New Council

We now have three new councillors and nine "old" hands. I wonder how many of the council members read this blog? Or am I wasting space?

District Council has had a bit of a shake up, but the Conservatives are the major party, with 25 seats out of 43.
17 new members there too, so it may be a while before the newbies get the hang of things. Don't expect fireworks for a while yet.

Bracebridge Heath Gala Day On Hold

Bracebridge Heath Gala Day On Hold

It is with sadness that Bill, I, and the rest of the organising group have had to make the decision that there will be no Gala Day in 2007; that we can no longer take on the fullness of responsibility.

Throughout the past seven Galas, organisation and pre-gala work relied on too few individuals and it has not been possible to engender enough extra help to go on.

The decision of the representatives of our local core members is that the gala day organisation, as it has stood for the past seven years, will be ‘mothballed’— or go into hibernation, until September 2007; in the hope that robust volunteers come forward for 2008, willing to take on co-ordinating and pre-gala work.

Consequently, no further decision will be taken until September.

Everyone who has helped make Gala Day actually happen have been thanked for all their support of the past seven years, and been kept fully informed.

With thanks to everyone who made seven gala days possible, but much regret.

Alan Clark
Secretary to Gala Day

Bill Rawson
Chairman

Code of conduct

I attended the hearing into Cllr Rawson MBE's alleged breach of the Code of Conduct.
It was decided by the panel to allow the appeal.

The full result is here:
Click here.

Remembrance Sunday

Yet another year has passed and another Remembrance Day. Once again Rev Middleton gave the sermon, there was a good turnout from villagers to thank those who gave their all for us.

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall not grow old, as we who are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

By-Pass consultation

LINCOLN SOUTHERN BYPASS PUBLIC CONSULTATION 2




The southern bypass will not be started until after the eastern bypass is complete. We are looking at ten years at least for that. Whatever is "decided" now, how much of a change is there going to be in policy in ten to twenty years time?

Edit after the presentation: The projected date for completion is 2023. Presumably that is if all goes to plan, the chances are slim to none that this will ever get off the ground, and all the breast beating going on is a complete waste of effort. It matters not a jot what is said now, there is only the slightest chance that there will ever be a completed bypass, much less a bypass that pleases anyone who has an interest now.

Bus routes

As most people know by now, the 1A bus is soon to stop running. It's the one that goes around Kennedy Road and Bentley Drive etc. The bus company claim there is no call for it and the route 1 which runs every half hour will be suitable. Route 1 comes from Waddington and turns right at St John's Road and then on to the stop at the John Bull via Sleaford Road. I have had a few calls from residents asking the Parish Council to do something about it. I have asked the Clerk to enquire if there is a grant available to keep the 1A running or if we could persuade one of the other companies to start the route again. I have had one price from Dunn-Line, £80 per day to run once around 9.30 into Lincoln and back at 12 o'clock, returning directly to Lincoln and back again at 3 o'clock. I think there is little chance of that being a viable proposition. It would be cheaper to tell residents to get a taxi and bill the council. There is a rumour that the free bus pass that many residents use is financed by the bus company and not by District or central Government, which makes such routes as the 1A uneconomical, as bus companies no longer receive payment for taking free passengers. We shall have to see if there is in fact anything we can do.

So, on again to the Bowling Green, I think what we have built is a very expensive five-a-side football pitch. There have been few people using the green, none at all for the last 10 days at least, I must say the response is disappointing considering the amount of work that went into getting the green, other greens around Lincoln and the local villages seem to be in regular use, I know they are used by league bowlers and BBH has not entered a league, but there must be some leisure bowlers around surely?

Bowlers are keen?

I seem to be becoming a bit of a grouch.
On Saturday night around 11 o'clock the local brain dead decided to throw a couple of hundred stones onto the green, the much trumpeted CCTV was as much use as a chocolate tea pot as the floodlights don't work. The only way I know it was around that time is because the camera was focused on a streetlight and jumped out of line at 11 o'clock. This would be when the litter bin was thrown at the pole and it knocked all three cameras out of focus. If I had realised they were so delicate I think we may well have had second thoughts about them, £15,000 seems a lot for what we have so far seen.
So, on to the green, it was obviously put out of action on Saturday night, on Monday the stones were still on the green, so there had been no one bowling on Sunday. Have we really wasted all that money on a white elephant? I know people have other things to do, but after all this time wanting a green is there nobody keen enough to play on it?