East Lindsey District Council -The East Lindsey Messenger

Tackling domestic abuse - together

Domestic abuse includes a range of abusive behaviours which are used by an abusive partner, or ex-partner or family member to maintain power and control over you.

Domestic abuse is not a one off incident but is an on-going pattern of behaviour. The abuse and/or violence will repeat itself and will often get worse over a period of time.

Types of domestic abuse/violence include -

Physical violence
Psychological and emotional abuse
Sexual abuse
Financial abuse
Stalking or harassment

The behaviour can occur in a variety of relationships regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or religious group, class, disability or lifestyle. Domestic abuse also affects children who are witness to the abuse.

One in four women and one in six men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime in Lincolnshire. All of the domestic abuse services can be accessed by men and women.

If you are a victim of domestic abuse and require support please contact your local specialist support service in East Lindsey by calling 01507 609830 or click here

If you are a perpetrator of domestic abuse/violence and would like help to address your behaviour, the FREE Respect Phoneline is open Monday – Friday 9am-5pm (0808 802 4040). You can also email
More information is available here

Young people may also experience abuse from their own boy/girlfriend. A recent NSPCC survey showed that 25% of girls and 18% of boys have experienced physical violence in a relationship.

As with adults, abuse in teen relationships doesn't just cover physical violence. Other examples of this type of abuse include:

Pressuring you into having sex
Controlling behaviour including what friends you can see or speak to and where you go
Jealousy or anger
Threatening to put lies, personal information and pictures on social networking sites
Constant name calling and comments

Remember that abuse in a relationship is never okay. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect from their partner.

Check out your relationship score here with a quick quiz.

Look out for the new car parking arrangements

New area specific car parking arrangements for towns across East Lindsey will come into effect later this summer and motorists are being asked to familiarise themselves with the changes.

The information boards will be updated in car parks over the coming weeks to reflect the new parking arrangements, which the Council hopes will give a boost to businesses by increasing footfall on the High Streets and encouraging shoppers to stay for longer.

The recently approved Car Parking Policy – which includes some reduced tariffs and additional free parking - moves away from the previous one size fits all District-wide approach to car parking, and to a position where the car parking arrangements in each town reflect local trading conditions.

The Policy also recognises the importance of car parking income to fund services provided to residents by the District Council, making up around 10% of the Council's operating budget.

The arrangements to be introduced include:

Alford – 30 minutes free ticketed parking in Market Square.
Horncastle – 30 minutes free ticketed parking in Market Place.
Louth – 30 minutes free ticketed parking in Market Place car park and reduced tariffs for stays of longer than two hours.
Mablethorpe – a range of revised tariffs.
Skegness – greater choice of tariffs and new trial of pay-on-exit machines on the Festival Car Park using a credit/debit card.
Spilsby – one hour free ticketed parking on all Council owned car parks.

The new arrangements will be monitored over a 12 month trial period, during which time the Council has committed to no overnight charges on any of its car parks.

The Council provides a range of car parking permit options that might benefit some regular car park users – with parking from as little as 22p per day.
For more information on permits click here

New footway lighting will save money and energy!

Work is continuing to upgrade 2,705 footway lights in East Lindsey to LED as part of an initiative set to save 530,300kw of energy and around £110,000 in operating costs per year.

East Lindsey District Council is investing £694,000 of capital funding for the upgrade to the lights that it is responsible for, making them 68% more energy efficient than they are at present.

The District Council is responsible for footway lights and Lincolnshire County Council is responsible for street lights.

Where have footway lights been upgraded so far?
Binbrook
Coningsby
East Barkwith
Hainton
Holton le Clay
Ludford
Marshchapel
North Cotes
North Thoresby
Tattershall
Tetney
Wragby

The contractor undertaking the work will move south through the District with the programme's anticipated completion being towards the end of the 2017/18 financial year.

For details of the full programme of works, click here

Beach chalets open for summer season

Beach chalets in Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea are now open for the summer season and bookings are being taken.

Mablethorpe
Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea Town Council is managing the Beach Chalets on Mablethorpe's Central Promenade and Queen's Park and bookings are now being taken for seasonal, weekly and daily Chalet hire. For more information or to book, click here

Over the Spring East Lindsey District Council undertook an extensive refurbishment programme on the Chalets on Mablethorpe's Central Promenade. The programme cost £197,000 (£147,000 from the District Council and £50,000 from the Coastal Revival Fund).

Sutton on Sea
At Sutton on Sea, the Residents' Association has taken on a five year lease for Chalet numbers 2 to 15. East Lindsey District Council has put aside £205,000 of capital funds to redevelop Huts 16 to 29 at Sutton on Sea subject to match funding from the Residents' Association.

Chalets at Sutton on Sea are available for hire through the Sutton on Sea Resident's Association and bookings can be made by calling 01507 443288 or email

All Chalets are close to award winning Blue Flag beaches for families to enjoy a traditional seaside day out.

Chalets for sale
The District Council has a number of 'off plan' Beach Chalets for sale in Mablethorpe priced at £12,000. If you're interested in buying a Chalet, you can find out more information here

Beaches achieve prestigious Blue Flag

Three beaches managed by East Lindsey District Council have once again achieved prestigious Blue Flag status. Ingoldmells beach, which is privately run, has also achieved the award for the first time.

In securing the award, the four beaches have demonstrated high standards of water quality, facilities, beach safety, and environmental management.

Achieving Blue Flag status isn't easy but gives local people and visitors the confidence to know that the beaches are well maintained.

Every morning throughout the summer season the Council's main beaches are mechanically raked to ensure they are litter free for the coming day, with teams working hard throughout the day to maintain the standards. A clean beach is integral to the summer-time economy, drawing huge numbers of visitors to the East Coast every year, supporting local businesses and helping to maintain and create jobs for local people.

The Blue Flag Award is managed in England by Keep Britain Tidy and internationally by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

First East Lindsey Business Awards recognise local success

The first East Lindsey EXPO and Business Awards took place on Friday May 19 at Kenwick Park Hotel, Louth.

28 businesses showcased their products and services and took the opportunity to engage with local schools, colleges and universities at the EXPO during the day.

Almost 70 business students from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Alford, Somercotes Academy and Cordeaux Academy visited the EXPO and were able to learn about how businesses contribute to the economy and how the young people of today can learn important skills through apprenticeship programmes.

150 people from local businesses attended the awards held that night.
Award winners are listed below –

Food Business of the Year
Minting Park Farm

Excellence in Manufacturing
MTAG Composites Ltd

Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Sophie Watkinson

Excellence in Digital Innovation
Root2 Recruit

Visitor Attraction of the Year
Lincolnshire Wildlife Park

Independent Retailer of the Year
First Clothing, Horncastle

Exporter of the Year
Shelton Sportsturf Drainage Ltd

New Business of the Year
Crofts Estate Agents

Best Place to Eat
The Ranch, Louth

Full details of the Business Awards including winners and runners up in each category can be found here

Wolds hosts major road cycling race

Hundreds of professional cyclists descended on the Lincolnshire Wolds on Sunday April 9 for the very first Tour of the Wolds as part of the HSBC UK Spring Cup Series.

The elite road cycle racing event, supported by East Lindsey District Council and Magna Vitae, attracted the biggest teams and names in British cycling with 150 riders taking part in the professional Men's 102 mile race and 120 taking part in the Women's 62 mile race.

Many residents and visitors gathered to watch the spectacle of the start and finish in Louth and around the Wolds course including South Elkington, Binbrook and Caistor.

On Saturday, April 8, cycling enthusiasts from the local area and further afield took part in a Sportive which was based around the London Road Pavilion, Louth, looping into the Wolds.

For results of the event, click here

Listen to Council meetings live online

East Lindsey District Council is now broadcasting the audio from its full Council and Planning Committee meetings live online.

Residents can tune in to the meetings here and listen live or play the audio back if the meeting has ended.

The Council is keen to encourage the community to take an interest in the decision making process. The online broadcasting of these two meetings will enable people to listen online to the debates that take place and the decisions that are made by Councillors.

The Council is also broadcasting meetings of the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Panel; the next is on June 16.

Depending on uptake the Council may extend the broadcasting to other meetings in the future.

Flood schemes protect homes in Louth and Horncastle

Work has completed at the Louth and Horncastle flood storage reservoirs which will be used to store excess water from the River Lud and River Bain high flows. This will help to reduce flood risk to hundreds of local homes and businesses.

The reservoir at Horncastle can hold 1.5 million cubic metres of water – the same as 600 Olympic-sized swimming pools – and will reduce risk to 169 properties in Horncastle.

The two flood storage reservoirs on the River Lud near Louth reduce the risk to 185 properties.

The Louth and Horncastle projects are £6.5million and £8million schemes respectively, to which East Lindsey District Council has contributed £1 million.

Other contributors were the Environment Agency, Lincolnshire County Council, Louth and Horncastle Town Councils, Anglian Water, and Lindsey Marsh and Witham Third Internal Drainage Boards.

The Environment Agency is reminding people to take steps to reduce their own risk by calling 0345 988 1188 or visiting the Floodline sign-up page

Farmers beware!

Landowners in Lincolnshire are asked to be on their guard after the Environment Agency's Environmental Crime Team reported a number of incidents where farmers and other landowers have been approached and asked if they want tarmac road planings that can be used to repair roads and farmyards on their land.

After accepting the offer they found bales of landfill waste dumped on their land instead of the expected road planings, leaving them with an environmental liability and a bill to transport and remove the waste to an authorised disposal site.

The Environment Agency (EA) is urging all landowners to be wary and not become the next victim of illegal waste disposal and dumping.

Top tips from the EA:

use reputable agents and brokers
carry out suitable checks and due diligence, i.e. get the individuals details, vehicle registration, ask where the waste is coming from (address, permit number, waste carriers registration)
inform them you'll be contacting the Environment Agency or call us whilst they are there
don't agree to accept any waste until you have carried out some checks and had a cooling off period to fully consider the offer
Public register checks can be made by calling 03708 506 506 or by clicking here

If you see or suspect illegal waste activities, report it anonymously to Crimestoppers or call 0800 555 111.

TED in East Lindsey

Talk, Eat and Drink in East Lindsey (T.E.D.), the Big Lottery funded project aimed at reducing isolation and loneliness amongst the over 50's, has recently celebrated its two year birthday.

The project can now demonstrate that T.E.D. is reaching many older people with over 600 people attending events, receiving T.E.D. communications

and participating in the wider T.E.D. programme.

Everyone who gets involved with T.E.D. is invited to become a member and take part in evaluation to identify the positive impact the project is having on reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation.

T.E.D. has a 60 strong team of volunteers – aged 50 plus - who regularly get involved and support with a range of activities.

In Year 2, T.E.D. launched its Age Friendly Business Award with 26 businesses now

having successfully achieved the Award.

Another key aim is to build a stronger network of organisations delivering services and activities to older people. There are 54 members in the T.E.D. Network now. They receive support and help through organisational health checks, support with funding applications

and information about T.E.D. commissioning opportunities.

T.E.D.'s plan for the coming year is to continue the good work achieved so far and also to expand into more areas of East Lindsey to ensure that those hardest to reach individuals are reached.

For more information about T.E.D., their programme of events and their latest volunteering

opportunities, please contact the T.E.D. Team on 01529 301966 or email

Leader's Blog

I'm very pleased that this edition of the Messenger is able to report on some very positive events and investment for East Lindsey.

Economic investment is a key element of our work and I was very pleased to attend the inaugural East Lindsey Business Awards.

This event recognised the importance of all the businesses that operate in our district and the contribution they make to employment and skills across a wide spectrum of specialisms.
Did you know for instance that a company in Coningsby makes composite panels for train interiors or that some of our agritec companies export all over the world?

As a Council we will continue to encourage future investment and support for the companies that operate across the district.
We also look to invest in our tourism industry and it is immensely pleasing to see the success of our investment in beach chalets coming to fruition.

Working with Mablethorpe and Sutton Town Council and the Sutton on Sea Residents' Association we have invested on an extensive refurbishment of beach chalets. Recognising the iconic importance of the great British seaside holiday, this investment is now starting to pay dividends.
And it's great to see the quality of our beaches recognised by the prestigious Blue Flag.

As a Council we have made the decision to invest in replacement LED footway lighting. After an informative consultation process we are now in the process of delivering on this decision. More information is available in this issue of Messenger.

Please take time to read about the T.E.D programme and the benefits of being involved in this Big Lottery Funded scheme. Aimed at our older residents, this project is focussed on reducing social isolation.

There is no doubt that we will still have to make difficult decisions in the future but we recognise that careful investment, used well, is improving opportunities in East Lindsey for residents of all ages.

Food Safety Week focuses on safe outdoor eating

There are an estimated one million cases of food poisoning every year, with E-Coli, Listeria and Salmonella more prevalent in the warmer months.

This year Food Safety Week takes place from June 19 – 25 to coincide with National Picnic Week.

Food Safety Week is focusing on safe summer eating, keeping food safe when picnicking and barbecuing (including thorough cooking of burgers).

Here's some top tips

Make sure your fridge is set to the right temperature – the coldest part should be below 5C.
Cool cooked foods quickly at room temperature so that they can be stored in the fridge within 1-2 hours.
Store raw foods separately from cooked foods.
Do not defrost raw meat or raw meat products at room temperature.
Cooking food at the right temperature and for the correct length of time.
Check that food is steaming hot throughout before you eat it.
Burgers prepared at home should always be cooked all the way through until steaming hot.

For more information, visit the Food Standards Agency website here

Safer Food Service launched

Those launching food-related businesses in East Lindsey can benefit from a new service provided by East Lindsey District Council.

Any new food businesses setting up in the District has the opportunity to access the Safer Food Service from the Council's Food Safety Team to help them to implement the best possible food hygiene standards.

The service, which costs £180 (including VAT) includes an on-site visit by a Food Safety Officer who will give practical tailored advice and a simple and easy to understand report and the latest "Safer Food Better Business" pack. This pack helps small food businesses to produce food safety management procedures and comply with food hygiene regulations.

For more information on the Safer Food Service click here

Existing businesses are able to access and download the Safer Food Better Business pack here

Carers Week 2017

Carers Week takes place between June 12-18. The campaign aims to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK.

This year the focus is on building communities which support carers to look after the people they care for well, while recognising that they are individuals with needs of their own.

To celebrate carers, recognise and raise awareness of the contribution carers make in our communities, events are taking place during Carers Week with several speakers and workshops by various organisations.

The event in East Lindsey is on Friday June 16 between 9.30am and 3.30pm at the Trinity Centre, Eastgate, Louth. Workshops during the day include entitlements for carers, healthy eating, promoting good sleep hygiene and employment options, plus lots of information and resources for carers from various organisations.

If you would like more information about this event, please call Carers FIRST on 0300 303 1555 or click here

Business Centres could be the perfect place for your business

The District Council has a range of offices and workshops available offering exciting opportunities to operate a variety of businesses from with a modern, affordable and professional environment. The Business Centres are situated on the Fairfield Industrial Estate in Louth and Golf Road Industrial Estate in Mablethorpe. Both Centres also provide a professional venue to host meetings.

The Business Centre at Mablethorpe has 16 professional offices and 8 workshop units all ranging in different sizes which are ideal to help start-up businesses and small businesses to expand.

The Centre offers a conference room suitable for a wide range of training, meetings, seminars and promotional events and a smaller meeting room.
For those who only need occasional use of an office, a Hot Desking facility is offered, equipped with a direct telephone line and broadband connection.

The Business Centre at Louth has 34 office suites in a range of sizes with air conditioning and broadband connectivity. The Centre offers a conference room with presentation equipment, a small meeting room and a pod room ideal for one to one meetings.

Both Centres offer a virtual office package; a serviced office without actually physically occupying a unit, offering a postal address, telephone call handling, priority use of the hot desk facilities, and much more.

For more information and a brochure click here

Online course for parents to learn about self harm

Parents can learn more about mental health, and in-particular self-harm, thanks to an online course called 'Understanding Young Minds'.
Thousands of children and young people in the UK are thought to be impacted by self-harm each year.

Spotting the signs can be difficult, and approaching the subject with your children can be an uncomfortable experience. In fact, 60% of parents say they feel uncomfortable discussing self-harm with their children.

Virtual College has worked in partnership with Selfharm UK to create a free online course designed to help parents talk about the issue of self-harm with their children.

This course will help you to:

Know what self-harm is and why young people may do it
Know what makes young people vulnerable to self-harming behaviour
Understand in what ways you can support a young person who is self-harming

To register for this course, simply click here

Consultation on rules to replace Dog Control Order

There are less than two weeks left for residents and interested parties to take part in a consultation on replacing the Dog Control Order that exists in East Lindsey with a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO).

A change to national legislation means that the existing Dog Control Order, which covers matters such as dog fouling, dogs on leads and dog exclusion zones, will cease to have effect in October 2017.

At present East Lindsey has Dog Control Orders in place on the main beaches at Mablethorpe, Sutton on Sea and Skegness and some play parks managed by the District Council. The District Council is asking Town and Parish Councils to nominate any additional areas they would like to see included in a new Public Space Protection Order. Town and Parish Councils will be responsible for enforcement on any areas they nominate.

The District Council is also proposing to raise the Fixed Penalty Notice fine for breaches of the Order from £75 to £100, which can rise to £1,000 if it goes to court.

The consultation runs until June 21.

Have your say here

SO Festival set to amaze!

SO Festival, East Lincolnshire's leading arts and culture festival is returning between June 27 and July 2, 2017 for six days of outdoor art and high-energy entertainment.

SO Festival will be touring through Spilsby (27th), Horncastle (28th), Alford (29th) and Mablethorpe (30th) before culminating in a spectacular 2-day finalé weekend in Skegness on July 1 and 2.

SO Festival is working hard to support the growth and sustainability of local arts and cultural experiences across the district and looking forward to bringing you a diverse offering in 2017. This year SO Festival is also proudly supporting cultural fringe events in Skegness, Louth and Woodhall Spa.

This will be the 9th year running for SO Festival and once again festival organisers have scoured the globe to find amazing and enthralling acts to entertain all the family – and lots of it includes local people. Find out how you can get involved here

From a giant edible map of East Lindsey; SO CAKE FEST, to a spectacular finalé performance on Saturday July 1 by France's Les Commandos Percu (France) and Deabru Beltak (Spain) who have travelled the world with their amazing drum and fireworks shows.
Click here to view this year's exciting programme;
Information on further acts appearing at SO Festival, including times, locations and SO much more, is also available on the w ebsite

Don't forget you can stay in touch by using the hashtag #SOFEST2017 on our social media pages. Let SO Festival know which act you are most looking forward to seeing this summer!

Photo: DT Toulouse, G.Bolivan

Green Waste

Residents can still subscribe for the Green Waste Collection Service for the annual fee of £40.

To subscribe or for more information on the collection service, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions, click here

Paddling Pools open for the Summer

East Lindsey District Council's FREE outdoor paddling pools are now open for the summer.

The paddling pools, which include interactive spray fountains, are at Queen's Park, Mablethorpe; Sutton on Sea and the Fairy Dell, Skegness.

Parliamentary Election result

The Parliamentary Election was held on June 8 and the MPs elected to our area are detailed below-

Louth and Horncastle
Victoria Atkins MP
(Conservative)
Skegness and Boston
Matt Warman MP
(Conservative)
Gainsborough
Sir Edward Leigh MP
(Conservative)