WHAT CAUSED BLAZE THAT SCORCHED CEREAL FIELDS ON OUTSKIRTS OF VILLAGE?

The morning after - one of the scorched fields off South Sea Lane

IT is not yet clear what caused yesterday afternoon's  farm field blaze in Humberston that resulted in parts of the village and Cleethorpes being darkened by a cloud of smoke.

In days gone by stubble-burning was common practice, but it is now illegal because of the pollution it causes.

There have been claims that the blaze that occurred on harvested wheatfields off South Sea Lane in  Humberston may have been caused by arson.

The fields are easy to access via the highway, or more surreptitiously, through the former Tertia Trust holiday site - a favourite habitat of vandals and ne'er-do-wells.

Alternatively, it may be that the fire was caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette butt or ignition from sunshine through a fragment of broken glass.

The fire attracted sightseers whose cars made it tricky for firefighting vehicles to access some of the points from where they could best tackle the flames.

Although there were slight fears that the fire might spread to caravan sites and even homes on the outskirts of Humberston, these worries proved to be unfounded. 

TRAVELLERS SEEM IN NO HURRY TO LEAVE CLEETHORPES PARK

Haverstoe Park at 9.30am today

A group of  Travellers who set up camp in a Cleethorpes park late last month have decided to stay put for the time being.

North East Lincolnshire Council has so fair failed to persuade the dozen or so families to vacate Haverstoe Park.

The problem is partly of the authority's making - after two decades, it has still failed in its duty to provide a designated for the travelling community.

One concern is that the grassy amenity area where the vehicles are parked may be churned to mud following recent heavy rain.

It is thought the families might move on for this Friday's Brigg Fair - a favourite meeting for  Travellers.

Haverstoe ward's three councillors - Keith Brookes, Margaret Cracknell and Bill Parkinson - are being kept updated on the situation.   

NELC FINANCE DIRECTOR'S 'FINANCIAL STABILITY' PLEA AS £3-2-MILLION OVERSPEND IS REVEALED

A TOT-up of NELC's finances has revealed a likely overspend of £3.2-million over the 2018-19 financial year.

In a report to councillors, Director of Resources and Governance Sharon Wroot says: "Budgets have come under pressure from a range of frontline services including well-document challenges to social services."

She continues: "It is increasingly important that focus remains on establishing a longer-term approach to financial stability."

The council's general reserve fund - so-called 'rainy day money' - currently stands at £8.3-million.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S 2019 UPDATE ON PERFORMANCE OF LINCS INSPIRE

The Chief Executive of Lincs Inspire Limited, Sue Wells, will present the following update on the organisation’s activities at a panel of North East Lincolnshire councillors on Thursday August 1.

  

LINCS INSPIRE LIMITED PRESENTATION TO TOURISM AND VISITOR ECONOMY SCRUTINY PANEL NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL

1 INTRODUCTION

Lincs Inspire Limited is an independent charity, set up to deliver a range of community services including; sport, leisure and cultural services, principally provided in and around Lincolnshire. The following report compliments a presentation to be delivered to the above scrutiny panel, introducing new panel members to the charity, bringing seasoned panel members up to date on the charity’s activities, and specifically focusing on those services and activities delivered across North East Lincolnshire.

2 PURPOSE OF THE CHARITY

 Lincs Inspire is committed to helping local people achieve their aspirations, stay active, stay well and enjoy life to the full.  Our aspirations;  Ensuring everyone can access and enjoy first class community sports, leisure and cultural facilities and activities   Helping the inactive to become active   Being an employer of choice, recognised for good quality training, development and employment opportunity  Working with partners to maximise resources, expertise and opportunities, ensuring that together we can make a real difference

 How we measure success;  More children and young people developing and keeping an active habit for life   More adults and priority groups achieving and keeping a positive lifestyle, through both physical and mental well-being  Making wellness work by delivering effective targeted support services  Creating successful careers through opportunities within culture, leisure and sport  Continuously improving quality, accessibility and value for money

 We deliver a wide range of services, focusing on:  Sporting and Leisure Services -  including the operation of leisure centres, swimming pools, football development centre, athletics stadium and an extensive programme of community based exercise/physical activities.

 Cultural Services – providing experiences and opportunities for participation, including the area’s largest performing arts venue, borough-wide statutory library service, public archive facility covering North and North East Lincolnshire, plus a wide range of cultural and creative community activities aimed at supporting wellbeing and social interaction.   Our aim is simple, ‘we want to inspire our community to make every day count and we want to help those who work with us to do the same’. 

3 GOVERNANCE

Lincs Inspire Limited is a registered charity, it is supported through its subsidiary trading company, Lincs Inspire Venues & Enterprises Limited. Lincs Inspire Limited operates through a board of trustees, consisting of independent non-paid members.  By virtue of its Articles of Association (its governing document), all members of the charity are also trustees and directors.  The board of trustees meet whenever required but no less often that once per quarter to review the charity’s operational performance and to strategically plan future developments.  In addition sub-committees are also in place to consider specific areas of the business when required. Lincs Inspire Venues & Enterprises Limited has its own board of directors, including representation from the main board of trustees for Lincs Inspire Limited, and also meets no less often than once per quarter to review the strategic operation of the company and its ongoing support to the charity. The charity operates under Charity Commission guidelines and legislative requirements.  

4 PERFORMANCE REVIEW

2018/19 A presentation to scrutiny panel members aims to highlight performance across 2018/19, demonstrating the diverse range of services, extensive community engagement and most importantly the impact services are having on health and wellbeing within our local community.  Performance at a glance:  Over 1 million visits to Sports and  Leisure Facilities in 2018/19  Over 83,000 Theatre visits in 2018/19  Over 290,000 Library visits in 2018/19 Performance highlights:  Encouraging PE and School Sports Activity - The charity’s Sports and Wellbeing team continue to work with over 40 schools across North East Lincolnshire and wider Lincolnshire. This is also supported by the delivery of over 50 hours per week of teacher Planning, Preparing and Assessing (PPA).   Encouraging Young People To Be Safe & Active - Lincs Inspire delivers an extensive programme of safe cycling skills ‘Bikeability’ and ‘balance-ability’.  These are delivered in partnership with Engie and funded via The Department of Transport (DofT) or via individual schools budgets.  The programme is currently supporting over 1,300 pupils across 29 schools.    Encouraging Active Seniors - Lincs Inspire’s active seniors programme, focuses on improving the health and wellbeing of over 55 year olds.  Delivery includes Tai Chi, New Age Kurling, Zumba and Bokwa.  In addition Walking Football is delivered at Bradley Football Development Centre and regularly sees in excess of 145 participants per week.  Encouraging Creativity – this includes a range of arts and crafts activities; ‘Craft and a Cuppa’ is a weekly programme that is both creative and social, offered across libraries and even at Bradley Football Development Centre (333 sessions delivered in 18/19).  Performing Arts Encouragement – Lincs Inspire works in partnership with North Lincolnshire Council to deliver a programme of dance development and local dance provision, increasing participation and supporting dance as a career/business.   Introducing schools to live classical material – for many years the service has delivered a programme of school attended condensed live theatre performances including for example; Shakespeare, Ballet and Opera, aimed at unlocking interest and inspiring young people.  Engaging the community in live theatre/performance – commercially driven programming encourages non-theatre goers – Stars of Strictly (come dancing), Celebrity Chefs, and well known TV performers encourage attendance and open the door to live theatre experiences.

 The company’s website; www.lincsinspire.com includes an extensive range of customer testimonials, highlighting the impact the above services and activities are having on everyday life and general health improvement. Grant Funding Highlights: Lincs Inspire actively seeks grant funding to support its charitable activities.  Funding applications have focused on encouraging increased participation in physical and creative activities.  Funding success includes; Football Association funding to tackle male obesity, Arts Council England funding to support live performances in libraries and dance development across northern Lincolnshire, plus Heritage Lottery funding for local history and archival projects.

 Investment: Lincs Inspire is committed to ongoing investment, including the replacement of equipment to ensure facilities remain up to date, value for money and meeting customer expectation.  This includes investment in good quality gym and swim equipment, current library materials and comfortable venues for the performing arts.  In addition investment in specialist health improvement equipment has been essential to support the company’s health and wellbeing programmes. Investment in training resources has also supported efficient operations and the opportunity to grow expertise from within.  This has successfully enabled the charity to develop its own swim school which operates from three pools, six days a week, and to Swim England standards.  Over 3,000 children participating, plus Grimsby Leisure Centre is now an accredited teacher training centre. Lincs Inspire also works with an external training provider to give staff access to on the job learning, for example NVQ and ILM courses.

5 PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

2019/20 and beyond includes a challenging and exciting ‘to do list’ which is fundamentally based on moving the charity to a stronger financial position with less reliance on public funding/subsidy.  Headline plans include:  Business cases for joint investment (Cleethorpes Leisure Centre/Grimsby Health and Wellbeing Centre and Grimsby Auditorium)  Continued dialogue with NELC colleagues regarding asset transfer (viability)   Ongoing review of service viability/income streams/pricing to support emerging financial pressures (contract reductions/national minimum wage increases etc.)  Ongoing staff development and learning/career progression  Commercial service developments that increase local market share and support reinvestment  Continue to celebrate customer success stories and inspire others to have a healthier lifestyle

SUMMARY
The charity continues to work collaboratively with North East Lincolnshire Council and health service partners to ensure services meet customer needs and support overall improved health and wellbeing.  The charity is committed to ensuring its customers enjoy the best possible experience and that services continue to grow and present great value for money.

BUMPER CROWD FOR PARADE AS CLEETHORPES CELEBRATES ARMED FORCES WEEKEND

IN beautiful sunshine, thousands lined the seafront in Cleethorpes at lunchtime today to see the military parade - one of the highlights of  Armed Forces Weekend. Pictured below are some of those who took part in the spectacular marchpast. 

                                       

THE LONELINESS OF A CLEETHORPES SONG THRUSH

Looking for love - the Cleethorpes song thrush

                                                
SPARE a thought for a lonely Cleethorpes song thrush!

Formerly common in gardens throughout North East Lincolnshire, the species has been lost to most of the 15 wards in the borough.

But this spring, after a 12-year absence, a solitary male has returned to the Croft Baker ward where it has been a regular visitor to gardens in Lindsey Road and Parker Street.

The bird's diet largely consists of slugs and snails.

In the hope of attracting a female, it sings every day from the treetops, but so far to no avail.

Its wait for a mate goes on. . .
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A HUGE new housing development is on the cards for Waltham.

Full planning permission has been granted to local firm Cyden Homes to build 194 homes on land off Brigsley Road in the village.

Although North East Lincolnshire Council sought to block the application, its refusal decision has  been overturned by independent planning inspector Darren Hendley.

Addressing NELC's objections, the inspector states: "I conclude that the proposal would not be unacceptable concerning the effect on the living conditions of the occupiers of the neighbouring properties on, in particular, Elsham Drive, Chestnut Road and Brigsley Road by way of outlook, visual impact and privacy."  

He continues: "The proposal would be accessed from a simple T-junction arrangement that would be formed onto Brigsley Road. 

"Traffic would be able to enter or leave the site in either direction. 

"Concerning the predicted traffic generation levels, the appellant’s transport assessments acknowledge there would be some adverse effects on key junctions within Waltham and beyond. 

"In order to mitigate these effects, a number of measures are proposed that would aim to encourage the use of transport modes other than the car. 

"These include the provision of a bus stop, a zebra crossing and extending an existing footway. "

Mr Hendley does not believe the development will have an unduly detrimental impact on the character of the site which  currently consists of fields and trees.

As a condition of consent, Cyden Homes will be obliged to make substantial contributions towards the provision of extra classroom space at the nearest primary and secondary schools.
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CLEETHORPES MP Martin Vickers has boosted his income by accepting a £5,000 donation from a property rental company.

The Hessle-based company, Estates UK, buys houses - mostly in the Humberside region - and lets them privately.

It mostly has a good reputation with tenants, though a minority have posted online unfavourable reviews about the promptness and quality of any required repairs.

It is not known why the  firm has made the donation, nor what it requires from Mr Vickers in return.

The  only other non-parliamentary income the Brexit-backing Conservative MP has received so far this year is understood to be the  £200 fee he received for an article, published on March 3,  in Mail on Sunday Online.

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THREE new classrooms could be created at a Grimsby school if NELC planners give the  green light.

Old Clee Primary has applied for consent to infill an existing open-air courtyard with two single-storey extensions.

Existing windows and doors will have to be altered to meet the proposed new configuration.

A decision is expected later this summer.

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A NEW church meeting room and cafe is in prospect for Cleethorpes.

Mark Chapman is seeking planning permission to convert the premises of Barcroft Motorcycles at 77a Barcroft Street in the town.

The application is likely to be determined shortly by a North East Lincolnshire Council case officer without the need for consideration by the borough planning committee.

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Can this advertisement in today's Grimsby Telegraph really means what it says?

If so, perhaps it's no wonder there's a childhood obesity problem.

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Don't film it, please!

GRIMSBY MP Melanie Onn has revealed an unusual party trick.

In an interview with House magazine, she confided that she could "make her tongue go upside down".

She told her interviewer: "Do you want to see it? Don’t film it though because it’s quite disgusting."

Impressively (especially for a 39-year-old), the Labour MP can still do cartwheels with almost the same agility as when she was a pupil at Healing School.

PLANNING THUMBS-UP FOR 96-HOME PROJECT ON OUTSKIRTS OF CLEETHORPES

Artist's impression of how the development could look as  'unkempt' arable land opposite the Tesco superstore makes way for  new homes

North East Lindsey Council planners dallied on making a decision on the project at Hewitt's Circus, New Waltham, so Mr Yeung of Liverpool-based YPG Developments Ltd asked the planning inspectorate to intervene.

After assessing the merits of the application and conducting a  visit  to the site - which he decribed as 'unkempt land' between the A1098 Hewitt's Avenue and the A1031 Humberston Road - independent planning inspector Darren Hendley gave the go-ahead for construction of 72 houses and 24 apartments.

Addressing misgivings about potential traffic snarl-ups, the inspector stated: "Improvements are proposed to both the Hewitt’s Avenue and Humberston Road (north) arm of the roundabout that are forecast to mitigate the impacts caused by traffic generation, including at peak times when the increases would be most marked. 

"In my view, these improvements would also benefit existing road users with the capacity that would be created, thereby having the potential to reduce queueing delays and the associated frustrations of drivers. 

"With the additional capacity that would be created at the roundabout, this would be unlikely to cause undue concerns arising from its use, in effect, as a U-turn, due to the absence of a right turn out of the access.  As a consequence, the proposal would not result in unsafe manoeuvres to the detriment of highway safety and amenity.

"The mitigation also includes improvements for pedestrians and cyclists in the vicinity of the site.  In particular, the proposed signalised crossing point on Humberston Road would improve the safety of users attempting to cross this road, and a footway would also be provided to a bus stop on Humberston Road (south).

"The mitigation would adequately address potential detrimental impacts on highway safety arising from the additional traffic generation.  Whilst these measures also formed mitigation under the extant permission, the evidence before me does not lead me to believe that the traffic generation from the additional dwellings would tip the balance of acceptability against the proposal as regards the impact on the highway network.

"In relation to the potential for the use of an alternative access, as I find the proposed access arrangement not to be unacceptable, I have not considered this matter further.  The LP policies that I have been referred to in respect of the housing allocation, in any event, do not require the proposal to be accessed in a different way from what is before me as it would deliver the appropriate highway infrastructure for its needs.

"I therefore conclude that the proposal would not have an unacceptable effect on highway safety and the free flow of traffic."

Mr Yeung's firm will be obliged to contribute £20,000 to highway improvements.

Mr Yeung - boss of YPG

In addition, there are requirements that  20 per cent of the new homes meet the so-called "affordable" provision and that "educational contributions" will  be made on the basis of £11,276.44 for every four qualifying houses for primary education and £16,991.48 for every five qualifying houses for secondary education - the monies to be spent, respectively, on schools within two and five miles of the site.

Disappointingly, Mr Hendley has not insisted on any initiatives to enhance wildlife, such as songbirds, maintaining that the habitat is of "low value" and that proposed planting of trees and shrubs will suffice.

YPG's track record has mostly been in seeing through to fruition regenerations schemes, including student accommodation, on Merseyside.

It is not known when work will start on the Cleethorpes project or whether YPG will seek involvement (or sale of the site) from another developer.