“Dementia has a crippling effect on families across the country and this problem is only going to get bigger as people continue to live longer,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary.

Commenting on the findings of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia’s inquiry into the funding of the National Dementia Strategy (NDS) released today, Norman Lamb said:
 
“This report makes for depressing reading and reveals that Labour’s dementia strategy is failing.
 
“We urgently need to improve services for people suffering with dementia and make sure that funding is available to provide carers with valuable time off.
 
“Dementia has a crippling effect on families across the country and this problem is only going to get bigger as people continue to live longer.
 
“If we want to ensure this money gets to the people who need it we must give local people the power to hold their local health service to account.”

North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus has been recognised regionally for innovations in dementia care. Five local services for people with dementia were recently showcased at an event in York including the Gardens, the Haverstoe Suite, the dementia academy, dementia care mapping and Admiral nurses. 

The Yorkshire and Humber Improvement Partnership (YHIP), which is coordinating the regional response to the National Dementia Strategy (published by the Department of Health in 2009), hosted a launch event earlier this month. ‘The Big Event’ showcased regional innovations in dementia care.  

The CTP was represented by all five innovative services, with one service holding an informative workshop, two others holding desktop discussions and two others having marketplace displays. 

Jeanette Logan, head of older people’s mental health services for the CTP, said:

“We are proud that locally we are striding ahead in terms of improving the quality of local services for local people, especially at a time when reports are disappointing around the national response to the challenges of the National Dementia Strategy.

 “We are developing and designing services that offer new solutions which not only enhance the quality of care for people with dementia and their carers but also go some way to addressing challenges posed by the rising numbers of local people with a type of dementia.   

“This is and has to be a multi agency approach and we are fortunate to have built a local network of key individuals and agencies that enables us to ensure services will be commissioned and provided according to the specific needs and demands of the local area.” 

The CTP is currently developing its commissioning strategy for dementia services and commissioners have been instrumental in terms of support and backing for the both the dementia care mapping and Haverstoe initiatives as well as supporting proposals for the development of the dementia academy. 

The five services have also been included in the soon to be published Yorkshire and South Humber innovations in dementia care directory and are among other services that have been identified as part of a baseline assessment of PCT/CTP positions against the National Dementia Strategy.

Andrea Parr, strategy coordinator, older people’s mental health services, said: “A significant amount of hard work by a number of people has gone into designing and delivering services of this standard. 

“The shared goal of the health and social care community within NE Lincs should be to enable people to maintain their independence and remain in their own homes for as long as possible.  There still remains a significant amount of work to be done, but having our efforts recognised in this way makes us feel proud of our achievements and spurs us on with other developing projects.” 

Project details:

The Gardens – acute inpatient and assessment suite. An innovative design and staffing structure which allows for the highest quality of care provision both while in hospital and on discharge.  A new element to the staffing means that care and support can also be offered in the home to prevent an admission where possible. 

The Haverstoe Suite – a specially designed and staffed unit at Huntleigh Lodge in Cleethorpes which caters for people with dementia with more complex needs, providing intensive input from specialist OPMHS services and preventing out of area placements.  

The dementia academy – a joint project with the local independent and third sector as well as other key partners which will establish North East Lincolnshire as a centre of excellence for dementia care. Offering training, advice and support to anybody delivering care or interacting with somebody with dementia from specialist staff to members of the public. 

Dementia care mapping – a method of assessing the impact of one to one or group care provision on a person with dementia.  Feedback allows for individuals and teams of staff to identify areas of good practice as well as areas for improvement. 

Admiral nurses – The CTP is fortunate to have two of 80 national Admiral nurses.  Working in partnership with the charity For Dementia, the CTP is able to offer specialist support and advice to the carers of people with dementia and to work on developing and rolling out programmes of information and training for carers.

In a speech to the Association of School and College Leaders today, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg will propose a deal with schools.

Nick Clegg will argue that in return for the investment of an additional £2.5billion in schools, teachers will be put under pressure to ‘raise their game’ to reinvent the curriculum, increase the number of children achieving good results and close the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their wealthier classmates.

He will also attack the Conservatives for pledging to help poorer pupils without allocating any funding to pay for it and accuse the Government of ‘not funding, but buying’ schools

To give every child a fair start in life, the Liberal Democrats will spend an extra £2.5billion on schools, guaranteeing them the money they need to support children who are struggling.
 

Nick Clegg will say:

“Today, I ask our schools and colleges to sign up to a deal with the Liberal Democrats: We will give you everything we can. We will find you extra funding, even while elsewhere there are cuts. We will give a level of freedom you haven’t known for decades. But, in return, we will place the greatest expectations on you any government ever has. 

“One - we will expect you to transform the curriculum, so that it is rich, relevant, and stretches the brightest pupils while elevating those who struggle. Two - we will be much more ambitious about the number of young men and women leaving school with good results. Three – we will expect you to close the gap between poorer children and their wealthier classmates. A gap which entrenches inequality in Britain today.

“That deal is a new settlement for schools and government. Once it is in place we will get on with governing, you will get on with teaching, and children will benefit most of all. Let’s take our side of the bargain first. We are proposing an extra investment of £2.5billion for our schools. Around an extra £2,500 will be allocated for each pupil in receipt of free school meals. Raising the amount allocated for the poorest children to levels spent per pupil in fee-paying schools.

“The budgets of schools with similar catchments, but in different parts of the country, can vary wildly. Our Pupil Premium ensures every school taking a child from a disadvantaged background, no matter where it is, gets extra money to provide extra support.

“Money you can spend as you see fit – perhaps to cut class sizes, provide extra one-to-one tuition, evening or weekend classes. It would be up to you.

“Unlike the Conservatives, who have promised money to help poorer pupils without actually allocating a single penny to pay for it, we want to give schools certainty about the resources they can expect.

“So, to be absolutely clear: our Pupil Premium is new money. As the IFS pointed out earlier this week, unless a Pupil Premium is funded with extra cash, many schools – particularly secondaries – will suffer significant budget cuts.

“Labour didn’t fund schools, they bought schools. The price of unprecedented investment was untrammelled control.

“So, more freedom, more funding, that is our side of the bargain. What about yours? We will give you money, we will cut the reins, but our expectations on you will be high. We will expect you to reinvent the curriculum so it is broad and relevant. We will expect you to increase the number of children achieving good results. We will expect you to close the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their wealthier peers.

“I am tired of the buck passing that dominates the debate over education in this country. When pupils do badly, government blames schools, schools blame government, and parents are left watching endless finger-pointing that does nothing to help their children.

“We want to make Britain a place where it is no longer possible, on a pupil’s first day of school, to predict how well they’ll do simply by asking them how much their parents earn. 
“So, a deal between government and schools: Money and freedom in return for high expectations and more ambition.”

The Humber Link bus service, which provides a link between Grimsby and Hull, has received a subsidy of £10, 000 from North East Lincolnshire Council which will secure the future of the srvice for the immediate future.

The bus service is used by many people from North East Lincolnshire to visit friends and relatives, as well as patients of hospitals in the Hull area, and students attending the University.

 Further talks have been arranged by N E Lincs Council with Hull City Council, North Lincolnshire Council,Lincolnshire Council, and Humberside Airport to secure further funding towards the loss - making bus route.

“Liberal Democrats will give schools the money to cut class sizes and provide children who are struggling with more individual support by committing an extra £2.5bn,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Schools Secretary.

Commenting on today’s IFS report ‘The Pupil Premium: assessing the options’, which shows how many schools would have their budgets cut under Conservative plans to bring in a Pupil Premium without extra funding, David Laws said:

“This independent report confirms the Tories’ proposals would be disastrous for thousands of schools, wrecking opportunities for millions of children.  

“The Conservatives’ plans will mean many schools have their budgets slashed.
 
“David Cameron may talk about raising standards but his plans commit no pounds and no pence of extra money to our schools.  He now needs to be honest about the devastating impact this will have on England’s schools. 
 
“Liberal Democrats will give schools the money to cut class sizes and provide children who are struggling with more individual support by committing an extra £2.5bn. This extra cash and our plans to set schools free to raise standards will give every child a fair start in life.”

“Ministers love kicking difficult political decisions into the long grass. They must come clean about cuts to council funding,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy.

Commenting on today’s BBC survey which reveals tens of thousands of council jobs in England could be at risk over the next five years, Julia Goldsworthy said:

“Three quarters of council money comes from Government grants.  John Denham’s attempt to wash his hands of blame is outrageous.
 
“Councils are currently working in the dark and planning for worst case scenarios as Labour refuses to publish the spending review they promised last summer.
 
“Ministers love kicking difficult political decisions into the long grass.  They must come clean about cuts to council funding.”

North East Lincolnshire Council has recently taken delivery of a £90,000 mobile youth centre with the aim of bringing multi-media fun and a space to chill out to an extra 1,000 young people spread around the county.

The cash for the 30-foot mobile unit has come from the Government’s Youth Capital Fund Plus (YCF+) pot to provide much-needed up-to-date facilities for young people to give them safe places to meet and positive things to do. The unit will be operational on the streets of North East Lincolnshire next month (March).

North East Lincolnshire’s YCF + funds come under the Government’s Aiming High strategy
to ensure there are plenty of activities for young people, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. In total £1.96 million has been made available over three years through Aiming High in North East Lincolnshire to increase the participation of young people in positive leisure time activities.

It will be the second mobile resource centre operating in the county giving youth workers the chance to target hard-to-reach areas, including more rural and isolated locations. Extending outwards to around 12 feet, the new unit has a meeting room, space to display the work of the teenagers, an IT working area, WC, and additional lighting for outdoor events. Specialist confidential advice and support will also be available on sexual health, drugs and unemployment.

Young people themselves have played a key part in the design of the unit and the equipment it will boast inside – skills games, arts, crafts, play stations and a Wii – and some will be making promotional videos. They are now coming up with design ideas for the graphics for the vehicle.

Andy Ross, (15), has been a regular user of the first mobile youth centre for the past year or more and is one of a small group of core young people who have helped with ideas to improve the new unit.

“One of the main things was to have a toilet – sometimes we’d have to dash off home, or someone else’s, or run to a local shopping centre! We also wanted more space as the unit is really popular – loads of us go - and the first one got really cramped sometimes. We were also able to help with designs for the walls and what equipment and games we would use.

“It will be great having this second one; it’s bigger, it’s warm, we get to meet up with our mates and play games, have a laugh and enjoy the company. Without them, there is really nothing for us to do and nowhere to go so in the evenings. It keeps us out of trouble and off the streets,” he said.

Steve Davies, operational manager for the Council’s youth service, said: “This is a fantastic new piece of kit and will really boost our ability to deliver flexible, first-class services to the young people of North East Lincolnshire, many of whom we just cannot reach at the moment. The current mobile unit has been with us nearly two years and has really proved its worth, providing an entertaining, safe and informative hub for hundreds of young people.“

Based in Grimsby, the mobile unit is now being kitted out and ‘branded’ before hitting the towns and villages of the county. The Council aim to use it seven days a week, staffed by two youth workers and colleagues from partner organisations.

North East Lincolnshire Council has a  Customer Service team which provides a service for help and advice on:

• Council Tax
• Business Rates
• Housing and Council Tax benefits
• Sundry debtor invoices
• Free School meals
• Housing Advisory Services (home options)
• Planning
• Criminal Records Bureau and Concessionary Travel fares

Cashiers also offer a service to both the public and internal departments by providing a paying-in service and answering enquiries regarding account balances, references and monthly payments.

You can find out more about North East Lincolnshire Council’s customer services at http://tinyurl.com/ydkldqf

A number of local authorise have recently undergone unannounced Ofsted inspections of children’s services and have found with serious area of concern.

An Ofted inspection in North East Lincolnshire took place on on 26 and 27 January, and found children at risk of harm are properly safeguarded by the authority.

The inspection into children’s services at the council examined the effectiveness of contact, referral and assessment arrangements. 

It found concerns about risk of significant harm to children were dealt with immediately. 

The council said it was “delighted” with the report’s conclusions. 

The inspection, which was carried out in January, found vulnerable children were “appropriately seen”, to ensure they were safe. Liberal Democrat Councillor Tony McCabe, the council’s portfolio holder for children and family services, said:

“This report reflects our own assessments and supports our own plans for improvements. 

“We are doing very well in looking after the welfare of children and young people in the borough and are totally committed to the ongoing development and strengthening of arrangements for safeguarding children.”

I just read an interesting Tweet from Carl Minns, Liberal Democrat leader of Hull City Council.  It compares the Council Tax rates for next year in the four Humberside areas.

• N E Lincs (Lib Dem)  Nil Council Tax increase
• Hull City Council (Lib Dem)  Nil CouncilTax increase
• East Yorkshire (Conservative)  Increase in Council Tax
• North Lincolnshire (Labour)  Increase in Council Tax

Do I see a pattern here?

The Government has set every force a target to raise public confidence that the police and local council are dealing with the anti-social behaviour and crime issues that matter locally.

The proportion of people surveyed in each of the following areas agree that the police and local council are dealing with the anti-social behaviour and crime issues that matter in their area.

Area Proportion

Safer and Stronger Communities Partnership(This covers the North East Lincolnshire area) 65.3%

Safer Neighbourhoods(This covers the NorthLincolnshire area) 65.0%

Safe Communities Partnership (This covers the East Riding of Yorkshire area) 65.9%

Hull Citysafe(This covers theKingston upon Hullarea) 64.6%

Humberside Police Force area 65.2%

These are the results of a telephone survey that was conducted in these areas which asked local people whether they agree that:

“The police and local council are dealing with the anti-social behaviour and crime issues that matter in this area”.

Care should be taken in making comparisons in local indicators that have used different survey techniques.

The survey is based on a quota sample of people in the local area. The use of a quota sample seeks to ensure the results are broadly representative of the local population. Quota samples may inadvertently introduce unknown sources of statistical bias.

For answers to someof the frequently asked questions about why the Home Office is requiringforces to measure public confidence please click here.

Government plans for a 50p-a-month tax on households to pay for a broadband network across the whole of country have been criticised by the Commons Business Committee. 

The Committee said that the tax is regressive, and means that poor people would end up paying for a service used mainly by the better off.

The committee also asked why ministers wanted to spend so much on broadband services when public finances are under such pressure.

The criticisms were made in a report into proposals to improve the UK’s internet network, which were released by ministers last July as part of the Digital Britain White Paper.

Under the plans, an extra 50p levy would be made on every fixed phone line, with the estimated revenue of £175 million being used to ensure that every home would have access to broadband with a minimum speed of 2Mbps by 2012.

The committee stated that while the Government’s ambitions were laudable, it was “unwise” to interfere with the market at the moment.

The scheme would have a much greater impact on the less well off who would be forced to pay for a service which only a few of them will benefit from:

 The Commons Business Committee concluded:

“Early government intervention runs a significant risk of distorting the market and will not allow time for technological solutions to extend the market’s reach across the country,” the committee insisted.

“Furthermore there is little evidence to suggest a pent up demand for this enhanced service, with customers currently unwilling to pay the premium for such services.”

 ”We disagree with the Government over its proposal to fund its intervention in the Next Generation Access Market with the proceeds of a 50p levy on fixed telecommunications lines.

“Such a levy would be both regressive and poorly targeted. It would have a much greater impact on the less well off who will pay for an enhanced service which only a minority will enjoy.

“If public funds are required for next generation access, they should be raised through general taxation, in the same way as for any other national infrastructure programme.”

The MPs suggested that reducing the tax on fibre optic cable and improving competition among suppliers would be a better use of public money.

the report said:

“In times of great stringency in public expenditure digital inclusion, not next generation access, should be the priority for expenditure,”

“The market can be helped to deliver greater levels of high speed access without significant increases in public expenditure.”

Adult mental health treatment and support services will be provided from modern, state of the art facilities with the official opening of Harrison House on February 23.

The development in Peaks Lane, Grimsby, comprises four purpose-built units and will provide a base for all mental health services currently accommodated at the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital.

Kevin Bond, director of mental health at North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus said: “This move is fantastic news for service users and is the culmination of many years hard work to find a suitable site and develop these excellent facilities. The improvement service users will see is immense. To get to this stage has been a long journey with plenty of ups and downs, but finally we can see the culmination of all the hard work and I would like to thank all the staff, people who use services and carers who have helped us design the new facility.”

The new facilities, based around the main building Harrison House and three lodges – Pelham Lodge, Brocklesby Lodge and Meridian Lodge – include improved inpatient facilities including en-suite bathrooms in all bedrooms, comfortable communal areas for eating and relaxing and landscaped gardens.

Harrison House is the main hub of the site and includes reception, day activity centre, Tukes coffee shop open to members of the public five days a week, sports changing facilities, office space and specialist counselling. Pelham Lodge (replacing Sapphire Suite) and Meridian Lodge (replacing Diamond Suite) are 10 bedded inpatient units and Brocklesby Lodge is a six bedded enhanced care unit for service users with more complex care needs.

The development has been designed to give careful consideration to its carbon footprint with the inclusion of solar panels for renewable energy on both Pelham Lodge and Meridian Lodge. The steel work in Harrison House is 100 per cent recycled, the roof tiles 80 per cent recycled and the block work 70 per cent recycled.The site was also a zero net waste site during construction.

The North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus development at Peaks Lane has taken several years to reach this stage, with numerous sites considered before the Peaks Lane location was chosen.Construction started in January 2009

Humberside Police Authority yesterday (16th February 2010) agreed the budget for policing the area served by the Humberside Police in 2010-11 and in doing so kept the increase in the police part of the council tax to just 2.5%.

When considering the budget, the Authority was keen to protect the significant reductions in crime and disorder that have been achieved over the last five years along with the number of offenders brought to justice. Members were also determined to maintain or improve visibility of frontline staff in neighbourhoods. However, they also recognised the equal challenge of responding to threat of serious and organised crime by providing the Chief Constable with the resources to help keep local people safe. 

The budget for 2010-11 was therefore set at £184.593M. The policing precept, the element of the locally raised council tax that goes towards policing, was increased by 2.5% which means that an average household (Band D) will pay £166.47 a year for policing, an increase of £4.06, which is less than 8 pence a week. 

Like all public sector organisations, Humberside Police Authority will face some demanding financial decisions over the next three to five years as funding becomes even tighter. With foresight, last March the Police Authority required the Chief Constable to achieve £15M in efficiency savings and therefore prepare the organisation to be in a strong position to meet the future challenges.

Chair of the Authority, Alene Branton MBE, explained: 

“We have already asked the Chief Constable to deliver some significant savings over the next five years while maintaining frontline policing services, which is what really matters to local people. Protecting previous years’ investment was a driving factor in our considerations, but we also wanted to keep any increases to the taxpayer as low as we could.

“We feel that we have found the right balance. The Chief Constable’s work in response to the Authority’s direction has helped us to set a budget that will preserve local policing services and help to keep people safe from harm by disrupting serious and organized crime.”

It was stressed at the meeting that the Force is continuing to strengthen neighbourhood policing, and is working on a programme to eliminate waste and duplication from all business areas. Every opportunity to increase police visibility will be taken, including the use of specialist police staff in positions where it is not necessary to have a fully warranted police officer.

Further opportunities for collaboration with other forces and joint working with partner agencies are also being explored for future potential, to make further efficiency savings.

Ms Branton concluded by saying:

“The Authority and the Force remain in a relatively strong financial position thanks to prudent financial management over the years. Importantly for local people, we have also managed to continue our support of PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) who have proved so popular with local people.  We know how important it is to people to have a local policing team and we will do everything we can to preserve the current position.”

The Council Tax precept for Humberside Fire Authority for 2010/11 has been set at an increase of 1.64% to help fund its budget requirement of £49,718,000.

In December 2009, residents were asked what level of increase they would be happy with for 2010/11 for their Fire and Rescue Service. Of the people who responded, 76% said they would be content with a precept increase of 1% or more.

Kevin Wilson, Director of Finance at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, said:

“To maintain the current level of service, the precept this year only needed to be increased by 1%, due to low pay rises and low general inflation. Although, with the likelihood of significant reductions in external support from central government, it is going to prove extremely challenging for the Fire Authority if we want to maintain the current level of service in future years.”

The additional 0.64% increase in the Council Tax precept will provide £140,000 which will fund a support team who will focus on making vulnerable elderly residents safer.

Cllr Brian Jefferies, Chair of Humberside Fire Authority, said:

“Research shows there is a clear relationship between social care dependency and accidental fire deaths. This means that vulnerable elderly people face a greater risk of dying in accidental fires in the home, particularly those who live alone or who have no one to support them. This new support team will aim to reduce that risk through improved partnership working with social care providers and networks which support vulnerable people”.

More than half of the overall budget will be funded by the Government, with the rest coming from the Council Tax. The majority of the budget will be spent on fire fighting and rescue operations, which this year will cost £31,893,000. The remainder will be spent on support to the operational side including areas such as the purchase of personal protective equipment for fire fighters and the support teams who already work in our communities to reduce the risk of fire.

The new Fire Authority precept for households in Band D will be £77.92, an increase of £1.26 from last year, but for the majority of people in N E Lincolnshire whose property is in band A, the annual increase wiil be £51.95.

The latest increase means that a resident of a Band A property will see an increas of onl 7p per week

N E Lincolnshire Council’s citizens’ panel is managed by the Policy and partnerships team in the Policy performance and development directorate.  An external market research company is contracted to design the questionnaire and gather answers via the telephone then collate, input, analyse and report on data received.

Established in May 2006, the panel is now one of the most important ways by which the Council consults with its residents.

It is made up of a representative sample of approximately 1,250 North East Lincolnshire residents with a third of the panel refreshed annually to ensure that it remains representative of the boroughs population. The panel completes up to four surveys annually and panel members may also be asked to participate in other research activities such as focus groups or one off surveys.

Provided below are links to a number of previous citizens’ panel, ‘Topline results’; ‘Survey reports’; and, ‘Panel newsletters’. If you require results of previous waves please contact the consultation officer on the details provided below.

To express an interest in being part of the panel please e-mail consultation@nelincs.gov.uk.

We are currently looking into ways in which we can improve our citizen’s panel

If you experience any problems accessing these links or would like to find out more about the citizens’ panel, please contact the Performance, research and intelligence team on telephone number 01472 323737, or by e-mail.

Title	Summary	Size	Format
Citizens Panel Wave 12 Survey	Citizens Panel Wave 12 Survey	29KB
Citizens Panel Wave 12 Report	Citizens Panel Wave 12 Report	233KB
Viewpoint Newsletter	Viewpoint Wave 12	1.3MB

Today is the first day for North East Lincolnshire Council’s new website at www.nelincs.gov.uk - a development which marks the beginning of a new era in providing local services and information online.

The website has been developed using feedback from customers and employees. It looks cleaner and brighter and will be much easier for people to find the information they want. It is simple to use and it will bring many benefits to the council, local residents and partner organisations. As more and more services become available online, it will be easier and cheaper for customers as they will need to make fewer telephone calls and personal visits to council offices.

The council has been developing the new site over the past year with internet firm Web-Labs. The new site is part of one of a number of projects in the council’s improvement programme, Towards Top Performance.

The project is an ongoing one. This first phase will see all the important information that the council must provide online, but many more functions will appear on the website as the project is rolled out throughout the year. Some of the other features that will become available include opportunities for people to get involved with polls, forums and blogs. Information will be available on maps so customers will be able to see at a glance the services near to where they live. There will be an events facility, to which community groups can contribute, and a photo gallery allowing people to share their photos of the region.

Rob Walsh, executive director of business services, said: “When the council’s original website was launched in 2003, it was considered at the forefront of local government websites in terms of design and content. But online technology has evolved radically since then, and the functionality we had has become ever-more restrictive. It has also fallen behind the times in terms of accessibility – a shortfall which the council has an obligation to correct.

“This new website gives us the ability to exploit new ways of communicating and delivering services to local people.”

Councillor Steve Beasant said:

“This new website should prove to be much more successful than the old, outdated site. Technology in recent years has moved forward rapidly. In the coming months more features will be added and this will mean that local residents will be able to take advantage of new ways of accessing services and information.

“We expect they will have a much better customer experience and be able to find their way around the site much easier.”

The council chose to work with Web-Labs because they have a proven track record of providing local councils with high quality websites and functions tailored to the needs of councils and their customers.

Should you have any questions or problems with regards to the new website, please contact the webmaster via the email address given.

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has today set out plans to revitalise Britain’s high streets, ensure the future of the Post Office, and help small businesses establish and grow in a fairer marketplace.

Nick Clegg was joined by Ed Fordham, PPC for Hampstead and Kilburn, to launch the policy document Vibrant Local High Streets while visiting businesses in Kilburn on Friday morning.

The document includes proposals to:

• Encourage the development of a PostBank and free the Post Office from the Royal Mail to enable it to develop new business
• Introduce a local competition test for all planning applications for new retail developments to establish a fairer balance between local independent stores and large supermarkets
• Establish a system of Local Enterprise Funds and regional stock exchanges to ensure small businesses get access to cost effective equity that meets their needs

Commenting, Nick Clegg said:

“Thriving high streets are at the heart of local communities.

“But it has been our high streets that have borne the brunt of this recession, with boarded up shops scarring towns and villages across Britain.

“Ministers have overseen the rapid decline of the post office network leading to even fewer people visiting the local shops.

“The Government has tilted the planning system in favour of the haphazard expansion of ubiquitous supermarkets at the expense of hard-pressed independent stores.

“The financial crisis has exposed Labour and the Conservatives’ folly of being entirely dependent on the City of London. The Liberal Democrats understand that it will be small businesses that are key to building a healthy and balanced economy.”

Do you regularly visit the borough’s cemeteries or crematorium? Would you like to be part of a “friends of” group and help the council develop the current service with recommendations and ideas?

North East Lincolnshire Council’s cemetery and crematorium service would like to hear from as many people as possible, to see how satisfied they are with the appearance, maintenance and security of the facilities in the borough.

Hopefully, from the information gathered, the service will then set up a “friends of” group who will be involved in the progress and development of Scartho Road Cemetery, Cleethorpes Cemetery and Grimsby Crematorium.

To make your views known download the questionnaire here (PDF file) or see February’s edition of the council’s Linc Up newspaper and fill in the questionnaire inside. Additional copies of the newspaper are still available from council customer access points, leisure centres and some supermarkets.

All completed questionnaires will be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win £50 of M&S vouchers. Closing date for entries is Monday, March 15.

North East Lincolnshire Council will be launching a brand new website this month, marking the beginning of a new era in providing local services and information online.

The website has been developed using feedback from customers and employees. It looks cleaner and brighter and will be much easier for people to find the information they want. It is simple to use and it will bring many benefits to the council, local residents and partner organisations. As more and more services become available online, it will be easier and cheaper for customers as they will need to make fewer telephone calls and personal visits to council offices.

The council has been developing the new site over the past year with internet firm Web-Labs, and the first phase of the development is expected to go live on February 16. The new site is part of one of a number of projects in the council’s improvement programme, Towards Top Performance. 

The project is an ongoing one. This first phase will see all the important information that the council must provide online, but many more functions will appear on the website as the project is rolled out throughout the year.  Some of the other features that will become available include opportunities for people to get involved with polls, forums and blogs. Information will be available on maps so customers will be able to see at a glance the services near to where they live. There will be an events facility, to which community groups can contribute, and a photo gallery allowing people to share their photos of the region.

Rob Walsh, executive director of business services, said:

“When the council’s original website was launched in 2003, it was considered at the forefront of local government websites in terms of design and content, but online technology has evolved radically since then, and the functionality we had has become ever-more restrictive. It has also fallen behind the times in terms of accessibility – a shortfall which the council has an obligation to correct.

“This new website gives us the ability to exploit new ways of communicating and delivering services to local people.”

Councillor Steve Beasant said:

“This new website should prove to be much more successful than the old, outdated site. Technology in recent years has moved forward rapidly. In the coming months more features will be added and this will mean that local residents will be able to take advantage of new ways of accessing services and information.

“We expect they will have a much better customer experience and be able to find their way around the site much easier.”

Employability, the North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus scheme launched at the peak of the economic downturn to give employment experience to some of the most disadvantaged in North East Lincolnshire, is going from strength to strength.

The Employability scheme provides work placements for people who are unemployed and disadvantaged in the labour market. With up to 26 weeks experience in one of a variety of departments within the Care Trust Plus they are supported to gain the skills and confidence to seek permanent employment.   

Employability has formed a successful partnership with Open Door, the drop-in service for hard to reach people and those not registered with a GP within the East Marsh area. Through work placements at open door, six people have gained employment, one of these at Open Door.   

Rob Baty, social care manager for Open Door said:

“It has been a pleasure to work with Employability using Open Door as a route to support unemployed people back into employment. 

“Sometimes unemployed people don’t get the opportunity to enter the working environment through traditional recruitment methods, so schemes like Employability are extremely valuable and important.”  

Sharon Stead, Employability coordinator for the Care Trust Plus said:

“We are thrilled at how many people we have been able to help into employment since we first began the scheme in September 2008.Working with Open Door has been a huge success and we hope to place more individuals with them in future.  

“All those taking up placement opportunities, no matter where they might be, are given the help and support they need to achieve their learning objectives. While on placement participants can also work towards qualifications such as NVQ level 2 and other courses that are relevant and tailored to the individual’s needs.” 

So far the scheme as a whole has been extremely success with 47 individuals being referred and 31 people going on to paid employment. 

For further information please contact Sharon Stead, Employability Coordinator, 01472 625634 or visit our website at www.nelctp.nhs.uk/employability

“The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to putting 3,000 more police on the street,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne.

Commenting on Government figures which show that spending on overtime for police officers went up by nearly 50% in just five years, Chris Huhne said:

“Spurious and unnecessary overtime must end but not at the expense of frontline policing.

“Three quarters of forces have made it clear that large overtime expenditure is due to a lack of police.

“That is why the Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to putting 3,000 more police on the street.”

Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, Norman Baker recently announced his support for the Lib Dem General Election pledge to add an additional 56 bobbies on the beat in Sussex.

The announcement comes as part of a national pledge by the Lib Dems, announced last week by the Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg, and the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne, to put an additional 3,000 police on the streets of the UK as part of the launch of the Liberal Democrats’ Safer Streets - More and Better Police policypaper.

The Lib Dem proposals also include moves towards more effective policing by removing red tape and cutting bureaucracy, ensuring that police officers are freed up to spend more time on the streets.

Norman Baker said: “Although crime is mercifully relatively low in my constituency, people do feel safer when they see a regular uniformed presence on the streets. I am therefore pleased to announce the Lib Dem Election pledge to do just that by providing additional officers and freeing up the current ones from laborious form-filling, we will achieve this.”

The additional officers will be funded by scrapping the government’s I.D card scheme.

Norman Baker added: “The Lib Dems are the only party that wants to cut crime by putting more police on the street and I would certainly rather have more police, catching more criminals, than an intrusive, expensive and unnecessary I.D card scheme.”

PCSO’s  in North East Lincolnshire have been praised by mystery shoppers who were asked to check services in a test organised by Humberside Police Authority.

Members of the public were asked to test the quality of service they received.  research concluded

The  research concluded that the PCSO’s provided “an excellent level of service”, but also found that the information provided on opening times and public meetings as well as the way some of the calls were handled by the some of the calls were handled needed to be improved.

The survey found that all divisions of the Police force have a commitment tothe visibility of patrols, and have sound reasons for the times and deployment of their officers, and that the neighbourhood teams have sound systems in place to receive and respond to messages from members of the public.

According to the National Audit Office, six hundred lives a year could be saved if hospital services for those who suffer life-threatening injuries in accidents were better managed.

Emergency consultants are freqently not provided at night and weekends, when many accidents and injuries happen.  Without rapid diagnosis and treatment, people can suffer serious disabilities and lives can be lost.

Edward Leigh, chairman of the public accounts committee, blamed the government.

He said:

“For more than 20 years almost nothing has been done to remedy the lamentable provision of care for people suffering serious injuries, most commonly as a result of a road accident or fall,”

“The Department of Health and NHS trusts were warned by the Royal College of Surgeons in 1988 and similar warnings have been repeatedly published since then but progress has been slight.

“The shocking truth is that an estimated 450 to 600 lives are being unnecessarily lost each year because of poor care.”

“Only one hospital in the entire country, the John Radcliffe in Oxford, has the necessary specialist consultant cover 24 hours a day, seven days a week

“That means people who have an accident outside of office hours are unlikely to be seen immediately by somebody who can decide what action has to be taken.

“This means that your chances of avoiding death or disability can turn on when your accident happens and to which hospital the ambulance takes you.  Some hospitals have the appropriately trained surgeons for major trauma, many do not; and some areas have formal bypass arrangements for ambulances, but many do not.

“The situation could be worse than we think because two fifths of all hospitals with A&E departments do not provide statistics on how they deal with trauma patients. Major trauma services are currently provided in a disorganised and uncoordinated fashion. It cannot be beyond the capabilities of the Department and NHS trusts to establish a system, at little extra cost, enabling seriously injured patients to be delivered quickly to those parts of the health service best equipped to treat them.”

The report reveals that survival rates vary significantly between hospitals around the country, ranging from five unexpected survivors to eight unexpected deaths per 1,000 patients.

“There is unacceptable variation, which means that if you are unlucky enough to have an accident at night or at the weekend, in many areas you are likely to receive worse quality of care and are more likely to die,” said Amyas Morse, head of the NAO.

Dr John Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, said the NAO report presented

“a picture which we would recognise completely and we share these concerns. There has been a 20 year hiatus in trauma management and frankly that is unacceptable.

“We have known what the answers are for about 20 years but there has not been the commitment from various administrations in government and at a regional level to take this forward.”

He said that major trauma centres need 16-18 consultants to provide 24/7 cover, while the average hospital currently has four, which is “self-evidently hopeless” and needs to be brought up to at least 10.

While the government has invested in extra scanners which can locate brain injury, they are often at a distance from the emergency department or not immediately available, he added.

Dear Resident

I am writing to you to let you know of a meeting which will be held to form an Action Group for the Yarborough Ward, which includes your area.

It is intended to hold regular meetings of the Action Group at different places in the ward so that members of the public can meet the people who are responsible for providing services in the Yarborough Ward and discuss with them how the area can be improved, how residents wishes can be taken into account when deciding priorities, and to provide a place where employees of North East Lincolnshire Council, and other agencies such as Police, Care Trust and voluntary organisations can find out how the residents would prefer to have their services delivered.

In other words we need to know the current issues of concern in YOUR neighbourhood.

The first meeting of the Action Group will be an “Any Questions?” session which will give an opportunity to ask questions about any of the services that you receive in the Yarborough Ward.

This will take place at the Community Room, in Queen’s Court, off Peterhouse Road, Cambridge Park (Directions below) at 6.30pm on Thursday 11th February.  This meeting will be followed in a few weeks by another for “Any Answers?”

Those expected to be at the meeting to answer your questions will include:

• Paula Grant - Chair of N E Lincs Local Strategic Partnership
• Andrew Milner - Director of Community Services, North East Lincolnshire Council
• Will Jenkins - Area Inspector,  Humberside Police
• Tony Bramley - Chief Executive, Shoreline HP
• Pete Holmes - Community Risk Manager, N E Lincs, Humberside Fire and Rescue Services

Also at the meeting will be your Ward Councillors Peter Bailey and Les Bonner who will be there to give you their support.

I hope that you will be able to come to the meeting, which will only take up about an hour of your time.  Please feel free to pass on this invitation to anyone else who you think might be interested

Please take this opportunity to come and make your voice heard. 

Yours Sincerely

Les Bonner

Cllr Les Bonner

During some recent “Cool or Fool?” projects organised by Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, where they gave young people general safety; the Fire Service realised the people attending the courses sometimes cycled to the venues. Some of the children were cycling as far as 10 miles whilst this isn’t a particularly long distance they are not reaching home until it is dark.

These particular children often come from deprived areas and money for cycle lights is not an option. With this in mind the Fire Service secured enough money from North East Lincolnshire Council to purchase 150 sets of cycle lights. To ensure the money is well spent each child’s needs is assessed and we fitted the lights on to each bike.

This is also an excellent chance for us to chat to the young people about road safety and engage them in road safety initiatives. They give us an insight in to what kind of reflective items they would be willing to wear. The Fire Service was also able to teach them important things, such as how to check their bikes over, adjust the seat, handlebars and brakes.

A Daily Telegraph investigation has discovered large variations in the coverage offered by out of hours doctors.

In Barnet and Enfield, 650,000 people were covered by only one doctor overnight last weekend, but the same number of patients in Shropshire and the surrounding area had eight doctors on duty.

Another  report identifies “gaping holes” in out-of-hours services and warns there could be a repeat of the errors that have contributed to the death of several patients.

Last week it was reported Suffolk has only two GPs on call on some nights to cover a population of more than 600000, and last weekend the county had three GPs available overnight.

This week a coroner is expected to complete the inquest into the death of David Gray, a 70-year-old from Mania, Cambridgeshire. Mr Gray died in February 2008 after being given a massive overdose of diamorphine by Daniel Ubani, a locum doctor from Germany who had flown in for his first out-of-hours shift.

The case has raised fresh questions about the out of hours service, from which GPs were allowed to opt out as part of the 2004 contract changes and responsibility passed to local NHS organisations.

The Daily Telegraph asked all 152 primary care trusts in England and their out-of-hours provider how many were GPs on overnight duty this weekend. Eighty-two responded, and the findings were:

• Fifteen trusts that responded left a lone doctor responsible for responding to late-night emergencies.
• Two GPs were covering 530,000 people in Sheffield.
• Three GPs were covering 991,464 people in Derby County and Derby City primary care trusts.
• Cumbria Health on Call had seven GPs covering 500,000 people – one doctor for every 71,000 patients.
• Four GPs covering 1.4m people overnight in East and North Hertfordshire PCT, West Hertfordshire PCT.
• On average across England there was one GP on call for every 154,000 people between midnight and 8am this weekend.

There were also wide variations.  Four GPs are on duty overnight for the 1.4 million people living in east, west and north Hertfordshire, but there are 11 doctors available to the same number of people living in east, north and south Birmingham and south Staffordshire.

Five GPs take care of overnight calls for service from the 708,000 people living in Dorset, Bournmouth and Poole, while only three doctors provide the same service to 780,000 in parts of Hampshire and Southampton.

Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat health spokesman, said:

“What the Daily Telegraph has uncovered is utterly shocking.  The disparity between one area and another is hard, if not impossible, to explain or justify.

“We do not need vast numbers of doctors on call on any particular night but we do need more than what has been uncovered here.”

Mr Lamb said attendances at Accident and Emergency have risen since the new contract came into force.

Katherine Murphy, director of the Patients’ Association, said:

“It is such a vital service because it can be very frightening for somebody to get ill in the night, knowing that there’s nobody at their doctor’s surgery.

“We know from our helpline that this is a national problem. The situation is appalling and it needs to be resolved. I think these figures are absolutely scandalous.”

The Primary Care Foundation, a health consultancy service which has been commissioned by the Department of Health to audit out of hours services, found that there are “gaping holes” in services and warned that serious incidents could be repeated.

The most disadvantaged families in the UK are failing to receive childcare even when it is offered to them free, according to a government report.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families report “Families Experiencing Multiple Disadvantage: Their Use of and Views on Childcare Provision” found that only 60% of pre-school age children from the poorest families received some form of childcare, compared to a national average of 73% and a figure for children from more affluent backgrounds of 81%.

The report found that a major factor for thedifference is a lack of information about free childcare places, as many disadvantaged parents of three and four year olds were unaware of their entitlement to free hours.

According to the report another important factor is cost, as most childcare subsidies, such as tax credits, are linked with employment and  are unavailable to the poorest families.

The government is being encouraged to consider giving free or more subsidised childcare places at the point of use rather than linking the benefits to employment.

The report concludes:

“Low levels of information about childcare and early years provision may contribute to the low level of take-up among disadvantaged families, and it is strongly associated with negative perceptions of the availability, quality and affordability of childcare in parents’ local area.”

Local authorities are calling for an urgent meeting with health ministers to discuss funding for the Personal Care at Home Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech and now going through Parliament.

The new law aims to help an estimated 400,000 older and disabled people in England with severe needs to continue living independently in their own homes by providing them with free care in getting dressed, washing and eating.

Currently, council means-tests limmit support to those who have assets worth less than £23,500, which leaves tens of thousands of pensioners to pay for their own help, rely on family members and neighbours or else to move into a residential care home.

The Government claims that the new provision which begins in October, would cost £670million, with central government providing £450million and  local councils expected to make cuts of £250million to provide the rest of the cost of the care.

If this is true, local councils like North East lincolnshire will be forced to raise make cuts elsewhere, or raising council tax to make up the difference

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, which is an organisation for senior council officials with responsibility for elderly care, claims the Government has “significantly under-estimated” the real cost of the extra provision.

Its research shows that the average cost of 6.54 hours of care a week costs £200 a week to provide, far more than the £103 claimed by ministers.

Councils will also have to carry out more assessments of needs, as those who currently pay for their own care may become eligible for free services.

The ADASS says the total cost is likely to top £1 billion, with councils expected to find about £500million themselves.

Jenny Owen, ADASS President, said:

“If the final policy means that people with critical care needs will not have to contribute to their care needs regardless of the cost, then funding pressures on local government will clearly be well above the sum estimated by Government.

“Councils will additionally have to bear the costs of undertaking an increased number of assessments as people currently paying for their care enter the system to claim their new, free entitlement.”

There has been a decision at the December Cabinet Meeting that in 2009-10, North East Lincolnshire Council will make £150,000 available for community groups in North East Lincolnshire to deliver projects to improve the area’s appearance and build on the success of local initiatives such as ‘In Bloom’.

In particular, it will contribute to delivering the Council’s strategic aim of ‘improving the quality of the built and natural environment’ by engaging our community to work together to help ‘provide a high quality environment for all’.

Funding Available

Scheme 1 – Grants (up to £500) Available through Ward Funding Scheme.

The total amount of funding available through this scheme will be £84,000. The smaller wards of Wolds, West Marsh and Waltham will each have available a total of £4,000/ ward for allocation to projects which meet criteria for funding under this scheme. All other wards will have an allocation of £6,000.

Scheme 2 – Grants (over £500 and up to £2,000) Available from Central Pot

The total amount of funding available to fund larger projects will be £66,000.

What the funding can be used for

The money is available for area-based projects that improve neighbourhoods. It is for activities which add value to or complement current projects, initiatives or services. The money can not be used to support existing service delivery. We are particularly interested in projects that will promote sustainability and bring together communities.

Type of projects we could fund include:

• Environmental improvements to community facilities
• Environmental improvements to footpaths
• Environmental improvements to local waste ground
• Improvements to local green spaces (parks, gardens, allotments, play spaces)
• Provision of facilities for young people e.g. youth shelters
• Sustainable community planting projects
• Promoting community energy saving initiatives
• Containers for floral displays
• Tacking waste and litter problems at a local level

We expect projects to be of a permanent nature and creating a lasting legacy for the local community. We can only fund time-limited projects up to a maximum of 6 months from the project start (end date of September 2010 latest). In order to deliver within these timescales applications must be accompanied by evidence that the applicant has secured any necessary permissions to enable the work to proceed and projects should not be dependant upon receiving other grant funding which could cause delays to the start of the project. We cannot fund:-

• On-going revenue commitments
• Top-up funding for existing/continuing work
• Projects outside of North East Lincolnshire
• Projects that cannot demonstrate that the necessary permissions will be achieved within the appropriate timescales
• Labour costs – We expect labour to be provided through volunteers/ staff already working for the organisations.
• Projects that can attract funding from other funding streams already available in the area e.g. Parish Council Precepts, Fair Share Funding, Worklessness Funding, Leader Funding, Neighbourhood Engagement Activity Funding

The money is available to community groups working within North East Lincolnshire. Groups must be properly constituted voluntary, community or neighbourhood based organisations.

How much can each organisation/group bid for?

Any group/ organisation may apply for a single award up to a maximum of £500 for Scheme 1 projects and up to a maximum of £2,000 for Scheme 2 projects. A group/ organisation may submit more than one application, however no more than one award will be given to a single organisation within a specific ward area. Organisations may be awarded more than one award if submitting projects for different wards.

Assessment Process and Criteria

Applications under Scheme 1,

projects up to £500 will follow the existing application process for ward funding, i.e. applications supported and agreed by Elected Members for the Ward and administered through the Chief Executive’s office. However, applications will need to be submitted on the designated form for this Community Pride Scheme.

Applications under Scheme 2,

projects over £500 and up to £2,000, will need to provide more information about their project on a different application form and projects will be assessed on the basis of:-

• Eligibility of the organisation/ group to apply for this funding
• Eligibility of the project/ activities in line with what we have said we will fund
• Demonstration of the need for the project in your neighbourhood/ ward.
• The applicant organisations will be responsible for the project management and delivery of successful schemes, Consequently the Council will be looking for applications that demonstrate clarity of both planning and delivery of projects.
• Systems for collecting, monitoring and assessing the impacts of the project and for reporting and sharing this information
• Sustainability – what the longer term legacy of this project will be and if there are future revenue implications
• Where projects involve working with vulnerable members of society, such as children, young people or vulnerable adults, we will also consider what measures you have in place to safeguard their wellbeing.

Grant Payments under both schemes, will be available in advance, but all spend must be evidenced

Monitoring of Projects

Scheme 1 – Projects will be monitored as for the existing process for allocation of ward funding.

Scheme 2 - Before the project starts, the applicant will sign an agreement which sets out the obligations on the two parties. This is important as the way in which the money is used will be subject to inspection and audit and your monitoring plans will help us ensure that your project is progressing along the right tracks. An account of all monies spent must be provided within 30 days of completion of the project. If grant money is not spent as agreed in the project submission, then the Council will recover any monies in accordance with the agreement.

Application Process and Timescales

The money will be available to spend on projects to be delivered by the end of September 2010 at the latest.

Interested groups/ organisations should complete the appropriate application form for Scheme 1 or 2. All sections of the application forms must be fully completed as incomplete applications will not be considered.

Scheme 1 submissions, accompanied by a copy of the group/organisation’s constitution, should be forwarded to:-

The Chief Executive’s Office,
East Lincolnshire Council
Municipal Offices
Town Hall Square
Grimsby
DN31 1HU

Applications must be received by 15th March 2010 for processing within the 2009/10 financial year.
Funding may be carried over to the 2010/11 financial year, but all projects must be completed and funding released by September 2010. Applications received after the 15 March will be processed following the May 2010 elections.

Scheme 2 submissions, accompanied by a copy of your last annual accounts (audited where there is a requirement for your organisation) together with a copy of your constitution, should be sent to:-

 The Policy and Partnerships TeamNorth

Municipal Offices

The People’s Park bandstand is now available to groups who wish to do musical practice sessions or performances.

Whatever the type of music, if you wish to use the bandstand please contact Sarah Wright, People’s Park manager, on (01472) 325785 or alternatively email her at sarah.wright@nelincs.gov.uk for further details.

The Government has pledged £2 million to help homeowners in North East Lincolnshire avoid having their homes repossessed

North East Lincolnshire has been identified as having a high repossession rate after new figures revealed more than one family lost their home every day between July and September last year.

The statistics show that 110 repossession orders were issued by the courts during those three months.

To reduce the rate, the Government is giving North East Lincols Council £2 million to add to the authority’s Preventing Repossessions Fund.

A helpline for those homeowners who are facing repossession will also be advertised in the area.

A spokesperson for North East Lincolnshire Council said:

“Our aim is to prevent people from becoming homeless whenever possible.

“It is crucial homeowners contact their lender as soon as they are aware that they will have problems with making repayments.

“If the homeowner is in need of support and advice they should contact the homeless prevention team at as early a stage as possible.”

Homeowners looking for advice should call the National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 or visit www.direct.gov.uk/mortgagehelp or call NELC homeless prevention team on (01472) 326401

One of two redundant Freeman Street pubs could soon open once again as a charity hub.

The Grimsby Fishermen’s Mission is hoping to move to new premises, and they are hoping that they will be able to relocate to either the White Knight on Freeman Street or the Kent Arms, Kent Street.

The port missioner Nathan Barnard has already considered a number of premises, including both pubs, and he hopes that the new centre will be up and running by July 2011.

The Fishermen’s Mission, which is currently based in Wharncliffe Road, Grimby Docks  thinks that Freeman Street would make a perfect location, as many of the 10,000 retired seamen living in the area often visit local pubs, such as the White Bear and Cottees in Freeman Street, and The Mariner’s Rest in Albert Street.

The charity needs to raise at least £60,000 before it would be able to move into either of the pubs.

Mr Barnard said:

“We would need at least £60,000, and once we have that the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen should be able to provide money for the refurbishment, and we can start applying for grants.

“It will help the regeneration of the Freeman Street area and have a positive impact on other businesses.

“We’ve done surveys and carried out cost analysis and people want us in Freeman Street.

“I think the £60,000 or more for a new base is achievable and if we could be in there by July 2011 that would be lovely.”

Following a request from your ward councillors and the surrounding area, there is to be a thorough deep cleanse of all of Chestnut Avenue, Lincoln Boulevard, and all of Haycroft avenue, including the subway and the path meets the Haycroft Street at the other side of  the underpass which will take place this weekend.

I have also been assured that the cleaning will be done regularly in the future to ensure that the area is kept at clean and tidy.

If you know of any other streets in the Yarborough Ward that could do with a good clean, please let me know at les.bonner@nelincs.gov.uk

“The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to putting more police on the beat,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne.

Commenting on today’s quarterly crime figures, Chris Huhne said:
 
“The fall in crime despite the credit crunch is encouraging but we are not out of the financial woods yet.
 
“We must be vigilant. Only half of people think that the police are dealing with the crime and anti-social behaviour that matters to them.
 
“Public confidence is unlikely to be improved by Labour and the Tories’ refusal to protect police numbers. The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to putting more police on the beat.”

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service’s new state of the art venue for the Road Traffic Collision (RTC) Extrication Centre has been confirmed as BDV Vehicle Recovery on the Flixborough Industrial Estate near Scunthorpe.

The centre will be officially opened by the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire, Lady Sarah McCorquodale at 2:00pm on Wednesday the 3rd February 2010.

This new centre will provide HFRS with the facility to train staff in the safe removal of casualties from vehicles involved in a road traffic collision, and try out new techniques in a dedicated and controlled environment.

Not only will this new facility assist the Service, it will also aid partner organisations such as the Police (training of new officers and collision investigators in our techniques), the Ambulance Service (to facilitate greater partnership working between our casualty carers and their trainees and paramedics) and the Highways Agency (training their officers in line with our requirements prior to our arrival on scene – particularly on motorways).

Group Manager Nick Granger from Humberside Fire and Rescue Service said:

”This truly is a Fire Service Centre of Excellence which will be of ground breaking proportion with significance at not only Regional but National level, already a number of other Fire and Rescue Services are asking to visit and suffice to say it has not gone unnoticed by the United Kingdom Rescue Organisation.”

“Additionally, the new facility will help to fulfill Community Safety requirements for attendance of organisations such as the B-Tec, NEETS, Young Offenders and any other groups who may wish to attend. Humberside Fire and Rescue Services community safety team has also expressed an interest in utilising the facilities to run awareness courses for high risk groups”.  

Nick went on to say
“The centre is unique as far as the Fire and Rescue Service’s in Britain are concerned, as it is a partnership initiative with a privately owned company (BDV Vehicle Recovery).

Several other Fire and Rescue Services are looking at our business model with a keen eye to see how successful it is”.

Humberside Police Authority is seeking four independently-minded people to join us in our mission to secure outstanding policing for local people.

This is a challenging and exciting role which involves holding senior officers of Humberside Police to account for the delivery of a police service that is responsive to the needs and expectations of local people yet is also capable of satisfying central Government priorities and targets.

We work in partnership with local people, senior officers, local authorities, businesses and community and voluntary groups to ensure our policing area has an effcient and effective police service.

Humberside Police Authority wishes to reflect the composition of the area and welcomes applications from all eligible people. We want our independent membership to represent as diverse a range of people as possible. We are looking for people who: Have a genuine interest in policing and community safety across the Humberside police area

•  Are committed to improving the overall performance of the Force particularly with regards to the quality of service delivered via the ‘Policing Pledge’
•  Are capable of challenging senior of officers to improve the robustness of local accountability mechanisms
•  Welcome the chance of shaping the strategic direction of policing across Humberside and possess financial management and change management skills
•  Can think strategically to help ensure greater efficiency without any reductions in productivity / performance

So if you feel you satisfy the above requirements and can represent the interests of a wide range of people within the area, we would like to hear from you.

You will need to commit about 15 hours per week which will contain a mix of attending meetings of the Police Authority and its committees, keeping abreast of developments in local and national policing, attending public meetings and representing the Authority in discussions with interested parties. For this you will be paid an annual allowance of £8,545.

You must be over 18 and live or work in the Humberside police area and have done so for at least 12 months prior to appointment. All appointments will be for a maximum of 4 years.

For an application pack please contact Laura Hodgson (telephone 01482 317001 or email member@humberside-pa.karoo.co.uk) or alternatively download the information from our website at www.humberside-pa.org.uk

The closing date for the return of completed applications is 29 January 2010 and all appointments are subject to satisfactory security vetting.

Humberside Police Authority, Pacific Exchange, 40 High Street, Hull, HU1 1PS
Tel: 01482 317001 Fax: 01482 334822 Email: member@humberside-pa.karoo.co.uk

I recently learned of some outstanding work by members of Humberside Fire and Rescue Service which probaly helped to save lives in an emergency.

Two of Humberside Fire and Rescue Services control operators have been commended for their actions during recent incidents by Chief Fire Officer Frank Duffield.

FireFighter (Control) Lisa Adamson has been awarded a Commendation of Vellum for her actions on the 16th November 2009 in dealing with an emergency call from Dawn Barley who was trapped in her first floor bedroom in South Ferriby with her three children.

Dawns escape route was blocked due to a severe fire on the ground floor resulting in heavy smoke logging of the upper floors.

Lisa advised and reassured Dawn and her children during this traumatic call until they were all rescued by ladder from the first floor.

Dawn Barley said:

“If it was not for the advice Lisa give me at the end of the phone I would of not know how to cope with the situation”.

Firefighter (control) Lisa Brewitt was given a Commendation by personal letter for her actions on the 18th November 2009 in dealing with an emergency call from Kelly Evans in Market Place Hornsea.Kelly believed her house was on fire after seeing smoke coming from a cupboard within her front room.

During the emergency call Lisa was able to establish that there were two children in the property with Kelly and was able to pass on valuable fire survival guidance advice which enabled Kelly and her children to remain safe until they were led out by attending fire crews.

Chief Fire Officer Frank Duffield said:

” Our fire control operators provide vital support and advice to members of the public that are in potentially life threatening situations,and it is important that we recognise their actions”

According to a new report, thousands of households have taken out loans with interest rates averaging 825% during what was described as “the worst Christmas in a generation” for illegal doorstep lending.

“The Real Cost of Christmas,” which was commissioned by affordable housing provider Circle Anglia and written by the Financial Inclusion Centre, found that over 100,000 of the UK’s poorest families will spend 2010 crippled with a combined debt of around £82million after borrowing money from loan sharks to help them to pay for Christmas.

The value of the loans is an estimated £29million, but with average interest rates of 825% it will mean that people end up repaying almost three times the amount they borrowed.

The report says that on average people borrowed an average of £300 with repayment to be made over one year.

Andy Doyland, chief executive of operations at Circle Anglia, said:

“These figures are very concerning and demonstrate the scale of illegal lending across the UK.

“We hope that by turning the spotlight on loan shark activity we can help more people to seek help and get sound financial advice.”

The report also found that illegal loan shark activity is increasing.

Over the last three years it is estimated that the use of loan sharks has increased from 165,000 households a year to more than 200,000, which is an increase of 22% , with Christmas time accounting for up to half of those loans.

In 2007 a national network of trading standards teams has been formed to tackle illegal money lending around the country. This network has since helped more than 10,000 victims and written off more than £30million of illegal debt.

Circle Anglia said the credit crunch has forced more people to resort these lenders due to the unavailability of mainstream credit.

It added that a typical low income household could save £500 in debt repayments by going to a credit union or community finance organisation instead.

Faisal Rahman, managing director of ethical lender Fair Finance, said:

“Social landlords should be active in developing local partnerships and promoting affordable alternatives to extortionate and illegal lenders, because every person deserves access to fair and affordable credit.”

In North East Lincolnshire, there is a N E Lincs credit union, which can be contacted on 01472 361990

You might also be able to obtain a low interest loan fro Moneyline, in Freeman Street (More information at http://www.elmline.co.uk/)

“We need to ensure that finding a fair and sustainable solution is a key priority for the next government,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb.

Commenting on today’s National Audit Office report on the Government’s Dementia Strategy, Norman Lamb said:
 
“This report shows that Labour is still failing dementia patients and their families despite recent changes.
 
“Tackling the dementia time-bomb is going to require a solution which addresses the crisis in the social care system and the lack of research funding.
 
“We need to ensure that finding a fair and sustainable solution is a key priority for the next government.”

According to today’s Daily Mail, Labour is intending to target cuts in public services on middle-class families.

Critics of the bill say it will produce a costly ‘levelling down’ of services in which the middle classes will be the main losers, and M/s Harman’s own department estimates the cost of the Bill in its first year at more than £300million, mainly due to the cost of of ‘additional court and tribunal cases’.

Details released yesterday show that councils and other public bodies will be a given a duty to reduce the impact of cuts on the poor, which means closure programmes for hospitals, schools, police stations, libraries and other public services will be mostly made in middle class areas.

The public sector will also be encouraged to favour of job applicants from deprived backgrounds.

Critics last night accused the Government of using the pretence of equality to target services at its core vote in poorer areas, but Miss Harman said ministers were determined not to leave ‘disadvantage unchecked’.

The provision,contained in a 45 page Government guide to the Bill, says the new duty of equality should be a major consideration whenever ‘existing facilities need to be rationalised’, and suggests that the middle classes will find it easier to travel long distances if their local services are cut.

In the example of hospitals, the guide suggests a closure ‘may disproportionately affect the ability of poorer people to access the healthcare they need or to visit friendsbe or relatives in hospital’.

The duty of equality would be applied to all Government departments and this could decide the way programmes of closures work in a variety of fields including schools, hospitals and Job Centres.

The duty will also apply to councils, where it could affect reductions in the librarie services, leisure centres and even parks., and will also apply to almoost every public body, including the emergency services, the Post Office and primary care trusts.

Matthew Elliott, head of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said:

“It is a completely outrageous idea. The Government should be assessing services on the basis of need, not on how affluent or otherwise a particular street is.
“It is using the recession to gerrymander public services and skew them towards particular areas and you have to ask whether they are trying to gain party political advantage by it.”

Equality spokesman Mark Harper said:

“Under Labour there has been a widening gap between rich and poor with a decline in social mobility. No wonder they want to try and wish this dreadful record away with a new law.

“But they’ll do more harm than good if this duty leads to cuts in public services in better-off areas.”

The provisions are included in a document entitled ‘The Equality Bill: Duty to reduce socioeconomic inequalities. A guide’, which is intended to instruct government departments and local authorities on how to implement the ‘equality duty’, which is likely to become law before the election.

Not only was North East Lincolnshire CTP’s Asgard service highly commended at the recent national Health Service Journal Awards, but the service was also runner-up for a prestigious special award presented by the Secretary of State for Health. 

After narrowly missing out in the ‘Best Social Marketing Project’ category (in which the service was highly commended), Asgard was then also shortlisted for the Secretary of State for Health Excellence in Healthcare Management award.  

A spokesperson for the HSJ Awards said:

“This award is reserved for the elite of the entries we receive into all categories at the awards so to make the shortlist for this is a real achievement.” 

The HSJ Awards celebrate all the excellence, endeavour, innovation and inspiration throughout the healthcare profession. They exist to ensure individuals and teams are recognised and rewarded for their work that raises the standard of healthcare in the UK. 

The Asgard initiative was the brainchild of specialist health visitor Annie Darby, OBE. It sees community intervention workers tackling issues as wide ranging as substance misuse, self harm, unsafe sexual practice and undiagnosed and or poorly managed chronic illness. 

The project aims to provide a bridge to help move young people from exclusion, poor health and low aspirations to a place of optimum health, social wellbeing and economic security.  

Annie Darby, Asgard project lead, said:

“Asgard is a unique service which was created with an aim to provide targeted care and support for young people in the 16 -19 age group who fall between the stools with the existing service provision. 

“I’m delighted that the success of the service has been recognised through it being highly commended in these prestigious awards.” 

Dr Tony Hill, director of public health, said: “I am thrilled to see that the Asgard service is gaining such national attention, especially as the service has been running for less than a year.

“The nomination for this award is a testament to the exemplary work being done in North East Lincolnshire to raise aspirations and address health inequalities for young people.”

Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy is campaigning against Government plans to scrap analogue radio which could spell disaster for local commercial stations throughout the UK.

Julia Goldsworthy met local radio bosses in Cornwall to hear their concerns over the new Digital Britain Bill put forward by the Government. The Bill proposes to scrap analogue radio by 2015, meaning commercial stations like Pirate FM and Atlantic FM could lose their local focus by being merged into a Devon and Cornwall ‘DAB region’.

Around 100 local radio stations around the UK may not be able to migrate to digital at all, meaning they would shut down altogether.

Julia Goldsworthy said the Government’s formula was a recipe for global operators taking over smaller stations.

Julia Goldsworthy said:

“Unless the legislation is changed, popular local radio stations like Pirate and Atlantic FM may struggle to survive. Instead, the Government’s model is set up to suit much bigger operators who are interested only in giant regional stations with no local focus. That is bad news for advertisers and bad for listeners who want commercial radio with their local community at its heart.”

Julia and the rest of Cornwall’s Liberal Democrat MPs are working with Peers to get the legislation amended in the House of Lords, and they are tabling a motion in the Commons calling on the Government to change their plans.

She added:

“The Government has not thought this bill through properly. It needs to be revised to make it possible for existing local stations to compete on a local basis through the digital format. That means postponing the analogue switch off for at least 10 years to enable local radio stations to prepare properly for it.”

Over Christmas, Julia met Pirate FM’s Beverley Warne to hear her concerns about the proposals.

Ms Warne said:

“To make digital viable we would have to cover a bigger area. This means there we will undoubtedly lose our community radio stations and other commercial stations will lose their local identity and become like many regional stations that in the main are operated from London.”

She added that it could damage local business too, as advertisers would lose their broadcast options for local advertising: “In addition, 120 million analogue radios across the UK would need to be replaced which would clearly have both cost and environmental implications, especially as the new units would require more power than is required currently.

“We are proposing that there shouldn’t be a switchover until 2020 at the very earliest, whilst other, more effective options are explored.” Ms Warne said.

Atlantic FM’s Founder and Development Director, Jeremy Scott added: “FM radio is popular and successful, while DAB digital radio is as yet unproven and technically flawed.

“Digital reception is terrible across much of Cornwall, while FM coverage is pretty good even in remote areas. We would hate to see rural listeners deprived of coverage for no reason other than to promote DAB - which most other countries now agree is an obsolete technology.

“The plan for FM switch-off is so absurd that we don’t really expect it to happen - but it might do unless listeners and radio stations fight now to save FM radio. It’s good to see Cornwall’s MPs providing a lead on these important issues.”

The drive to attract tourists to North East Lincolnshire in 2010 has been given a boost with the release of the area’s glossy visitor guide – Welcome to Cleethorpes, Grimsby and the North East Lincolnshire Wolds.

Over 40,000 copies of the new guide have been printed, which act as a one-stop-shop for visitors to the region. It provides information on attractions, accredited accommodation, events, dining out, night life and family fun activities.

Councillor Colin Eastwell, the council’s portfolio holder for tourism, said: “We are extremely pleased with this new brochure. It enhances what we already know about North East Lincolnshire and reflects the quality of our tourism offer.

“It helps to bring in thousands of visitors each year and is a handy and essential guide for people planning a day visit, short break or indeed a longer holiday.”

The brochure has been produced by the council in partnership with Lincolnshire Tourism – the regions destination marketing specialists.

Emma Tatlow, head of marketing and business development for Lincolnshire Tourism, said: “The Visitor Guide to Cleethorpes, Grimsby and the North East Lincolnshire Wolds is one of a suite of guides produced by Lincolnshire Tourism to promote Lincolnshire as a short break destination.

“We are optimistic about 2010 and the continuation of the ‘Staycation’ and the 2010 Visitor Guide will inspire potential visitors to choose North East Lincolnshire for their short break through inspirational images and editorial.

“It will be supported with an advertising campaign, encouraging previous visitors to return and those who haven’t visited before to make their first visit.

Chris Jones, head of tourism and leisure for the council, said: “The guide is being supported by an extensive marketing campaign in national newspapers, magazines, trade publications, websites, radio adverts, Tourist information Centres and outlets across the UK.

“We are delighted with the brochure and excited about the promotional campaign which both reflects the improving quality of the region as a tourism destination.”

Alongside this publication, the council has further information for tourists on its tourism website. Visit www.enjoycleethorpes.com

OVERNIGHT, continuous showers of sleet and snow, and occasionally hail on the coast, affected the region and resulted in accumulations of several inches throughout the North East Lincolnshire area. 

The first significant snowfall event occurred at 5pm depositing several inches within a short period of time. Gritters were mobilised from 5pm.  Following reports of heavy snow on the Wolds and Immingham, gritters fitted with ploughs were deployed and by midnight, the major road network was running clear.

A second major snowfall event occurred at approximately 3am with several inches of snow falling over a period of two hours. Crews have been working from the early hours to clear the snowfall.

Currently, all available resources are deployed on the network with ploughs fitted to the vehicles treating the Wolds and rural villages.  A vehicle is treating the secondary routes and all available labour dealing with the priority footways.

The preliminary forecast for today indicates further light snow showers during the morning, which may intensify again for a time this evening giving another inch of fresh accumulations. During the late evening the showers will gradually die away to leave an increasingly cloudless night. 

Low overnight temperatures will lead to a high risk of ice on roads.

Each year the ward councillors in each ward of North East Lincolnshire are given an amount of money that is to be spent on projects that benefit the ward. 

This year we have about £2,000 remaining in the fund that needs to be spent before the end of the financial year.

The funding is easy to apply for, and is normally received within 2-3 weeks of the application being made.

If you have any ideas that would benefit the ward in any way that you would like to be considered please let me know as soon as possible.

Awards have already been made this year for:

• Alley gate schemes (X2)
• Community events at the Yarborough Community Centre
• Redecoration of community room at Cambridge Park
• Support for friendship club in the Yarborough Ward
• Support for young people to take part in Abbamania show at Grimsby Auditorium
• Support for gardening project at Broadway Children’s Centrer
• Support for young people from the ward to take part in a show at the Ice Rink
• Support for Junior Wardens Scheme
• Support for Neighbourhood watch groups within Yarborough Ward
• Support for road safety lessons at Laceby Acres School
• Funding to pay for two weekly youth clubs within the war
• Contribution to cost of Community Room at Laceby Acres School
• Support for community groups at Littlecoates Community Centre

Despite every effort to continue a normal refuse and recycling service in North East Lincolnshire, and following a number of incidents reported with the crews, we have taken the decision to suspend refuse and recycling to areas which are seen to be hazardous with immediate effect - these will be mainly side streets.

Collections missed today (Thursday, December 24) will be collected on Tuesday, December 29. Customers are advised to retrieve their full bins or boxes and present them again on Tuesday, December 29.

This decision has been made due to dangerous icy conditions mainly on the minor roads and the footpaths and is based on the safety and welfare of the crews and public.

North East Lincolnshire Council apologise for any inconvenience.

The NHS in North East Lincolnshire is making great strides towards eliminating mixed-sex accommodation in all its hospitals and inpatient facilities.Facilities at The Diana Princess of Wales Hospital meet the Governments targets, and have done so since July, by providing washing and toilet facilities for single sex use only.  In wards which have mixed sex patients, either a single room or a bay with people of the same sex is provided. The main focus of a capital project over the past 12 months has been on bathroom/toilet signage and the refurbishment of single sex toilet/bathroom facilities. In specialised areas such as intensive care and coronary care patients may be nursed alongside another patient of the same sex but maintenance of privacy and dignity is paramount throughout that episode of care.

The Gardens older people’s mental health facilities provided by North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus offer service users separate en-suite bedrooms as will the new adult acute mental health facilities being built in Peaks Lane in Grimsby, which are due to open in the new year.

Lynn Poucher, associate director of quality at North East Lincolnshire CTP, said:
“I’m delighted patients in North East Lincolnshire are benefitting from same sex accommodation during any in-patient stay.  Feedback from patients clearly shows that they want to have same sex wards and it is a testament to the hard work of staff that we have achieved the target before the deadline.”  

Latest figures from Humberside Police Authority show that people can be confident that if they telephone the police, their call will be answered promptly.  

The call handling centre at Humberside Police, which was put under intense pressure from the Police Authority to secure sustained improvements, has successfully surpassed its targets by an impressive distance.

A report presented to the Authority’s Communities and Partnership Committee, showed that in September 99.1% of 999 emergency calls were answered within three seconds.  This means that of a total of 11,043 calls, 10,944 were answered rapidly and in a further ten cases the caller hung up before an operator answered.

The target set by the Authority earlier this year was 90% within 10 seconds.

The picture is similarly positive regarding non-emergency calls. Of the total number of calls, 21,321, 95% or 20,255 were answered within nine seconds. The target is answer 90% within 30 seconds

Ms Alene Branton MBE, said that the performance was outstanding. 

“The Authority’s investment in improvements and its drive to see performance meet peoples’ expectations has really paid off. Performance in this area just keeps getting better and better.

“I know how much it matters that people can contact the police quickly when they need help, so all the Committee Members wished to congratulate the centre on these figures.”

Below are listed the dates for refuse and recycling collection in North East Lincolnshire:

THE redevelopment of Bradley Pitches into a sporting centre of excellence has been given given planning permission at yestersay’s meeting of the Planning Committee.

North East Lincolnshire Council’s Planning Committee gave unanimous approval to the £3-million project, which will include two enclosed all-weather football pitches with floodlights and spectator facilities, new changing rooms car parking for 200 vehicles.

Work has already begun on the project and it is hoped that the pitches will be ready for next year’s football season.

Mark Cullum, NELC’s sports development manager, told the committee:

 ”This is one of the biggest opportunities we have ever had in North East Lincolnshire to enhance sporting facilities for sportsmen and women”.

“The two sets of changing rooms are very old and in poor condition, and the football leagues have been lobbying the local authority to improve them for some time.”

He added that the floodlights had been designed to minimise the impact on local residents.

Bradley Pitches,which is situated at the edge of the Yarborough Ward, is ideally situated provide a much needed facility in an area of North East Lincolnshire which is currently short of leisure opportunities and will be welcomed by young people and sports enthusiasts alike.

According to figures released today by Consumer Focus, the consumer champion over half of postal users (55%) claim to have received a ‘Sorry You Were Out’ card even though someone was at home to receive the item.  Nearly a quarter have (23%) reported this happening three times or more in the past year.

The number of people who have been affected by this issue reflects changes in the way we use the postal service – a steady decline in the number of letters sent and an increase in the number of parcels due to the incresing popularity of internet shopping

37% of customers described the collection of mail from Royal Mail and other delivery offices as ‘inconvenient’, Consumer Focus is calling on Royal Mail and other couriers to keep up with the world around them and develop more suitable ways of delivering parcels and packets.

Possible solutions include extending the opening hours of delivery offices, leaving mail at Post Offices, making evening deliveries or using locker banks where customers are contacted by mobile phone or email when their mail has been delivered to a secure locker in a  similar to a system in Germany.

Robert Hammond, postal expert, Consumer Focus said:

“There’s a growing body of evidence that the ‘Sorry You Were Out’ card issue is far from a series of isolated incidents as Royal Mail has claimed.  This issue has to be thoroughly investigated and the problem stamped out.

“The high regard many of us have for Royal Mail will fade rapidly if they can’t find a way of delivering parcels conveniently.”

Stagecoach have announced the changes in their services that will apply over the Christmas holiday period, and are as follows:

• Christmas Eve, 25th December - Buses will run as normal until 6.00pm
• Christmas Day, 25th December - No service
• Boxing Day, 26th December - No service
• Sunday, 27th December - Normal Sunday service
• Monday, 28th December - Sunday service
• Tuesday, 29th December - Saturday service
• Wednesday, 30th December - Saturday service
• New Year’s Eve - 31st December - Saturday service until 6.00pm then no service
• New Year’s Day, 1st January - No service

Council tax bills in North East Lincolnshire will not rise during the next financial year.

Leaders of North East Lincolnshire Council are standing by their pledge not to increase Council Tax bills over the next twelve months.

Yesterday, North East Lincolnshire Council’s Cabinet Committee voted in favour of a new medium term budget for the next three years,which will ensure that measures to cut costs will be implemented to allow the freeze.

The cabinet also voted to invest £16.5 million in key services over the next three years, and to immediately give £1million towards priority services.

Speaking at yesterday’s meeting, NELC leader Cllr Andrew De Freitas said the savings would be made by making the council more efficient and that the council was “very fortunate, as it is in a robust financial position.”

The cabinet heard that the majority of the cost savings would be made by “reducing administration and bureaucracy”.

A new survey by Consumer Focus shows that half of those ’sorry you were out’ slips delivered by postmen because things are too big to get through our letterboxes, were put through the door when people were in.

The response by the Royal Mail is to repeat that this is against company policy and that any post person found sticking these notes through the door without ringing - and judging from the report - without even carrying the parcel to the door - will be disciplined.

So - if the Royal Mail is so keen to stop this practise then why come it is such a common experience?

Lynne Featherstone is tabling a Parliamentary Question to find out how many instances of disciplinary action has been taken in each delivery office over each of the last three years.

Lynne Featherstone said:

“Royal Mail needs to show us that it is an exemplar service right at the moment when the battle for survival is so fierce. We love our Royal Mail - but we need them to shape up - otherwise they will write their own obituary.”

This year we’ve added a new dimension to our Budget Consultation by utilising the Grimsby Telegraph with the hope of attracting more responses than ever before.

A questionnaire will be supported by editorial comment encouraging people to make their views known to help the Council make decisions as to how and where the Council spends its money.

In addition certain community and business groups will be consulted independently within January.

Help us get a terrific response by spreading the word and encouraging people to complete the online questionnaire on this page.

Those who complete the questionnaire will be entered into a free prize draw to win one of 20 £50 vouchers for Freshney Place. Ten of these will be drawn before Christmas, and ten will be drawn after.

Angie Ridgwell, Interim Chief Finance Officer, said: “It is no secret that, over the next few years, the finances of all local authorities will be under a great deal more pressure than in recent times due to current economic conditions. It is therefore vital that we understand what our customers want us to prioritise our spending on. By working with The Grimsby Evening Telegraph we have sought to give as many people as possible the opportunity to have their views taken into account. This is North East Lincolnshire’s chance to have a real input into what changes are made next year, and over future years.”

This year we’ve added a new dimension to our Budget Consultation by utilising the Grimsby Telegraph with the hope of attracting more responses than ever before.

A questionnaire will be supported by editorial comment encouraging people to make their views known to help the Council make decisions as to how and where the Council spends its money.

In addition certain community and business groups will be consulted independently within January.

Help us get a terrific response by spreading the word and encouraging people to complete the online questionnaire on this page.

Those who complete the questionnaire will be entered into a free prize draw to win one of 20 £50 vouchers for Freshney Place. Ten of these will be drawn before Christmas, and ten will be drawn after.

Angie Ridgwell, Interim Chief Finance Officer, said: “It is no secret that, over the next few years, the finances of all local authorities will be under a great deal more pressure than in recent times due to current economic conditions. It is therefore vital that we understand what our customers want us to prioritise our spending on. By working with The Grimsby Evening Telegraph we have sought to give as many people as possible the opportunity to have their views taken into account. This is North East Lincolnshire’s chance to have a real input into what changes are made next year, and over future years.”

CHRISTMAS shoppers are being offered free festive parking in Grimsby and Cleethorpes from next week.

North East Lincolnshire Council is allowing drivers to use several car parks for free after 3pm daily, from Monday December 14 to Sunday January 10.

Special notices explaining the free parking will be displayed at the car parks. Car parks in Grimsby being included in the scheme are: the Heritage Centre, Cartergate, Market Hall Roof, Duchess Street, Abbey Walk, and Grimsby Town Hall (Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays only). The car parks in Cleethorpes are: St Peter’s Avenue, High Street, Wardall Street and the Civic Offices (Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays only).

Before 3pm, normal charges will apply. Furthermore, car park users must ensure that all other regulations governing parking are complied with at all times. If you park within a disabled bay please ensure your disabled badge parking card is correctly displayed.

Councillor Peter Burgess, portfolio holder for the environment and green agenda, said: “As we all know, shopping activity increases greatly in the run-up to Christmas, and we hope that the offer of free parking will be helpful to local shoppers while also helping to boost trade for local businesses.”

You may be interested to read an article about the new OnePlace website from Liberal Democrat Voice at http://tinyurl.com/yaxrktb which explains the reason why a local authority could be running a service excellently, delivering everything it should to a high standard, and not get a green flag as it isn’t innovative - makes interesting reading!

Today (December 9) sees the publication of a brand new “area assessment” for North East Lincolnshire.  The report has been produced by the Audit Commission and other inspectorates.  It aims to provide residents with a “big picture” view of the area, focusing on how well services provided by the Local Strategic Partnership (comprising the council, the Care Trust Plus, Humberside Police, Shoreline, Humberside Fire & Rescue Service, Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire, third sector organisations and local businesses) are addressing local priorities and what result is being achieved. 

The report uses red and green flags to illustrate how well local issues are being tackled. A green flag represents exceptional performance and a red flag signals concerns about performance and highlights where something different needs to be done. The area assessment is one of 152 reports produced which cover the whole of England.

This area has received a green flag for the work that has been done to reduce the number of young people that are not in employment, education or training, which has been reduced from 10% to 6% in 2008. This was achieved by the council working with the Care Trust Plus (CTP), community and voluntary organisations on initiatives such as devising new programmes of study for pre and post 16 learners, proactive use of Foundation Learning Tier and Entry to Employment, bespoke projects targeting vulnerable young people and using feedback to inform future changes.

A red flag for child health inequalities draws attention to an area we are working on but where more progress needs to be made. This flag covers areas such as overweight children and the number of young girls getting pregnant. Steps are already being taken to tackle these issues.  The CTP has made substantial investments in work to reduce childhood obesity including the appointment of a healthy weigh co-ordinator to tackle child obesity in communities which have the most serious health problems.  The CTP, the council and North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals are improving training and developing services to increase breastfeeding rates, and balanced hot school meals are being provided for all school children in North East Lincolnshire.

A revised action plan has been introduced to reduce teenage pregnancy and there are early signs that these new initiatives have had a positive impact as teenage pregnancy rates have been reduced.

A red flag was also given for housing services for vulnerable people; these services need to improve at a faster rate. The report highlights that more work needs to be done to understand the needs of the people affected and to provide them with the necessary support. A number of organisations and partnerships are working together to deliver plans to provide new homes and improve existing ones.

Paula Grant, chair of the Local Strategic Partnership said:

“We believe working in partnership is crucial to being able to tackle the big issues that are specific to our local area.  Unemployment is high nationwide and this area is no exception.  A green flag for getting young people into work, education or training shows how our joint efforts to secure national investment programmes such as Change, Pathways into Work, Future Jobs Funding and ‘V’ Involved Youth Volunteering are producing positive results for the young people in this area.

“In the past we have often worked on solutions to the problems, but not on the causes of the problems. We strongly believe that by working in partnership with our colleagues in the public, private and voluntary sectors, our joint resources will deliver better results and outcomes for our area. Our primary focus will centre on children and families and tackling the causes of unemployment in our local area.”

Councillor Andrew De Freitas, vice chair of the LSP, added:

“The Local Strategic Partnership is working hard and enthusiastically in the two areas that have been given a red flag. We are already treating both of these areas as high priority.  We have a five year plan to address unsafe and unhealthy housing issues in the borough. We are taking a ‘whole family’ approach to tackling child health inequalities which will include developing a better understanding of what causes the issues and how to tackle them at source.”

The full “area assessment” for North East Lincolnshire forms part of the Comprehensive Area Assessment and can be found on the Oneplace website at  www.direct.gov.uk/oneplace

NORTH East Lincolnshire Council has won five awards for making a difference to the lives of local people.

The council was one of the big winners in the recent Local Government Yorkshire and Humber Making a Difference Awards, held every year to acknowledge teams, individuals and authorities who have excelled during the past year.

The awards, now in their fourth year, celebrate councils, police fire and national park authorities throughout Yorkshire and Humber who have gone that extra mile and made a difference to the lives of people in the region.

At the awards ceremony on November 26, North East Lincolnshire Council was the outright winner in two award categories and was highly commended in three others.

The authority’s benefits team won the ‘Stepping Up To The Challenge’ award for its work in becoming more customer focused as part of a drive to improve services. The team’s work in improving information for the public, which included the recent ‘Quids In’ campaign, has also resulted in more people receiving benefits to which they are entitled.

The council also won the ‘Transforming Through Efficiency’ category, sharing the award with North Lincolnshire Council for establishing a shared procurement service which is producing cost and efficiency savings to both councils.

Also highly commended was Children’s Centre co-ordinator Jenny King, in the ‘Outstanding Contribution’ category. Jenny was recognised for her work at Central Children’s Centre, Grimsby, which has transformed the centre into a valuable community resource which is making a difference to local people’s lives.

A third highly commended award was given to the council in the ‘Building Cultural Places’ category, in which the Youth Arts Workshop and Festival were praised for engaging with young people.

Councillor Andrew De Freitas, leader of the council, said:

“North East Lincolnshire has done extremely well in these awards, and this is a strong indication of the work that is going on across the council to improve services for local people.

“The local community is at the heart of the council’s work, and we will continue to try to make a positive difference to their lives through our work.”

Cindy Laherty, benefits and payments manager at the council, said:

“The Benefits Team, as well as our colleagues within Transactional Services, were thrilled to receive this award.  It is confirmation that the work we are doing to put the customer at the heart of our processes and making real improvements to people’s lives, has been judged by our peers as ’stepping up to the challenge’ of meeting the needs of our community.”

Councillor Watkin said: “I thought it was an excellent night for North East Lincolnshire to come away with five awards. I was very pleased to have been nominated as Local Champion, and it was great news to have been highly commended. The ward walks have been a great success and I hope that local people will continue to benefit from the concept.”

Carole Hassan, chief executive of Local Government Yorkshire and Humber, said:

“Local Government Yorkshire and Humber looks to promote the good practice and successful cross party collaborative working that takes place across the region. I am pleased that we have a good mix of local authorities represented amongst the nominees and winners of this year’s awards. The region has taken this opportunity to recognise the leadership and commitment of three Chief Executives who have led improvement and collaboration across the region.”

On Wednesday, December 9th your Les Bonner and Peter Bailey, your Liberal Democrat Ward Councillors, will be holding  surgeries at Laceby Acres School in the morning from 8.30 - 9.30am and 6.00 - 7.00pm . 

If ther is anything that you would like to discuss with us, or if you just want to come along for a chat we will be pleased to meet you.

On Wednesday this week the new Oneplace website will come online.

Oneplace aims to be the first choice site for independent information on the performance of local public services throughout England

The website has been developed over the past three years, and links 152 assessments of six offiical Government inspectorates into a single website, and combines with recorded crime figures and council tax bills.

People will be able to use the Oneplace website to find out how their council tax is being spent, compared to other towns and villages nearby.  You can see a preview of the website by clicking  >>>>>>HERE<<<<<<

People will also be able to usethe website to see which parts of the country are performing badly on a range of subjects from health inequality, housing, and protecting vulnerable people to crime and anti-social behaviour. 

Next week’s launch of the website is likely to show that many communities have been given red flags,  which require immediate action, in the scores they have received for schools, hospitals and police forces.

From March the new programme will also be expanded to include police report cards, which will allow local people to compare police forces all over England.

Now that the festive season is almost upon us, North East Lincolnshire Council is calling upon local residents to go green by going that extra mile to make sure that they recycle all of their festive waste this Christmas.

It is well known that waste rapidly increases over the festive period; and the local council have now planned its seasonal waste and recycling services.

There will be a revised schedule for schedule for collection of domestics of domestic waste and recycling from December 24 to January 4. For details of the revised dates, see www.nelincs.gov.uk or refer to the information card which will be posted through your letterbox in the run-up to Christmas.

Any excess household recyclables can be presented for collection in a suitable container for the next scheduled day’s collection. You can also take excess recyclables to recycling centres at all major supermarkets and other locations in the borough. Plastic bottles can also be recycled at supermarket recycling centres.

Garden waste and real Christmas trees can be taken to community recycling at Estuary Way, Grimsby and Queen’s Road, Immingham. Or you can use your garden waste bin on your next scheduled collection day. If you do not have a garden waste bin, contact the waste hotline for collection (01472) 325841.

In order to ensure maximum resources are available to clear household waste over Christmas and the New Year, it is necessary for the council to temporarily suspend its garden waste collection service during the weeks commencing Monday December 21 and Monday 29.

Christmas Cards can be recycled at WH Smith, TK Maxx and Marks & Spencer, Grimsby during January.

Community Recycling Centre – Festive Opening:

 Dec 23 – 8am to 6pm
 Dec 24 – 8am to 4pm
 Dec 25 – Closed
 Dec 26 – Closed
 Dec 27 – 8am to 6pm
 Dec 28 – 8am to 6pm
 Dec 29 – 8am to 6pm
 Dec 30 – 8am to 6pm
 Dec 31 – 8am to 4pm
 Jan 1 – Closed
 Jan 2 – 8am to 6pm

On Monday 7 December Humberside Fire and Rescue Service will be starting an 11 day consultation on the level of the Council Tax precept for 2010-11.

Staff will be out in the community across the service area speaking to members of the public to gain their views on the four options being considered: 1, 2, 3 and 4 per cent increases. 

Kevin Wilson, Director of Finance, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service said: “The level of the precept is currently under discussion. The aim of the consultation is to gain an understanding as to the public’s preferred level of the precept. We are acutely aware that times are due to get hard for all public sector organisations and we are currently working on plans to enable us to continue delivering a high level of service in the face of potential budget cuts.”

To maintain the current level of service, there would need to be a 1% increase on the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service proportion of the Council Tax. This is due to increases in the cost of salaries and the services the organisation buys, as well as reduced income from interest.

An increase of 1% on a Band D property would mean an overall cost of £77.43, an increase of 77 pence since last year (2009-10).This 77 pence increase equates to an additional 6 pence per month for a Band D resident, and would deliver an additional £219,000 in revenue for the Service, but as most houses in N E Lincs are included in band A, the increase for many people would be less than this. This additional funding would equate to being able to deliver 10,950 Home Fire Safety Checks to residents across the Humberside area.

Kevin added:

“To prepare us for the future, we would like the public to consider an increase of at least 1% to ensure that we can consider delivering the same level of service as we go into the next financial year. However, if an increase of more than 1% was agreed, it would allow us to have additional funding to prepare us for these potentially difficult times ahead and leave us better placed to protect vital services”

With a 4%, a Band D property would face an overall cost of £79.73, an increase of £3.07 from last year (25pence per month). An increase of 4% would give the Service additional revenue of £876,000, which is £657,000 more than if a 1% increase was agreed. This additional amount equates to 32,850 Home Fire Safety Checks or the purchase of three fully kitted fire engines.

“We fully understand that for many people, the current economic climate is taking its toll. With what we believe to be difficult times ahead for the Service, we are getting our house in order now so that we can be prepared. What we’re hoping residents will consider is that if they pay less than 50 pence more each month, this would equate to significant additional revenue for the Service which will help us make our communities a lot safer,” Kevin said. 

The final precept recommendation will be considered by Humberside Fire Authority in February 2010.

Residents who have access to the internet can also complete a questionnaire online by visiting the Humberside Fire and Rescue website at www.humbersidefire.gov.uk. The deadline for the online consultation is midnight on Sunday 20 December 2009.  Residents will also be able to have their say by visiting their local fire station or service Headquarters and completing a questionnaire.  The deadline for returning questionnaires to stations or Headquarters is Thursday 17 December 2009.

Many stations are open 24 hours; those stations which aren’t are listed below with their opening times:

Station                         Opening Times
Beverley Fire Station                   Monday 6pm – 7.30pm
Brough Fire Station                     Monday 5.30pm – 7.00pm
Market Weighton Fire Station            Tuesday 6.30pm – 8pm
Pocklington Fire Station                Wednesday 6.30pm – 8pm
Driffield Fire Station                  Tuesday & Wednesday 7pm – 8.30pm
Hornsea Fire Station                    Thursday 7pm – 8.30pm
Withernsea Fire Station         Monday 7pm – 8.30pm
Patrington Fire Station         Monday 7pm – 8.30pm
Preston Fire Station                    Tuesday 7pm – 8.30pm
Howden Fire Station                     Monday 7pm – 8.30pm
Snaith Fire Station                     Wednesday 7pm – 8.30pm
Cleethorpes Fire Station                Tuesday 6.30pm – 8pm
Waltham Fire Station                    Thursday 7pm – 8.30pm
Barton Fire Station                     Monday 6.30pm – 8pm
Scunthorpe Fire Station         Monday 7pm – 8.30pm
Crowle Fire Station                     Thursday 7pm – 8.30pm
Epworth Fire Station                    Thursday 7pm – 8.30pm
Kirton in Lindsey Fire Station          Tuesday 7pm – 8.30pm
Winterton Fire Station                  Monday 7pm – 8.30pm
Brigg Fire Station                      Tuesday 7pm – 8.30pm

For further information please contact:
Phil Leake, Lead Media Officer
Tel: 01482 567470
Email: pleake@humbersidefire.gov.uk

Formed just two years ago the innovative partnership between the North East Lincolnshire Council and the North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus (CTP) has been awarded a grading of performing “well” (grade three) for adult social care services.

The partnership is unique within Yorkshire and the Humber and is one of just two or three such arrangements in England. With the expectation of a more joined up approach to health and social care combined with tighter public spending North East Lincolnshire is at the forefront of integrating services previously delivered separately by the two organisations.

The result of performing “well” confirms that the partnership in North East Lincolnshire is making progress and has created a strong foundation for the future.

The award was made by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It performs annual assessments on personal and health care services. It uses a grading scale from one to a possible top mark of four, to evaluate how well the council, in partnership with North East Lincolnshire CTP, is serving adults who access social care services.

The CQC produces an annual report on the personal care services in each council area across the country, which highlights good performance and areas for improvement. There are seven criteria which are scrutinised including health and emotional well-being, quality of life, making positive contributions, increasing choice and control, eliminating discrimination or harassment, improving economic well-being and maintaining personal dignity and respect.

It is through the innovative and unique partnership between North East Lincolnshire Council and the CTP that sees local services consistently delivering above the minimum requirements for local people. The CTP and council have done particularly well by gaining three excellent grades in the areas of improving health and emotional well-being, making a positive contribution and improving economic well-being.

Councillor Malcolm Morland, portfolio holder for adult social care, said:

“We would like to thank the CTP staff and managers alike for the hard work that has been put into improving both performance and outcomes.They have done a tremendous job. We are particularly proud of achieving the rating of performing excellently in three out of seven categories where the impact of bringing health and social care services together has had the most significant difference so far.”

Andrew Milner, executive director community services, said:

“It is vitally important to the Council that those adults receiving social care are helped to live independently, take more control over decisions and services that so profoundly affect their lives, and are no longer caught amongst the obstacles that have existed in the past between the councils and the NHS. This report is a very important stepping stone, signalling that the Council and CTP together are changing services on the ground for the better.

“The Council and CTP are continually striving for excellence in the services we offer but we recognise that there are still opportunities for development. We will continue to drive forward improvements across our service provision, working towards raising the standard and quantity of services being delivered in North East Lincolnshire further.”

Jane Lewington, chief executive of North East Lincolnshire CTP, said:

“The CTP is thrilled with the results of the Care Quality Commission assessment of adult social care services within North East Lincolnshire.This is a very rewarding result for our staff considering the unique partnership arrangements between the Local Authority and the CTP are still relatively new.

“The Local Authority delegated responsibility for the commissioning and delivery of adult social care services to the CTP in September 2007 with adult social care staff transferring from the Local Authority to the NHS.With the Local Authority and the CTP working together the performance ratings have increased significantly since that time.The plans for future development are to improve performance even further so that local people are accessing some of the best personal care services in England.”

“Staff should be proud of their achievements as this is a significant improvement on last year’s performance and local residents can be reassured that the CTP is working hard to deliver high quality services.”

Grimsby’s annual Christmas Market returns to Victoria Street on Sunday, November 29 with festive stalls, seasonal music and family fun set to entertain the crowds.Now in its third year, organisers from Grimsby Top Town Market guarantee it will be bigger and better than before.

Councillor Geoff Lowis, portfolio holder for regeneration and strategic housing, said: “With more than 30 stalls selling a range of gift ideas, you’ll certainly find something at this Christmas market for those hard-to-buy-for family and friends.

“It is also a great way to sample some festive spirit with delicious food, street entertainment, music from the Kingsway Printers Brass Band and a funfair all bringing some seasonal cheer to Grimsby’s town centre.”

Children can also meet Father Christmas, Mother Christmas and their elves at the event, which runs from 10am to 4pm.

The funfair on Grimsby’s Riverhead will also be open on Saturday, November 28.

Julia Goldsworthy and Simon Hughes today gave their congratulations to six Liberal Democrat lead cities for their outstanding performance in Forum for the Future’s annual league table of sustainable cities.

Liberal Democrat controlled Newcastle and Bristol came in 1st and 2nd respectively, and four more cities in the top ten are in Liberal Democrat control. They are Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds and Sheffield.

Commenting Julia Goldsworthy, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government said:

“I’d like to congratulate all Liberal Democrat cities who are topping the list of Britain’s most sustainable cities.

“From Newcastle city council’s leadership in handling the recession with its £300million capital investment programme and “Newcastle Futures” scheme to support the long-term unemployed; to Sheffield offering a programme of free loft and cavity wall insulation to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2020 and 60% by 2050, Liberal Democrats are leading the way.

“Lib Dem-run councils are showing what can be done with a localised response to the challenges our cities face across the country.”

Simon Hughes, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change said:

“It is fantastic to see Liberal Democrat cities at the forefront of building a sustainable Britain.

“If we are to be successful in tackling climate change, then cities and councils all around Britain will need to take a leading role.

“Today’s league table of the most sustainable cities in Britain shows that where Liberal Democrats are in control we are leading the way in tackling climate change today.”

I have been asked to pass on the following e mail which invites members of the community to find out more about changes in the way the way N E Lincs Council will be delivering many of it’s services:

Dear Colleague,

As you are aware North East Lincolnshire Council and its partners are embarking on a new Neighbourhood Management approach to the way we work within our neighbourhoods, to deliver quality services tailored to meet the needs of the local communities across 5 geographical areas within North East Lincolnshire.

And indeed some of you are already involved in working with us to develop the framework across all areas, and additionally the development of the two pilots; Immingham- which includes Stallingborough and Habrough and ‘Fiveways’ which covers the wards of East Marsh, Sidney Sussex and Hainton Heneage.

The three remaining areas which are currently under development on a rolling programme and for purpose of clarity have been given temporary working titles are:
Central - which covers the wards of West Marsh, South, Freshney, Yarborough and Park.
Haverstoe - which covers the wards of Croft Baker, Humberston and New Waltham and, Haverstoe
which covers the wards of Waltham, Scartho and Wolds

A great deal of work has already taken place to progress this new agenda at a strategic level, involving Ward, Parish and Town Councillors. The next phase is to involve communities and operational staff in a series of area based workshops.

The purpose of these workshops is to communicate and share the vision and principles set by the  Local Strategic Partnership in relation to this new way of working and to provide people with the opportunity to understand and become more involved in the process .

The Neighbourhood Management Project Board would like the opportunity to discuss this agenda in further detail with you and have therefore asked that I invite you to attend the ‘Central’ workshop arranged to take place on Tuesday 24th November 2009 between 10am and 1pm at Grimsby Town Hall.

Please contact either myself or Jane Mansfield should you need any further clarification.

Regards
Debbie

Debbie Woodward
Neighbourhood Co-ordinator
North East Lincolnshire Council
Municipal Offices
Town Hall Square
Grimsby
DN31 1HU
Tel: 01472-325928
Email- debbie.woodward@nelincs.gov.uk

If you know of anyone who may be interested, please let them know. 

If you are unable to attend, or would like to be kept informed of the progress of this important project, please let me know at les.bonner@nelincs.gov.uk

Greg Stone, Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman for Newcastle East, has supported calls by the NUS for the head of the Student Loans Company to resign immediately following reports that more than a month into the new academic year, more than 100,000 students have yet to receive their loan payments.

There is evidence of serious hardship and students dropping out of courses because they cannot afford to continue without access to funds, and increasing evidence that the maladministration of the SLC has come about following poor advice from Government ministers about projected student numbers.

Greg Stone said “This scandal has gone on long enough, yet the Student Loans Company seems unable to get a grip on the situation and ministers are nowhere to be seen. The NUS are calling for resignations over this issue and I am inclined to agree. I am continuing to receive communication from students and families in Newcastle who are being severely affected by the incompetence of the SLC, but there is still no sign of a resolution. Labour are continuing to let students down and the performance of the ministers responsible has been lamentable.”

“I have promised to take this matter up when I meet the deputy vice chancellor of Newcastle University later this week; though the universities themselves are not responsible for the crisis, I consider they have a wider responsibility for student welfare and I am interested to hear how they are supporting affected students in the city.”

The theme for this years National Road Safety Week is “Not a drop, Not a drag - Stay Sober, Save Lives”At least 15,935 people in the UK were killed or hurt by drink and drug-drivers in 2007 (latest available data). That’s: 1,328 people every month, 306 people every week, 44 people every day, 2 people every hour.

Responding to the publication of the Place Survey, which supplies information on people’s opinions about where they live, Cllr Margaret Eaton, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said:

“This survey shows that the vast majority of residents are happy with services which their councils provide. From bin collections to libraries and parks to doorstep recycling, people have overwhelmingly indicated that they enjoy and appreciate these vital services which they use every day, but councils are failing to get the credit for this success. They need to keep working at letting people know that the services they so clearly prize are paid for by their council tax.

“Town halls are in constant contact with their residents and have been busy in the eight months since this research was carried out. However, the government’s long delay in releasing this information makes it less useful than it might otherwise have been. This delay is unsatisfactory and the LGA will be raising this with the government. Councils conduct their own surveys and regularly talk to residents and businesses to make sure the way they use taxpayers’ money reflects what local people want, and will continue to do so. Authorities come into contact with the people they serve every single day and the people themselves can make their views known at the ballot box.“

You can read the full CLG release here

Democratically elected town hall leaders have launched a campaign calling for a radical overhaul of the unelected quango state to ensure that taxpayers get value for money and can see where their taxes are being spent.

A campaign, has been launched by the Local Government Association at its Annual Conference in Harrogate.  The campaign will identify areas where taxpayers’ money is being wasted and where local people are being denied a say on decisions that affect them.  The campaign will also aim to identify things that quangos are doing well and set out ways that these can be used by other quangos.

There are 791 quangos in England and Wales that spend £43.2bn every year, which equals £2,000 for every household, but there is a serious lack of public scrutiny of where and how this money is spent. 

Cllr Margaret Eaton, Chairman of the LGA, said:

“It is time for a radical overhaul of the quango state that gives taxpayers more direct influence through the ballot box over how their money is spent by government at all levels.

“People have the right to see where their money is being spent and they are losing confidence in the way the political world can be removed from them and their everyday lives.

“In the coming months we’ll be taking a close look at how quangos work, whether they provide people with value for money and whether they are genuinely open and transparent. I am confident that some quangos will pass with flying colours, whilst others may have some work to do to come up to scratch.

“This isn’t about bashing quangos – we want to highlight some of the things that they are doing well and see where this can be taken up across the board.”

Liberal Vince Cable has warned that local councils are facing a “savaging” of funds in the next few years due to the state of the public finances .

Mr Cable  said that on the government’s own figures, cuts of at least 10% in central funding are likely, and that it is time for an honest debate about how to preserve local public services.

Speaking at the conference of the Local Government  Association today, Mr Cable said that councils cannot escape the effects of the squeeze on spending.

“Local government will not be spared the consequences of the financial crisis.  If past experience is anything to go by, Central Government will be only too eager to pass on the pain in the form of reduced support grants,” he said.

“Even the Government’s, perhaps optimistic, profile for public spending is likely to leave local government facing a 10% cut in central funding, perhaps more, as well as revenue pressures from increased arrears on council tax, less opportunity for capital receipts and parking income, and spending needs for homeless families, together with a savaging of capital spend.

He called for candour from central government over the state of funding, but said that given that lack of information local authorities should plan for the worst.

“The Liberal Democrats are trying to make our opponents spell out how they propose to deal with the fiscal crisis and what are the big items of long term government funding which will need to be cut to save the public services which really matter. If you don’t get clear answers local government should assume the worst,” he said.

A new ice rink will be a priority in the council’s plans for the future of leisure facilities in North East Lincolnshire.

NELC Council had planned to close Grimsby Leisure Centre,  which includes the ice rink,  and relocate it to another area of the town,  but until now there were no definite plans to replace the ice rink.

Council leader Andrew De Freitas has announced that the ruling Lib Dem group has instructed officers to find a private developer for a new rink.

Coun De Freitas said:

“It is our intention that an ice rink should be provided within a development that would include a swimming pool.  It will bring people into the area and that will be a big plus.”

Deputy leader Tony McCabe added:

“This wasn’t a done deal.  It was a public consultation which has confirmed how important the ice rink is to people.”

The announcement was welcomed by those on the campaign committee.

Sarah Ashford-Smith said:

“This is fantastic news that will be gratefully received by the committee.

“We are so relieved that the council is listening to us and realises that the area needs an ice rink.

Nick Coulbeck, from the Grimsby Lightning ice hockey team, said:

Ice skating coach Caroline Gowan added:

 ”We just need to ensure thatthings keep moving forward.

“For an ice rink to be built would take about three years, so in two years’ time we want there to be a plan in place.”

The ruling Liberal Democrat Group on N E Lincs Council have pledged that Council tax bills in North East Lincolnshire will not rise in 2010 - 11.

NELC leader Andrew De Freitas and his deputy Tony McCabe have ordered officers at NELC to determine how they can make savings without cutting their services, or causing large numbers of job losses. Council officers have been told to find other ways of acheiving savings.

This means the £1.8-million that next year’s predicted 3% tax rise would have provided will have to be found elsewhere.

The announcements come just a month after the Liberal Democrats took overall control of the authority following the break-up of its coalition with the Conservatives.

Coun De Freitas said: “We are in a time of recession and there is a need to actually put a bit of money into people’s pockets.

“To the best of my knowledge, this will be the first time in this area that council tax has not increased.”

As reported, in February the council set a rise in council tax for 2009/10 of 3.25% – about 50p a week for many households.

Coun De Freitas said planning for that budget began this time last year, before the recession took hold, but he said by setting out its ambitions now, the administration had given officers sufficient time to make the savings necessary.

He said a council tax freeze could be achieved without “wholesale redundancies or cuts to frontline services”.

“The message that we have been getting across to staff is that we have got to manage with less money in the next year.

“They need to know as early as possible and we have given them a clear indication of what we want them to achieve.

“We need to keep looking at our systems and become more efficient as it is essential that frontline services are improved.”

Coun McCabe, the former portfolio holder for finance, said a 3% rise in tax was initially forecast for 2010-11 as part of the council’s three-year financial plan, equating to £1.8-million.

He said: “In a recession we want to be taking as little money off people as possible.”

This morning I attended the meeting of the Humberside Fire Authority, which I attend as a representative of North East Lincolnshire Council.  Some interesting statistics were revealed at the meeting. 

The figures show that during 2008 - 9, compared to the previous year, in the area served by Humberside Fire and Rescue Service:

• The number of arson incidents (deliberate fires) was reduced by 24.27%
• The number of deliberate primary fires was reduced by 23.69%
• The number of fatalities in primary fires was reduced by 37.5%
• The number of non - fatal casualties in primary fires was reduced by 15.63%
• The number of accidental dwelling fires was reduced by16.5%
• The number of deaths from accidental dwelling fires was reduced by 75%
• The number of deliberate secondary fires was reduced by 24.7%
• The number of fires attended where a fire alarm had been activated was reduced by 13.5%
• The number of fires attended whereno smoke alarm was fitted was reduced by 40.6%

We have had a noticeable increase in smoke detector ownership in our communities over the last year. as a result of the hard work of both operational crews and community safety teams, which has contibuted greatly towards the decrease in casualties and damage to property caused by fires. 

Summer is finally here and with six weeks of holiday bringing warm sunshine and freedom, it’s now time to ask: what have your family got planned? Are you looking for fun and exciting activities? Well, the new Holiday Activity Booklets are being sent out on Monday 22 June and will be distributed to every school pupil in North East Lincolnshire.

The booklets provide a wealth of information about activities in the local area during the six week summer break for children and young people. These activities include days out, sporting activities, arts and craft days and even courses for children and young people to try.

If you haven’t already received your Holiday Activity Booklet or would like further information, please contact the Family Information Service freephone on: 0800 18 303 17.

The booklet for the Yarborough Ward and surrounding area can be downloaded by clicking HERE and the other areas are available at http://www.familyinformationservice.info/

North East Lincolnshire Council is joining forces with the Grimsby Telegraph in a campaign to increase the uptake of Housing and Council Tax benefits in the borough of N E Lincs. with the aim of increasing the amount of benefit paid out by £1,000,000 over the next couple of years.

It has been estimated that in the United Kingdom billions of pounds of benefits are left unclaimed every year.  Just think of the difference some of this money could make!

Look out for the advertising campaign for Quids In, which starts soon.  Events will be held at a wide variety of venues throughout the borough, starting on 22nd June.

The Prime Minister today outlined a range of urgent measures to clean up Parliament. Nick Clegg described the reforms as a “deathbed conversion to political reform”.

Nick Clegg’s statement in full.

I welcome this deathbed conversion to political reform from the man who has blocked change at almost every opportunity for the last twelve years.

Everyone knows the Labour party will lose the next General Election.  So any reforms must be in place before the election if they are to mean anything at all.  Anything else would be a betrayal of the British people, who are angry and demanding we change our rotten political system for good.

Doesn’t he see this is no time for more committees, more reviews and more consultation - we’ve been debating these issues for decades - isn’t it now time to get things done?

I strongly welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to moving towards an elected House of Lords.

But will the Prime Minister give us a date by which this reform will be complete?  We’ve already voted on it in this place: there should be no more delay.

I also strongly welcome the move towards a Parliamentary Standards Authority and a MPs Code of Conduct.  These changes should be implemented immediately with no more delay.

So will he ask this House to forego its summer recess so that we can push through all the necessary changes to clean up politics?

And will he make sure his immediate proposals include the right for people to sack their MP if it has been shown that they have done something seriously wrong?

I am dismayed that the Prime Minister is completely silent on the issue of party funding.   How on earth can he possibly justify it? We cannot allow our politics to go the way of America’s, where elections have become a contest of advertising budgets, not ideas.

Why delay when he could just implement the Hayden Phillips recommendations in the Party Funding Bill that’s already being debated in another place?  The way forward’s been agreed - so will he now act?

Turning to electoral reform, I welcome any movement away from our discredited system.  A system which gives his government untrammelled power when only one in five people voted for them. A system which gives MPs safe seats for life.   As Robin Cook recognised, as his new Home Secretary realises, this can’t go on.

So why is he seeking to restart a debate on electoral reform?  We’ve had the debate. Roy Jenkins’ report, the independent Power Inquiry.  We can’t afford to wait for a cross-party consensus because the Conservatives will never want to change this cosy Westminster stitch-up.

We don’t need to wait for his Cabinet to make its mind up.  It’s not up to them to decide how our democracy works.  People should now be given a say. So will the Prime Minister now call a referendum, this Autumn, to give people a choice?  A choice between the bankrupt system we have now.  The timid option of Alternative Vote, a baby step in the right direction.  And serious proposals for reform like Roy Jenkins’ AV+ or better still the Single Transferable Vote?

He has nothing to lose.  This is no time for his trademark timidity. Just get on with it.  Will he now cancel the recess?  Pass the legislation we need?  And give people the say they deserve?

The Local Government Association has today warned hard-pressed families not to fall into the trap of using unscrupulous loan sharks amid fears that more people could be drawn to them in the credit crunch.

The warning came as town halls revealed unlicensed money lenders are charging people more than 1,000% interest and resorting to a sickening litany of criminal activity to harass customers who fall behind on repayments.

Trading standards teams have uncovered cases of assault, blackmail, threats, sexual intimidation and kidnapping by loan sharks circling around some of the most vulnerable members of society.

There are growing fears that more people will turn to unlicensed lenders as credit supplies dry up during the recession. Council leaders today pledged to step up investigations into their illegal activities and put them before the courts.

Cllr Margaret Eaton, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said:

“The recession is placing more financial pressure on families and making it harder for many to make ends meet. People who may have lost their jobs, have outstanding debts or are struggling to raise credit through normal channels can become desperate and take cash from a loan shark. There is a real danger that these parasites could profit from the desperation of others.

“Loan sharks are often involved in a wider web of illegal or dangerous activity and will stop at nothing to get what they want. Councils have come across shocking cases of assault, blackmail and sexual intimidation. With the help of local people, we can ensure the loan sharks are properly investigated and brought before the courts.

“It is vital that people struggling with their finances realise that there are alternatives to the loan sharks circling around them. From setting up credit unions to offering debt advice, councils are offering a range of vital services to help people through the recession.”

Cllr Neil Eustace, Chair of the Public Protection Committee at Birmingham City Council, said:

“As the recession bites and the supply of credit dries up, we fear it is possible that more loan sharks will start to circle around vulnerable people who are short of cash. Our officers will be doing their utmost to help people access legitimate services and avoid using the ’services’ of a loan shark. A debt owed to a loan shark is not a legal one - the lender is breaking the law. Trading standards investigators will not hesitate to prosecute loan sharks preying on victims of the economic downturn.”

The Birmingham team was set up as a pilot in 2004 to cover the West Midlands area, alongside a sister pilot in Glasgow. It proved so successful that further government funding was provided to extend the team’s service, and the Birmingham team are currently supporting our own Public Protection staff here in NE Lincs.

If you need a low cost loan you can find contact details for N E Lincolnshire Credit Union HERE or you can contact Moneyline, which is a local not for profit loan company, HERE

Age Concern and Help the Aged are holding a week of action on 8th-12th June 2009, to promote the need for quality care for older people‚ and they want you to be part of it!

The aim of the week is to get everyone talking about the issue of care and support.  

While we and thousands of older people know the current care system is failing‚ leaving many with poor quality care‚ politicians stay silent.  Politicians are still refusing to accept they need to take responsibility and commit to improving the care system.

Over a million people aged 65 and over receive care and support. While many receive care and support that is of high quality‚ many do not. If you feel strongly about this issue or if you‚ or a relative‚ have an experience of care then you should think about taking part in our week of action.

Read more about the Week of Action on Care on the Age Concern Web Site

If you or anyone you know is having problems with the care or support that you are receiving, your Ward Councillor may be able to help.  Ring 01472 313131 to find contact details of N E Lincs. Councillors, or if you live in the Yarborough Ward you can contact me at les.bonner@nelincs.gov.uk or 01472 310855

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has said in an interview for BBC Scotland that the UK Government will continue with controversial plans to part-privatise the Royal Mail.

He criticised union officials, accusing them of discouraging possible bidders

Ministers have said that the Royal Mail’s pension deficit and the use of e-mail mean the service will never be profitable in its current form.

The suggested reforms are expected to cause another Labour backbench rebellion.

A bill being voted on in the Commons would introduce reforms, such as inviting private firms to form partnerships with Royal Mail - including taking a share of its parcels and letters business.

More that 130 Labour MPs are expected to vote against the plans, saying they will undermine the universal delivery service and threaten thousands of jobs.

Residents will once again be able to discover North East Lincolnshire Council’s aims for the next three years, through the launch of a new plan

The three-year plan sets out the council’s aims and priorities, which will contribute towards the community’s vision of making North East Lincolnshire a great place to live, work and receive visitors. 

After gaining a valuable insight into residents’ views through the Big Conversation event last September, council leaders and managers have defined four new strategic aims.

Tony Hunter, chief executive, said: “We have adopted a new approach in how we manage the council, by purposefully selecting fewer priorities.

“The council plan sets out the most important things we want to deliver over the next three years for the benefit of the local people.

“They focus on the environment, economy, safety, and health. Supporting these aims is a fifth, which is about what we need to do behind the scenes within the council to ensure we are able to deliver on these aims.”

Leader of the Council, Councillor Andrew De Freitas, is keen to ensure the plan is not cast in stone, but is able to develop amid the changing economic climate.

He said: “Economic forecasts are unsettled and it is our role to maintain a full picture of how the downturn is affecting individuals and businesses.

“We want our council to be one that is justifiable proud. By working towards these clear goals and aims, we will achieve our community’s ambition.”

A new resource at Grimsby Central Library has made it easier for historians to delve into their family’s past.

Vouchers are now available at the library which permits access to the 1911 census returns, available online at www.1911census.co.uk

This service is in addition to the existing census returns from 1841 to 1901, which can be accessed online at all libraries except Scartho.

Councillor Steve Hocknell, portfolio holder for culture, leisure and healthier communities, said:

“This system has made it easier for people to find out information to help them build up their family tree.”

The 1911 census stores information on individual households, institutions such as prisons, workhouses, naval vessels and merchant vessels.

Councillor Hocknell added:

This resource is a welcomed addition to the library service, and although currently only available at Grimsby Central Library, we hope it will encourage many people to delve into their family history.”

Vouchers cost £5 and can be purchased in Grimsby Reference Library.

For further information ring (01472) 323603 or visit www.nelincs.gov.uk/leisure/libraries

Up to 34,000 people in North East Lincolnshire will be able to benefit from free swimming at leisure centres across the borough from Wednesday, April 1.

Anyone aged 60 and over can take advantage of the campaign which aims to promote swimming, general fitness, more active lifestyles and wellbeing.

The council is promoting this scheme in partnership with Sport and Leisure Management Ltd (SLM), which manages council-owned leisure centres, sports centres and pools in the borough.

Ian Portas, SLM’s contract manager, said: “There are four SLM managed pools in the borough - Cleethorpes Leisure Centre, Grimsby Leisure Centre, Grimsby Swimming Pool and Immingham Swimming Pool.”

Sue Wells, the council’s deputy director of community and support services, said: “Swimming is an excellent activity for all-round fitness and well-being. Offering free swimming is a measure of our commitment to making a real difference to people’s lives.”

Pam Osgothorpe from Cleethorpes is looking forward to making the most of the free swimming initiative.

Pam said: “I swim four to five times a week and it’s just brilliant. I have met so many people through swimming and we all have a good laugh. I have a back problem and swimming really does me good.”

To take up the free offer, swimmers must be aged 60 or over. Proof of age is needed and it is recommend that residents take advantage of a free Everyone Active card which is a great way to access other services offered via the leisure centres.

Application forms for the cards are available from all SLM managed facilities or online at www.everyoneactive.com

Public swim sessions vary from pool to pool and swimmers are advised to check beforehand at their leisure facility.

SLM also offer a range of adult swimming lessons for people who need to learn or re-learn the skills of swimming prior to taking advantage of the free swimming offer. 

For further information about the free swimming scheme or availability and cost of adult lessons please contact the relevant SLM centre:

Grimsby Pool (01472) 323500
Cleethorpes Leisure Centre (01472) 323200
Grimsby Leisure Centre (01472) 323100
Immingham Pool (01469) 516003

Commenting on Government plans to reduce the use of free bus passes, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson, John Leech said: “Ministers appear to be weaving their way out of the national concessionary bus scheme.”

“They are trying to push an extra burden on to local authorities when many councils are already struggling to make up a funding shortfall in the current scheme.

“The Government is trying to make this change without any Parliamentary debate. That is why we will be pushing for a vote on Monday.”

The Respect Fun House is on the Nunsthorpe Estate, which is probably one of the most deprived parts of North East Lincolnshire. Steve Hill and Debby Hill are at the heart of the centre serves the surrounding community. Steve says: “When we first started the Funhouse there were 27 cars burnt out in one weekend. This is no longer the case. Things aren’t perfect, and they never will be, but we have seen such a tremendous improvement. 

“The Fun House has helped shape the future for the kids on this estate.  I have seen them grown up and now some of them have children of their own.  Our work is now helping a second generation.” To celebrate their fifth birthday, the Funhouse hosted a fluorescent fancy dress party on Saturday evening. Debby said:  “We have had so many highlights over the last five years such as the children’s input into the Liberal Democrat conference and the ABBA Mania concert. 

“The Fun House is not just somewhere to hang out, it has taught children manners, respect and empowerment. “People were often very quick to judge youngsters from the estate but they just needed to be put on the right path.” I have been involved with the Funhouse almost since the beginning. 

“The youngsters who use this facility are a real credit to their community. 

Some of the youngsters from the Funhouse have now progressed so much as they have got older that they are now able to help provide activities for young people in other parts of the town, such as the dance classes at the Littlecoates Community Centre in my ward that are supervised by qualified instructors from the Funhouse.“The potential talent ha been wasted for years, but now it is being recognised, thanks to the Funhouse.” 

Looking ahead to the future Debby Hill believes there are still more improvements to be made for the people of Nunsthorpe and the surrounding area. “We have had a terrific few years, but you better watch this space for the next five because  there is plenty more to come.” 

Steve and Debby from the Funhouse have asked me  to pass on their thanks to all of the councillors and businesses which have helped them over the last five years including Shoreline, Matalan, Asda and Sainsbury’s as well as the Grimsby Institute, and especially the many volunteers and young people that have made the Funhouse such  a great success.  

The council is reminding people to report stray dogs to its hotline.

From February 1, residents have been able to report strays directly to the council on (01472) 313131.

Details are taken and if appropriate the contractor will collect the dog.

A new contractor for the stray dog service is due to be announced shortly.

John Waite, interim environmental enforcement manager, said:

“If anyone has lost a dog please contact the council immediately giving as many details as possible.

“The information will then be entered onto the lost dog register which will be cross-checked against reports of found dogs

In February the council helped reunite five dogs with their owners, none of which were taken to kennels

Dog owners should notify agencies such as the council, police, Blue Cross and the RSPCA as soon as possible when a dog is lost, as the chances of finding the owner reduce as time goes on

Tony Neul, acting deputy director for neighbourhood services, said:

“Our new contractor is very experienced and is offering a service that fully meets our needs.

“The council does not have the resources to act as a re-homing body for unwanted dogs, but can guide residents to organisations that might be able to help.

“Owning a dog is a great responsibility that should be taken seriously.

“There are many groups that can help, whether this be with training,

“It is vital that prospective dog owners think before they decide to take on the commitment of a dog

“Residents need to be sure they can meet all the animal’s needs – including the financial costs and the time commitment, which is essential for a dog to be happy, well balanced and socialised.

If a dog is collected and taken to kennels the owner will have to pay £25 and £10 per day kennelling costs.

According to figures released recently following a freedom of information request, fire crews in England have received at least 1,780 calls to help move obese patients in the last five years, and 75% of these calls came from the NHS.

Humberside Fire and Rescue service has been called out on more than 100 occasions in the past five years to help lift obese patients at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of £242,600.

Figures obtained by under the Freedom of Information Act show that firefighters were called out 106 times between 2004 and 2008 to help lift overweight patients in the region.

Firefighters were called out 53 times to assist the NHS in lifting obese patients and an additional 53 times to assist other services in the lifting of overweight patients.

In one instance, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service was called to assist ambulance crews to move a 35-stone male from the floor back to a sitting position. On another occasion firefighters helped move an obese patient into an ambulance following a cardiac arrest.

Humberside Fire and Rescue spokesman Phil Leake said: “Fire crews respond to calls of assistance from paramedics, with a wide range of incidents on a regular basis, and this is a demonstration of our well established partnership work with other blue light services.”

Commenting on today’s Lord Laming report on Child Protection, Liberal Democrat Children’s Spokesperson, Annette Brooke said: “This is a damning indictment of a Government that has failed to provide national leadership on child protection.”

“Important lessons were not learnt after the tragic death of Victoria Climbié.  Ministers have failed to work together to provide a co-ordinated approach to protecting children.
 
“It is disappointing that the report fails to accept the need for an independent inquiry.  We need a fresh, in-depth look at all these issues so that we can be sure that vulnerable children will not continue to be failed by the state.
 
“While extra training for social workers is welcome, ministers also need to look at their high case loads - finding the time for training will be very difficult.”

Commenting on today’s Government announcement on improving conditions for air passengers, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker said: “Any attempt to improve conditions for passengers must be welcomed. However, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.”

“Ministers must bring forward concrete proposals to ensure passengers are put first, such as fining airlines when check-in and flights are delayed.”

The Liberal Democrats have set out a series of proposals in response to the Government’s strongly criticised plans to part-privatise the Royal Mail.

The Lib Dem Conference today passed a series of proposals on what should be done with Royal Mail. Whilst they support the idea of part-privatisation, they proposals greatly differ from those proposed by the Government. They argue for the importance of staff-ownership to any modernisation, and of making sure both the Post Office and the Royal Mail are able to compete effectively.

See the full text of the motion at:  http://tinyurl.com/ck4aqa

North East Lincolnshire Council has maintained its position in the Government’s annual Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) with a two star verdict from the Audit Commission.

The rate of progress achieved by the council in the past year has not been as fast as hoped, meaning the accompanying direction of travel verdict was “improving adequately”.

Inspectors said the council’s children’s services performance was much improved, and also praised aspects of work undertaken by the Safer Communities Partnership and Regeneration teams.

The use of resources score was not high enough to move the council to three-star status. Tony Hunter, chief executive of North East Lincolnshire said he was confident that new processes could improve use of resources when inspectors next visit.

Mr Hunter said: “Although we have yet to reach the high standards we aspire to, there are many positives in our CPA ruling.

“We have achieved excellent improvements in children’s services which is a great testament to the work of our much-missed colleague Andy Samson, while we have made notable inroads to reduce crime and create jobs in a difficult and challenging climate.

“The overriding view is that our services to the community have improved, while some of our internal arrangements need further work to make them more robust.

“We have made great strides together as an authority and I am convinced that the mechanisms we have put in place can lead to further improvements and result in us taking our place as a top performing council.”

The Audit Commission found that the council has either improved or maintained its performance in all six key service performance areas. The benefits team has maintained last year’s four star (performing strongly) performance, while cultural services and children and young people have both jumped from two-stars to three (performing well). Results for environmental, housing and social care have all been consolidated after earlier improvements - with each area receiving three stars.

Mr Hunter added: “The latest Use of Resources audit says that ‘the overall deterioration in score was largely due to issues arising from the audit of financial statements’.  This is an area which can be addressed relatively easily and in which the council performed well in the last two years.”

Age Concern aim to put more money each week into the pockets of older people by helping to claim the benefits you are rightly entitled to.

The cost of living keeps going up all the time so it is important to claim everything that you are entitled to.

The extra money will be a great help when it comes to paying household bills and other essentials like food‚ heating‚ taxis‚ petrol‚ home repairs‚ equipment‚ gardening‚ cleaning and care services.

You’ll feel less worried about your money and your health knowing you can afford the extra things you need.

Contact Age Concern for help with your benefits- especially if you’re not sure what’s available to you‚ or if you haven’t been able to claim money in the past as you might be able to now.

The service is free and completely confidential – and‚ as always‚ Age Concern is on your side!

Commenting on the Government’s announcement that it has obtained an exemption from EU driving hours rules for TA reservists, Liberal Democrat Shadow Scotland Secretary, Alistair Carmichael said: “This shows that it is possible to obtain exemptions from working hours rules for people who provide a vital service to this country in their spare time.”

“If the Government has managed this for TA drivers, then it must be asked why they are taking so long to get a similar exemption in place which could well be needed for retained firefighters.

“These men and women provide a vital service, especially in rural parts of Scotland, which could be put at risk if Britain loses its opt-out from the Working Time Directive. Ministers must ensure the necessary safeguards are in place well ahead of this becoming a done deal.”

A second youth resources bus is to arrive in North East Lincolnshire this April, following the success of the borough’s first mobile unit.

The scheme, which has been running since May last year, provides an entertaining, safe and informative drop-in venue for young people aged between 11 and 19. The first bus has visited various locations across North East Lincolnshire, including Waltham, New Waltham, Humberston, Laceby, East Marsh, West Marsh, Yarborough and Nunsthorpe.

Now, a second mobile unit is to be launched, taking multimedia resources to local youngsters, allowing them to get involved in music and film making activities. Young people themselves will help design the bus.

Marcus Isman-Egal, youth service operational manager, said: “We’ve had such a success with the first youth bus, accessing communities which don’t have a regular youth service provision and giving young people something positive to do. The second bus is a sign of our commitment to a more flexible approach to youth work – going to where the young people are rather than waiting for them to come to us. We look forward to seeing it arrive and get to work.”

NELC and the Community Advice Service has moved to help residents in the recession by appointing a new debt adviser.

The Community Chest Home Shop, on Freeman Street, has worked with North East Lincolnshire Council to appoint Julie Taylor to the position.

She has joined the charity’s advice service to help people through the current economic downturn.

General manager Neil Cartwright said: “We have successfully incorporated the Community Advice Service as a department into the organisation over the last year.

“The secondment of Julie, with almost 15 years experience as a specialist debt adviser, is part of the growth of this team.”

Julie said:

“Figures released by the Insolvency Service confirm that personal bankruptcies have increased in the quarter up to December 31 by 22 per cent on the same quarter the previous year.

“It is our objective within the advice team to ensure that we do all we can to make sure the effects of the recession are lessened for the residents of North East Lincolnshire.”

Access free advice services from Community Chest by dropping in from 9.30am to 3.30pm at the Home Shop on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, or by dropping in Monday to Friday at the head office on Second Avenue Resource Centre, Second Avenue.

There has been debate over the last few weeks over an alleged cut in funding for the Citizen’s Advice Bureau service in the borough, and I thought that it would be worth explaining what has happened.

Before April 2008 NELC gave £60,000 to support the CAB in N E Lincs.  This sum was increased to £240,000, which has been guaranteed by the Council until at least the end of the 2010 - 2011 financial year.

Is this the cut that Cllr Burnett and the labour group at the council are complaining about?

Cllr McCabe (Lib Dem) portfolio holder for finance said:

“Before last April the council’s contribution was just £60,000 and the current £240,000 commitment will remain in place until 2011

“I don’t see how you could claim that this is a budget cut. “It actually represents, in the long term, a huge increase in our support of advice services.”

 NELC have also seconded an extra worker to the Community Advice Service, which is a similar local service which is also funded by the council. (You can read a recent article from the Telegraph Here) , which is an additional piece of support which has been paid for by NELC. to help hard pressed residents in the area.

In my opinion it is completelywrong of Cllr Burnett and the labour group to protest about cuts in the service,when this clearly is not the case!

Saturday’s Grimsby Telegraph contains a report on Thursday’s Council Meeting where a council tax increase of 3.25% was agreed for 2009-10.

Last year’s increase was 2.8%, but events have changed dramatically since then, but the latest increase is still in line with last year’s Medium Term Financial Plan.

The Leader of the Council, Andrew De Freitas (Liberal Democrat) said:

“Under the circumstances, it is remarkable that we are proposing a council tax increase of only 3.25 %”

Cllr. De Freitas also pointed out that there a future saving of more than £200,000 due to increased staffing efficiencies, which would result in few job losses – unlike in some other councils were they are forecasting cuts of hundreds of jobs.

Councillor Tony McCabe (Liberal Democrat) Portfolio Holder for Finance and Performance, said:

“We have managed to identify £12-million of efficiency savings for the next three years, and we have managed to do that without slash and burn”

The report also includes the Medium Term Financial Plan up to 2011/12, which anticipates that there will be a further increase of 3.25% in 2010/11, followed by a 3% rise in 2011/12.

The acting leader of the Labour group, Cllr Mick Burnett described the council tax rise as “inflation-busting”.

The Labour group tried to move a number of amendments, one of which was for the re-instatement of a proposed budget cut for the Citizen’s Advice Bureau which is forecast for 2011-12, but Councillor Burnett played right into our hands.

Councillor Burnett, said that it would be wrong to withdraw £43,000 even though it would not take place until 2011/12; he claimed that people were getting into debt every ,day, having their homes re-processed and being forced into bankruptcy.

In response, Cllr Steve Beasant (Lib Dem) said:

“It’s a bit much for someone who is a member of the Labour Party to lecture us about the economy when it is Gordon Brown the man who saved the world who actually got us into this mess in the first place

“Yes, people are facing debt every single day – they are facing the worst economic crisis for many years, and it is partly their Government’s making.

“Only a few months ago I stood on the steps of the Town Hall with the Deputy Chief Executive, and the Leader of the Council handing over a large cheque to the CAB – they have actually had a considerable increase in funding over the last twelve months, and this money is not being withdrawn.

“If we are still in a recession I am sure we will review the situation next year and continue our support. This debate is too early.”

Councillor Tony McCabe (Lib Dem) also said that if the recession deepened and demand for advice continued to increase then of course the budget for the CAB would be reviewed.

Labour’s call for the council to dip into its reserves to avoid budget cuts in some areas was criticised by opposing councillors – who accused NELC of not learning from past mistakes.

Councillor De Freitas said these amendments would have had to be funded by a further council tax increase. He said:

“The money has got to come from somewhere.

“I would remind councillors that the previous Labour administration of this council got itself into a very difficult situation in the past when it kept taking money out of balances.”

A £15.1million upgrade of North East Lincolnshire’s leisure facilities has been proposed to help to increase the fitness of local youngsters

Refurbishment recommendations were made to North East Lincolnshire’s Council Cabinet in a Leisure Review, which says the area has “one of the lowest levels of participation in regular sport and physical activity both in the region and nationally”.

Deputy director of community and support services, Sue Wells, said:

“The main aim of the review and its recommendations is to ensure we have facilities that are fit for purpose and able to meet the needs of a changing community

“Tastes change and busy lifestyles often don’t leave time for regular exercise so we do want to develop facilities that are easily accessible, offering a wide range of activities and also providing linkage to other community facilities

“It is fair to say that the number of physically active adults in this area is low and this is a concern as little or no exercise can have a direct impact on health, weight and overall well-being.

“Recent surveys have shown that about 55 per cent of the adult community undertake no physical activity at all.”

Local facilities set to benefit from the proposal include: Grimsby Leisure Centre; Scarthoe Swimming Pool; Immingham Sports Hall; Cleethorpes Leisure Centre; Immingham Pool; King George V Athletic Stadium; and Barbara Garth Community Hall.

The review raised the possibility of linking the refurbishment project with the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme

Ms Wells explained

“By linking the outcomes of the Leisure Review with the current BSF programme, we have an ideal opportunity to develop facilities that are fully integrated and to develop the potential for greater community access to sports and leisure facilities within schools, at times when they are not needed for core school activity.

“This means buildings and equipment are fully utilised 52 weeks a year and we all have a wider choice of venues to access

“We are also keen to attract all age ranges and to ensure that our young people continue to be active outside and after school.

“Through designing school sports and leisure facilities to reflect the standards seen in modern leisure centres and by locating them where they are easily accessible and not disruptive to school functions, we really do want to ensure greater use and, most importantly, greater levels of health and fitness in our community

The review is now expected to be referred to scrutiny to lead a consultation exercise.

Changes to European working time laws could lead to dangerous shortages in fire cover across the UK, and this could affect two local fire stations in North East Lincolnshire – they are Waltham and Cleethorpes.

The Liberal Democrats have already started a strong campaign against the proposals nationally, and urging people sign an online petition: www.keeptheoptout.com

The European Parliament recently passed rules that would scrap Britain’s opt-out from the European Working Time Directive. This could mean that retained firefighters, who often have other jobs, would have to drastically cut the hours they are available to the fire service.

Many areas already have problems with recruiting retained firefighters, with over half of posts unfilled.

The rule changes would not affect most other EU countries where part-time firefighters work on a voluntary basis and are therefore not covered by the opt-out.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said: “People mustn’t be penalised for choosing to stick to working time hours, but neither should people who want to help in their communities.

“Retained firefighters are a crucial part of the UK’s emergency services.

“The fact the rules wouldn’t affect voluntary firefighters elsewhere in the EU is simply unfair.

“Liberal Democrats are campaigning hard to keep the opt-out for retained firefighters and ensuring the emergency services are able to provide a flexible and high-quality service across the UK.”

Commenting on today’s Home Office figures showing that police officers are spending less time on the beat and more time doing paperwork, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson, Tom Brake said: “Actions speak louder than words. The Government talks the talk when it comes to cutting bureaucracy, yet police officers are struggling under a growing mountain of forms.”

“We need officers on the street, not at their desks struggling to complete convoluted tick box forms.

“The Government must wean itself off its addiction to centralised police targets and its obsession with creating new offences to allow police forces to concentrate on policing.”

Changes to European working time laws could lead to dangerous shortages in fire cover across the UK, the Liberal Democrats warned today.

The European Parliament recently passed rules that would scrap Britain’s opt-out from the European Working Time Directive. This could mean that retained firefighters, who often have other jobs, would have to drastically cut the hours they are available to the fire service.

Many areas already have problems with recruiting retained firefighters, with over half of posts unfilled.

The rule changes would not affect most other EU countries where part-time firefighters work on a voluntary basis and are therefore not covered by the opt-out.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said:

“People mustn’t be penalised for choosing to stick to working time hours, but neither should people who want to help in their communities.

“Retained firefighters are a crucial part of the UK’s emergency services.

“The fact the rules wouldn’t affect voluntary firefighters elsewhere in the EU is simply unfair.

“Liberal Democrats are campaigning hard to keep the opt-out for retained firefighters and ensuring the emergency services are able to provide a flexible and high-quality service across the UK.”

Earlier today I received the following letter from the Liberal Democrat Campaigns Department asking for support from anyone who is concerned about the effect on the retained firefighter system of the Government’s acceptance of the EU directive on working hours.  I would urge as many people as possible to sign the online petition at  www.keeptheoptout.com 

Dear Les

We have a problem. We want to lobby the government about a threat to UK fire services and we need your help. Every signature on our petition is another voice: www.keeptheoptout.com

THE PROBLEM:

Retained firefighters usually have full-time jobs outside the fire service. As a second job, they spend up to 120 hours per week “on-call” - in their own homes or at their regular workplaces, but there if we need them in emergencies.

An EU Directive limits working hours to 48 per week - and this includes the time retained firefighters spend on call. Up to now, British workers have been able to opt out of the Directive. That right is about to be taken away.

Unless something is done, dozens of fire stations will have to offer reduced services.

“For some people, especially in rural areas, those firefighters on call can mean the difference between life and death” - Tavish Scott, Leader Scottish Liberal Democrats

THE SOLUTION:

We need to allow retained firefighters to go on serving their communities. We have to persuade the governments in London and Edinburgh to ensure that implementation will allow the continued operation of a fire service with retained firefighters at its heart.

And we need public opinion to back us up. That’s where you come in.

By signing our petition you can add to the pressure. Every signature makes it more likely that we can persuade the government to keep the firefighters’ opt-out clause - and keep our firefighting service full-time: www.keeptheoptout.com

Don’t forget - every signature really does help.

Yours,

Andrew Reeves
Deputy Director of Campaigns, Liberal Democrats

Pupils will be able to enjoy hot meals at lunchtime following news that kitchen facilities are to be installed in up to 43 of North East Lincolnshire’s schools.

N E Lincolnshire Council has secured £3.4-million of funding from the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) which should be enough to refurbish 43 schools.

This is a part of NELC’s plan to provide hot dinners in every primary school in the area by the beginning of the new school year in September

Currently, only 17 primary schools out of the 53 in the area provide pupils with hot meals. Ten of these have their own kitchens, with the other seven receiving hot food from external providers.

Work is currently being carried out to determine what kitchen facilities schools need. Some schools will receive full kitchens, while others will get facilities to warm up food provided externally.

The new programme of activities for the half term holiday is now available.  You can find out the programme for your area by clicking on the picture below.  Be quick if you want to register for anything as available places can be filled very quickly!

The latest edition of North East Lincolnshire Council’s holiday activity booklet will soon be distributed - as the February half-term holidays approach.

The booklets, which are compiled for every school holiday period, feature a comprehensive list of activities, day trips, courses and fun for all youngsters and their family to enjoy. The next edition will be sent out this week to every school child in the borough, allowing parents and carers to plan their holiday break.

North East Lincolnshire’s activity booklets have been put together with the help of partner agencies to promote affordable, accessible, entertaining and healthy activities. If you do not receive a copy or if you require any further information, please contact the Family Information Service on 0800 1830317.

There was a piece of good news for the residents of Immingham with the announcement at the Regen and Housing Scrutiny Panel of after plans were announced for a new 30,000 square foot superstore in Kennedy Way and for other improvements to the Kennedy Way precinct.

Outline plans for the site, together with drawings, were revealed at the meeting by chartered surveyors Dresler Smith working on behalf of landlord Wellway Properties Ltd.

Proposals, which will have to go out to public consultation and a formal planning application, include:

• Demolition of buildings from Poundstrecher to Coral Bookmakers and from Barclays Bank to Leisurama.
• Creation of a new 30,000 square foot supermarket
• A new parade of shop units
• Building of new bus facilities at Pelham Road with an enhanced pedestrian access and visibility to the new supermarket and shops
• Potential to re-site business premises for all existing tenants as required
• A new 319 space car park
• Refurbished mall and public spaces

A shop will open shortly on Kennedy Way to showcase plans as part of a public consultation prior to an outline bid for planning permission on the site.

This is a very early stage in any development, but it is pleasing that all concerned have met to discuss the way forward for Kennedy Way. It is a potentially exciting development for the people of Immingham and it is clear that the outdated 70s precinct of Kennedy Way needs updating.”

David Dresler, for Dresler Smith, said: “This is a substantial and exciting development which will create numerous jobs for the people of Immingham. We very much see this as an opportunity to regenerate the town centre and give the local economy a much-needed boost.”

T A oungsters’ advisory group has been formedto help shape council services.

A NEW advisory group of local young people will help North East Lincolnshire Council make decisions which affect children and youngsters in the borough.

The group, comprising ten young representatives, was created by a joint initiative between the participation team and the Young People’s Service. It will work with the help of training from the National Youth Agency, taking on board information, ideas and views collected from local youngsters over the past year.

The panel will work to identify the most important issues faced by children and young people, and which communities these issues are affecting. Two workshops, in February and March, will focus on the way services are delivered in the borough.

Outcomes and recommendations will then be documented to help formulate future service provision. The ‘targeted youth support strategy’ will help providers to determine how impartial advice and guidance can be offered to local young people.

Marcus Isman-Egal, of the Young People’s Service, said: “This is a great opportunity for us. It really is important for the voices of local young people to be heard. After all, they know better than anyone the issues that affect their lives. With the help of our new advisory group, we can ensure that the needs of our children and young people are adequately tackled.”

Commenting on today’s announcement by Alan Johnson on treating patients in mixed-sex accommodation, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “The Government has shifted the goalposts on its promise to end mixed-sex wards.”

“Labour spin doctors are trying to cover up twelve years of empty promises by shifting the discussion to mixed accommodation.

“Today’s proposals are nothing more than a fig leaf to cover up ministers’ total failure to end mixed-sex wards in the NHS.”

Commenting on today’s Commission for Social Care Inspection’s report that reveals a fifth of social care places purchased by councils were in poor or adequate adult care homes, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “It is completely indefensible that people are still living in inadequate care homes.”

“Vast numbers of older and disabled people are being forced to live in unacceptable conditions.

“While the Government has focussed on increasing funding for the health service, social care has been neglected.

“Despite ministers’ rhetoric, reform is still moving at a snail’s pace.”

Some 4.6 million families that were eligible for Child Tax Credits in 2002-3, but only 3.9 million have actually claimed it. They now have until January 31st to claim make a claim.

Steve Webb, Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesperson, said: “At a time of recession, when families need every penny they can get, it is wrong for thousands of working families to lose out simply because the system is so complicated.

“The government should extend the deadline for claiming and should inform families who did not claim at the time of what they are entitled to.”

More than 500,000 pensioners could be missing out on over £800 because of benefit rules which assume they are getting up to 7% interest rate on their savings, analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Research by the Liberal Democrats has shown that the Government benefit rules assume pensioners with savings of more than £6,000 who are eligible for pension credit are getting up to 7% return on their savings. This is a far higher rate than is available on even Government schemes like National Savings and Investments.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said:

“Life is hard enough for savers without the Government making it more difficult by inventing interest rates that nobody could possibly hope to get.

“Saving rates in the real world are plunging, yet the Government shows no sign of altering its own fantasy interest rates.

“When people who have worked hard and saved hard apply for financial help they should be rewarded for saving, not penalised in this absurd way.

“The Government should immediately change its rules and bring its assumed interest rates into line with what pensioners can actually hope to receive.”

Commenting on Government plans to set up a new quango responsible for the management of academies, Liberal Democrat Shadow Children, Schools and Families Secretary, David Laws said: “When the Government comes up against a problem, its knee-jerk reaction is to create another quango.”

“The academies programme is now too big to be run from a ministerial office, but yet another unaccountable body is hardly the right solution.
 
“Instead of the planned national agency, the Government should pass oversight of academies back to local government - with additional powers to make sure that the sponsors of underperforming academies can be changed.
 
“While some elements of academies have been of real value, there is now a need for a fundamental transformation of this programme.  More powers should be devolved to all schools, with proper local oversight replacing micro-management by ministers.”

Recycling rates in North East Lincolnshire are continuing to grow as the council expands the garden waste service they provide to residents.

North East Lincolnshire Council is helping to cut down the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill by expanding its kerbside green waste collection service with the delivery of two new refuse collection vehicles.

There will be a presentation on Wednesday, January 12 from 2pm at the Gilbey Road, Grimsby recycling depot to mark the new liveries role in the expansion of garden waste as a service.

Chris Dunn, waste operations and garage manager, said: “Waste management is one of the most important issues of the 21st Century.

“This new service will reduce the boroughs use of landfill sites, and will help to boost the already impressive recycling rates in North East Lincolnshire.

“The new vehicles are to service the rural areas of Grimsby and Cleethorpes who currently do not have this service available yet.

“We recently carried a survey offering the garden waste service to over 25,000 properties with gardens. An additional 6,000 properties will now benefit from the garden waste expansion service and will make 75 percent of the authority being serviced with the garden waste collection.”

Martin Vickers, portfolio holder for environment, said: “This is great news for the borough and for the environment.

“North East Lincolnshire Council is working hard to encourage everyone to recycle and this will help householders across the area protect our environment for the future. We thank everyone for their support and remind everyone that the message is to keep recycling.”

Garden waste is emptied into a dedicated vehicle and then sent to a local facility to be recycled.

Putting garden waste into landfill sites produces greenhouse gas, which contributes to climate change. Garden waste can be composted into an effective and inexpensive soil improver without causing harm to the environment.

Please remember to present your garden waste bin by 7am on collection day. The brown garden waste bin must be placed at the boundary your property next to the highway used by the collection vehicle.

For more information about waste collection times and the services, contact the councils waste hotline on 01472 325841.

Commenting on today’s Ofcom report which finds that many ISPs are providing broadband at significantly lower speeds than they have advertised, Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster said: “This is yet more evidence that broadband providers are ripping off British consumers.”

“Now that Ofcom has this irrefutable evidence, the regulator must ensure that ISPs comply with the new code and only advertise speeds that they can actually provide.
 
“The Government must now bring forward concrete plans for modernising Britain’s creaking telecommunications networks, particularly in rural areas, before we fall even further behind the rest of the world in broadband speeds.”

NORTH East Lincolnshire Council is backing a new campaign to stamp out loan sharks who prey on vulnerable people across the boroughRepresentatives from the council’s trading standards team will be at The Deep in Hull on Wednesday, January 7, to support a campaign being spearheaded by their colleagues at Birmingham City Council and funded by the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

The campaign will raise awareness of illegal lending, secure prosecutions and work with local organisations to ensure people in the hands of loan sharks are able to access appropriate advice, affordable credit and other sources of support.

Andy Foster, the council’s trading standards manager, said: “We’re giving support to Birmingham’s trading standards team who will carry out an investigation into money lending across Yorkshire and The Humber.

“This campaign will ultimately see trading standards take more of a role to alleviate the misery caused by illegal money lenders. These sharks can cause huge financial misery to people who are often vulnerable, even though they don’t have the appropriate licenses and are in contravention of the Consumer Credit Act.”

Councillor Steve Beasant, portfolio holder for Communities and Neighbourhoods, said: “We want to put an end to this extortionate behaviour and also provide advice to people who are feeling the pinch by directing them to services that are ethical and won’t charge such high and debilitating rates of interest.”

Public bonfires on Bonfire Night should be making a return to N E Lincs in 2009.

Councillors say that Cleethorpes should be the location for a large licensed party, possibly with some more in other areas of North East Lincolnshire.

Plans are being made for at least one organised display following trouble-free celebrations in 2008.

Councillors say that Cleethorpes should be the location for a large licensed party, possibly with some more in other areas of North East Lincolnshire.

Last year saw a campaign to prevent illegal bonfires in an operation which involved the fire brigade, police and council staff who patrolled potential trouble areas.   Any rubbish laid out as potential bonfire material was cleared from streets and open ground.

In the Yarborough Ward the Ward Councillors provided funding for a joint project with Shoreline HP to provide alternative activities in the Bonfire night period which resulted in no reported instances of antisocial behaviour in the area, which was a considerable reduction over the previous year. 

It is hoped that a bonfire can be organised next year with the assistance of volunteers from the Neighbourhood Forum, Yarborough Forward, and neighbourhood forums in other areas have expressed similar ambitions.

Recent research carried out by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that many pensioners are still not receiving their full entitlement to benefits.

• Around two-fifths of pensioner households (1½ million households) entitled to Pension Credit are not claiming it.
• Around two-fifths of pensioner households entitled to Council Tax Benefit (2 million households) are not claiming it.
• Non-take-up for both Pension Credit and Council Tax Benefit has risen substantially over the last decade, up from around 30% to around 40%.
• Problems with take-up of Housing Benefit are much less severe.
  Of the estimated £4.3 billion of unclaimed income-related benefits to which pensioners were entitled in 2006/07, Pensioner Credit accounted for half while Council Tax Benefit accounted for a third.
• Take-up of the Pension Credit is much lower for owner-occupiers than for social and private renters: half of all the households in owner-occupation who are entitled to the Pension Credit do not claim it compared to ‘only’ a fifth for renters. One of the reasons for this difference is likely to be that owner-occupiers are less likely to be in contact with their local authority than renters because Housing Benefit is not applicable to them.
• The proportion of pensioner households entitled to, but not claiming, Pension Credit is somewhat higher for pensioner couples than for single pensioners.

The economic regeneration team at North East Lincolnshire Council is being praised for its customer service skills.

The team has achieved Customer First accreditation for the third successive time, a sign of regeneration’s excellent work with the wider business community in supporting and developing a range of projects to North East Lincolnshire.

It first achieved the classification in 2004, and has been awarded it at intervals of two years ever since.

Following a day audit, a Customer First assessor said the Agency displayed many examples of best practice and demonstrated a clear focus on meeting client needs.

In addition to ensuring great service delivery the accreditation will mean that the agency will be able to continue to access business support funding from the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward for a further two years.

Tony Hunter, chief executive of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “The council has a deserved reputation for delivering excellent levels of customer service. Achieving this accreditation will help motivate staff, heighten their self esteem and enhance pride in what they do.”

Councillor Geoff Lowis, the council’s portfolio holder for regeneration and housing, added: “I would like to offer my congratulations to the team for its hard work and commitment to realising this accreditation. What is especially pleasing is the acknowledgement that our regeneration team place interaction with the public and businesses at the heart of what it does.”

Government ministers made an embarrassing change of plan last night over proposals that would see “loan shark” interest rates on crisis loans for the poor.

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell had approved the proposals to charge interest rates of up to 27 per cent on loans from the Government’s Social Fund for households needing a crisis loan, but the plans were hastily withdrawn following an outcry from MPs.

Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said:

 “It’s completely self-defeating. It’s just driving people who are already in difficulty into even further difficulty.”

A consultation document signed by Mr Purnell suggested credit unions be allowed to charge interest of one to two per cent each month in order to extend the cash services available, and went on to admit that rate would be equivalent to an annual interest rate of up to 26.8 per cent, enough to add almost £50 to a typical £433 loan.

Labour backbencher Ronnie Campbell commented: “James Purnell makes me ashamed to be a member of the Labour Party. It is a disgrace the way he is hitting the poor.”

As a member of the Humberside Fire Authority I was particularly pleased to learn that Humberside Fire & Rescue Service scooped an award at the Making a Difference in Yorkshire and Humber Awards.

In I’m a collision casualty - Get me out of here! Participants are seated in a specially modified vehicle and experience the horrors of being rescued from a vehicle collision. Using cutting equipment, stretchers and spine boards, the emergency services demonstrate in graphic detail how serious the consequences of vehicle collision can be.

The demonstration shows how emergency service workers are involved in releasing casualties from a crashed vehicle. During the demonstration the rescue teams, act, ask the same questions, lift and immobilise the participants just as they would in a real collision, all of this is done with the casualties blindfolded so that they can experience the sensation of being partially conscious and helpless.

Last night was the last meeting of North East Lincolnshire Council.  The high light for me in what was quite a dull meeting was being asked to speak in support of my Liberal Democrat colleague and Portfolio holder, Councillor Steve Beasant as we proposed an amendment to a motion from the labour group for NELC to opt in to the Sustainable Communities Act.

It was the intention of the Liberal Democrat group to propose that we opt in to this act at this meeting, but we were pipped at the post by the Labour group.  As their two line motion seemed to be a little short on detail, it was decided that we would seek an amendment to the motion and report, which can be read on the site of Cllr Beasant, at  http://tinyurl.com/4lm7lk

 The labour group were obviously won over by our speeches, as they accepted our ammendment, and it was unanimously accepted.  If anyone would like to read the notes that I made for my speech they can be found by clicking on Speech Notes

Libraries across North East Lincolnshire have a new crime-fighting kit on the shelves - in the ongoing battle to get smart with criminals.

The crime fighting kit SmartWater, credited with slashing burglary rates, will be made available at all ten libraries across the borough from Monday, December 1.

Following a review by the Safer and Stronger Scrutiny Panel, residents will be able to fill in a referral form and order their £20 SmartWater burglary prevention kits from the libraries.

The Safer Communities partnership will then carry out free target hardening at residents’ properties and deliver the kits.

The liquid crime marking solution has previously only been available from the council’s municipal offices.

Councillor Steve Beasant, portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said:

 “This excellent decision by our scrutiny committee means the SmartWater kits will much more readily available and accessible.

“For a small price, residents are being given a great peace of mind. The kits have a proven effect in reducing crime and have been very popular in the short time they have been available. I would fully expect many residents to use this opportunity to secure their home and contents against the menace of burglars.

“We are also asking residents to take extra precautions this Christmas period by making sure that they make extra effort, and lock there doors and windows and keep their valuables out of sight”.

SmartWater itself is designed for use on electronic equipment such as TV’s, videos or other expensive items and each bottle issued contains a unique DNA style chemical code specific to each house.

While undetectable to the human eye, traces of SmartWater left on goods can be detected by an ultraviolet scanner and matched against an index to help police trace recovered stolen property to the buildings they were taken from.

The substance can also leave a long lasting but harmless and invisible mark on the skin of anyone who handles good marked with it.Since the introduction of Smartwater, Humberside Police has scanned everyone taken into custody with special scanners to see if they are tainted with Smartwater.

Those who have shown traces of the agent have then been checked against a database recovered property which has been protected by Smartwater to see if they can be linked with unsolved burglaries.

It has been praised as a ‘spectacular success’ both in the borough and in other parts of the country where it has been credited with lowering burglary rates by as much as 80 per cent. 

Waste and recycling collections over the festive period in North East Lincolnshire will take place as shown in the table below. 

Residents are asked to present their bins by 7am on the day of collection.  If for any reason the bin is not collected by 5pm it should be retrieved, then presented the following day. 

To make sure that all available resources are available to clear household waste over Christmas and new year, the council has decided to suspend the collection of garden waste during the weeks beginning Monday, December 22 and Monday, December 29.

For further information please contact the waste hotline on (01472) 325841. 

A festive offering from North East Lincolnshire Council’s library service will bring seasonal serenity to households with its DVD Christmas rental offer.

From Sunday, December 14 to Wednesday, December 31, library members can borrow two DVDs for the rental price of one - that’s just £1.50.

Councillor Steve Hocknell, portfolio holder for culture, leisure and healthier communities, said:

 ”This is an amazing offer and a great way to save some money during the credit crunch.“It provides much better value for money than any other DVD deals on the high street and they can be kept for a week meaning you don’t have to rush watching them - just sit back and enjoy the entertainment.

“The library’s DVD collection ranges from classics to special interest, comedy to period drama and includes some of the popular titles including St Trinians, Atonement, Blades of Glory, Spider Man 3, Peter Kay, Fast Show and Alan Carr.DVDs that may come in useful for the New Year are some keep-fit titles including belly dancing, salsa and yoga. To borrow a DVD, people must be a member of the library service, which is free to join. To register, pop into a North East Lincolnshire library with some identification and the library staff will be happy to help.

Local councillors and residents have welcomed the news of a new Grimsby police station.

The station on Laceby Road will be in the heart of Grimsby South Policing area, which includes the Nunsthorpe and Grange estates in South Ward, as well as Ridgeway, Littlecoates and Laceby Acres in the Yarborough.  

The new building will house the 25 police staff, 12 community wardens and warden manager that form the neighbourhood policing team for Grimsby South.

Insp Tracy Bradley, who heads the neighbourhood policing team, said:

“We are very excited about the new station. It is going to be fantastic to be based in the heart of the community.”

Tim Hollis, the Chief Constable of Humberside Police also said:

“This shows our commitment to our neighbourhood policing teams, and will re-establish the police in the community, which is the very essence of British policing.

“It is another symbol of our commitment to restoring our relationship with the community and reassuring them that we are on their side.”

Chief Supt David Hilditch, divisional commander for North East Lincolnshire, said:

“It is really important for the team to have a base that is on their patch.  It will be easier for them to get out on patrol and it is a place that residents can come to, to see the officers.”

The station will cost almost £900,000, with the capital funding coming from Humberside Police Authority.

Coun Doug Pickett (Lib Dem, South), who is also vice chair of the planning committee, said: “I am really pleased that the committee unanimously agreed to this. We have been waiting for a long time.

“It will be a really good addition to help improve safety in the area.”

Coun Sue Pickett (Lib Dem, South) said: “Neighbourhood policing has really come on in the last few years. The police are a lot more visible than they used to be, and this will add to that.”

KIER has been announced as the preferred bidder for the design and redevelopment of Hereford Technology School and Havelock Academy for North East Lincolnshire Council, projects with a combined value of £37 – 40 million.

Both the school and the academy will be replaced over the next three years by modern, state-of-the-art buildings, designed to help to raise the educational standards of those attending as well as meeting the needs of the communities of North East Lincolnshire.  

Kier is aiming to make the new facilities flexible, to accommodate future curriculum needs as well as those of the present.

Work is due to start at Hereford in April 2009 with an aim to open by September 2010. Work on Havelock will follow closely with their opening anticipated to be January 2011. The predecessor buildings will largely be demolished.

We are looking forward to working with Kier Education over the next three years. This announcement represents an important step forward with for these projects. North East Lincolnshire will benefit from the new Hereford School and Havelock Academy within three years, bringing a further £39 million into the borough’s schools ahead of our main Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Initial innovative designs for Hereford showcase Kier’s specialism of technology. The mix of linear and circular shapes enables classrooms to be different shapes and sizes, offering a flexible approach to learning. The external landscape has also been considered and a number of outdoor learning environments will also be provided. The school will be built on the corner of Hereford Avenue and Westward Ho and will link with the Learning Village approach which is being developed with the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education and Franklin College.

Elaine Davies, headteacher at Hereford Technology School, said: “Hereford Technology School are delighted with the partnership that has developed between us and Kier. The proposed design enables us to embrace current curriculum developments but is flexible enough to meet future needs such as the delivery of 14-19 diplomas.

“Initial designs show a school with our students and their pastoral care at its heart. Equally important to us is our community and Hereford will continue to lie at its centre with the capacity to offer a wider range of courses and services. As well as looking to the future, we also hope to encompass and celebrate our town’s heritage in the specially designed forum and landscape. It certainly places us at the front of the transformational journey of education and at the heart of the Learning Village. We are looking forward to the next stage of the development and sharing our proposals with the community.”

A drop-in consultation event, allowing the community an opportunity to see initial plans for Hereford School, will take place on Tuesday December 2 at the school. It will be held between 4pm and 7pm and the public will be asked to give their views on the designs before a formal planning application is made later in the month. The designs and images for the school are not final but give an idea of what the school could look like. The school, council and Kier want to engage members of the community in the development of final plans for the project.

Roger Edwardson, deputy director of learning, said of the community consultation: “We are determined to ensure that our plans for the new schools represent the needs of their students and the local community. Further design events will take place with young people at both Hereford and Havelock as the projects move forward. We would like as many members of our community to come along to the consultation event and give their views to enable us to move forward with these projects together.”

Households in North East Lincolnshire who have been sent a postal survey about life in the borough are being asked to complete and return it so their views can be addressed.

The Government sponsored surveys have been sent to thousands of randomly selected homes and asks residents’ opinions about the quality of life in their immediate neighbourhood.

There are prizes up for grabs for those families who complete their survey, with the grand prize being a year’s family gym membership, up to the value of £800.

The council and its partners who include the police, health authorities, businesses and community representatives, make decisions that affect everybody’s lives. They want to be certain they understand the views of local people and deal with the issues that matter to their customers.

Councillor Beasant said: “It is important you respond to this survey as it will be used to see how well we and our partners are doing at delivering the services that matter to you. It will help us to decide what needs doing differently in the future.

“We are asking for your views on public health, poverty, crime, regeneration, public transport, household waste and recycling and a host of other big topics that affect you.”

As well as the fantastic leisure centre offer courtesy of Sports and Leisure Management, prizes include theatre tickets, visitor attraction passes, health care plans and meal vouchers.

The deadline for people to respond and return their survey is Friday, December 19.

  North East Lincolnshire Council’s children’s services team came top in the Making a Difference in Yorkshire and Humber Awards 2008 in the category of People Management, for the improvements it has made to service delivery and another five projects from North East Lincolnshire Council were short listed for awards, organised by Local Government Yorkshire and Humber (LGYH).  

The awards celebrate councils, police and fire authorities throughout Yorkshire and

A new management approach was developed to ensure that the needs of children and families were met when demands on the service were increasing. 

Joanne Hewson, interim deputy director for communities and partnerships for children services, said:

“We needed to ensure that whilst delivering a universal service to all families, our most vulnerable families received the extra level of service required to enable us to make a difference to their lives. “This had previously been inconsistent and we wanted to make dramatic changes to this.“In order to achieve this it was essential that everyone worked together to deliver this demanding agenda.” 

The portfolio holder for children’s services, said:

“This is an excellent achievement and recognises the continued efforts and commitment that has gone into ensuring that our children’s centres provide support and assistance to families in our area. 

“It is testimony to the work of the all organisations involved from health, social care and education establishments and everyone should be very proud of their achievements.” 

Councillor Arthur Barker, chair of LGYH, said:

“The Making a Difference Awards are a great way for the region to come together and celebrate the achievements of the past year. Yorkshire and Humber are recognised nationally for a lot of their good work and I welcome opportunities, such as this one provided by Local Government Yorkshire and Humber, where we can show how effective our local authorities are.”   

North East Lincolnshire Council residents can learn more about staying warm and keeping fuel bills low this winter with a number of Energy Roadshows taking place next week.

The event is part of a wider programme of activities taking place as part of the Warm Homes Campaign, a national campaign that aims to cut the number of winter deaths and reduce cold-related illnesses by raising awareness of the help available to people who cannot afford to heat their homes in winter.

The campaign, which runs throughout November, is organised by energy efficiency charity National Energy Action (NEA) in association with eaga, and supported by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

North East Lincolnshire Council’s Home Energy team is using the event to raise awareness of the problems facing local people who struggle to heat their homes and the role that energy efficiency can play in making their homes warmer, more comfortable and easier to heat.

The Energy Roadshows will provide advice and grant information to help people keep warm save money on their fuel bills.

Locations of the Energy Roadshows are as follows

November 26 - Matalan, Alexandra Road Retail Park - 12noon – 4pm

November 27 - Asda, Holles Street, Grimsby -10am – 3pm

December 5 - Ramsdens, Cleethorpe Road 10am – 3pm

Councillor Steve Beasant, portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “With a cold snap forecast for this weekend, there has never been a better time to focus on the services provided by the council to help people stay warm in their homes. “People with elderly relatives or neighbours have a social responsibility to help people stay warm in their homes and these roadshows offer a great opportunity to find out more.”

The UK is facing a homelessness timebomb as a third of people would lose their homes within three months if they lost their job, according to a survey by the homeless charity Crisis.

The poll revealed that 33% of the working population could face homelessness in as little as three months if they were to join the increasing numbers of unemployed people.

Last week the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) warned that unemployment could rise to as many as 3.25 million, which is more than 10% of the workforce if recent Government bids to help the economy were unsussessful

Any increase in unemployment levels could prove disastrous for those already struggling to meet rent and mortgage repayments, according to the charity.

Crisis said: “If unemployment continues to rise, the knock-on effect of a rise in homelessness could occur very soon.”

The survey also revealed that 24% of adults without children said they would approach the local authorities for help in the event if they lost their home.

 Crisis said this expectation was “misplaced” and that local authorities “only have a duty to house people who meet the strict statutory criteria” and that most couples without children do not qualify.

30% of those polled said that their savings had already been spent and that 60% were now planning to cut back on Christmas spending.

Leslie Morphy, chief executive of Crisis, said: “Recent job losses are creating a homelessness timebomb. The Government must act to help people struggling to pay their mortgage to avoid repossession and move quickly to protect private tenants.

“It must accelerate the building of new social housing and at the same time widen the safety net of support for those facing homelessness. Finally, we must not forget those who are already homeless. They are in danger, once again, of being at the bottom of the pile.”

The Post Office will be allowed to continue to operate the card account which distributes benefits to 4.3 million claimants.

The Work and Pensions Secretary, James Purnell told MPs he would do “nothing to put the network at risk”.

 Post Office card accounts were devised to avoid  the need for giros and payment books for pensioners and benefit claimants, while still allowing them to use post offices to collect money.

The Post Office had faced competition to run the account from the private company PayPoint, which said it was “disappointed by this decision”.

Unions representing postal staff welcomed the decision but said the network’s future depended on being able to offer more services, particularly savings and insurance products.

“The Post Office is a national treasure and asset and the government should be doing more,” said Andy Fury, from the Communications Workers Union, adding that the Post Office should be transformed into the “people’s bank”.

The Lib Dems said that the decision would come as a “huge relief” to postal workers and customers but argued ministers had “some explaining” to do about the way it had handled the process.

“The government has wasted time and money and caused immeasurable heartache by dragging this process out for so long,” said the party’s work and pensions spokeswoman Jenny Willott.

“This could all have been avoided if, as the Liberal Democrats have long argued, the Post Office Card Account had never been put out to tender in the first place.”

Commenting on the Home Affairs Select Committee report on Policing in the 21st Century, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: “This report is right to highlight how mistaken the Government has been to try to run policing through Whitehall targets, which have proved an expensive disaster.”

Chris Huhne went on to say:

“The result has been a priority for trivial offences, the abandonment of local concerns and the swamping of officers in red tape.

“The best thing ministers could do for policing in this century would be to scrap the ID cards scheme and put 10,000 more police on our streets.”

THE Environmental Health team at North East Lincolnshire Council is working with two takeaways to help them clean up their act after they received a zero-star rating in new Scores on the Doors figures released this week.Happy House Cantonese Takeaway in Wellington Street, Grimsby, and Yeung’s in High Street, Waltham, both recorded zero stars in the online figures for September.

More than 450 premises have now been assessed since Scores On The Doors, accessible at www.nelincs.gov.uk/scoresonthedoors, was launched In March. Mr Mercer added: “We are still finding a high level of compliance across North East Lincolnshire. This online service enables us to highlight good practice and help businesses, schools, nursing homes and other catering facilities to make sure they are providing the very best for their customers and service users.”Cllr Steve Beasant, the council’s portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “Scores On The Doors highlights good practice in food hygiene and management, while allowing environmental health officers to work with lower scoring premises to educate them about how they can improve.

Commenting on the news that the number of registered childminders is now at its lowest level for five years, Liberal Democrat Shadow Children Spokesperson, Annette Brooke said: “It is now becoming increasingly difficult for parents to find good quality and affordable childcare.”

Annette Brooke continued, saying:

“The Government’s overly prescriptive and bureaucratic approach to pre-school care coupled with the new Ofsted inspections on the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage is driving good childminders away.

“Good quality childminders provide an essential service particularly for mothers who do not want to put their children into a nursery at a very young age.

“Ministers must rethink the current system to make sure children are cared for in a suitable environment, without putting unreasonable demands on childminders.”

Nearly one in three electric blankets inspected by North East Lincolnshire Council’s trading standards team recently were defective and could put lives at risk.

That’s the worrying verdict from the council’s trading standards manager Andy Foster, following testing of 205 blankets owned by residents in North East Lincolnshire in a two-day operation.   There was a 31 per cent failure rate - with the majority of those that failed (68 per cent) due to having no protection from overheating.

The figures show a large increase on last year’s results when 91 blankets were tested and 23 per cent failed.

Mr Foster said: “As the nights draw in and people start to use their electric blankets once again, it is extremely worrying to see such a large number of these items failing to come up to scratch. “Every year, fatal fires are started because of a defective electric blanket, but trading standards are on hand to help, not only with advice, but with a collections service which will see our officers picking up any blankets from people’s homes.   The extra service of having blankets collected has already been taken up by 22 North East Lincolnshire residents. 

Mr Foster added: “The high failure rate reinforces our call for people to get their blankets tested on an annual basis. There are also a number of simple checks that people can perform themselves.

• Checking the length of the cord to ensure there are no breaks in the insulation - increasing the electrocution risk.
• Ensuring the plug has correctly sleeved pins
• Ensure you’re electric blanket has overheat protection If your electric blanket has the old kitemark symbol it will not have overheat protection and hugely increases the fire risk All modern blankets will carry the BEAB MARK

 Cllr Steve Beasant, portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said “The health and safety of residents is a priority for the council and I am pleased we were able to offer this service again  

“Faulty electric blankets can pose a real danger and sadly, statistics show that older people are often at most risk. I believe this council initiative will reduce the number of accidents related to faulty or old electric blankets

If you have any queries about your electric blanket and have missed this year’s testing ring trading standards on 01472 324770 and ask to speak with Jessica Body

Responding to Andy Burnham’s announcement today of a modernisation review of England’s public library service, Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster said: “I welcome a review of how libraries can be improved but I’m concerned that this is just a thinly veiled attempt to make further cuts to our fast-disappearing library services.”

Don Foster went on to say:

“Under Labour we’ve seen the slow death of hundreds of libraries across the country. Rural areas are suffering the most and being cut out of the loop as resources are concentrated elsewhere.

“We should be looking to councils like Sutton who have shown just how great libraries can be when they shake off their dusty image and become lively centres of learning in the community.”

Liberal Democrat research on libraries shows:

· London loses a library every 10 weeks on average, while the North West loses one every three weeks
· A library in the capital is open for an average of 10 hours longer each week than a library outside the capital
· There are 10% fewer mobile libraries than there were in 2001
· Half of all library closures last year happened in the north
· London was the only area in the country not to see more libraries close than open last year
· In England, an average of more than one library per week closes
· The number of people borrowing one item per year or more from libraries has declined by a quarter since 2001

The Liberal Democrats are calling upon Alistair Darling to clear up the uncertainty about hundreds of millions of pounds that councils have invested in Iceland’s banks.

Chancellor Alistair Darling has protected Britons’ personal savings in banks which are now in default, but at least 20 councils in England and Wales are known to have deposits in Landsbanki amounting to tens of millions of pounds. 

Councils are asking the government for the same protection that has been promised to personal savers.

The Icelandic Prime Minister said that his government is working to repair relations with Britain amid the crisis - The BBC has claimed that Kent County Council alone has £50m in Iceland based banks.    

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales, says it has identified more than 20 councils which are believed to have deposits in Landbanksi or Heritable, which was run by Landbanksi. 

The LGA says it does not expect “significant financial problems” in the short term as town halls put money into a wide range of institutions and vital frontline services should not be affected. 

John Andrew, BBC local government correspondent, said that there is growing anger among councils, who say they followed Treasury advice by investing surplus money in a way that would deliver the highest return for taxpayers.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Julia Goldsworthy said that there is an urgent need for clarification and urged the government to make clear how local authority funds will be protected.

Figures released today have revealed that elderly people paid £1.6billion in charges for their social care last year.  The charges, levied on older people by local authorities under the means-tested social care regime, accounted for one fifth of all spending on services for older people, which totalled £8.9billion.

A breakdown of contributions shows that older people paid £892million towards residential care,illion £258m towards home care, and £37million towards equipment and adaptations.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “The current long-term funding system for personal care for the elderly in England is simply not workable.

“It is unfair, ineffective and unsustainable. People who use or work in the system find it irrational, confusing and unjust.

“The Government has been dithering over reform for too long. We need radical reform of the system now.

“The Liberal Democrats have proposed an extra £2bn to help fund a Care Guarantee which would entitle all older people to a personal care payment, based on need and not the ability to pay.”
 

Dave Hillditch, the Police Divisional Commander for N E Lincs who recently visited the Respect Fun House on Grimsby’s Nunsthorpe estate, which is also visitted by many young people from our area,  said that the centre “must not close.”

He believes that the centre has helped to reduce anti-social behaviour and street crime on the Nunsthorpe estate.

“The impact of the Fun House goes beyond the obvious,” he said.

“It gives children an interest, a sense of belonging and builds their aspirations – as well as keeping them away from street crimes.”

As reported, volunteers at the Fun House have been unable to find the estimated £50,000 needed to carry out a series of urgent repairs, including fixing leaking toilets and replacing old wiring .

After a tour of the centre – which includes a soft-play area, computer games, pool tables, arcade machines and a dance hall – Chief Supt Hilditch showed his support for the campaign to keep it open.

Read the rest of this entry »

Figures revealed in today’s Times show that officers in England and Wales spend only an average of only 8 minutes in every hour on patrol.  This means that officers can expect to be on patrol for just over one and a half hours of every twelve hour shift.

Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents 140,000 rank-and-file officers, said the figures reflected the experience of constables on the beat.

“This is what is reflected by anecdotal evidence on the ground, where officers tell us that they are absolutely over-burdened by bureaucracy, form-filling and sitting in front of computer screens, when they want to be out fighting crime and fighting criminals.

“It is disappointing to see that despite so many initiatives across the country, including many from Whitehall, officers are still not able to get on with the job they want to do.”

The views of the Police Federation Chairman agree entirely with the views that were expressed by myself and other Lib Dem Councillors Beasant, Boylen and Pickett when we travelled to the House of Commons last year and met government ministers as part of the “Enough” campaign.  Such a pity that we are still waiting for the government to  take action a year later!

This morning, following the heavy overnight rain I walked down Yarborough Road, which is a part of the Yarborough Ward. 

Despite the numerous requests to clear the drains that I have made over the last twelve months, I noticed that there were still two drains that are not working properly. 

This is a considerable improvement over the state of affairs that existed 12 months ago thanks to the work of the neighbourhood services team.  Hopefully the last two drains will be cleared or repaired in the next few days.

While walking down the street I was also struck by the amount of surface water on the footpath which was caused by boken or uneven paving stones and other defects.  I have also made a request for work to be done on these before someone falls and hurts themself.

If you notice anything in the street that needs repairing, such as street lights not working, trees that need trimming, broken paving stones, blocked drains or anything else please report it, or it is very unlikely to be repaired. 

You can report a fault by ringing 313131 and asking to make a customer request, or by emailing customerrequests@nelincs.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response please let me know and I will try and help, but please bear in mind that the problem could be the responsibility of someone other than the Council, and that if this is the case the Council may not be able to do the work.

The best way to contact me is by e mail at les.bonner@nelincs.gov.uk or by telephone on 01472 310855

According to Guardian Online, Government ministers have admitted that thousands more post offices in addition to the 2,500 that have closed in the latest round of cuts will be forced out of business if a contract for handling state pensions and benefits is not awarded to the Royal Mail.

The recent programme of closures, which have included several local post offices, such as Lambert Rd. and Humberstone Road have hit many of the most vulnerable members of our community, and led to even longer queues at remaining post offices in the area, as bourne out byrecent figures from Consumer Focus which show that average queueing times have almost doubled as they have increased from 11 to 20 minutes.

A long-awaited decision on who will win the tender to run the replacement to the Post Office Card Account which is used by millions of pensioners and benefit recipients, is due to be taken soon by James Purnell, the Work and Pensions Secretary. Read the rest of this entry »

This afternoon I was at Littlecoates Community Centre for the first dance class for young people run by Tushy from the Nunsthorpe Respect Dance Group, and I was struck by two things straight away. 

The Nunsthorpe Respect Dance Group is the area’s leading dance groupfor young people. They recently performed at the opening of the Libereal Democrat Convention in Bournemouth  

Tushy, who is one of the teachers and choreographers in the group, and is also one of the leading dancers, kept the attention of the dancers for two hours.  I have rarely heard a group of young people be so quiet for so long! 

 The other thing besides seeing how well Tushy can inspire a group of young people is to see with my own eyes just how talented some of our young people are!

After one session the dancers have almost learned their first routine.  Tushy was so impressed with them that he has promised to find them a spot in this year’s Dancemania,  which is a dancing extravaganza involving hundreds of young dancers from North East Lincs which takes place at the Auditorium at the end of this month.  The event showcases the hard work and talent of many of our young residents in front of an audience which packs the house.  If you want to see Dancemania buyyour ticket straight away or you will not be able to get one!

If there are any young boys or girls who would like to be part of the Littlecoates Respect Dance Group, there is room for some more members.  Just be at the Littlecoates Community Centre in Saint Michael’s Road next Saturday at 2.00pm.  The sessions will cost £1.00 per week.

If you are no longer a young person there are also dance classes open to anyone for line dancing on Monday evenings and belly dancing on Wednesday evenings.  Further details are available on  from Rod on 01472 237305 or Eileen on 01472 310855

According to the Local Government Association, the recent economic slowdown has meant that local councils will have to find more that a billion pounds of savings over the next three years to preserve essential local services and to keep increases in council tax to a minimum.

The Local Government Association (LGA) represents over 400 local councils in England and Wales.  It is warning that the current harsh economic conditions and increasing inflation is forcing councils to find new ways of making money go further and ways to maintain normal services.

Pressure on council budgets is coming from many directions including: Read the rest of this entry »

Saterday 4th October at 2.00pm is the time for the first dance sessions at Littlecoates Community Centre with Tushy (Liam Reader). 

The Saturday afternoon sessions, funded by the NHS Health Promotions Unit, and supported by the Litlecoates and Laceby Acres TARA, are open to anyone aged 6 - 16 who wants come along and improve their dancing with Tushy. 

For those of you who have never heard of Tushy he is one of the dance teachers and leading dancers of the well known Saint Martin’s Dance Group who performed at this years Liberal Democrat Conference and at last year’s Dancemania. 

The dance sessions cost £1.oo for a two hour session, and if that is not cheap enough for you the first week will be free!

We are very lucky that Tushy is coming to Littlecoates as his teaching is always in great demand, and hope that we will see lots of you this Saturday for the first session.  Find out more by ringing Les Bonner on 01472 310855, or Michelle Buley on 01472 592070

A tory plan to freeze council tax will deprive schools, OAP homes, poor families, and much-needed local  services of £3 billion, it emerged last night.

David Cameron’s shadow chancellor George Osborne claimed the freeze would save the average family £210, but there would also be a cost as Councils in England would be forced to cut services to keep their spending increases below 2.5% a year when inflation is at almost five per cent.

Any town hall which reached the arbitrary 2.5% target would then get extra cash from a Conservative government to prevent council tax increases.

The cost of the “cash for cuts” deal has been estimated at £3billion - £1.5billion from local authorities and the same amount from central government over two years.

They said they would pay for part of it by slashing government advertising budgets which pay for drink-drive and anti-knife campaigns, but Mr Osborne admitted to the Mirror it would be up to local councils to decide how they made the”savings”. He also refused to clarify what services would be cut or how many jobs would go. Mr Osborne merely said: “I think there is plenty of opportunity in local government to find savings.”

Some of the most vulnerable people in our communities would be hit hardest by the cuts, and thousands of local authority jobs would be lost to pay for the Conservatives’ pledge to restrict local government charges for two years.

George Osborne’s council tax pledge could only be introduced if local councils made big cuts in public services, but he has failed to set out where any savings would come from.  It is also clear that any cuts made would also hit the low paid and most vulnerable members of our society who would bear the brunt of any cuts in local services that are made as a result of these proposals

 On Saturday I visitted the new Riverside Children’s Centre for it’s official opening. 

Although the Centre has already been running for a month, Saturday marked the official opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

I saw the facilities on offer at the new centre, and met some of the staff who will be working there.  I am sure that the new Children’s Centre will be a fantastic facility for the surrounding community, and it will help to ensure that the area’s children are given the best possible start in life.

The Children’s Centre in Central Parade, which is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. employs eight staff and provides services for parents with children under the age of five, including childcare, exercise sessions, cookery lessons and adult learning.

Centre co-ordinator Gill Bell said: “We are here to support and help families with children under five through what can be a very rewarding but difficult time.

“It brings families and children together. We can offer them help and advice and we can signpost them onto other services.”

Ensure your electric blanket is safe with a free safety test!

AS winter draws closer many people get out their electric blankets to ensure a warm, comfortable night’s sleep. However, lengthy storage can result in serious faults developing with electrocution and fire hazards turning people’s dreams into nightmares.

Electric blankets account for over 5,000 fires a year and last year trading standards found that nearly a quarter of the blankets they tested were unsafe.

Jane Tomlinson, principal trading standards officer, said: “The annual testing of electric blankets is a free service which we offer to the community to help them make their homes safer. Continuing high failure rates show the importance of having your blanket tested regularly.”

Additionally last year trading standards introduced a pick-up service for those that were unable to attend the sessions and nearly half of these blankets failed the safety check.

This year trading standards are working with Help the Aged who will replace blankets that fail, free-of-charge for the over 50s, while stocks last.

Trading standards will be carrying out the checks on Wednesday, October 1, at Cleethorpes Memorial Hall in conjunction with the Older People’s Advice Day and Help the Aged from 10am to 3pm and on Thursday, October 2, at Grimsby library, from 9.15am to 4pm. No appointment is necessary at either of the venues.

To arrange for your blanket to be picked up by trading standards telephone (01472) 324770.

Trading standards offer the following guidance if you use an electric blanket:

• Always purchase a new blanket - second hand blankets may not be safe
• Never use a blanket with scorch marks, exposed elements or if it is wet
• Check the electrical lead for any signsx of wear or damage
• Ensure the blanket is stored carefully, roll it or fold it loosely to avoid creases as far as possible, or if you have a spare bed lay it on there
• Most electric blankets are designed not to be washed - always check the manufacturer’s instructions
• Ensure your blanket does not carry the Kite mark symbol but has BEAB in a square box on the blanket
• Get your blanket checked annually by trading standards

HOUSEHOLDS in North East Lincolnshire will receive a new advice guide through their letter boxes over the next few days.The council-produced mini A to Z contains over 100 contact details for key organisations, including the emergency services, advice helplines, transport, sport and leisure.Sarah Mainprize, the council’s head of communications and marketing, said: “If you need to contact the council about your council tax or want to find out about a friend or relative in hospital, the contact numbers are at your fingertips in this new handy-sized guide.

THE Riverside children’s centre, situated on Central Parade on the Yarborough estate, will be officially opened with a fun day and an open day.On Friday, September 26, a professionals’ open day will be held at the site, from 10am until 4pm, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11.30am.And on Saturday, a community fun day will be held, from 11am until 2pm, offering a variety of games, activities and competitions for all the family.

Check the safety of your ladder

IS your ladder right for the job? Make sure it’s in good condition, and don’t risk using it if it’s broken, damaged or bent, that is the advice from the council and Health and Safety Executive at the start of a national ladder exchange scheme. Old ladders can be part-exchanged with up to 50 per cent discount on a safe new one at any of these companies; HSS Hire, SGB Hire and Sale, Speedy Hire, ladderstore.com and selected Ladder Association supplier members.

Every year an average of 14 people die and a further 1,200 are seriously injured at work as a result of falling from a leaning ladder or stepladder.

Ladder users do not need to fall from a great height to be badly injured. More people get injuries like broken arms or legs falling less than two metres from a ladder. For example, a person was killed when they lost their footing on the second rung of a ladder and fell backwards, hitting their head on the floor. Read the rest of this entry »

The four Humber councils serving a population of around 900,000 people will tell Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Transport, that another toll increase cannot be supported.

Already the tolls on the Humber Bridge are the highest in the UK.

The Humber Bridge Board is seeking Government approval to increase the toll, for all classes of vehicle, with immediate effect. There is a deadline of 6 October to object to the planned increase.

If the increase is approved, the cost of a return car journey across the bridge will be £5.90. For the largest HGVs, the cost will be a staggering £39.80.

It is estimated 80 per cent of all traffic on the Humber Bridge is local to the both banks. Around £21-million is collected in tolls each year, but only £3-million is needed to cover the cost of operating the bridge. The balance goes to pay off the bridge debt. So around £17-million a year leaves the area .

The Chairman of the Unitary Leadersâp Group, which represents the East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull City, North Lincolnshire, and North East Lincolnshire councils is to contact Ruth Kelly making clear the planned increase should be rejected.

The Unitary Leadersâp Group met on Thursday 11 September 2008. We considered fully the implications of yet another toll increase. We also took into account the fact the four councils have commissioned research on the impact of the toll for both individuals and businesses,

 ”We came to the view that it would be wrong of the Transport Secretary to approve another increase when in the next few weeks, we’ll have research showing just how much damage the tolls have on the both banks of the Humber.

It’s not just businesses that are affected. Travel across both banks is much more limited than would be the case if the tolls were either scrapped or reduced significantly. Residents in the Scunthorpe and Grimsby areas face the cost of high tolls to attend, already at a time of stress, hospitals in Hull and the East Riding.

“And with the opening of the new Cancer Centre at Cottingham on the outskirts of Hull, even more south bank residents will face paying the cost of high tolls. That can’t be right. The group will inform Ruth Kelly that she cannot ignore the views of the four councils. In addition, the business community and many individuals will also be opposing the latest planned toll increase.

“We’ve now reached a defining moment. We will soon have independent research to show how much damage the tolls are causing us. We need to sit down with Government ministers and find a way forward. The future can’t be about absurdly high tolls. They put this area at a massive disadvantage with the rest of the country. We can debate the merits of scrapping the tolls completely or reducing them to a level that commands public support. What we can’t have is tolls at this level.

North East Lincs Council Is To Target Fly-Tippers

Environmental enforcement teams react after spate of casesNORTH East Lincolnshire Council has promised to use every means possible to clamp down on traders who fly-tip in the region’s alleyways and open spaces after a spate of recent cases.The council’s environmental enforcement teams will work closely with community wardens and lead the crackdown, which could result in anything from a mandatory £80 fixed penalty to a prosecution leading to a potential prison sentence.

Councillor Steve Beasant, the council’s portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “I have seen first-hand the amount of litter and waste that is unceremoniously strewn around the borough. We won’t stand for it, and if people think they are above the law, they are in for a nasty shock.”

John Waite, the council’s environmental enforcement manager, said he would use any powers available under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (2005) to rid North East Lincolnshire of dumped items - which in recent weeks have ranged from abandoned sofas to a skip full of potentially deadly asbestos. Read the rest of this entry »

I wasn’t there myself, but I am told that NORTH East Lincolnshire Council’s Question Time event proved a great success last Monday evening, with the audience posing some interesting questions for debate.

Topics covered included a variety of subjects, such as environmental policies, Grimsby in Bloom, policing drunken behaviour, and tackling problems caused by empty properties.

A panel of eight people who are heavily involved in community services faced an audience of 200 at Whitgift Theatre. The panel included the Leader of the Council, Councillor Andrew De Freitas; the Deputy Leader Councillor Keith Brookes; Great Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell; divisional commander of Humberside Police, Dave Hilditch; North East Lincolnshire Council’s new chief executive, Tony Hunter; chair of the North East Lincolnshire NHS Care Trust Plus, Val Waterhouse; plus Becky Smith, the North East Lincolnshire representative on the national Youth Parliament, and her deputy Jordana Flint. Chairing the panel and taking the questions was Mark Webb, chairman of the Local Strategic Partnership.

Some of the movie highlights are now available to view online. Please visit http://tiny.cc/otZpm for the web links

On Friday and Saturday this week I have spent much of the day speaking to people as a part of the Big Conservation.  I have spoken to many people about their problems, issues, and suggestions of ways to improve the Borough of North East Lincolnshire.  Some have told us how much we have improved our services over the last few years, and some have even told me that they cannot think of anything to complain about!  I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to let me know what you think, and I can assure you that you have all been heard, but just beacause the bus has gone away it doesn’t mean that the conversation is over.  If you would like to keep up the Big Conversation and become involved in improving local services and environment there a several ways open to you:

Contact your Ward Councillor - Contact details and surgeries are available from the Council switchboard on 313131, or from the council website, which is www.nelincs.gov.org

Join your local Neighbourhood Forum - If you live in the N E Lincs, ring 310855 or e mail les.bonner@nelincs.gov.uk for details of the next meeting of your forum. 

Tomorrow  (Friday) the big red London bus will be visiting the Yarborough Ward.  It will be at the Sommerfield supermarket in Cambridge Road from 9.30am to 1.00pm, and also from 6.30 - 9.00pm at Morrison’s car park.  Tony Hunter, the Chief Executive of NELC will be  available to answer any questions that you might like to ask him about North East Lincolnshire and it’s services.  I will also be there if there is anything you would ike to speak to me about.  I hope that I will be able to meet as many of the local residents as possible, so please stop for a chat for a few minutes if you have the time.

North East Lincolnshire Council has promised to use every means possible to clamp down on traders who fly-tip in the region’s alleyways and open spaces after a spate of recent cases. The council’s environmental enforcement teams will work closely with community wardens and lead the crackdown, which could result in anything from a mandatory £80 fixed penalty to a prosecution leading to a potential prison sentence. Councillor Steve Beasant, the council’s portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “I have seen first-hand the amount of litter and waste that is unceremoniously strewn around the borough. We won’t stand for it, and if people think they are above the law, they are in for a nasty shock.”  The council’s environmental enforcement manager, said he would use any powers available under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (2005) to rid North East Lincolnshire of dumped items - which in recent weeks have ranged from abandoned sofas to a skip full of potentially deadly asbestos.  Companies that transport waste will have to be in possession with correct documents required to move and store waste - such as a registered waste carriers license and transfer notices. Failure to do so could lead to on-the-spot fines and potential prosecutions. 

Grimsby’s top cop Chief Supt David Hilditch wants to hear what you have got to say on crime in the area - and how it can be tackled.

As reported, he recently took over as the divisional commander for North East Lincolnshire. And now he wants you to tell him your priorities.

From tomorrow and for four days, the Telegraph will be printing a question he wants to ask the people of North East Lincolnshire. 

Send your views to the Telegraph and they will pass them to him at the end of the week. Read the rest of this entry »

Users of Capes Recreation Ground in Littlecoates Road will be pleased to hear that it will have a number of improvements made in the near future. 

Improvements will include the provision of a new playtime unit, seesaw, roundabout and swings.  There will also be fencing, pedestrian gate, litter bins, and an anti-dog grid. 

I am sure that the improvements will make the park much more popular with our younger residents.

 I have also been informed that a much needed pair of goal posts are soon to be installed on the green next to Kingston Woods

Following the recent spell of heavy rain I thought it might be useful to remind NELC residents of the best way to report a blocked drain, or any other fault such as lights not working, or damaged footpaths etc.

You can report a fault by telephone on 01472 313131, and giving the operator details of the fault.  It will be reported to the appropriate department for you.

You can also report a fault on the internet by using this addrress   CustomerRequests@Nelincs.gov.uk

 Mistakes happen now and again, so if your request is not fulfilled after a few days try a reminder, and if this does not work please let me know and I will try and get it sorted for you.

NELC is currently expanding our Garden Waste collection scheme to all suitable properties in the area that do not already recieve a collection.

Over the next few months postcards will be sent to all suitable properties asking whether they would like to be included in the expansion.

Residents will be asked to fill in a tear off section of the postcard and return it to the waste team to register their interest. If 30% or more of residents in an area register an interest the service will be rolled out and residents will recieve a collection by Spring 2009.

Progress on the expansion will be reported via this webpage and through the Linc Up magazine delivered to all households quarterly.

Click Here to Register your interest in receiving a

Garden Waste Collection

 September 27th is the date for the opening of the new Riverside Children’s Centre in Central Parade, which will bring the number of Children’s Centres in North East Lincs. to a total of 13.

The new centre is designed to be a community hub, offering parenting advice, healthcare,sexual healthcare, links to Jobcentre Plus, Connexions,local childminding facilities, and schools, as well as a creche and some day-care facilities.  Additional services will also be available to families who have children with special needs.

Fun and games will fill Grimsby’s People’s Park this Sunday as the revamped site is officially reopened.

Organisers hope the the weather will be good for Park Pride Day, which was originally scheduled three weeks ago but was cancelled due to heavy rain. 

The park - which has been restored to its Victorian glory following a £2.7-million facelift - will see a host of activities laid on to celebrate the occasion.

Attractions will include live music, Victorian-themed children’s games, food stalls, magicians, balloon modelling, donkey rides and a Punch And Judy show at 12.30pm and 3pm.North East Lincolnshire Council’s parks and open spaces officer, Alan Fletcher, said: “Hopefully the weather will be kind to us and it will be an opportunity for everybody to see what we have done at the park. “As we have just celebrated the park’s 125 year anniversary, the event will have a Victorian theme.”

At midday the Mayor of North East Lincolnshire, Coun Colin Eastwell, will officially declare the park open and the Grimsby Majorettes will perform,.

The park’s bandstand will stage performances by the Kingsway Players Brass Band at 11am and 12.15pm, Merlin’s Keep Folk Band at 1.15pm and Dixieland Jazz Band at 2.15pm and 3.15pm.

Traditional children’s games, organised by the Friends Of People’s Park, will include large snakes and ladders, a teddy bears picnic, and a best dressed teddy competition at 1.30pm.

For those who get peckish during the day there will be a number of food stalls and the park’s cafe centre will be open serving hot snacks.

Park Pride Day runs from 11am to 4pm, on Sunday.

A NEW way of sharing resources between councils has led to savings of more than £1.5million and a place in the finals of a coveted awards ceremony.

North East Lincolnshire Council and North Lincolnshire Council will now continue their close working relationship for the next three years after an updated procurement strategy, supported by a full business plan aligning the two authorities together, was endorsed by cabinet members.

Aims for the next three years outlined in the new procurement strategy include:

* Savings of £3.8m for each council

* Fully exploring electronic commerce technologies

* Rolling out electronic tendering

* Further development of a small/medium businesses and third sector engagement programme Read the rest of this entry »

TIME is running out to nominate your community champions in a special “OSCA” ceremony.

Safer Communities will be holding another Outstanding Safer Community Awards (OSCAs) on Tuesday December 2 at Grimsby Town Hall. But the closing date for nominations is Friday, September 19, so if a member of your organisation deserves praise for their stellar work in the community - this is your chance to provide it.

The OSCAs is a prestigious occasion that aims to recognise, give honour and praise to those individuals, groups and organisations that work hard to make North East Lincolnshire a better and safer place to live.

As many of you know, this isn’t an easy task, but the event highlight’s a myriad of groups and individuals that rally are making a huge contribution to community safety. Read the rest of this entry »

  Don’t let your car be a target for smash and grab burglaries.That is the message from north East Lincolnshire Council’s (NELC) Safer Communities team as they launch a three-day blitz on vehicle crime.From tomorrow, community wardens will be at three Grimsby car parks this week to distribute vulnerable vehicle packs put together by the council in partnership with Humberside Police and Humberside Fire and Rescue service.

The team will be offering advice on keeping your possessions, particularly satellite navigation systems, safe from burglars.Get advice:The teams will be at Sainsbury’s car park on Tuesday, September 2, Duchess Street car park on Thursday, September 4, and Garibaldi Street car park on Friday, September 5, all from 9am.

      Come Along and Ask the Big Question in the Yarborough Ward!

On Friday 19th Tony Hunter, the new Chief Executive of NELC will be in the Yarborough Ward to meet local residents.  He will be on the bus when it visits Somerfields in Cambridge Road, along with your Ward Councillors Les Bonner and Mary Little.  They will be there from 9.00am to 1.00pm., so if there is anything you would like to ask any of us, or if you would just like a chat then come along and meet us.

 

The bus will also be at Morrisons from 6.00 to 9.00pm where Tony Hunter and I shall be there to meet you.

 

On Saturday 20th September, weather permitting, I shall be in the car park at Lidl in Cromwell Road from 9.00 - 1100am along with representatives of the Police, where we will be holding a joint surgery, and from roughly 1100am - 1.00pm we shall be at the Spar shop car park in Yarborough Road. 

 

I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible so that you can let me know how we can make a difference where you live.

A Grimsby shop owner was found selling chicken breasts which were  a week out of date.  The owner of Gilbey Wines and Stores was in court for a second time having committed a similar offence two years ago. The owner was ordered to pay fines and costs of nearly £4,000 at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court. The owner of Gilbey Wines and Stores, in Gilbey Road, was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £836 costs and a £15 victim surcharge after a prosecution by North East Lincolnshire Council’s trading standards team.The limited company which trades as Gilbey Wines and Stores was also held liable and fined £1,000 plus £836.68 costs and a surcharge - making a total of £3,703.Trading standards officials warned other food retailers that they will repeat the action if necessary.Trading standards manager Andy Foster said: “The high fine imposed reflects the seriousness of this offence and the fact that Mr Thillainathan was also prosecuted for the same offence back in 2006.” “A use-by date is applied to highly perishable foods in order to protect consumers from eating food that may be dangerous to health. Trading standards takes a dim view of any business that jeopardises the health of consumers. The Food Labelling Regulations 1996 outlined the offence of “selling or exposing for sale” products beyond their use by date, punishable by a fine of up to £5,000. Coun Steve Beasant, portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “This business was given every opportunity to work with the trading standards team but has failed to address the problem.  “Most food businesses co-operate with trading standards officers following inspections to ensure that acceptable standards are maintained for the public. “Prosecution is the last option for dealing with serious and persistent offenders and this case demonstrates that the council is prepared to take such action to safeguard public health”

The first phase of a £5-million refurbishment to Grimsby’s Accident and Emergency department is now complete.From Monday patients will be able to make use of the brand new facilities as part of a improvements to Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital’s emergency care centre. The new centre has ten treatment rooms filled with the latest equipment and it will soon be the host foradditional  primary care services as part of an integrated model for the department.

The latest refurbishments are the first of three phases in the development, which will see a new reception area, major injuries section, and a resuscitation room completed by April 2009.

the Hazel Coley, assistant director of services development and modernisation for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals Trust, said: “There is still work going on and there will still be some disruption for which we would apologise to the patients.“But I’m sure once we are at the end of the scheme they will see that it’s been worthwhile.”

Outstanding Safer Community Awards draw closer

TIME is running out to nominate your community champions in a special “OSCA” ceremony.

Safer Communities will be holding another Outstanding Safer Community Awards (OSCAs) on Tuesday December 2 at Grimsby Town Hall. But the closing date for nominations is Friday, September 19, so if a member of your organisation deserves praise for their stellar work in the community - this is your chance to provide it.

The OSCAs is a prestigious occasion that aims to recognise, give honour and praise to those individuals, groups and organisations that work hard to make North East Lincolnshire a better and safer place to live.

As many of you know, this isn’t an easy task, but the event highlight’s a myriad of groups and individuals that rally are making a huge contribution to community safety.

The awards night was last held in November 2006 and was a great success.  It really illustrated just how much good work is going on in the local community.  The Grimsby Town Hall was packed to the rafters with people doing their bit for Community Safety.  It was fantastic to hear so many positive initiatives all geared towards making the area a better place to live and work.

Our host for the evening will be local star of stage and screen, Julie Peasgood.  This will be the third time Julie has hosted the awards and she is looking forward to see what has been happening within North East Lincolnshire. 

There are ten categories to nominate for and they are:

• Working with Young People
• Community Safety Initiative Involving Young People
• Private Sector Community Safety Scheme
• Public Sector Community Safety Scheme
• Community led Community Safety Scheme
• Working with Difficult to Engage Groups
• Encouraging Engagement and Community Participation
• Standing up against Anti-Social Behaviour
• Award to an Individual who has contributed to Community safety in North East Lincolnshire

nomination forms should be sent to:

http://www.safelinks.info/documents/SaferCommunitiesOSCASnewsletter.pdf

CLEAN up your own mess - or pay up.

That is the stark warning going out to vandals from council chiefs today.  Anybody caught daubing graffiti on buildings in North East Lincolnshire now has the option to clean it off themselves, rather than pay a fine. 

Although the on-the-spot fines currently stand at £50, if the case ends up in court, the figure can rise into thousands of pounds, and can even lead to a prison term in the most extreme cases. 

Together with a £10,000 bill to clean up the offending artwork, the council spends nearly £30,000 on a graffiti clearance task force per year, and the total bill for ridding the borough of unsightly scribblings can be as high as £50,000 annually.  The money collected from the fines will go towards this total, in particular the chemicals to clean it off. 

The money collected from the fines will go towards this total, in particular the chemicals to clean it off, which are costly.

Councillor Steve Beasant, portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “I am pleased that the people who seem intent on making a mess on our streets are the ones being told to clean it up. “Hopefully this will act as a deterrent to other like-minded vandals - we are watching and we will take strong action to rid the community of unsightly daubs and scribbles.”    

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Andrew De Freitas, said: “Graffiti blights our communities and is an example of anti-social behaviour at its worst.

“I am fully in support of this action by the neighbourhood community wardens, and hope it teaches the perpetrators a valuable lesson about respecting property that belongs to others.”

Tthree 14-year-old girls from Grimsby’s Nunsthorpe estate - were caught out, and opted to clean up their act.They spent yesterday scrubbing their scribblings off walls around Grimsby as punishment. The young people concerned cannot be identified for legal reasons, but one told the Grimsby Evening Telegraph, and said: “It’s something to do because there’s nothing to do around here. I don’t think I’ll do it again though, it does look scruffy.

  DO you have a burning question to ask?   Then now is your chance to speak up!

North East Lincolnshire is holding its very own Question Time event – putting key local people under the public spotlight for an evening of discussion and debate.

As part of North East Lincolnshire Council’s Community Engagement Week, the North East Lincolnshire Council Question Time panel will be inviting questions and debate at a live event at Whitgift Theatre, Grimsby, on Monday, September 15.

On the panel will be: the Leader of the Council, Councillor Andrew De Freitas; the Deputy Leader Councillor Keith Brookes; Great Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell; divisional commander of Humberside Police, Dave Hilditch; North East Lincolnshire Council’s new chief executive, Tony Hunter; chair of the North East Lincolnshire NHS Care Trust Plus, Val Waterhouse; plus the North East Lincolnshire representative on the national Youth Parliament and her deputy.

Chairing the panel on the night will be Mark Webb, chairman of the Local Strategic Partnership and managing director of the Cleethorpes Chronicle.

The event, beginning at 6pm, will include a finger buffet prior to the debates, and crèche facilities can be arranged with advance notice.

Tickets for the event are free but must be booked in advance. If you would like to join the audience, please contact Paul Windley on 01472 324121 or Paul Wisken on 01472 324124. Alternatively you can email paul.windley@nelincs.gov.uk or paul.wisken@nelincs.gov.uk. Or you can write to: NELC Question Time tickets, Law and Democratic Services, Municipal Offices, Grimsby, N E Lincs, DN31 1HU. The closing date for ticket applications is Wednesday, September 3

Audience members who would like to ask a question of the panel on the night are asked to submit their questions beforehand. You can either do this when applying for your ticket, or you can submit your questions separately, sending them to the above contact details with your name and ticket number. The deadline for question submissions is Wednesday, September 10.

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