The Annual Budgets for Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) and North Kesteven District Council (NKDC) were decided this month.

The Annual Budgets for Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) and North Kesteven District Council (NKDC) were decided this month. To some extent we have won the missing millions campaign and this year both councils got bigger increases at the expense of the more urban Councils. Some other councils are now facing substantial cuts, but both NKDC and LCC have put forward growth budgets. At LCC, I spoke against increases but reluctantly supported the Conservative proposals this time. LCC has done poorly in the past and spending on services is the fourth lowest in the country. We have fought the missing millions campaign on the basis that the money was needed. At 4.9% at LCC and 3.9% at NKDC will allow some improvement in services. At LCC I asked for the increase to go towards more for elderly care bearing in mind the reduction of hospital beds and for youth and at NKDC, Independents lobbied for upkeep of open spaces and keeping our streets and verges cleaner. Extra government money was allocated for the free bus scheme for over 60’s and will hopefully add to their quality of life and increase use of the buses. Many thanks for your responses to the consultations. Anti-crime was top of the list for many.