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Letter writers from Stamford, Spalding, Grantham and Rutland share their views with LincsOnline on issues such as allotments, bus stops and local government reform




Our readers have been sharing their views on what’s been going on in the past few days.

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

Unconvinced by merger proposal

As a resident of South Kesteven, I remain unconvinced regarding any proposed merger between this area and Rutland, which I regard as a definite ‘non-starter’.

What are the long-term benefits this idea would bring to South Kesteven taxpayers, and where does health fit in, for example?

Rutland councillors remain split over regulations and lack any vote as to what any new mergers will look like, and the South Kesteven District Council leadership remains fixated with resident numbers to hit the magic 500,000 to form a new, super-bloated council as demanded by the Labour Government.

It is well known that both councils have been hollowed out of adequate rural funding by the last Conservative government, so much so that the council tax base in Rutland cannot, for example, sustain adult social care costs at over half (51%) of its yearly turnover, not to mention the very high children's services and home-to-school transport overheads leaving little for other core resident services.

A lack of any council-run sports or fitness facilities, an underfunded youth service, part time opening at the police station, high-cost draconian planning regulations, and the threatened closure of basic public amenities such as village libraries demonstrates why any merger will bring financial disaster to the South Kesteven taxpayer.

I cannot see how Rutland's independence has ever been a financial success.

The Labour Government has given no guarantee that the current, failing rural funding formula will be increased for any newly formed super council, with current funding merely being maintained at its poor level.

The only way to bridge the cross-county rural underfunding and very different council tax imbalances will be for South Kesteven residents to be hammered with a very much higher council tax, to fund the Rutland side’s shortfall.

Rutland must go back to Leicestershire.

Name and address supplied

This wonderful photo of albino stags at Burghley Park, near Stamford, was taken by Chris Brooks, a member of Stamford and Rutland Photographic Society. If you have taken a photo locally that would look good on this page, email a high-resolution copy to news@lincsonline.co.uk with your name and details about the photo.
This wonderful photo of albino stags at Burghley Park, near Stamford, was taken by Chris Brooks, a member of Stamford and Rutland Photographic Society. If you have taken a photo locally that would look good on this page, email a high-resolution copy to news@lincsonline.co.uk with your name and details about the photo.

An enjoyable afternoon

I have just spent a very enjoyable couple of hours in Stamford Arts Centre Ballroom courtesy of Art Pop Up’s Cheer Club. The Ballroom was very brightly decorated with handmade decorations, and the tables were set with pretty cloths, plates and a variety of cakes.

Children from St Augustine’s Primary School took our order for hot drinks, which were swiftly delivered by pupils from Stamford Welland Academy.

Alongside the refreshments, we were treated to a live band and dance lessons, and St Augustine’s children came around telling jokes and using paper fortune tellers, all the while not forgetting to ask if we needed our cups topping up.

The room was full of happy, laughing people from all backgrounds and ages, just having a great time.

Thank you Sam, Rosie, St Augustine’s, Welland Academy, the band and everyone else who was involved in organising the afternoon (on Monday, March 17). It was a fantastic success.

Janice Hobbs

Stamford

Looking to grow membership

I am writing about last week’s article ‘Allotment idea nipped in the bud’. This mentions the service Oakham Home Gardens and Allotments, (OHGAS), provides for letting allotments on three council-owned sites (Burley Road, Willow Crescent and Elm Close), and the site on Pillings Road which OHGAS owns.

For clarity, OHGAS is a not-for-profit community society, run entirely by volunteers. Our simple aim is to provide and maintain allotment gardens for the benefit of members in Oakham and, as our constitution says, to promote social inclusion, good health and companionship.

We take our role as a community association very seriously and provide about 230 allotments for 220 members and their families.

We raise money for day-to-day running costs of the sites through plot rentals and membership fees (£18 and £7). These charges are among the lowest allotment rentals anywhere in England. Any small profits from our trading hut are ploughed back into site maintenance for our members.

We have worked in a successful partnership with Oakham Town Council managing the council sites for them for many years.

We are grateful for the support we have always received from the council. Over time, it has kindly helped us from its limited resources with routine maintenance such as tree cutting and fencing. But all major projects are funded by OHGAS.

Examples where we have raised significant funds ourselves were the building of the new trading hut on Pillings Road, the installation of water troughs at all sites, and major improvements to fencing and roadways, all benefitting members.

We are a friendly and open society, and we are always looking for new members. Anybody wanting to join us should go to our website Oakham-allotments.co.uk. Gardening membership is always available and there is a short waiting list for a plot. Now is the ideal time to start. Come and join us.

Dick Gilbert

Chairman of OHGAS

In agreement over eyesore

I totally agree with Anne Lewis of Brooke Road, Oakham, who shared concerns about the installation of the distribution transformer opposite her house.

I often pass by the new housing site and it looks very out of place, as well as an eyesore,

The transformer could have easily been mounted at ground level on a concrete base and in an enclosure; there is no reason why it should be mounted so high up.

Apart from those living opposite the structure, people who will be spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on a new house will be greeted with a large lump of metal on stilts every time they look out of their window.

It appears Rutland County Council and Burmor Development don`t have the technical ability to question the way the transformer was placed.

The council should not be surprised if the community signed a petition demanding it be changed, especially at this early stage of installation.

A W Burns

Rutland

Why so many bus stops?

The number of new bus stops cropping up along Ryhall Road in Stamford is ridiculous.

There are three between Sainsbury’s and the football ground and another one outside the hospital.

It’s becoming chaotic because not everyone leaves a gap for people to get into the hospital and there are cars queuing on both sides of the road.

It’s chaotic and I think there will be a serious accident before long.

I’d like someone at the council to explain why we need so many stops.

Gerry Baker

St Martin’s Close, Stamford

Thank you

A big thank you to the couple who found my wallet and the staff at the B&Q store who ensured it was returned with the minimum delay.

Ironic that this happened on the same day that the BBC News programme tested the honesty of people by ‘deliberately losing 10 wallets’ that were all ret-urned intact.

It’s nice to know that there are still genuine people living in the UK.

P Spencer

Spalding

This shows there’s a bigger problem

Your article (Journal 21 March 2025) on lack of government support for a local business (Hawkens Gingerbread) shows a bigger problem with successive government strategies. The business applied for a grant from Innovate UK, but was turned down, with no feedback. As the business owner pointed out, this is ridiculous. Innovate UK will have done the hard work, by looking at his application. Providing feedback is simply the easy bit, effectively writing up the work that they have already done. And applicants should be told if their idea is a good one, but needs a few minor amendments, or whether it is a silly idea that will never work, because it could affect what they do next.Unfortunately, the current Labour government is following on from the previous Conservative one, and is primarily talking to big business. This doesn't work. What big businesses really want is tax breaks, which the rest of us have to pay for. They are not really worried about regulation, as they pay a few people to make sure that they comply. But they will sign up to ‘reducing regulation’ if it means that they can pollute or pay people less.

Meanwhile, small and medium businesses don't have the ear of the government. No one offers to reduce regulations for them, which can actually eat into the time it takes to earn a living. Footloose big businesses will accept a tax break to open a factory, pocket the extra money, and then relocate to Slovakia in a few years, leaving the local area no better off. A sensible industrial strategy would not waste time on these businesses, but would be trying to grow existing small and medium sized businesses, which tend to stay in the same place, and provide a boost to their area. Sadly Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves don't appear to have got the memo. What a shame.

John Morgan

Grantham



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