News

A group of business people have put forward a proposal to buy Spalding’s former magistrates’ court building. It is hoped the Sessions House, which was built in 1843 and was last used for court proceedings in January 2014, could be renovated and brought back into use. Last month the group behind the plan, which includes representatives of some of the ...

A Spalding travel agent is asking people to make donations to its appeal to ensure everyone has a happy Christmas. Spalding Travel and its sister branches in Wisbech and March are asking for donations of food to ensure local food banks can give as many desperate families a hamper to bring a little joy to the festive season. Christina Purcell ...

The sudden death of a man in Gosberton on Saturday (December 12) is not being treated as suspicious. Police were called to an address in High Street around 10.45am. Paramedics were treating the patient in his 50s, who later died at the scene. Police said: “Tests have since confirmed that this was not a suspicious death and the matter is ...

Spalding’s Stepping Stone footbridge will be closed for five days next month for maintenance. Network Rail will be doing work on the bridge, which links Park Road and Kings Road, from 8am to 4pm between Monday, January 11 and Friday, January 15. A Network Rail spokesman said: “It’s enhancement work, we’re putting some screening on the bridge to block residents’ gardens ...

The proposed quick sale of Moulton Park could provide a “golden opportunity” to enable the village to finally get a play area. Moulton Parish Council is interested in buying the park but does not have the funds – the guide price for the 23-acre site is around £250,000. The parish council has long wanted to provide a play area for ...

The small team behind a Spalding charity ball is expanding its fundraising events next year. As well as a fifth annual Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation ball, also planned is a 90s themed party and a golf day. The ball itself is on the move after outgrowing The Castle Sports Complex venue. Next year organisers hope to have 500 people at ...

Spalding town centre manager Dennis Hannant has had a busy first year in office. We take a look back at the past 12 months’ successes and look forward to Dennis’s plans for 2016. When Dennis was given the role of town centre manager 12 months ago, his remit was to work with local businesses to breathe new life into the ...

Health commissioners are urging people to think about their alcohol consumption in the pre-Christmas party season. NHS South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group will be supporting local pharmacies and treatment service providers during this time, offering information and advice whilst raising awareness of the campaign. Alcohol now costs the NHS £3.5bn per year; equal to £120 for every taxpayer, and according to ...

Police say good progress is being made in tackling anti-social issues affecting Spalding. Incidents of street drinking, rough sleeping and groups of youths congregating – giving rise to residents’ unease – have been dramatically reduced, following a concerted effort by officers. Police acknowledge that problems still exist, but to a much lesser extent than just 18 months ago thanks to ...

A hospital governor has blasted its running after resigning his post. Peter Clery, of Sutton Bridge, was an elected public governor for Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in King’s Lynn until tendering his resignation during a meeting last week. He says he quit after “his activities as a governor were investigated for alleged breaches of an internal code of ...

A rundown site blighting Spalding town centre is now dangerous too. Some of the boards covering windows at the former Royal Mail sorting office in The Crescent are no longer in place, exposing jagged, smashed sheets of glass at head height. Now The Voice is demanding remedial action be taken before somebody is seriously hurt. However, the owner of the site ...

The designs for smokefree signs going up at schools, nurseries and play areas soon have been revealed. Youngsters submitted entries to a competition run by South Holland District Council in conjunction with The Voice. The council is introducing a voluntary no smoking code across its play areas and at the frontages of schools and nurseries. The signs will be put ...

A Spalding businessman says he was “hurt” by allegations made by two former apprentices in a Channel 4 investigative documentary shown on Monday. Activ Staffing and Support, which is based in Spalding, was singled out alongside national chain Next in Dispatches’ Low Pay Britain episode, which looked at the value offered by apprenticeships to young people. It featured two previous ...

The trust responsible for a struggling secondary school has denied making former governors “scapegoats” for its problems. The Voice reported last week how the entire board of Spalding’s Sir John Gleed School had been replaced by a Rapid Improvement Board after another damning report by Ofsted suggested not enough was being done to overcome “serious weaknesses”. A spokesman for CfBT, ...

Representatives from Spalding pubs, police and South Holland District Council attended an event to officially launch the town’s Pubwatch scheme. The scheme aims to help pubs and other night-time economy venues work together to keep the town centre safer. A total of 14 have already signed up to the scheme, which will see them using a radio link to pass ...

South Holland’s Citizens Advice Bureau is to merge with a neighbour to create a new advice service for south Lincolnshire. Following a year during which South Kesteven and South Holland Citizens Advice services have shared a chief officer and chairman, both trustee boards have now agreed to formally merge, under the new name of Citizens Advice South Lincolnshire. Covering a ...

Dates for refuse and recycling collections across South Holland over the Christmas and New Year period have been announced. Collections scheduled for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day will take place on Saturday, January 2 Collections scheduled for Monday, December 28, will take place on Monday, January 4 For more information visit South Holland District Council’s website.

A man is due in court in connection with a hare coursing offence in Moulton Eaugate. He was arrested on Friday (December 4), and charged and bailed to appear at court. The man, from St Albans, was one of 17 people dealt with by police for alleged hare coursing offences over the weekend. Sunday: four men from County Durham reported for ...

A consultation exercise has started on two new sites for the disposal of non-toxic waste in Spalding. Lincolnshire County Council is asking people to comment on plans for 13 sites across the county, including one at Wardentree Lane/Enterprise Way and another at Clay Lake Industrial Estate. The new Lincolnshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan is aimed at ensuring the county ...

Thousands of cigarettes were seized in a series of raids on Spalding shops prompted by tip-offs from the public. Lincolnshire Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police’s Alcohol Licensing Team worked together to execute three warrants at shops in Spalding on Wednesday (December 2). The Voice believes the  Winsover store and Baltic in Winsover Road were two of the three shops involved, ...