The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Alan Hammersley and Charles Acland (VMail, 13 February) question evidence I mentioned in my earlier letter (VMail, 6 February) about where Lincolnshire currently stands in economic and health terms. So, let me address their concerns.
First, Alan Hammersley says: “My source is fullfact (sic)”. In contrast, the sources I quoted were “FullFact and Eurostat”. So, I can only conclude that Mr Hammersley has either not read the FullFact article at https://bit.ly/2SuCZb0 or has misunderstood what it says.
He also goes on to say that “If Lincolnshire is in such a bad position as is claimed in Mr Meekings’ letter it reached this low state whilst a member of the EU. So perhaps the EU was holding Lincolnshire back?”
The reality is that all the pressing problems facing Lincolnshire today, for instance in terms of housing, healthcare, social care, education, policing, council services, transport, etc, have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with past membership of the EU and, instead, everything to do with our party-politically-obsessed political system in Westminster and Conservative Party Austerity since 2010.
Second, Charles Acland questions my assertion that “Life expectancy in general and disability-free life expectancy beyond the age of 65 years in particular, has declined in Lincolnshire since Conservative Austerity was introduced in 2010” and asks “Would Mr Meekings please let us know… where we can visit an official site to verify his evidence?”
This is a simple question to answer. Let me offer Gov.uk at https://bit.ly/2SueUB0, which says, “Since 2011 the rate of increase in life expectancy has slowed for both sexes.”
However, when Mr Acland mentions that elderly people he knows are still alive and driving, this would be like me saying that I know someone who died aged 102 who smoked since his teenage years, and hence this proves there are no proven health risks from smoking.
Sadly, both Mr Hammersley and Mr Acland are missing the key point, namely that folks in Lincolnshire have suffered for ages from underfunding by central government in Westminster, and things need now to change.
All I’m suggesting is that the seven Conservative MPs elected on December 12 to represent all citizens in Lincolnshire need now work together to tell us what benefits they’re confidently expecting to deliver for their constituents over the next five years.
Is this really too much to ask?
Alan Meekings
by email
