New Year Message

Our area is the best in England for domestic waste recycling to help save our environment. The District Council provides bins, a commercial company sorts the material, but the excellent results are thanks to ordinary people like you and me who have taken the trouble to sort out rubbish for recycling. It is heartening that people in our area really care and some are now calling for better trade waste recycling. Reducing waste is still important. If we do our best here, then we will be in a position to persuade other parts of this energy-hungry world to follow.

It is the small things that affect our daily sense of well-being and many of these are things we can do something about. Thank you all for your support over the past year. Working together we have this year achieved some substantial successes locally,

· New village halls at Branston Booths and Coleby, and improvements at Wellingore and Branston and grants agreed for Dunston.
· improved policing, more police and PCSO’s and Branston Action Plan
· my free biofuels project in co-operation with the Lindum Rotary, reusing sawdust in homes to reduce fuel poverty
· Parish plans launched at Welbourn and Leadenham, others in progress
· funded intergenerational activity week at Welbourn
· school building improvements at Potterhanworth
· learning science through theatre at Potterhanworth and the Terry o Toole theatre
· planning control at Harmston quarry,
· the wheely rally footpath improvements in Branston,
· Mrs Smith’s Cottage commemoration weekend at Navenby and following book launch,
· renewed youth club at Branston

There is much I am still working on, including big issues such as health care, policing and post offices. I campaigned heavily against the sudden, huge increases in home care charges for the elderly and infirm, but was unsuccessful against the conservative majority. Substantial reserves belie the assertion that the Council could not afford to phase in any necessary increases.

It is a challenge to communicate well with over 10,000 constituents, but I do send monthly newsletters. If you have issues with which I can help, please let me know. Thank you for all your support so far.

Wishing each and everyone a happy and successful 2007!

Cllr Mrs Marianne Overton
Leader of Independents at Lincolnshire County Council and
North Kesteven District Council, representing the Cliff Villages on NKDC and
Branston and Navenby Division on LCC Tel: 01400 273323 Fax: 01400 273003 marianne.overton@biosearch.org.uk