Council

John Hayes is ready to defy the Prime Minister and vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. The Tory South Holland and the Deepings MP – a well-documented Eurosceptic – will reinforce that stance in the referendum this summer. His vote will be something of a conscience struggle for Mr Hayes, a fervent supporter of David Cameron ...

More expensive council tax bills for South Holland residents are expected to be approved on Wednesday (February 24). Figures agreed by South Holland District Council’s cabinet last week were due to be rubber-stamped by full council, triggering the annual process of bills being printed and sent out within days. The approval would represent a first rise in six years of the district ...

The launch of the pilot garden waste scheme has left many South Holland residents confused and angry. The scheme launched on February 15 with people being urged to sign up as soon as possible as only 2,500 households would be able to subscribe on a first come first served basis. However on the day of the launch the Voice was ...

A controversial proposal for a new pavilion in Ayscoughfee Gardens has come in for further criticism – from a group of supporters of the Grade I listed attraction. The Friends of Ayscoughfee says not enough consultation was carried out with user groups, including itself. Chairman Coun Graham Dark labelled the pavilion, which was granted planning permission last month, a “monstrosity” ...

A Spalding off-licence owner faces prosecution unless he quickly starts restoring unauthorised work on the property. An appeal process against South Holland District Council’s decision to refuse retrospective consent for the work at the former Station Gates pub in Winsover Road has collapsed after business owner Zagros Abdullah failed to supply all the necessary paperwork in time. In August last ...

Proposed budget cuts of £42million by Lincolnshire County Council have been eased a little by a promise of £7.7m extra of government funding over the next two years. The council’s executive met last week, and agreed to an array of savings due to be approved by full council on Friday, February 19. Total expenditure of £465m would be supported by ...

Action is being urged to prevent a pedestrian potentially being killed on a busy Spalding road. Subsidence caused a footpath in Barrier Bank to be closed by Lincolnshire Councty Council in 2013. More than two years later the council is warning that no resolution is currently available. South Holland district councillor Graham Dark and Roger Perkins, a resident of nearby ...

Some Conservative members on Lincolnshire County Council say David Cameron’s EU/UK deal does not offer a “good opportunity” for the county. They say unless a better arrangement can be negotiated, the UK “would be better placed to grow and develop outside the European Union”. Before the full council meeting on Friday (February 19), Coun Tony Bridges (Louth Rural North) is ...

The premises licences for two Spalding shops have been revoked after both were found to have sold smuggled cigarettes. It means Winsover and Baltic – both in Winsover Road and both having Karwan Ahmad as the premises licence holder – will be unable to sell alcohol when the 21-day appeal period expires next month. At a review of the premises licence ...

A dedicated “pride officer” has been appointed to reduce litter on South Holland’s streets. Pride Officer Dave Rodwell’s has been taken on as part of South Holland District Council’s Pride in South Holland campaign to report littering, dog fouling and fly-tipping. He will also focus on encouraging people to use litter bins, especially when disposing cigarettes. His efforts have already ...

South Holland District Council is urging people to quickly sign up to its garden waste collection scheme from Monday.(February 15) Visit www.sholland.gov.uk/gardenwaste or drop in to the customer service centre in Priory Road, Spalding. The pilot scheme is initially only offered to 2,500 households so subscriptions will be on a first come, first served basis. Once households have successfully signed up ...

Today we are standing shoulder to shoulder with our readers who say the look and feel of Spalding is suffering from having too many off-licences. We say the proliferation is not just failing to offer something fresh and attractive to the town centre’s visitors and economy, it is actually serving as a detraction. And an alarming number of off-licences have ...

Grieving families say they are appalled at Holbeach Parish Council telling them to remove “inappropriate” items placed on their loved ones’ graves. Notices warning of the move went up in the councils’ cemeteries last year, with notes pinned to individual graves a fortnight ago. Becci Holden and Charlotte Hobday are so outraged that they began online petitions against the move. ...

An off-licence which showed no sign of addressing concerns over its operation has lost its premises licence. The action against Gosberton Market in Spalding Road, Gosberton, was taken by South Holland District Council on Wednesday (February 3). A hearing of the district council’s licensing panel comprising councillors Malcolm Chandler, Anthony Casson and Christine Lawton was told that repeated attempts by the authorities ...

South Holland District Council is in the advanced stages of buying Moulton Park. The 23 acres of land was put up for sale through a tender process in December, with a guide price of £250,000. Moulton Parish Council showed interest as it is keen on establishing a much-needed play area. A district council spokesman said: “We saw it as an ...

Spalding has been named as one of the five worst integrated places in England and Wales. The index produced by the think tank Policy Exchange used Census data to compare how the English community integrates with ethnic minorities in their area and vice versa. Spalding came fourth out of 160 towns, behind Boston, Wisbech and Oldham. Amersham in Buckinghamshire was ...

A Spalding shop has had its premises licence revoked after contraband cigarettes were seized. The action against Nasza Biedronka, of Sheep Market, was taken by South Holland District Council on Friday.(January 29) After hearing all the evidence, the council’s licensing sub-committee agreed with the police that the premises had been actively involved in the illegal sale of smuggled products. Because ...

South Holland District Council says using its website will be quicker and easier following an extensive revamp. The new-look site – which was created in-house and went live today (February 1) – has been designed to make it simple for users to find exactly what they’re looking for. Deputy leader Coun Malcolm Chandler said: “We’ve recently started our Digital Transformation programme, ...

A new pavilion for music and drama performances in Spalding’s Ayscoughfee Gardens has been given planning approval, despite extremes of opinion on the design. South Holland district councillor Chris Brewis (Sutton Bridge) said the proposed £57,000 pavilion was “absolutely hideous”, but Spalding Wygate member Christine Lawton called the structure one of “quality and imagination”. She light-heartedly suggested that if members felt it was “too brave” for ...

Bookings of Gedney Dyke Village Hall have become so popular that permission is being sought to have licensed activities more often. Its committee has applied for a variation to the hall’s premises licence so that functions with a bar can be catered in the daytime. One reason for this is the increasing popularity of the venue for wakes. The opportunity ...