January 2025
District Councillors Report – Osbournby Jan 2025
Free trees for communities across North Kesteven
Apply now to secure free trees for your community - whether it's a single commemorative tree or a community orchard, you have the opportunity to make a lasting mark on the environment in your neck of the woods. NDKC have dozens of trees to give away, and can offer advice to help you plant the right trees in the right place. This offer is open to groups, charities, businesses, schools and more - anywhere that can accommodate trees!
Find out more and apply at www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/communitytrees
The deadline for applications has been extended to noon on 31 January
Market Place now open
The new sandstone paving lightens up the area and reflects the historic buildings around it. There are also now two raised planters with lighting and inbuilt benches, plus up-lighting for the War Memorial and in the surrounding trees to create a welcoming space to be.
With the old hut now demolished, a new defibrillator has been installed in a more prominent place to access in an emergency.
The paving in this small section will be finished at the earliest opportunity by Smith Construction, in early January, as well as a few remaining benches to be installed. There’ll then be a period to review the work and ensure everything is exactly as it should be, with every detail perfect.
There are also additional finishing touches to come, including repairs and repainting of the bus shelter, and a full window clean and any paint touch ups needed for the businesses surrounding the works (in addition to window cleaning during the works).
Households urged to check eligibility for winter support schemes
The Department for Work and Pensions’ Cold Weather Payments are an automatic bank top-up of £25, triggered to be paid to eligible households when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below for seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to an eligible person’s postcode.
The £25 payments will be paid automatically to households receiving certain benefits including, Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Job-seeker's Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Universal Credit and Support for Mortgage Interest.
English Devolution White Paper
The Government has published a White Paper on English Devolution. The White Paper promotes some key policy themes, related to the government's missions, signalling a shift to a preventative model of service delivery, to improve the health and wellbeing of the nation and reduce inequalities in health outcomes. It relates also to the government's aspiration to meet housing needs and to improve economic performance. The government sees a significant role for local government in these areas and is proposing devolution of powers to boost local government capacity by promoting the establishment of Mayoral Combined Authorities across England. Locally the Greater Lincolnshire devolution agreement establishes a Mayoral Combined Authority, with elections for a Mayor due to take place next May.
The White Paper also outlines the government's aspiration to create what it calls ‘simpler structures’ for local government in England. The White Paper recommends that unitary councils be established across England, with a population threshold of 500,000. This would mean a transition from a structure based on a county council and district councils to one with a smaller number of unitary councils, with an ambition to achieve this by 2028. It is not clear what this means for Lincolnshire at this point.
Sleaford Museum
Sleaford Museum is extending its usual Saturday opening hours for the day, so that more people can come by. Its exterior walls have been repainted, it has new wall lighting and it’s more visible from the road following the changes. It also has new signage, which was recently installed.
The improvements at Monument Gardens have been delivered by North Kesteven District Council together with stakeholders including Sleaford Town Council; which is the landowner; Sleaford Museum, the Sleaford and District Civic Trust, and Sleaford in Bloom which has long helped look after the area. Nearby businesses have also been kept informed throughout the project.
Contractor Lindum Group completed the works, while D Hatcher and Sons restored the Sleaford signage. The repainting of the Wyvern Barrier was completed by Bell Group. The project is funded by Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Parking machines update
The option to pay by mobile phone could very soon be available at Council car parks in Sleaford, as part of work to address intermittent but recurring card payment difficulties.
Current signal and connectivity issues caused by reduced availability of the 3G network are at times preventing the Council’s car park machines from being able to take card payments. Recognising the inconvenience caused for car park customers, North Kesteven District Council is urgently exploring how parking payments via mobile phone could be put in place. It's hoped that it could be imminent, once a provider and a plan to implement the new system is agreed.
It would likely be via an app along with the ability to pay over the phone. The authority is also due to consider replacing the current machines with new cash and card machines, as a longer-term solution.
The existing machines are now coming towards the end of their lives. In the meantime, every effort is being made to maintain and keep the current machines operational. Daily checks are made on all of the Council’s parking machines in Sleaford. Any new issues however, such as a machine not taking cash, can be reported by calling the Council offices on 01529 414155. The option to use cash remains and it’s still advisable to keep some with you as all parking must be paid for to avoid fines.
Parking charges start from just 50p for two hours (at Grantham Road Car Park) or 70p for up to an hour (at Eastbanks, Cogglesford Watermill, Station Road and Westgate), plus the first hour is free at the Town Council-owned Eastgate Car Park and free evening, Sunday and Bank Holiday parking at all Council-owned car parks.