I personally believe that it will be months, if not years, before we reach the stage of having any concrete proposals to discuss.

Raymond Payne

Rutland County Council - Oakham South (Lib Dem)

We have adopted an appointment-based surgery to better meet the needs of individual constituents.

Please contact us through our Rutland County Council email address to make an appointment:

Cllr Steve McRobb SMcRobb@rutland.gov.uk

Cllr Ramsay Ross RRoss@rutland.gov.uk.

Appointments will be held in the George Hotel at a time to suit you.

A notice will continue to be posted at the beginning of each month.

Councillors Steve McRobb and Ramsay Ross

Rutland County Council - Oakham North West (Labour)

Already we need a a council tax rise

Well, I did warn you!! We now have a town council less than a year old already calling for a rise in council tax. Councillors calling each other childish names on social media, and I'll bet that they are using council funded iPads to do it. I would like to know what they are spending our money on. I also await a coherent reply to my request asking, why do we need a chairman and deputy chairman with an ambassador and deputy ambassador?

Mike Cook

Grantham

Thanks for opening the toilets

I am delighted to note that after our Grantham Market public consultation in 2023, and my subsequent report to the SKDC culture and leisure committee in January 2024, the residents of Grantham have been listened to as our public toilet in the Conduit reopens. Whilst it is of use to everyone, having access to a public toilet is particularly important for young families, disabled and elderly residents, other suggestions included holding more public events in the market or having themed events. As other councils have closed public toilets, SKDC has made a real effort to accommodate our views. There is still more to do but without doubt, recent stall numbers show our market is improving. Thanks to Anita in the mayor's parlour, SKDC officers, Councillor Paul Fellows, former chair of culture and leisure OSC who set up a working party to look at our proposals, and councillors Paul Stokes and Tim Harrison for helping to make it happen.

Councillor Charmaine Morgan

Ambassador for Grantham Town Council

Restore A&E at hospital

It was disappointing, but not at all surprising to see your article (Journal, January 24) about ambulance crews losing hours in patient handover delays. Patients being stuck in ambulances outside hospitals waiting to be unloaded and treated is surely a waste of everybody's time. I know, from personal experience, that it is quite possible to spend several hours in an ambulance before you even get inside the building, and get checked into the A and E. This is bad for the patients, obviously, who get seen later. It is bad for the ambulance service, as the crews are sitting around when they could be doing something else. It also disguises the service that you get in an A and E, which have targets of trying to see everyone within four hours of arriving, because the clock starts when you check in at A and E, not when the ambulance pulls up outside.Although Lincolnshire had the worst figures in the East Midlands, there is an additional problem, which does not show up in the handover times. Because Lincolnshire is so big, you can spend longer in the back of an ambulance trying to get to the A and E in the first place, even before you have to queue up outside.If you want to improve the service, one way would be to restore the A and E at Grantham Hospital, with acute care beds. Not only would it mean shorter ambulance journeys for those of us in the south west of the county, but it would also mean increased A and E capacity overall, meaning shorter queueing times for everybody.

Councillor John Morgan

SOS Grantham Hospital - Democratic Independent Town Councillor, Grantham St Vincent's ward

One-hour parking is complicated

Why is the much heralded one-hour of free parking so complex in SKDC car parks? A friend recently arrived at 10am and wanted just over two hours parking. She followed the instructions in the Welham Street car park for her free one hour and then needed to pay £1.50 for her extra time of up to three hours, but her ticket only allowed her to park until 1pm (exactly three hours from 10am) so she wasn’t given the free hour at all. What an enormous con by SKDC! Also, it seems you have to register for the free hour via a mobile phone, which many senior people may not have, or simply may not feel comfortable in using in order to enter their card details for automated parking charges. In order to make the system work it needs to be simplified so every driver can benefit from a free one hour’s parking, no matter how long they stay and shop or eat in Grantham.Also, is SKDC going to advertise this Free Parking with a big banner on the outside of the Welham Street and Wharf Road multi-storeys? How will visitors to the town or non-Facebook drivers know it’s free and that some daily parking charges have actually been reduced, by up to 50% in the case of over 4 hours in Welham Street? This now costs £5 instead of the previous £10.40. Too many drivers simply fill all nearby roadside parking spaces and never even venture into the car parks to check on parking charges, to the detriment of local residents. Free evening parking after 6pm AND Free Sunday parking should be highlighted by large banners too, especially near the cinema to save cars filling St Catherine’s Road unnecessarily every evening. I hope the local council can address these problems ASAP

Lynda North

Grantham

Send your letters to: news@lincsonline.co.uk



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