Council

Council tax fraud crackdown

A crackdown on council tax fraud in South Holland has been announced The district council says its going to look at the 12,500 households that receive a 25 per cent discount on their bill as they’re registered as having just one adult residing there. The authority is urging residents who are no longer entitled to the discount to contact them ...

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Calls to fully reopen Spalding’s public toilets

Calls have been made that Spalding’s toilet facilities should be fully re-opened when non-essential shops open again on April 12. The amenities, which are managed by South Holland District Council, were closed across the district following the first lockdown in March 2020. The facilities in Holbeach, Donington, Long Sutton and Sutton Bridge have since re-opened Monday to Friday, 8am to ...

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Phonebox and new signs plan to brighten area

A bid to turn a historic phonebox into a display on some of Spalding’s history and new signs for the town are among new proposals. Coun Elizabeth Sneath is looking to adopt the Churchgate phonebox by the River Welland for a pound to preserve it going forward. It follows an article in The Voice on March 18 where the list ...

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South Holland Independents group together

Council members who have no political affiliation are joining forces under one banner. With live broadcasting of district and county meetings, the South Holland Independents hope members of the public will choose not to use politics to decide local issues. “I hope people will have seen that councillors belonging to a political party vote with the party leader and along ...

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Rows over village pub’s future

Those behind a bid to purchase and save a village pub are vowing to continue the fight. The Chequers in Gedney Dyke was listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) in 2018 following a campaign, but it’s subject to another planning permission to turn it into two homes. The ACV lasts for five years and means that before the ...

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Home decision is defended

A councillor has told a committee he doesn’t regret a decision to go-ahead with purchasing a property amid claims he was ‘overruling democracy’. South Holland District Council’s Performance Monitoring Panel had previously voted that Coun Rodney Grocock should not allow the purchase of a third identified property in Spalding and instead instruct officers to find a more suitable home. However ...

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Spalding parking charges set to change

The cost of parking in Spalding is set to go up in some areas from the end of the month. South Holland District Council announced the changes via its social media channels at 5pm last Friday. The cost of parking in Westlode Street will rise to £3 a day from the current £1 and the Sheep Market will rise to ...

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Solar farm gets the green light

Plans for a new solar farm next to Sutton Bridge Power Station have been given the thumbs up. EDF Renewable Energy says the development on the bank of the River Nene and on part of the site of the former RAF Sutton Bridge could power up to 16,100 homes for up to 40 years. South Holland District Council’s Planning Committee ...

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Council’s mediation bid to stop infighting

Holbeach parish councillors were called into a ‘mediation’ meeting with the district council last week as bids to stop infighting continued. A number of reports of infighting and concerns over some of the council’s practices have been raised in the past year Last November, South Holland District Council told The Voice that it had received 13 complaints about Holbeach Parish ...

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Pub’s flats plan highlights worries over future of Spalding’s hostelries

There’s worries over what Spalding’s nightlife could look like in future after plans were submitted to turn one in the town centre into flats. An application has been submitted to convert Mulberry’s Bar, Swan Street, into three one-bedroom maisonettes. And with other town centre pubs including The White Horse, The Black Swan and PE11 currently up for sale, there’s concerns ...

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No to firm’s bid for longer working hours

A Gedney Hill company has been told it can’t increase its hours of operation amid claims from neighbours that it is already flouting planning conditions. You Garden which is based in Long Lane had applied to South Holland District Council to extend its opening hours from 6am to 10pm on Mondays and Fridays and 7am to 8pm on Saturdays and ...

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Affordable homes to be cut at Moulton Chapel development by 80 per cent after tied vote

A developer has been allowed to cut the number of affordable homes it builds at a Moulton Chapel development by 80 per cent after a tied vote by councillors. Last night (Wednesday, March 10) South Holland District Council’s Planning Committee couldn’t be split on Postland Development’s request that it could only make the 58 home development financially viable if it ...

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Cluster hub at Holbeach FEZ gets the go-ahead

The planning application for a ‘Cluster Hub’ building at the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone, has been approved, with work due to start next month. The multi-use space will provide small and medium-sized business tenants with support services, networking, meeting and events space and catering, within the new Food Enterprise Zone near Holbeach. There will also be workshops and offices, ...

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Virus ‘ripped apart’ finances

‘Fairer funding’ was likened to a unicorn as councillors lamented a ‘horrendous’ year for finances. South Holland District Council portfolio holder for finance Peter Coupland said COVID-19 had ‘ripped to shreds’ the authority’s finances, but praised staff for off-setting most of a proposed £1.7m saving. The full council passed the budget and Mid Term Financial Strategy last week. It includes ...

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Market fees plan branded ‘bizarre’

Market traders are set to be given a further three-month holiday from fees, but there’s concerns those in Spalding will eventually be hit with much higher fees than elsewhere. As South Holland District Council passed its budget and medium term financial strategy last week, Coun Angela Newton asked if a stated aim for registered traders at Spalding Market to pay ...

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Nick stepping down from his county role

Holbeach county councillor Nick Worth will not be standing for re-election in May. He says the time has come to step down from his role on Lincolnshire County Council but he will continue as a South Holland District Council member for at least another two years. Coun Worth (63) sits on the executive for the county council, with responsibility for ...

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Wildflowers for the verges

The roadside verges of Lincolnshire could be bursting with blossoms if a new scheme takes root. Progress on selecting suitable sites has been delayed, but a report is due to go before Lincolnshire County Council members on Monday (March 8). “In recent weeks however, work has commenced on exploring the opportunity to enter into a partnership with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust ...

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Anger following decision to purchase house for the homeless despite a vote it shouldn’t go ahead

The purchase of a property to house three rough sleepers has been approved despite a council panel voting against it over concerns it was unsuitable and being rushed through. Coun Rodney Grocock, South Holland District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Place, has said the authority can proceed with the purchase of what is the third of three homes in Spalding. In ...

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Plan for service station in Crowland divides opinion

Plans for a service station just outside Crowland have been supported by the town’s parish council. However they have asked South Holland District Council to consider several conditions before passing the application amid concerns over its impact from nearby residents, including those from The Roostings housing estate. Recharge Roadside Services Ltd is looking to build an eight-pump petrol station with ...

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‘Generous’ woods for more homes in Holbeach

A developer wants to add 27 extra homes to a new housing estate where trees will be planted in a ‘generous gesture’. The new homes would be added to the development at Wignals Wood, Holbeach, and would bring the total number of new homes to 104 if approved. A design and access statement submitted to South Holland District Council outlines ...

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