Cllr Rob Kendrick provides an update on Lincolnshire County Council business in December 2021
Pressing for more money for Highways
The Council continues to press government for more funding for Highway’s maintenance. At last week’s full Council meeting the leader of the Leader of the Council Cllr. Martin Hill reported that a major campaign has started to press government for restoration of the 25% cut in our roads maintenance grant. The gap was filled by taking money from reserves but obviously this cannot be an ongoing approach. We are working with our Members of Parliament to lobby for more funding. You may have seen that this has already been raised in parliament by one of our MP’s during questions to the Prime Minister. On the subject of roads we have undertaken a number of road improvements last year in our area and I will continue to press for more, funding permitting. Last month saw the anniversary of the opening of the Lincoln Eastern By-pass which has been very useful for those of us living this side of the City. Getting to the hospital has been made so much easier.
Safeguarding children
The appalling case of the little 6 year old boy Arthur in Solihull shocked the nation. Safeguarding children and young people during the pandemic is clearly a very important issue. Therefore, at last Friday’s County Council meeting I asked the Executive councillor for Children’ Services, Cllr Patricia Bradwell for a statement on the safeguarding situation in Lincolnshire. I was reassured by her response that despite the impact of the Covid19 situation our safeguarding services were operating well.
Walcott link to Billinghay
I have been advised that the cycle/footway works are now due to be completed on 20/12 and all plant, equipment and welfare units will be removed on 21/12 after which the road closure will be lifted. The delay has been caused by a combination of inclement weather and some staff having to isolate due to Covid.
Children's Health
By September 2022, the County Council aims to introduce an improved model of integrated, community-based services for young people with mental health, emotional wellbeing and behavioural needs. There will be greater focus on self-referral, making it easier for families to access the right support at the right time.
In addition, between now and 2024, an extra £2.5million is being invested in improved mental health support for young people with complex needs. The funding was secured from NHS England (Health and Justice) through a joint bid by the council, NHS Lincolnshire CCG and Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Children's Centres
Families are again participating in face-to-face learning and development opportunities at our 48 children’s centres, with an average of 350 early years session being delivered each week. These activities have been positively received by families, and attendance is now back to pre-covid levels.
Supporting our Foster Carers
The fostering team continues to support local carers and has helped them secure their eligibility for the covid booster vaccine. In addition, a hub has been developed, which supports over 90% of foster carer households. The efforts of the 22 carer champions continues to pay dividends in carer recruitment, training and development.
We are now seeing more carers return to fostering, and we continue to encourage local businesses to become a Foster Friendly Employer, like the council, offering staff additional benefits and flexibility to help them care for foster children.
Visitor economy
I have mentioned before how important tourism is to Lincolnshire and in our area we have tourist attractions such as Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre. Also, we have B&B’s, pubs and restaurants all involved in tourism. The re-developed www.visitlincolnshire.com continues to be added to and receives 40,000 visits per month, and our search engine optimisation now means that it is frequently coming top in searches. A social media campaign is supporting its growth.
An area of the site has been developed as www.business.visitlincolnshire.com . The site features 60 video masterclasses, factsheets, checklists and downloadable templates; everything is aimed at the visitor economy and is as jargon free as possible. A separate social media campaign will promote its use to businesses. Please draw this to the attention of any businesses you may know.
Timberland Village Hall
I was honoured to be invited recently to re-open the newly renovated hall. As well as being able to arrange for some Covid19 support funding I was pleased to secure some help from one of the county council contractors as part of their community service programme. The hall looks great, and I look forward to attending events there such as their monthly market.
Finally
I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy and safe New Year.