Lincolnshire readers write about news in Stamford, Grantham, Spalding 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 which looks at this article here.
Don’t forget, you can always get in touch by emailing news@lincsonline.co.uk
Traffic chaos in Oakham
Coming home over the main crossing this evening, I saw traffic queueing waiting for the train. I walked over the bridge and proceeded along Melton Road and High Street. Traffic was not moving and the queue extended as far as the Victoria Hall. In spite of traffic lights changing on John Street and High Street, queuing traffic was going nowhere. I didn’t see how far the queue went along the Melton Road on the Melton side but I could tell from the mad driving from people overtaking trying to get round by Tim Norton’s that they were very impatient.
A Penn Street friend complained about how long it took him to cross the main crossing to get to his elderly father on Derwent Drive. He had to wait for five trains because the queue did not move forwards in time to get through before the crossing went down again.
Ann Lewis
Brooke Road, Oakham
Thank you for coming to concerts
I would like to thank all the people who have joined us in Cutts Close over the summer to listen and enjoy a variety of bands who have played. On average we have had between 300-350 people a week. This is a free event for anyone to come along to and since covid the numbers have increased dramatically. It is lovely to see so many people, young and old, out enjoying the fresh air and meeting new friends.
Sally-Anne Wadsworth
Oakham Town Council
Broadband is poor
I have recently moved into Oakham and find that no fibre broadband is available from any company because Openreach do not have the capacity. Openreach blame the large number of houses being built.
People thinking of moving house need to be aware of this problem.
The planning authority should take internet availability into account when deciding whether to grant permission for new houses.
Hugh Rees
Oakham
Cancelling payment was sensible
Now our new government is in place and unsurprisingly announced we are in need of £21 billion. I feel that the Tories mantra of low taxation is a red herring. If we want to live in a civiliised country with a proper health service, the ability to defend ourselves and have an effective police force with a justice system that works we have to pay for it. If taxes have to be increased then so be it. Providing that the extra burden is met by those who can afford it - and there are many of them. I am a pensioner and I think the cancelling of the winter fuel payment was sensible.
The chaotic financial policies of Johnson and Truss were always going to catch up with us. So I wish the new administration well in its attempt to bring this nation back to stability.
Tony Bianchi
Stretton
Valuable land shouldn’t be used
I believe most people are in agreement to use solar panels and wind farms provided it is not in their backyard.
It is pleasing to see His Majesty King Charles is having solar panels fitted to Windsor Castle.
I believe it would be a good thing if His Majesty could persuade his extended family and fellow landowners along with the National Trust to give some of their parkland over to solar panel farms.
This land is basically used for sheep and deer grazing and fine views.
By using some of this land we would avoid the silly situation of utilising valuable agricultural land as currently proposed in Rutland.
The Rutland solar farm will cover 1,100 football fields and have a perimeter fence measured in miles, thus losing valuable farm land.
Our grandchildren may have enough electricity to power their mobile phones but may starve to death if this practice is continued.
Mike Jackson
Kenilworth Road, Grantham
Flats should be housing
Bourne Civic Society so agree with the chairperson of Stamford Civic Society as to having the town centre flats over the shops used for housing.
Empty houses should also be looked at.
Many years ago lots of people lived in the streets of towns and cities over shops and in disused shops as well.
A mention also for the two litter pickers they did very well.
Brenda Jones
Bourne Civic Society (chairperson)
How much were bins?
With all the recent discussion and controversy regarding the new purple-topped bins, I just wanted to question the amount of money that the waste authorities have spent on the production and collection of the new bins. I understand and support the need for improved recycling, but I would just like to point out to the waste authorities that Stamford remains the only town of any size in Lincolnshire that does not have its own domestic waste/recycling facility. If Lincolnshire County Council and South Kesteven District Council want to avoid the huge number of road miles the people of Stamford have incurred over the years travelling to waste sites in other towns, then is it not time to provide a facility in Stamford? Furthermore, with the proposal for over 1200 new homes in North Stamford, the demand for such a facility will only increase.
Richard Asher
New Cross Road, Stamford
Stamford’s not so ancient charms
Further to Garry Baxter’s letter (Mercury, August 2) enquiring what is happening about the unfinished and untidy building developments in East Street and North Street, the short answer appears to be ‘nothing’.
I had seen, earlier, on local social media that, following the serving of an enforcement notice by SKDC, work had begun to tidy up a building which was stated as being an eyesore on the main gateway into Grantham. I immediately emailed Stamford Town Council, through the Town Clerk, and the Councillors on SKDC representing Stamford, asking for pressure to be put on SKDC to take similar action regarding the eyesores of apparently abandoned developments in North Street and East Street, the main East West route through the town. I pointed out that, Under Section 215 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990, a Local Planning Authority has the power to take steps to require land to be cleared up where the condition affects the amenity of the area. So far, I have received just one reply, from a SKDC councillor, saying that planning officers have told him they do not have any enforcement powers in relation to Stamford’s unfinished developments!
Just what is going on? Why is SKDC using the powers given to it by the Act for Grantham issues whilst denying such powers exist when it comes to Stamford?
I also find it incredulous that SKDC is forcing the owners of a shop in St Mary’s Street to repaint their refurbished shop front from an attractive Black and Heritage Gold yet allowing such abandoned development eyesores elsewhere in the town.
John Fox
Cottesmore Road, Stamford
This is the wrong decision
The Chancellor is being urged to reverse her devastating decision to axe winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners. The National Pensioners’ Convention is calling on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to reconsider her shock decision to end ‘universal’ winter fuel payments. NPC General Secretary Jan Short said: “ This is devastating news for millions of older people whose income is literally just a few pounds above the threshold to receive pension credit.” These people are already barely able to make ends meet, this move effectively wipes out any benefit they receive from the triple lock increase on the state pension. “We seriously believe the Chancellor has underestimated the harm her decision will cause to older people still struggling with energy costs, and facing higher rates in October. It is absolutely shocking that the new Labour government should treat older, vulnerable people in this manner. The triple lock alone will not enable them to keep up with energy bills. Once again, the millions just above the very low pension credit limit of £218-15 per week, if you’re single, £332-95 if you’re a couple, will lose out and the charities estimate that an extra 2 million older people will have to juggle heating and eating this coming winter if this policy is not reversed. Almost anyone with a small private pension will lose hundreds of pounds of energy support. Cutting support this winter with virtually no notice and no compensatory measures to protect poor and vulnerable pensioners, is the wrong decision.
Rodney Sadd
Crowland
Solution is capital punishment
I must agree with Sir John Hayes about cutting jail time and shoplifting. The way to make spaces in jail is to bring back hanging.Let Sir John go for a walkabout and ask people what they think about hanging.The other thing is solar panels, Sir John says ‘we don’t want them on good growing fields’. I have not seen anything about this from the farmers who will be paid rent and save a lot of money by not growing seeds.Year ago, Sir John never said a word about farmers who were paid a lot of money not to grow crops on fields perhaps where solar panels will go. This was called set a side. So why is Sir John up in arms about solar panels?
K Barfoot
Drove Gate, Holbeach Drove
Market Place area was fine before
I realise that the £4.1 million from the government which is being spent on Grantham’s Market Place was (allegedly) specially earmarked for the project. However, the ‘project’ is really nothing more than an unnecessary prettification. The Market Place was perfectly all right. The money would have been much better spent elsewhere – like improving the turns into McDonald’s at Gainsborough Corner and into the Barnardo’s/Majestic Wine shopping area, both of which are bottlenecks.
Don’t get me started on the railway bridges in the town, all of which should have been re-built (wider and deeper) decades ago.
Now we’re about to have a major thoroughfare blocked off for five months, with (the ubiquitous Coun Richard Davies says) 8,000 tonnes of material being used for the repair of Dysart Road and its pavements, kerbs and drains. This is many years overdue. What he doesn’t suggest is how shoppers, and especially pedestrians, are expected to access the stores on Dysart Road.
I agree with the recent letter from Lynda North: to start this work before the Market Place prettification is finished, is ludicrous. As Lynda suggests, possible work on the Wharf Road-Harlaxton Road junction, which might well overlap, is even more ridiculous. It is clear that organisation is not one of LCC’s strong points – but we knew that, already. Something about a brewery springs to mind.
Coun Richard Davies claims that: “As many people know, sections of Dysart Road are in a dire state.”
The councillor is a master of understatement. Councillor: Practically the whole of Grantham’s road network is in a dire state. I wouldn’t mind, but when LCC organises’ road repairs, the work is appallingly bad, not to say minimal. For instance, the Harrowby Lane-Tennyson Avenue junction or the entry to its own premises on Union Street. Now, those are dire.
It seems that LCC loves to re-surface roads which are in no need of it. Alma Park Road is currently being re-surfaced, when there’s nothing wrong at all with at least the Fifth Avenue start. Even the gents working on it admitted to me that they had no idea why it as being done.
I pointed out to them that, 250 yards around the corner, the pavement outside the Belmont County Primary School on Harrowby Lane is in an appalling state. It’s worse than a farm track, and is a tripping hazard to running or skipping children, who could fall into the road – which is also appalling bad, even after partial ‘repair’.
Last year, several councillors signed a letter to this August publication, a fortnight after my own was published on this very same subject. They promised that the area would be remedied. Guess what?
Nothing happened.
The classic example of LCC’s poor work processes was the laying of chippings and Tarmac on this part of Alma Park three or four years ago.
Third Avenue’s surface was perfectly all right, but it was re-surfaced anyway, and we were left with a ‘new’ surface which was so badly done that driving over it felt like being on a cattle-grid. I had a long conversation with one of Grantham’s councillors at the time who said that they would look into it, but guess what?
Nothing happened.
David Feld
Third Avenue, Grantham
Council voted against discount
It is nice to see SKDC doing something positive for its veterans and full marks to the Armed Forces Champion Richard Dixon-Warren for backing a campaign to employ former military personnel.
However,there are a number of SKDC councillors namely those in the Lib Dem, Labour, and Independent groups, who recently all voted together against a reduced council tax for in-work veterans struggling in Band A properties by voting for no more work despite giving a reduced council tax to police PCSOs?
It was only meant to be a 5% or 10% discount as well.
What's the difference of a PCSO walking the streets of sunny Grantham and getting a reduced council tax from SKDC, and a veteran returning from a frontline battlefield getting nothing. I would love to know?
The council leader [Ashley] Baxter himself, was heard to quote that all veterans were "living like brigadiers".
How insulting is that to all those veterans that you picture working at SKDC, when he leads the council?
How many in the picture also deserve a reduced council tax, have you asked that question?
Gene Plews
Witham-on-the-Hill
Thanks for support
Thank you to everyone that came and supported us at the table top sale in the Isaac Newton Centre on Saturday, July 27. We raised just over £300 for the Doris Banham Dog Rescue.
Thank you again to everyone for their support for this great charity. Our next table top sale will take place in the Isaac Newton Shopping Centre on Saturday, October 5.
Anne Lockwood
Grantham volunteer for Doris Banham Dog Rescue
How to make A1 crossings safer
Regarding the A1 crossings. I was a professional driver for 14 years, having started driving lorries in the Forces, and later driving buses.
As a bus driver locally we would have to make two crossings of the A1 on our route - at Foston and at Great Ponton.
In all that time I can only remember one accident involving a bus, and that was because we had to angle the 36ft vehicle so that the back and front ends didn't stick out. One of our divers didn't quite get the angle right and was clipped.
I have two suggestions to make the A1 crossings safer.
The first is to put a dirty great notice saying there are speed cameras and make it a 50mph limit.
Alternatively, turn the crossing into a roundabout to slow down drivers.
Ned Lud
Grantham
Grateful for help after fall
I would like to say thank you to the two ladies , and the gentleman who came to my assistance when I had a fall on Friday morning (August 2). It was very much appreciated
Godfrey Mackinder
Northcliffe Road, Grantham
A wild garden
Blackbirds bouncing on the lawn,
the dew still glistens from the dawn.
Who keeps the lawn so smart and prim,
beyond perfection, perhaps too trim?
Nature's way, if growth let loose,
would put the plot to better use.
Let daisies grow, be kind, don't mow.
Just weeds maybe but give them time,
a meadow soon with flowers, sublime.
Those insects soon will come and feed,
to them each flower is not a weed.
As nature comes to bring it's treasure,
sit back, enjoy, a new won pleasure.
Rod Hatherill
Lodge Way, Grantham
