Yearly Archive 21 September 2023

THE future of North East Lincolnshire Parish Councils – their make-up, boundary sizes and structures – will be decided following a second round of public consultation, which is open now.

Borough residents are being asked to take part in what is the final part of North East Lincolnshire Council’s Parish Council Community Governance Review.

During the first part of the process, which took place earlier this year, residents were asked to give their views on any changes that they felt should take place – looking at the size and shape of Parish/Town Councils, how many there are and their electoral processes and governance. These councils represent the first tier of local government across the country and play a vital role in the services provided for local people, and communities. 

The results of that first consultation were considered and discussed at a Full Council Meeting in September. It was recommended that no electoral or governance changes be made to any existing parish council, except for Immingham Town Council where changes are recommended in relation to the parish boundaries only. No new Parish Councils were recommended. (Immingham Civic Centre is pictured)

North East Lincolnshire Council is now asking for views on those draft recommendations before their final implementation. The survey, which will close on Friday 3 November, includes a map showing the proposed changes to the Immingham Town Council boundary. Please go to Have your say | NELC (nelincs.gov.uk)

If you need to speak to someone to give your views or to ask any questions you can send an email to consultation@nelincs.gov.uk

North East Lincolnshire Council are carrying out topographical and drainage surveys on the Alexandra Dock site in Grimsby next week.

The survey work will take place between 25 September and 29 September and there will be no impact on highways or footpaths.

The purpose of the surveys is to assist with ongoing design work for the housing scheme earmarked for the site as part of the Grimsby Masterplan.

The works will be undertaken by Arcadis, commissioned through the Homes England framework.

Article from NELC.

Our local Family Hubs are set to reopen in the next six months offering vital services to children and families in North East Lincolnshire.

The Hubs, which have been open in a reduced way since the COVID pandemic, will benefit from funding from the Government’s Start for Life and Family Hubs Programme.  The Council is one of 75 Local Authorities that have been chosen to pilot this programme.

The programme aims to make a positive difference to, parents, soon to be parents, carers and their children by joining-up services, making them easier to access and being seen as a ‘one stop shop’ for support.

Immingham Family Hub is set to launch first, with doors opening officially on Monday 25 September to support families. Residents and families can grab a sneak peek of the support on offer, at a family fun day on Saturday 23^rd September from 10am to 2pm.

The launch day will be open to Immingham residents and families, with fun activities including competitions, games, face-painting and a tombola.

“We want all children in North East Lincolnshire to be happy, healthy and successful,” said Councillor Margaret Cracknell, portfolio holder for children and education at North East Lincolnshire Council.

“We know that a child’s experiences in their early years can have a major influence on their later life; so we are thrilled to have been chosen as one of the 75 Local Authorities to benefit from the Government’s Start for Life and Family Hubs Programme.

“An important part of this will be relaunching our 7 Family Hubs to provide a range of activities and help for families, particularly those with babies and young children.

“All of our Hubs are free to attend for any family member, including grandparents and foster carers, and we’re keen to involve parents and carers in the planning of activities at these sites.”

All Family Hubs will offer:

• Child and family health services including for parents to be
• Advice and information for families on things such as childcare or wellbeing
• Access to someone to talk to if you are struggling or need some help as a parent/carer
• Extra support for parents/carers who need it including parenting programmes, 1-1 advice, support and connecting with other services
• Training and employment advice
• Fun early education activities to enjoy as a family

Each Hub will also offer additional services and activities tailored to the needs of the local community, which we will develop with families.  Keep an eye out for these exciting developments and to find your local Family Hub visit: www.nelincs.gov.uk

Article and image from NELC.

TWELVE new specialist primary school places for children with communication and interaction needs have been created in Grimsby for the first time.

Launchpad – the first school specialist provision of its type in North East Lincolnshire – is designed to be a ‘turnaround provision’ for early years children and those in Key Stage 1 (aged 4, 5 and 6).

The new provision is being delivered by Littlecoates Primary Academy, part of Wellspring Academy Trust, and is the result of a partnership with North East Lincolnshire Council.

The provision formally launched on Friday morning, with 12 new students taking up their places at the school.

Speaking ahead of the launch of the provision, Councillor Margaret Cracknell, portfolio holder for children and education at North East Lincolnshire Council, said:

“This provision is the result of some real innovative work between the Council and Wellspring Academy Trust.

“Our priority here is to ensure that children who might need a little extra help, get that help, and are eventually able to return to mainstream schooling.

“This type of support is in real demand here in North East Lincolnshire, so I’m really pleased that we have managed to get this off the ground and running, and it’s going to be great to see students getting started in September.

“I’d like to thank Wellspring Academy Trust for working with us to make this happen, and I’d like to wish those students attending Launchpad the very best of luck for the forthcoming year of their education.”

Neville Wilkinson, Principal at Littlecoates Primary, said:

“Our new Launchpad provision will offer 12 pupils with SEND the specialist support and teaching to enable them to stay in mainstream education and attend school in their local area. At Littlecoates, we pride ourselves on our welcoming, inclusive approach and are incredibly proud to be able to support children with a wide range of needs. By working together with North East Lincolnshire Council, we have been able to create something that will make a huge difference to the lives of 12 children and their families. We’re looking forward to watching the progress of the first pupils to benefit from this important resource over the coming months and years.”

Admissions to the new provision have been managed by North East Lincolnshire SEND team, in line with the SEND Code of Practice (2015) via annual reviews of EHCPs.

Article and image from NELC.

A £29m project to manage the risk of flooding to people and major industry in north-east Lincolnshire is now underway.

COUNCILLORS have approved a Skills Acton Plan for North East Lincolnshire, at a meeting of the Council’s Cabinet this week. 

The Plan, which identifies some of the key challenges facing people in our area, looks to identify and take advantage of opportunities to improve the awareness of high-skilled careers and the educational attainment of adults. 

In North East Lincolnshire, 73.2% of people are economically active, which means they are either employed or actively seeking work, slightly lower than the national average. The rate of adults claiming universal credit is almost double the national figure. 

By the end of secondary education, only  33.7% of students gain grade 5 or above in English and Maths in our area compared to 43.4% across England.

According to the papers submitted to Councillors, employers in the region have reportedly struggled to recruit people with the right skills for the jobs that they have available. 

This is particularly alarming in the context of future growth of the area, with the energy industry alone expected to create more than 32,000 jobs by 2040 across the Humber, a further 7,000 jobs expected to be created as a result of the move to create a Humber Freeport, and an ambition to deliver some 11,000 jobs by 2030 as part of the UK’s Food Valley. 

A further 20,950 construction workers are expected to be needed in Yorkshire and Humber by 2026 according to the CITB Skills Report. 

Councillor Philip Jackson, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council and Portfolio Holder for Economy, Net Zero, Skills and Housing, said:

“Clearly the borough, and indeed the region, has a bright future ahead of it. We have been at the forefront of some of the Government’s major announcements in the last decade, from the Town Deal investment to the Humber Freeport, and all of that is starting to come into fruition. 

“Lots of jobs are going to be created over the coming years and it’s important that the Council is as supportive as it can be in making sure residents are ready to be able to step into those jobs. 

“In this Skills Action Plan, we’re aiming to take advantage of every chance to work with partners to improve the educational attainment of local residents, and the awareness of career opportunities.”

The action commits the Council to:

·       Collaborating with authorities across Greater Lincolnshire to ensure that the needs of local residents are ‘fully represented’ in matters relating to devolution

·       Liaising with, and supporting, national, regional and local organisations where their aims align with local strategic aims to raise aspirations, support careers progression and increase adult participation.

·       Collaborate with skills leads across Greater Lincolnshire to share best practice. 

·       Collaborate with, and support the development of, the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Greater Lincolnshire.

Actions include hosting regular events to promote adult learning opportunities, connect vulnerable and struggling families with adult education providers, and promoting work experience opportunities within the Council and its partners. 

The Action Plan was approved by the Council Cabinet at a meeting on Wednesday 23 August 2023.

Article from NELC.

THREE schools across North East Lincolnshire are set to host CCTV cameras outside their premises following the continued success of a scheme aimed at tackling illegal stopping and dangerous parking.

Stanford Junior & Infants School in Laceby, Scartho Infants School, and Waltham Leas Primary Academy are all set to have CCTV cameras installed nearby the school gates to monitor parking and stopping during peak times.

Cameras were previously rolled out to Signhills Academy in Cleethorpes in September 2022, with further cameras being installed outside Old Clee Primary School in Grimsby. Since then, two more schools have received cameras: Queen Mary Infant and Nursery School in Cleethorpes and Welhome Academy in Grimsby.

The cameras automatically detect and enforce parking contraventions on the keep clear markings at the sites, helping to deter dangerous parking and reduce accidents.

Drivers caught stopping on the yellow zig zag lines will receive a £70 Penalty Charge Notice in the post, discounted to £35 if paid within 14 days.

For the first two-weeks after the cameras are installed, those stopping illegally will receive a warning letter.

Councillor Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities in North East Lincolnshire, backed the measures:

“These are long-overdue and will hopefully help to tackle some of the real issues we experience in these areas. In Waltham and Scartho in particular, I know that there are major issues with cars stopping illegally and parking dangerously in the vicinity of the schools, blocking other vehicles and making the area unsafe for children walking to and from school.

“We have seen some encouraging results at the other sites, so I’m hoping that we’ll see similar here. I want to work with schools and parents to make the spaces outside our schools safe for children.

“The solution, quite simply, is to either allow your child to walk to and from school if that’s appropriate, or to find a suitable parking space when dropping off your child.

“Instead, what we’re seeing quite a lot outside our schools is parents stopping the car right outside the gates, in areas that aren’t suitable for parking, and parents getting out and walking their child to the gates, abandoning their vehicles. It has to stop and I’m optimistic that this is the solution.”

The cameras will be installed ahead of the start of the new school term in September.

Article from NELC.

Two bridges across a short stretch of waterway in Grimsby will be fully maintained by North East Lincolnshire Council – with plans to renew one of them in the coming years.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors have handed down high praise to the Public Health Nursing Service at North East Lincolnshire Council rating it ‘good’ overall, in a report published today.  

Inspectors, in the first CQC Inspection of the service where a rating has been given, noted staff’s ‘compassion and kindness’ and the ‘good care’ towards children, young people and families. 

North East Lincolnshire’s Public Health Nursing Service offers a range of universal services spanning pregnancy to age 19 – up to age 25 for those with special educational needs and disability.  It includes health visiting, school nursing, infant feeding peer support, safeguarding health, and immunisations – work that plays a key role in improving children and young people’s health.

Inspectors visited the Borough in June and spoke directly with partners, staff, parents and carers, children, and young people, including through family sessions, to seek feedback.

Key areas lauded, some with excellent practice, were:

• The service has enough staff to care for children and young people and keep them safe;
• Staff understand how to protect children and young people from abuse, and manage safety well;
• They assess risks to children and young people, act on them and keep good care records;
• They manage safety incidents and learn lessons from them;
• Good care and treatment is provided;
• Staff work well together for the benefit of children and young people, advise them and their families on how to lead healthier lives, and support them to make decisions about their care;
• They treat children and young people with compassion and kindness.

The report goes on to say how the service ‘plans care to meet the needs of local people, respects their privacy and dignity, takes account of their individual needs, and helps them understand their conditions’.

It adds: “Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. [Staff] They felt respected, supported, and valued. The service engaged well with children, young people, and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to continually improving services.”

Inspectors rated four out of the five areas as ‘good’, leading to the overall ‘good’ rating.

North East Lincolnshire Council’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Stan Shreeve, whose Portfolio includes responsibility for Public Health: “This is an extremely strong inspection report and I would personally like to thank all the staff here for their dedication and commitment, which comes over loud and clear.

“There is real evidence here that we are achieving some real success in optimising outcomes for our children and young people throughout childhood. This will enable them to flourish and play their part in a successful future for North East Lincolnshire.”  

The full report is online at: https://api.cqc.org.uk/public/v1/reports/7b053f1b-4d88-4bdc-9a51-70535ae08dcb?20230814090046- external site 

Article from NELC.

Following a second positive meeting between North East Lincolnshire Council and the unions, the Council is pleased to say that the waste collections across the borough should resume normal service during the latter part of next week.

Constructive talks were held between the trade union leads and the Council regarding the various issues that the waste service has been experiencing over recent weeks.

Work will be ongoing through the weekend and in the early part of next week to understand how to return the service to normal working.

However, for the early part of the week, recycling will remain suspended.

The Council will release more information as soon as it’s available in terms of exactly when recycling rounds will be recommenced.

Article from NELC.