'Whip the bug***s!' Councillor comes up with controversial idea for punishing Grimsby litter louts

                                                            

Cllr Hudson - keen to take the grim out of Grimsby

A NORTH East Lincolnshire councillor stunned colleagues with his proposal for ending the scourge of  litter in Grimsby.

Portfolio holder for the Environment Cllr Henry Hudson  declared: "If only we could take a leaf out of  Singapore's book and whip the bug***s!

"That would cure the problem overnight, but I can't see it happening any time soon.

"We'd probably need a change of government and a change of law - that would be my advice."

The severity of Cllr Hudson's recommendation - and his terminology - appeared to stun his NELC cabinet colleagues at a meeting in Grimsby Town Hall.

After a brief but embarrassed silence, the council's head of communications, Michelle Lalor, saw the funny side.

"We don't have a beeper," she reminded Cllr Hudson (Con, Wolds).

Council leader Cllr Philip Jackson appeared equally taken aback, but also made light of what had been said.

"That is not official cabinet policy,"he insisted.

'Proud' boss of new Corporation Road Bridge contractor Taziker upbeat about project

That's the way to do it. NELC leader Cllr  Jackson and Cllr Swinburn look on as Taziker crack on with the project

REPAIRS to Grimsby's contentious Corporation Road Bridge have resumed.

Chorley-based firm Taziker formally began work on the Grade II Listed structure after contracts were signed at the start of last month.

It is understood there will sometimes be 24-hour working.

Taziker managing director Neil Harrison was upbeat about his firm's involvement

Said he: "We are proud to be entrusted with the refurbishment of such an iconic bridge, a landmark that holds deep significance for the local and wider communities.

"Our team is committed to delivering the highest standards of engineering, ensuring the bridge is preserved for future generations while meeting today’s safety and sustainability requirements.

"Working in close partnership with the council, we see this project not only as an investment in vital infrastructure, but also as a celebration of heritage and engineering tradition."

* NELC is staying tightlipped about its ongoing legal dispute with the previous contracting firm which was sacked earlier in the year.

Planning green light for taxi firm Uber to establish admin office on site in Humberston

 

McCue House where Uber seeks to establish a local administration centre 

TAXI firm Uber has been granted planning consent by North East Lincolnshire Council to set up an administration base in Suite F02 at McCue House on Humberston's Wilton Road industrial  estate.

Says the council: The proposal is considered to be acceptable in terms of design and wider character of the area, ecology, flood risk and highways.

"It should not result in any adverse effects upon neighbouring occupiers." 

In its application, Uber stated:  "The proposed use is purely to satisfy regulatory requirements to have an office to accommodate visits by the local licensing authority or police to conduct their respective duties. 

"While being classed as a licensed private hire booking office, Uber operates an app-based business model. 

"The app connects drivers and passengers through a digital platform." 

It continues: "The property would not be open to the general public as a traditional walk-in/private hire taxi booking office.

"No vehicles would be based at the property, nor permitted to use it as a lay-over space. 

"The proposed use is purely administrative, and there would be no impact on local amenity or highway."

To spray or not to spray? NELC open to ending use of poisonous chemical in parks and other open spaces

Nowhere for wildlife - the base of trees could provide precious habitat but it has been destroyed in favour of sterility in many parts of the borough including Taylors Avenue (above).

SOME 18 months after Cleethorpes resident Katie Teakle launched a well-supported campaign to halt  the use of poisonous chemical sprays in North East Lincolnshire, the council is ready to respond. 

The authority has this week announced that it is asking residents to nominate parts of their wards to take part in  '‘green space trials'.

Says a spokesperson: "Sites could include roads, streets and areas of open spaces where various options can be considered including complete cessation of spraying."

The poison favoured by NELC is Glyphosate, more commonly known as RoundUp. 

The trouble is that, in killing plants, the chemical also destroys precious feeding habitat for songbirds, especially finches, and beneficial pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies

Launching a petition in summer last year, Ms Teakle said:  "Glyphosate is absorbed into the soil and is harmful to worms and insects.

"It also leaches into our waterways, entering drinking water aquifers  where it is  toxic to a whole spectrum of aquatic species."

She  says that Glyphosate has been identified as a ‘probable carcinogen’ by the World Health Organisation, particularly affecting workers who use it regularly. 

She continues: "Exposure to small amounts is also hazardous to children playing in treated playgrounds, pregnant women and the elderly.

"The chemical has been shown to worsen chronic conditions such as asthma."

Alternatives to poisonous sprays include  preventative mulching,  hand-weeding, hoeing,  mechanical brushes and hot foam devices.

Anyone who would like to nominate potential spray-free zones is urged to contact one or more councillors whose contact details can be found on NELC's website.

They are: 

Croft Baker

• Cllr Oliver Freeston (Reform UK)
• Cllr Malcolm Morland (Labour)
• Cllr Marian Jervis (Labour)

East Marsh

• Cllr Stephen Beasant (Liberal Democrats)
• Cllr Nicola Aisthorpe (Liberal Democrats)
• Cllr Loyd Emmerson (Liberal Democrats)

Freshney

• Cllr Steve Holland (Independent)
• Cllr Lyndsey Downes (Independent)
• Cllr Paul Bright (Independent)

Haverstoe

• Cllr Bill Parkinson (Conservative)
• Cllr Margaret Cracknell (Conservative)
• Cllr Keith C Brookes (Conservative)

Heneage

• Cllr Matthew Patrick (Labour)
• Cllr Kevin Shutt (Labour)
• Cllr Emma Clough (Labour)

Humberston and New Waltham

• Cllr Stan Shreeve (Conservative)
• Cllr Stephen Harness (Conservative)
• Cllr Hayden Dawkins (Conservative)

Immingham

• Cllr Stewart Swinburn (Conservative)
• Cllr Karen Swinburn (Conservative)
• Cllr Trevor Crofts (Conservative)

Park

• Cllr Paul Silvester (Conservative)
• Cllr Marian Boyd (Conservative)
• Cllr Robson Augusta (Labour)

Scartho

• Cllr Ian Lindley (Conservative)
• Cllr Ronald Shepherd (Conservative)
• Cllr Dan Humphrey (Labour)

Sidney Sussex

• Cllr Sophia Farren (Labour)
• Cllr Janet Haggis (Labour)
• Cllr Edward Kaczmarek (Labour)

South

• Cllr Janet Goodwin (Labour)
• Cllr Tim Mickleburgh (Labour)
• Cllr Sheldon Mill (Labour)

Waltham

• Cllr Philip Jackson (Conservative)
• Cllr Nick Pettigrew (Conservative)

West Marsh

• Cllr Karl Wilson (Labour)
• Cllr Kathryn Wheatley (Labour)

Wolds

• Cllr Henry Hudson (Conservative)
• Cllr David Hasthorpe (Conservative)

Yarborough

• Cllr James Cairns (Conservative)
• Cllr Paul Henderson (Independent)
• Cllr Les Bonner (Independent)

                                  

Wildflowers such as these that once graced Weelsby Road In Grimsby  have now been lost to many parts of North East Lincolnshire as a result of the council's widespread application of 'weed'-killing poison

The Grimsby News says: Wildlife needs all the help it can get, so we support restrictions on the application of poison, particularly in parks and open spaces. But residents are busy and it is doubtful whether many will take the time and  trouble to lobby their councillors, especially over the festive period. If NELC is serious about its 'green agenda' it should take the lead by committing to a complete phase-out of  the use opf Glyphosate, starting at  all existing parks and green spaces within the borough   

Is Grimsby's former Conservative MP, Lia Nici, poised for political comeback - with Reform UK?

                                                         

Lia Nici - change of political allegiance

WORD is that Lia Nici - Great Grimsby's Conservative MP until her defeat at last year's General Election - could be back on the political trail.

Although no personal statement has been forthcoming, it is understood she has defected from the Tories to Reform UK whose policies have always seemed aligned to her beliefs.

Before becoming an MP, Ms Nici was a Conservative councillor on North East Lincolnshire Council, representing the Scartho ward.

It is possible the 56-year-old former Grimsby Institute lecturer could be candidate at next year's NELC elections.

Further into the future, she may also fancy throwing her hat into the ring as a Reform UK parliamentary candidate at the next General Election three year's hence.

However, it is unlikely that she would stand in the Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituency, currently held by Labour's Melanie Onn.

This is now the stomping ground of Oliver Freeston, another former Conservative, who is currently Reform UK's only NELC member, representing the Croft Baker ward in Cleethorpes.  

A former pupil at Healing School, Ms Nici's Italian father owned a restaurant in Cleethorpes and her mother was a policewoman.

In parliament, she was a staunch ally of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and, between February and July 2022, was one of his parliamentary private secretaries, later, between September and October in the same year,  serving as a levelling-up minister under Liz Truss.

Since leaving parliament, it understood she has been working as a freelance consultant, specialising in video and media.