ANNUAL REPORT 2009 HEATH VILLAGES
“WHAT DOES MY COUNCILLOR DO FOR ME?”
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 HEATH VILLAGES
Report from your local, Independent Councillor,
MARIANNE OVERTON
Thank You!
Thank you very much for your support on our successful campaigns this year:
Your response in support of more government funding for Lincolnshire police, was excellent and fairly successful, enabling a lower tax increase of 4.99% this year. Thanks also for the support on the Leadenham Amenity site, successfully kept open at weekends and on the library and heritage services, where we have made some progress, but more to go.
Our campaigning has enabled us to keep the Access Point for Council services at Branston Library and although the library hours were reduced, we do have more than other similar villages and it is very well used.
Improved facilities
Youth Activities
The Branston Youth Groups are thriving and now receiving good support from the County Council. I also help run the Wildlife Watch Group that I started 18 years ago. Our calendar of monthly fun activities engages children in learning about their environment and hopefully they will want to help conserve it in the future. New members are welcome. The Institute of Biology East Midlands, where I am Vice Chairman continue to fund “learning science through theatre days” at Wellingore and at the Terry O Toole theatre, enjoyed by 50 of our children each day. The Christ’s Hospital Fund at Potterhanworth, on which I sit, continues to support local children in their educational activities.
Potterhanworth Play Area has been a magnificent effort adding to the excellent facilities developed on site, thanks to hard working local residents and grant aid from our Councils. The current big project is Dolly’s Paddock in Dunston. Any support on this would be appreciated.
NEW: Rural Transport
People told me that rural transport was a key issue and I have called for improvements in all quarters. We now have a new service Call Connect (LCC) and we have kept Dial-a-ride. I also fought successfully at LCC and NKDC for all day concessionary fares including people with disabilities, rather than the government minimum, vital in our rural communities.
Wheely Rally: Highways
Thanks to all who have added their voice to support road safety and access for all who rely on wheeled vehicles, chairs or baby buggies. We have made people take notice of our needs and put them into a five-year programme which is bringing improvements steadily. Safety outside the junior school and speeding on the High Street continue to be key issues, highlighted in our latest Wheely Rally.
Wheels to Work : Moped available
The cluster of villages including Dunston, Nocton and Potterhanworth purchased 2 mopeds. These are available for 6 months at £47/month from NKDC. Young people with no other means of getting to their jobs or further education should apply.
Highways
Following our introduction of the lights at Branston, our next project is to improve safety outside Schools, reduce speeding, and improve more of the cycle/footpath from Branston towards Lincoln. To directly report highway problems, ring 01522 782070. To report litter, ring 01529 414155.
This month I took the Highways engineer to highlight key needs in each village. Maintenance work continues and some improvements in Branston and Dunston Bridge.
Not giving up: In response to a complaint from a partially-sighted person in Potter, I persisted for 3 years and together we finally obtained the improvements at the crossing by the railway in Lincoln High Street!
Health
Free Swimming under16 & over 60
A grant has enabled free swimming to improve health in the younger and older generations, at Sleaford and North Hykeham from April 1st. Register with proof of eligibility in advance.
Good Branston GP’s and Pharmacy
As a non-executive Director on NHS Lincolnshire, which buys all health care for Lincolnshire, I am supporting better GP access and more services being provided locally. We have a brand new GP surgery in Navenby and a new Pharmacy in Navenby High Street.
Grant Success!
Our area has done exceptionally well in getting much-needed grants over the past few years, thanks to excellent team efforts - more in the pipeline. Welbourn is our fourth village hall project to succeed in obtaining a hefty grant (£300,000). The fund-raising programme of activities is on my County Council website. Welcome!
Small Businesses
As business champion with the East Midlands Development Agency, I receive information and training which I am using to better support our small businesses. Business Link will visit and offer free advice. We have a business network forming in Branston. Interested? Please let me know.
Budget
Our County Council had a good grant from central government, over 15% over 2 years, moving towards getting our fair share. As leader of the Independents, I proposed zero increase in tax, whilst improving services. This uses the government grant, efficiency savings and does not put any more into the already burgeoning reserves. (£43m) Conservatives went for a 1.75% increase, which does add a fresh £5.7m from our money into reserves. Improvements I have worked on this year include efficiency savings, better highways, health and adult care, supporting carers, the community strategy, transport and waste management. I proposed support for culture and heritage including Branston Library.
Newsletter Wanted?
I send out monthly newsletters to let people know what is going on. Also to be easily accessible for you to let me know what you think, so that I can better represent your views. If you know anyone else who should be included, please let me know.
And for humour!
I have a joke page on my County Council website and would be grateful for any clean ones! It also has news, local events, photos and letters.
http://councillors.lincolnshire.gov.uk/cllrm.overton or www.independentvoice.org.uk
Very best wishes to you all for a healthy and happy Easter,
Your County Councillor, Marianne Overton
Report from your local, Independent Councillor FEBRUARY 2009
FEBRUARY 2009
Report from your local, Independent Councillor
MARIANNE OVERTON
Some good news
LCC Children Services
Ofsted has inspected and given a very positive report, with “outstanding” in staying safe, economic wellbeing and capacity to improve. Schools and staff at LCC are clearly doing a great job here. Well done all.
Branston Community College
Completion of the new classrooms is programmed for 27 March 2009. The old mobile Classrooms will be demolished over the Easter Holidays completing all works by May 2009.
Greener housing
Our independent group put greener building and tackling fuel poverty onto the agenda at LCC and NKDC, and introduced the free biofuel partnership with Lindum Rotary. Latest results of eco-friendly heating systems trialled in council-owned properties have cut running costs by up to 63 per cent. Solar panel, biomass and groundsource heat pumps in 8 North Hykeham homes have slashed fuel bills and CO2 emissions.
Green grants
Schools, hospitals and charities have until June to apply for grants through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. Individuals have a further year. http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/
LCC Grants for Small Businesses
Register now for the new budget in April for IT advice and 50% of IT development cost, £2k-15k. Ring
01522 839561 Steve Cargill at LCC.
Free Business Health Check
Government has funded Business Link to provide business health checks. Is there anything you are missing? http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/busine sshelp or Help Line 0845 600 9 006.
Free Training with lunch
LCC has helped fund a series of training events. I can e-mail you details. Next is Working with the media for beginners Feb 4th 10am-4pm Sleaford 01529 308450
info@volunteercentrenk.org.uk
Invitations
Nominate your unsung heroes!
The simple form for Community Service and Youth Awards is on line at NKDC home page www.n-kesteven.gov.uk Deadline: Noon Monday 16 February
Nominate young people to the
Lincolnshire Youth Cabinet. Contact
Andrew Garbutt on 01522 550757. Deadline Feb 6th for elections week beginning Feb 23rd
Your personal trainer awaits!
To help cut down on drinking, smoking or weight, free step by step help is now available on the NHS. 01529 416090 ria.harkess@lpct.nhs.uk.
Extend classes for over 60’s Ring 01529 411194
Information
Bus on time? Want to check?
By texting the bus stop code to 84268, the sender is able to get the running times of the next three buses via text. Or check on http://www.truetimes.info/
Road Closure: Starting 2nd Feb Sleaford Hill, Leadenham (old A17) from traffic lights up the Hill to Pottergate Junction
Medieval Day at Temple Bruer
7 Feb 2009, 1100 – 1530hrs
Templar Preceptory Tower, Temple Bruer (TF 008 539). Hear about the Knights of Skirbeck at the country’s most important and best preserved Knights Templar Preceptory. The popular book by Dennis Mills of Branston, “The Knights Templar in Kesteven,” is relaunched at this event.
Feb Half Term Mon-Thurs
Brilliant activities, all free 1-4pm and 5- 8pm at Northgate Sports Hall at Carre’s Grammar School and Sleaford Youth Centre for 11-19yr olds. Free transport from North Kesteven Sports Centre and Branston Community College at noon. Book 01529 306888 kerry.mitchell@lincolnshire.gov.uk
At Whisby Natural World daily: Energy Saving Project Workshops, 11am to noon. Art and crafts 1.30-2.30pm. Arts NK 01529 410595
Waste collection
To save money all routes will change from Monday 20th April. The new bin collection rota is being posted out. Next Winter, the Garden waste collection will be four-weekly collection from November to February inclusive.
Neighbourhood Watch Information
www.lincolnshire-neighbourhoodwatch.co.uk Ring 01522 532222 to report crime or
999 if a crime is in progress. Keep windows and doors locked.
Support for voluntary groups
The really Useful Stuff handbook is available from LCC on www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/RUS
RU paying too much?
If your roof water is not connected to the mains sewers, you can claim a £34 rebate from Anglian Water. 0800 1693271 http://www.anglianwater.com/
Consultations
Budgets LCC spends £1bn annually If you haven’t already done so, let me know what you think about further increases, and about where more or less money should be spent, so that I can better represent you. I can send you the consultation documents. The budget goes to full Council on Fri Feb 13th, is open to the public and podcast http://www.lincolnshire.public-i.tv/site/
Dunston Quarry
An application to continue to extract limestone from Dunston Quarry and extend its restoration with inert waste can be viewed and commented on at http://eplanning.lincolnshire.gov.uk/ePlanni ng/loadFullDetails.do?aplId=26382 or phone Adam Winkley 01522 782070. Let me know your views.
Composting in Blankney Quarry
Feedback has been positive on this so far, following the informative session in the village.
Unsung Heroine
Special thanks go to Hilary Hawkyard who instigated and managed the Branston Heritage project, organised the recent craft fayre and is now chairing our Branston Parish Plan. What a star!
Very best wishes to you all for a healthy and happy 2009,
Marianne
Cllr Mrs Marianne Overton
Leader of Lincolnshire Independents;
Independent Councillor for Cliff
Villages on North Kesteven District
Council and for Branston and Navenby
on Lincolnshire County Council
www.independentvoice.org.uk
Cllr Marianne
Talk with Pride Extract thanks to "Lincolnshire Pride"
Talk with Pride Extract thanks to "Lincolnshire Pride"
Each month Lincolnshire Pride looks into the lives of Lincolnshire People
A New Force in
Politics?
Marianne Overton,
for Lincolnshire Independents
This month, a new model in politics has emerged in the form of Lincolnshire Independents... meet the group of county councillors aiming to put Lincolnshire first as we ask if that's really feasible in a Whitehall-centric administration...
For obvious reasons, politicians often talk of parliament as resembling a Village', where everybody knows everybody else, with the area of London from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square as a 'bubble' in which a clique of representatives in a tiny part of the country make decisions affecting the rest of us.
If that's true, the clique of politicians deciding Lincolnshire's fate are hundreds of miles away from us geographically and a million miles away from us ideologically, but one group of politicians in Lincolnshire aims to change that, by decentralising politics and, as their slogan states, Put Lincolnshire First.
On 18th July this year, following embargoed releases to the media prior to the announcement and having geared up for a huge launch at the Lincolnshire County Council offices, five of the county's independent county councillors joined together to create Lincolnshire Independents, promising to represent local people directly and set local priorities ahead of national agendas or set party policies. The group contends that with representatives at local levels affiliated with the three main political parties, Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem politicians are whipped to maintain a consistent party line. Conversely, the Lincolnshire Independents like any other independent politicians are free of this forced consensus.
"We've no 'default' politics." Says Marianne Overton, Chairperson of the new party. "We're fundamentally different in that we represent people; we've no pre-arranged agenda so we can represent Lincolnshire by presenting policies that are in line with local people's needs."
"Our approach will create a freer, fairer local democracy best representing the people across the whole of Lincolnshire."
Uniquely, the party also has a representative in each of the county's districts with Marianne herself representing the Branston and Navenby wards of North Kesteven, Treasurer Richard Austin representing Boston South, Secretary Chris Brewis representing Sutton Elloe in South Holland and both Campaign Manager Mark Horn and Mike Williams ensuring South Kesteven is represented, alongside West Lindsey's Alan Caine and East Lindsey's Daniel Simpson. The politicians will represent the party at Chairperson level within each district, and are currently hoping to recruit more party members from each of their districts' wards.
A compromise between the monolithic dominance of the three main parties and the comparative weakness of independent candidates, Marianne and the rest of the party believe it's a great new approach to politics which will benefit everyone in Lincolnshire.
"Independent parties gained 30% of the vote where they stood in the last general election yet this gained them just three seats out of 77." She says. "Our approach will create a freer, fairer local democracy best representing the people of Lincolnshire."
Among the policies of the new group, Marianne believes that special consideration must be given to preserving services and amenities in rural areas such as libraries, post offices & village shops, and maintaining better transport links and ensuring the county's roads are fit for purpose, even in rural areas. Originating from a farming background (like several of her colleagues including Secretary Chris Brewer), she also believes that caring for the environment and supporting local farmers go hand in hand. Such policies demonstrate an understanding of Lincolnshire that's certain to appeal to an already politically-savvy electorate, but the group is also keen to bring the traditionally apolitical into politics too.
As Campaign Director Mark Horn says;
"We want to represent local people directly; the old political parties are failing because they don't represent the people of Lincolnshire. We need to bring more people into politics - people from the private sector, young people, and people from all backgrounds. We need new perspectives, fresh ways of looking at things and we need to ensure that our politics reflects the energy and vibrancy of our diverse community. Lincolnshire Independents will put Lincolnshire first."
It's a sentiment echoed by Chris Brewis and Richard Austin who state that "Politics, to be meaningful, must be local, and the old parties, Conservative, Labour and the Lib Dems simply do not answer to local people - they fail to deliver practical policies that help people, and Lincolnshire deserves better." The party says that they don't answer to London, to Regional Party Advisors or to a Party whip, but develop policy by open discussion, and vigorous debate, stating that this is the basis of a true democracy. If those ideals hold true, and the party gains the members it needs and exposure its ideals suggest it should gain, Lincolnshire could be a breeding ground for a whole new model of politics, collective but independent, powerful but locally grounded.
For more information on Lincolnshire Independents, www.independentvoice.org.uk
“WHAT DOES MY COUNCILLOR DO FOR ME?”
Cllr Marianne Overton marianne.overton@biosearch.org.uk 01400 273323
“WHAT DOES MY COUNCILLOR DO FOR ME?”
NOVEMBER 2008
Report from your local, Independent Councillor,
MARIANNE OVERTON
Some good news
Grant Success of over £37,000! I am always happy to add support and help grant applications for our local communities. Congratulations to Potterhanworth and Wellingore whose play areas will benefit from £7,755 and £22,500 respectively. Of that £2,253 was from NKDC for Potterhanworth
and all of the rest was from Lincolnshire County Council. Great news! Congratulations to pre-school
Happy Days, whose grant of £6,795 for Navenby Pavilion was from the Lincolnshire Aggregates, DEFRA funding held by LCC. The Kids Kouncil has won £900 from the youth opportunities fund. Well done all. We have had the Big Interview for our Big Lottery application for Welbourn
Village Hall (just under £300,000), so we now wait with baited breath!
Pelican Trust
The Pelican Trust thanked me for my help in getting all-day concessionary fares returned. The Pelican Trust in Lincoln employs people with learning difficulties and help people get jobs.
They have a printing works and carpentry shop, which makes diverse dovecots and village notice boards
Youth Activities
Directly in response to requests, I set Youth activities as a priority. Branston Youth Club is now running well. In the Cliff Villages we have now got both NKDC and LCC staffed and active in
our area.
Kids Kouncil Wellingore/Navenby Assisted by Wellingore Parish Council The activities day at RAF Waddington followed a chance meeting with the Station Commander who helped us.
Go For It Firebird Street Dance project & skate park over the Oct. half term LCC youth bus comes to Navenby with youth worker, Luke on Friday evenings Lincolnshire Young Farmers Club Harmston continues to thrive Theatre in a day. Sat Nov 22nd Wellingore 10am-4pm See poster.
Open to all 8-12 and 12-15yrs West Kesteven Wildlife Watch We met to plan the calendar for next year; I can send you a copy.
Information
Grants
I have some good grant sources and a new one for Children and young people that includes revenue and capital purchases. I can help with wording the applications for success and letters of support. We have had good success so far.
Money Advice
NKDC has an officer to help, benefits advice on line. Someone will come out and help you fill in the form if necessary. A new pension advice helpline can also assist.
Community Web Site
Any community group can have a free website hosted by LCC. Send photos and script to Gemma at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/communitysites communities@lincolnshire.gov.uk
Concessionary fares
All concessionary fare passes issued before April this year will need replacing before the end of October. RAF Waddington There will be increased activity in the first 2 weeks of November.
At Council:
Leadenham Amenity Site
Thank you all very much indeed for your strong support of the amenity site at Leadenham. If there are any more petitions to come in, please let me have them a.s.a.p. so I can get them presented formally. We have already achieved a written undertaking from the Council to keep Saturday and
Sunday opening. As the budget is squeezed next year, it is really important to let them know that we will fight to protect our services. Thank you and well done.
Cultural Services Review
Despite above average spending, the service is only “fair” which is not good enough. External Audit agreed that decisions to cut services did not support the aims of an improved service and was not based on evidence of performance nor community needs. They refer to a
“weak use of evaluation and an inability to measure impact”. We deserve better. I spoke loud and clear at the scrutiny meeting this week when eight more petitions were presented protesting against the illogical reduction in library service. (Written report is available)
Sleaford Power Station
The latest proposal for Kirkby La Thorpe comes to planning on November 4th 5pm. As before, the
room is limited so please book, NKDC.
Nocton Hall War Games
The planning rule that allows land to be used for any purpose for not more than 14 or 28 days in any calendar year does not apply in the case of Nocton Hall because it is within the curtilage of a building. NKDC is seeking an injunction to prevent events taking place here.
NHS Waiting times
Department of Health statistics for August show that nationally the NHS has met its commitment to ensure that 90% of patients who require admission to hospital and 95% of patients not
needing admission, start treatment within 18 weeks of referral from their GP. This means that the operational standard has been met five months ahead of the end of December 2008 deadline. The new NHS Lincolnshire where I am a board member has been externally assessed and scored well.
Have your say
Police survey
With a new Chief and a new budget, now is a good time to have your say!
www.lincolnshire-pa.gov.uk/survey/
Invitations
Relate Lincolnshire: 70th Birthday! Bishop John Saxbee is speaking at our AGM on Wed 26th Nov 6-8pm in the New Life Church, Newland, Lincoln Please come along! 01522 524922
enquiries@relate-lincs.co.uk
Theatre day November 22nd
Nov.Surgeries: 10.30am Navenby
Office 26th, Branston Library Sat 15th.
Best wishes in all your endeavours.
Marianne
Cllr Mrs Marianne Overton
Independent Councillor for Cliff Villages on
North Kesteven District Council and for
Branston and Navenby on
Lincolnshire County Council
www.independentvoice.org.uk
