Tariff-free public toilets in Cleethorpes, a safer Grimsby town centre, better waste management and more… the Conservatives are listening to what you say is important.
At last night’s meeting at Cleethorpes Town Hall, a budget focussing on growing and supporting the borough was approved.
Deputy leader of the council and Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Skills and Housing, Councillor John Fenty, presented his regeneration report to the chamber and praised the “fantastic workforce” at NELC “who have embraced the change of political alignment as the electorate lent us their vote.”
He said: “Notwithstanding being saddled with Labour’s budget of last year, recalibration of services saw substantial improvements across the authority. A frontline example is the street scene. Post-Christmas two years ago we saw waste mountains in our streets, which then took a further three months to clear. That was completely avoided this year with astute and careful planning.
“Huge investments in infrastructure projects in our towns and villages will continue to bring short term pain on the highways. But the future is bright, as what follows infrastructure is growth and prosperity as we make our towns attractive to visit and invest in. These are made possible by monies from central government, the likes of which the area has never been seen before.
“We’re not going to stop there. We have a big ask of the Government, which is aligned to our ambition to see physical structure coming out of the ground over the next three to five years with a promise of transformational change during the next 10 years, creating the conditions for good and better paid jobs, with hope and opportunity for all.
“A revised Housing Strategy was agreed by Cabinet in November. This action plan provides clarity around the key housing challenges, what the council want to achieve and how best to do this centred around creating new homes, strengthening places, working together and improving health.
“Tackling empty homes and vacant commercial units, especially those causing anti-social behaviour and a blight the landscape, are a priority. To that purpose, an Empty Homes and Vacant Commercial Units Strategy is being devised. This document will identify the main problems and causes and will seek to address these through various measures.
“Tackling rogue landlords, the council is considering the use of selective licensing, which will ensure rented properties meet licensing conditions within chosen boundary areas. This will cost the landlord around £1.62 per week to administer. Properties that fall short could see landlords handed a hefty fine.
“Grimsby town centre will see the delivery of a £4.5-million Youth Zone, a purpose built, state-of-the-art youth facility which will open in 2022, and St James’s Square will be regenerated, with further works at Riverhead all planned this year. The town centre faces similar challenges to a number of towns across the UK which are well documented. The Future High Street Fund and Stronger Towns Fundprovides the opportunity to look at how we rebalance the town centre economy, with a view to putting the foundations in place to ensure a sustainable and vibrant place. This, together with an enhanced focus on enforcement, will give us the best possible chance of making a real difference. We will submit a bid to Government with an investment plan to draw down £25 million in June, and I look forward to sharing those plans for transformational change in the near future.
In Sea Road, Cleethorpes, following the demolition of Waves (formerly The Submarine), we will see a new build to include a Tourist Information Centre, kiosks, Beach Safety and first-class toilet facilities with a commercial space built subject to demand on the upper levels. And we are not going to stop there! Tariff-free toilets in the resort, as part of the transformation in Cleethorpes, will be another unique selling point, helping to attract even more visitors. Infrastructure projects within Cleethorpes are well underway or finished, including work on the High Street, Seaview Street, Alexandra Road and Sea Road. All these will contribute to increased footfall and economy, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.
“Additionally, and importantly we are looking at new signage to make clearer the various route opportunities available, together with new additional parking at Grant Street, Cleethorpes, to make the journey to and from the resort a pleasant one, with the least possible traffic tailbacks.
“Cabinet has authorised the use of Compulsory Purchase Powers to ensure value for money is achieved when assembling the remaining development land at Immingham and Stallingborough, as part of the South Humber Industrial Programme. We will not hesitate to take such robust action in support of our priority to secure investment, leading to well-paid good and great jobs. A council-controlled development will start shortly to deliver business space for a very innovative company called MyEnergy. This will be situated close to a new energy park. In addition to this, we continue to receive a number of enquiries for the Stallingborough site, while also continuing to work hard with Altalto to support them in their efforts to bring the waste to jet fuel facility to Grimsby.
“The ecological mitigation land has been establishing itself well over the winter months and is receiving national recognition for this innovative approach, which has unlocked much needed development land. And finally, the South Humber Link Road will be completed later in the year, connecting the industrial areas of Immingham, Stallingborough and Grimsby together.”
Councillor Fenty continued: “Council assets have not always been well managed. An example of this saw The Fitties sold for a pittance. Sadly, that appalling decision by the last administration has cost this authority at least £1 million a year and rising. To address this gap, we are adding capacity to the Estates and Business Development Team. This additional commercial expertise will ensure efficient management of the existing portfolio and will bring new opportunities for income generation. Being ‘open for business’ is our priority, and to maximise the many local opportunities.
“Welcome to Europe’s Food Town and The Renewables Capital of the World – a great place to live, work and play. Where does it say that?! The gateways of the A18, A16, A46 and A180 are missed marketing opportunities. There are emerging ideas for a new marketing strategy of our towns. Additionally, the marketing budget will be switched from external consultants to the appointment of a new post to head up expansion, with responsibilities to promote the area and search out opportunities for growth.
“On the issue of homelessness and rough sleeping, one rough sleeper isone to many. Not content with seeing numbers plummet from averages of 33 down to 11 during the life of this administration, we have secured £476,750 to help tackle this very sad problem.
“Here are a few more things we are engaged in. An Annual Skills Fair, which includes
the return of the STEM (supporting education and careers in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics) Village
sponsored by Phillips66, is taking place on Thursday, July 9 at Grimsby
Auditorium. I’ve recently been asked to join the Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
Seafood Training Network as a partner; skills and future talent are a key
priority for them. On February 25 I’ll be attending the planning meeting for
the Future Of Food event.”
And
Councillor Fenty added: “Last year’s Women Into Manufacturing and Engineering
(WiME) event attracted 14 schools (primary, secondary and colleges) and about 300
students to find out more about employment opportunities in the field of
engineering. Exhibitors included Total, Phillips66, ABP, Orsted, Engie, Engie
Fabricom, EDF Energy, Airco, Army Royal Engineers, Network Rail, LCS, LMI and
Lincs 2 among others. Last year’s event was held at Grimsby Town Hall and this
year’s will be in North Lincolnshire. I currently sit on the steering group and
coordinate from an North East Lincolnshire perspective. Last year’s I-Care
Careers Fair saw more than 300 young people studying health and social care in
secondary academies and colleges attend to find out more about local careers in
care. A repeat of this event is planned again for September 30.
“Seafish is attending the next Employability Wide Forum meeting, scheduled for February
28. This is specifically to look at pathways into careers and work within this
sector. The forum is keen to engage with all key sectors in order to look at
ways of engaging, more effectively. employers with the potential labour market.
“The Careers & Enterprise Company (a national initiative from the Department
of Education) continue to work in all of the secondary academies and colleges
in their endeavours to bridge the gap between education and employment. The
vast majority of these now have Enterprise Advisers from local employers
working with them to strategically plan and influence the curriculum in
relation to work-related learning activity.
“And regarding
the Careers Network, careers leaders continue to meet termly. The last meeting
was hosted by Seafish and included a tour of a local factory and insight into
careers within this sector. The latest careers network newsletter is attached
and skills event calendar.”
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