WHAT DOES MY COUNCILLOR DO FOR ME?

JUNE Report from
Cllr Mrs MARIANNE OVERTON

Invitation
If you are at the Lincolnshire Show, why not join me for coffee and biscuits at the Lincolnshire County Council stand on Wednesday June 20 or Thursday, June 21, 11-12pm? I may well be about at other times as well. Welcome. Show entrance tickets are cheaper in advance from the tourist office 01529 414294. Book dial-a-ride & a ride-on 0845 456 4474.

Election success
Congratulations to all in the Cliff Villages for coming out to vote, giving the highest turnout in the District and giving me the highest personal vote of any candidate in the County! I also had one of the biggest gaps between the next best candidate and me! Brilliant. People aged from 18 to 101, on crutches, wheel chairs, and even from their sick bed, took the trouble to vote. Thank you! There are lots of ward issues, which I am working through steadily. We have formed a team of Independents at NKDC, have already prioritised some key issues you have raised for the District and will be making progress during the year.

In Lincolnshire, the vast majority of the 300 seats were won by Independents (30%) and by Conservatives (51%). (Liberals won 11% and Labour 8%.) My County Council Independent group member, Richard Austin, leads the Boston Bypass Independents and indeed, Boston Borough itself, so we are certainly a strong team!

Health in Lincolnshire: Time to have your say!
Now is the time to have your say! The Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust, on which I sit, has launched the three-month consultation on how to improve our services. The nearest big consultation events are at
Sleaford on June 5th 2-7pm at the New Life Christian Church Centre,
Grantham on June 12th 2-7pm in the Guildhall Arts Centre or
Lincoln on Sat July 12th at the Waterside centre 9am-6pm.
You can use on line questionnaire at www.lpct.nhs.uk or public.involvement@lpct.nhs.uk

This consultation follows a series of seven big discussion days, which has led to the content of the options in the consultation. The trusts are now required to listen to the public, and I do believe they genuinely want your response to the proposals. Closing date is 5pm August 9th.

Renewable energy and the Home information pack
From August 1st, houses for sale need an accompanying information pack which includes a rating on how “green” is your house. Following the launch of Biofuels into Lincolnshire by Together with a colleague, Andrew Chick, I have collated a short talk on the various renewable energy and energy saving measures available, which was launched at the Leadenham Annual Parish Meeting. Contact me if you would like a talk or some information.

Smoke Free
From July 1 2007, it will be against the law to smoke in enclosed (or substantially enclosed) public places and workplaces. Advice is available from the Council’s Environment and Health Promotion Officer at NKDC 01529 414155.

Entitlements
A new service is set up to help people access their entitlements and the services needed to live in your own home. “Supporting people” can be accessed on 01522 782155 or supporting_people@lincolnshire.gov.uk. If you have more than £10,000 in the bank, you will be eligible for less, but with under £16,000, it is still worth applying. Do ask, anyway, in case.
Mrs Smith’s Cottage
This museum, run by volunteers, continues to be a huge success, receiving the highest accolades from the regional tourism inspection body and from the District Council. The 20,000th visitor passed through the doors last August and a great number of special events have been enormously successful. More volunteers are always welcome. It is well worth a visit and helping is a great way to get involved in village life. Please let me know if you are interested, drop a note in the Parish Office or contact the Chairman, Dr Rodney Wilson.

Local Events
Congratulations to all on the brilliant Navenby Art Exhibition in May and the Mrs Smith’s Cottage Plant Sale. Congratulations also to the many people who worked on the fantastic Nocton Trail of art, launched May 28th - in the pouring rain! Leaflets at library & village office.

“NKDC is performing well” and LCC is “Improving well”
Latest external inspection has recorded NKDC as providing services “consistently above minimum requirements – performing well.” They assessed value for money and financial controls. Lincolnshire County Council has been awarded the status of fair but “improving well” which is encouraging.

What happens in Council meetings?
Lincolnshire County Council is attempting to make democracy more accessible by putting the full meetings on the web. Accessed at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/indexLCC.asp

Lottery Funds
In our area, we have been good at accessing external funds for big local projects. In April, the government announced a cut of £675m from the grants available at the National Big Lottery, the Sports and Arts Councils. These grants benefit the whole country, and it has been a major source for projects our villages. It is very hard for us to benefit from Olympic funds, largely going into the two London Boroughs and some other areas that were part of the original bid - which Lincolnshire was not. At the May Council meeting, I tabled a motion to object to the “raid” on Lottery Funds. Both the Conservatives and the Liberals supported this motion put forward by the Independents, so that it was successfully passed. A scrutiny committee will now look at the effect of the Olympics on the economy of Lincolnshire, and seek ways in which local businesses might benefit.

Big forthcoming Events for the Diary
Grand opening of the Sheep wash project in Branston postponed to Sept
Sunday June 24th Open gardens Welbourn
Saturday and Sunday June 30th July 1st coinciding with the Waddington Air Show
Big family event in Welbourn on the Castle Hill, including Saturday evening.
Sunday 8th July Navenby Archaeology Group have a fantastic day of heritage activities on the Open Space at the corner of High Dyke and Chapel Lane. Roman Legion marching in, re-enactment of Roman Camp, falconry, spinning and weaving, Rare Breeds, Bee-keeping, LCC Antiquities Officer, Wildlife Watch and more…

Looking forward to seeing you and wishing you all a happy and successful summer!

Monthly Surgery dates
Navenby July 12 10am
Branston July 12 2pm
June 23 10amBest wishes,

Marianne

Cllr Mrs Marianne Overton
Independent County Councillor for Branston and Navenby Division
and for Cliff Villages Ward of North Kesteven District Council Tel: 01400 273323 Fax: 01400 273003 www.independentvoice.org.uk