Grimsby’s seismic political sea-change shows voters have finally woken up to years of Labour failures.
Councillor Philip Jackson, the leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, congratulated Martin Vickers and Lia Nici on their wins in the general election. He was speaking at Cleethorpes Town Hall at the latest full council meeting, which was rescheduled because of last Thursday’s vote.
“For the first time, North East Lincolnshire has two Conservative MPs,” he said. “I congratulate Martin Vickers, who doubled his majority in Cleethorpes, and Councillor Lia Nici, who won the Great Grimsby seat for the Conservatives for first time since the Second World War. Grimsby saw a seismic change, with a majority for Lia of more than 7,000.
“Following on from the Conservatives taking control of the council in May, I believe this indicates a sea change in politics in North East Lincolnshire, particularly in Grimsby where people have realised that three quarters of a century of Labour dominance has spectacularly failed.
“We have a Conservative Government committed to reducing the north/south divide and focussing on forgotten northern towns and coastal communities. This is the time for us to step up the dialogue with Government about levering further resources into North East Lincolnshire on the back of the Town Deal. To this end, I have already set up a meeting with our two Conservative MPs on January 2 to explore how we can take our case for more investment directly into Westminster.
“On the same theme, I’m pleased to report progress on a range of schemes revitalising our local economy that the new administration has progressed in recent months. While continuing to press ahead with partners on various aspects of the Town Deal, including the On-Side Youth Zone, we’ve also just approved plans for Garth Lane and Riverhead public realm improvements in Grimsby and the major Sea Road development in Cleethorpes. We’ve also had input into the proposals for St James’s Square and those for Cleethorpes to make sure the plans that were approved and are being delivered, address the concerns people and businesses raised. We listened to feedback and acted on it.
“The South Humber Industrial Investment Scheme (SHIIP) is well underway now, with the Humber link road meeting its milestones and likely to be completed next autumn. The mitigation site is now established, and this is the first proper winter where we’ll see overwintering wildlife in this new area. We are seeing planning being approved for several industrial developments within the wider SHIIP area with more in the pipeline. SHIIP will be pivotal to making sure this council starts to pull in the business rates it needs to be sustainable as well as generating more jobs.
“Still on the economy, the chief executive and I have been engaged with the local leadership of Novartis over the last few months as they look to scale down their operations and seek to dispose of their site. There’s no doubt is this is a blow to the local economy but, just to be clear, has nothing to do with Brexit or any local factors. The Grimsby site continues to be very competitive but is the victim of Novartis’s worldwide change of position within the healthcare sector. We continue to work closely with them and offer all the support necessary to ensure that job losses are minimised, and re-employment opportunities are maximised, preferably in our borough. This issue is particularly close to my heart as I spent 13 very enjoyable years working for Novartis Grimsby between 1986 and 1999.
“We have also met with Simon Smith, the new CEO of Young’s Seafood, and were encouraged by his vision for the business and Grimsby’s place in supporting that vision – so very important for the continued growth and sustainability of our seafood sector.
“As leader, and with my Cabinet colleagues, we are determined to listen to our communities and businesses. On that note, I’m delighted to report on the success of the first event we held inviting people to come to talk to us directly on issues and opportunities in the borough. About 40 people turned up to Grimsby Town Hall with a variety of issues, from very specific localised matters, to more general ones about the borough. The residents who attended were very genuine and very appreciative that Cabinet had offered the opportunity for them to openly discuss things with us. This is an event we intend to repeat in the New Year and hopefully embed as part of the growing engagement with our residents.
“On delivering manifesto commitments, an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order is being used to enable us to remove the Scartho Road bus lane. We believe this will reduce congestion on Scartho Road at the morning peak and also on Louth Road and Waltham Road. Reduced congestion will not only improve journey times for commuters but will improve air quality and mean that buses themselves spend less time queuing on Waltham Road and Louth Road.
“Building on the success of our long-established shared service arrangements, we have recently introduced some new household waste disposal arrangements with our colleagues in North Lincolnshire, saving both authorities significant cash. That partnership working and sharing of opportunities will continue to grow in 2020 and beyond, not only with North Lincolnshire, but also with colleagues at Lincolnshire County Council. Indeed, following the whole of Greater Lincolnshire becoming Conservative blue last Thursday, I believe there is now an opportunity for the wider County to be more robust in together presenting a case to Government for resources and potential change.”
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