Lincolnshire readers’ views on our news for Stamford, Spalding, Grantham and Rutland
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.
Don’t forget, you can always get in touch by emailing news@lincsonline.co.uk
Labour’s claims don’t add up
I was astonished to see the claims made in the recent letter entitled “An open letter to voters”, from Rutland’s two Labour county councillors, Steve McRobb and Ramsay Ross of Oakham North West ward.
It is absolutely beyond farce to suggest that Rutland Conservatives would work with the Labour Party to put them in power and offer an inducement of a position in the Rutland cabinet. The disagreements are obvious – Mallard Pass, VAT on school fees, the Winter Fuel Allowance to name a few.
Further, I was saddened to read the two Labour councillors denigrate the achievements of men and women in Rutland over the past 106 years, the independent Councillors who ran Rutland from 1918-2003, and of the Conservative administrations which followed. In this century and more encompassing world wars, cold war, huge economic and social change, the hard work and achievements of very many dedicated public servants in Rutland should be celebrated.
As regards coalition ‘the joining together of different political parties or groups for a particular purpose’ (The Cambridge Dictionary) in the 17 contested elections held in Rutland for RCC in the past five years not one has seen a LibDem, Labour or Green candidate stand against each other.
In internal elections at Rutland County Council, Councillor Ross was elected as chairman of the scrutiny committee by 14 votes (11 LibDem, two Labour, one Green) to 13 votes for Councillor Lucy Stephenson (seven independent, six Conservative). The vote for leader of the council in 2023 was practically the same.
Whilst Labour might have on this one occasion nominated a candidate in the Oakham North East by election next month if it looks like a coalition, walks like a coalition, and quacks like a coalition, it is a coalition.
Giles Clifton
Rutland County Council (Con - Braunston and Martinsthorpe)
We need coalition in Rutland
The letter from labour Rutland county councillors, Steve McRobb and Ramsay Ross, printed in this paper on October 24, illustrates the divisiveness that arises from party political point scoring at local council level. No doubt to be expected during a by election campaign but entirely unnecessary and a blame game that is damaging to our council.
As made clear in our letter of the same date, we, as a group of independents do not align with any political party. We will vote on issues according to conscience, based on facts and assessment of options under very challenging budgetary constraints which threaten the delivery of services to residents.
If councillors from political parties are to truely work in the best interests of our county, 'without fear or favour', we need a Cabinet drawn from the skills and experience across 27 councillors, not just one based on political affiliations, which is currently the case with just 6 Liberal Democrat councillors making all executive decisions. This means that the political parties must be prepared to work with others in these 'coalitions' in order to make these difficult decisions in a culture of constructive honesty and openness. The people of Rutland deserve nothing less.
Rosemary Powell, Samantha Harvey, Andrew Brown, Kevin Corby, Nick Begy, Tracy Carr, Oliver Hemsley
Rutland County Council Independent councillors
Budget is bad for Rutland
There is no doubt Labour’s budget is bad for Rutland. We pride ourselves on our varied economy, from tourism and our flourishing hospitality sector to our independent high street traders, to our small medium enterprises who have chosen Rutland as their home to prosper and of course our proud agricultural tradition that has been the life blood for generations of farmers providing food through thick and thin. Increases in National Insurance contributions and alterations to inheritance tax laws on family farms to mention just two of the £40 billion tax hikes announced will threaten our rural way of life and hit the working person hardest. This is not a budget for growth or indeed one for the working person.
We await the funding settlement which will determine Rutland County Council’s budget and so Council Tax rates. We know the funding formula is unfairly weighted to disadvantage rural communities such as ours. We doubt, from the evidence in this budget, Labour has understood the challenges we face delivering services, services that increasingly deliver for the minority whilst the majority pay.
Rural living should not be a luxury only the few can afford. Hard work should pay whether before retirement or as a pensioner. Under Labour the message is clear: rural living is a luxury; hard work does not pay and your hard-earned cash will be used to pursue agendas that will not result in growth rather a crippling of our economy with a welfare state that grows exponentially.
In Rutland we will continue to work with our MP to make our voices heard at Westminster.
Lucy Stephenson
Rutland County Council - Leader of Conservatives
Do you recognise yourself?
I’ve been sent a pic from about 1966 featuring a children’s visit to Stamford Fire Station featuring my father, the late Joe Binks holding his twins Phil and Ian - me. I would be about three-years-old I guess, so other children may be a couple of years older.
I wonder if anyone recognises themself or anyone else?
Ian Binks
Editor’s note: If you recognise yourself, email: smeditor@stamfordmercury.co.uk to be put in touch with Mr Binks.
Thank you for backing system change
I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of our patients at The Hereward Practice for their support and patience whilst we changed our practice system to the Total Triage model. This has taken a tremendous amount of work and preparation by all the team at The Hereward. I am very proud of the whole team for leaning in to the challenges that adopting such a huge change brings and facing the associated anxiety that comes with it head on. Superstars, every one of them.
May I also make a slight correction to the article published. It describes The Hereward Practice as ‘being run by Lakeside in Corby’. This is incorrect and perpetuates an inaccurate description of what Lakeside is. There is a central team at Corby, which includes the Executive Board, but they do not ‘run’ the practice. They offered much valued support and assistance when we decided to adopt The Total Triage model. Lakeside is a General Practice Partnership, it is owned by the GP’s who make up the Partnership (just like the vast majority of Practices within the United Kingdom), it is only different in so far as it is a much larger partnership made up of eight practices throughout our locality.
General Practice has gone through an exceptionally bumpy patch nationally over the last few years and, despite numerous challenges and hurdles that we will undoubtedly continue to face, I believe that we as an organisation are getting stronger and are committed to continuing to improve the services we provide.
Dr Thomas Ashley-Norman
Deputy chair, GP partner and non-executive director - Lakeside Healthcare
Bollard problem continues
Once again, more money on what to do about vehicles in Stamford High Street? Now back to the original signposts at each entry. This is not a new idea - this was done by council workers twice a day into ready-made slots. There was always a delivery driver arriving late and removing the posts. What about locking them in place with the emergency service holding keys? Hold the fire, ambulance or police while we unlock the post. It is not so much what to do but who can enforce it? There are no traffic wardens or police available.
There are perfectly legal signs at each entry and failure to comply is an offence. Again no mention of Blue Badge Holders.
Go back to number plate recognition like the doctors’ surgeries and the hospital. This would enforce the restrictions and remove the problem from the council.
D Daly
Stamford
Tragic consequences of drink driving
The tragedy of the two drunk driving deaths covered in last week's Grantham Journal highlights the terrible consequences of mixing three addictions while driving; alcohol, drugs and the mobile phone. All supposedly illegal while at the wheel of a car but children are exposed to these destructive temptations, especially the phone, at an early age, preschool even.
Some schools however have succeeded in controlling phone use to protect their pupils from distraction and addiction. They use a simple lockable sleeve device to render their temporary deactivation. I find it unbelievable that no technology exists that deactivates a mobile phone when a car engine is running. Are these tech companies supressing this life saving app or have they invented an uncontrollable monster and won’t admit it?
Rod Hatherill
Lodge Way, Grantham
Why is A1 crossing open?
Around two weeks ago, I was driving south on the A1,and had to pause, as traffic on a southbound 'outer lane' was backing up. The reason? A car and a van were trying to cross from the southbound to the northbound lanes, and the van's back end was blocking a lot of the 'fast' lane. This was compounded by three vehicles trying to cross in the opposite direction. Instead of travelling a couple of hundred yards north, come off the A1 properly, pass over the road, and take a brief trip on the southbound, these organ donors thought it best, at 4pm on a Friday, to try to get a gap in near rush hour traffic. Similarly intelligent folks to those on the southbound lane.
Come to last Friday, and seemingly at the same crossing, three vehicles involved in a much more serious accident, caused by seemingly similar thoughts\logic, blocks the northbound for about three hours, and the southbound for a bit less. Ambulances, police vans, National Highways employees all trying to manage the situation. Seemingly half an hour after the accident, traffic was still coming of the Spitalgate route into the A1, at the point where the accident had reduced the road to a single lane. Traffic had built up, by 5.50pm, to such an extent that the Northbound was thick, all the way to near Colsterworth, with no sign of preventing traffic from joining the crush, or instigating rerouting operations.
It's not as if road closures on that stretch are rare events. Why were no measures taken to redirect traffic away via Melton, or via High Dike\B6403? Why is that crossing still open?
Nigel Parkin
Hudson Way, Grantham
Budget provision is not enough
Despite some encouraging notes in the recent budget, including a big increase in NHS spending, there was nothing to reassure pensioners currently facing a tough winter of financial insecurity.
The NPC and campaign organisations across the UK have been calling for the Chancellor to change her decision announced this summer to cut the £200 to £300 fuel payments to help with around 10 million older people’s heating bills this winter.
But there was no mention in the Chancellor’s debut speech of the winter fuel payment cuts. In fact, she repeated the misleading suggestion that 12 million pensioners would be compensated by up to £470 a year rise in their state pension to a 4.1%.
But of course, only a quarter, or three million people, will see a £470 increase, because the other nine million are on the older [pre-2016] and much lower pension. Also, the pension increase will not be paid until next April, after older people have received their highest energy bills of the coming winter.
We had hoped the government would include at least some kind of help to offset the loss of the winter fuel payment, even if they did not reverse the cuts. So, it is deeply disappointing that the Chancellor again chose to side-step a very serious issue for millions of older people. But this is not the end, the NPC will not stop highlighting the disaster that awaits our oldest and most vulnerable if the government does not address the problem.
NPC General Secretary Jan Shortt said there are some hopeful points in the Budget:
The widened eligibility for the allowance paid to full-time carers, by increasing the maximum earnings threshold from £151 to £195 a week.
A £22.6bn increase in the day-to-day health budget, and £3.1bn increase in the NHScapital budget.
A £3.4bn for the warm homes plan to upgrade buildings, to help lower energy bills.
“However, the promise to unfreeze personal tax thresholds, important for those pensioners who are being pushed into paying tax for the first time, won't happen until 2028-29. We could do with it next spring or sooner.”
“The Warm Homes Plan will take many years to show effective change, whilst some of our most vulnerable will go cold this winter and must choose between heating or eating.
“Most critically, the £1.3bn additional grant funding for local government is welcome, but the £600m earmarked for social care is a drop in the ocean. It is nowhere near enough to tackle the crisis in care.”
Rodney Sadd
Crowland
Make more of tourist offering
Spalding needs to demonstrate that it is really interested in attracting tourists. A good start would be a Tourist Information office open six or seven days a week, in the town centre, backed up by another at Springfields; we used to have both of these!
The events at the South Holland Centre should be better advertised — which can mean the traditional means of posters as well as social media.
When I as a tourist visit another town, one of my first ports of call is the local library, where I like to read the posters in the window, to find out about about imminent events that I might wish to try out. I gather it is Lincolnshire County Council libraries policy not to display any posters — why?
A lost cause now, but I would like to see the circular performance area outside Boot's restored.
As the tourism trend is towards holding events and performances, that space was ideal. Was it really a 'circle of doom / death'? Even those who are ‘not our kind of people’ need to sit down sometimes, and they will continue to have this need.
If the new planters have three-dimensional flower displays, that would brighten up the place.
I had been hoping that Springfields might display large pictures of town centre buildings and scenes, in an attempt to draw coach parties from there to sample the delights of our town. PEDALS has had the route from there into town signposted for cyclists; this would be even more use if Springfields had a cycle hire place for day-trippers to use.
At the bus station there should be finger-posts pointing arrivals to various locations, e.g. the Market Place, Ayscoughfee, the sports facilities,the Water Taxi. At least they have put one of those colourful pictorial maps on what used to be a plain white board. The trouble is that people see that as they go towards their buses, i.e. having their attention drawn to what they might have missed. That board with the map on it should be turned around; on that side there should be a helpful indication of what buses depart for where and from where.
It is interesting to note that even that map, small as it is, does make the whole place look more welcoming.
I hope the riverside, that great asset, will be 'tarted up' and provided with information boards; when I have visited a place, I like to be able to tell my friends what I have seen.
And I am looking forward to the day when the Market Place is no longer used as a car park for much of the day.
If a tourist likes walking round car parks, I'm sure he or she could find another, less obtrusive one in the vicinity!
David Jones
Spalding
Reassess the planters
I’m writing as a local district councillor, speaking for people who have contacted me about the works in the town centre and as a member of Spalding Town Forum.
The works that have been actioned in the Spalding town centre areas to “improve” the seating areas have really missed the mark.
I spoke to a variety of people whilst doing my shopping and everyone was unhappy about the planters, the size of them, the fact that they are wood, and where they have been positioned.
There was a public consultation on this, but people feel it was unclear information to base their opinions on and was past the point where big changes could have been made from what I understand.
I immediately after returning home from town emailed Councillor Gary Taylor, who has been responsible for this project and voiced all of the concerns that had been brought to me.
His response has been the planters are easily moveable. I have serious scepticism about this. I also raised the concerns about the fact they were wood which will provide an ideal environment for rats and I suggested perhaps whilst we had the equipment and manpower in place that we review and find better positioning.
I am concerned that once in place it will cause more disruption to local businesses if it is decided in the future to change what is currently being done.
I hope that having voiced the numerous public concerns which have been brought to me and hearing the concerns of all of the public on social media that Councillor Gary Taylor will go away and reassess all of the decisions that have been made on this project, and will do so quickly whilst it can still be rectified and improved.
Coun Ingrid Sheard
Spalding Monkshouse Ward
