Category Archive News

The Council’s Cabinet have today (30 October 2025), approved two key decisions relating to Corporation Road Bridge around the next stage of the vital restoration work.

At yesterday’s cross party Scrutiny Panel, a recommendation was made to Cabinet to proceed with the option of keeping the bridge closed so that work could re-start as soon as possible to complete the restoration. A second option discussed was to partially reopen the bridge, but that would have meant a longer timescale for the work, along with increased costs.

Cabinet has now approved the recommended option to keep the bridge closed so that full works can be completed sooner.

At the Cabinet meeting, Councillors also agreed to appoint Taziker Industrial Limited (Taziker) to undertake the remaining work. In February this year, a price cap of £12m for the project was agreed. In order to appoint the contractor, a temporary uplift to the price cap has been agreed. However, it is important to note that the overall cost for the project is expected to be below the original £12m price cap agreed earlier this year.

As a result of these two decisions, Taziker will be able to start work on the bridge in the next week, with expected completion by the end of next year (December 2026).

Reflecting on the work so far, the Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council and his Portfolio Holder for Highways were clear about the future in a joint statement.

“We cannot turn back the clock and what is vital now is that we move on, we get this right and we return what is a highly important historical asset back to its former glory.

“These decisions mean that we can move quickly to appoint the contractors who have been working with us for the last few months, and work can begin again quickly.

“We are determined to make sure this Grade II listed bridge is completed back to its full working order.”

Article and image from NELC.

The Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council and his Portfolio Holder for Highways have today shared their absolute frustration and anger over the on-going situation with Corporation Road Bridge.

As Councillors were briefed and discussed a new timeline, Councillor Philip Jackson and Councillor Stewart Swinburn say they fully sympathise with all who have been inconvenienced by its continued closure and understand public sentiment – as they feel it themselves.

They also re-emphasised their determination to ensure the Bridge is completed back to its full working order – it is Grade II listed, replacement is not an option and would be far more expensive, and the council’s action to fully restore is supported by historians.

They point out that significant restoration has been ignored for decades without any proper maintenance programme being put into place – something they are actively tackling to make sure this situation doesn’t happen again in the future.

The councillors went on to reassure that, since taking full control of the project to restore the Grade II listed 100-year-old structure in late spring this year, they have directed council officers to act decisively to get the bridge restored and re-opened. 

The project came back into Council control in May this year, shortly before the council’s contract with its regeneration partner Equans ended in June with all services returning to the authority. As the Council’s well-established regeneration partner, Equans provided professional services such as engineering and project management, and were responsible for overseeing the works and contractual operations of this scheme until the middle of May this year.

Tonight (Wednesday), the cross-party group of councillors attended a public scrutiny meeting, where the latest options for the full restoration of the bridge were outlined, and they were given the opportunity to express their views.

A presentation outlined how there were two options that had been recommended to the council by bridge restoration experts Taziker to ensure full restoration going forward – one to keep it fully closed until the work is completely finished, likely to reopen in December 2026, and the other to get to a point of partial opening which would see a more expensive option of the bridge reopened earlier under temporary traffic lights as works continue and a full reopening in the middle of 2027.

Scrutiny Panel Councillors gave feedback in favour of option 1, to continue with the works under a full closure.

What will follow tomorrow (Thursday), is a meeting of the Council’s Cabinet, where the final decisions will be made.

As the formal council process is carried out, Councillor Jackson and Councillor Swinburn have issued a joint statement saying: “We have taken charge, we are clear on accountability, and we have taken the right steps to ensure a situation like this doesn’t happen again. This situation is unacceptable, and we share the views of many local people.

“However we cannot turn back the clock and what is vital now is that we move on, we get this right and we return what is a highly important historical asset back to its former glory.”

In just the last six months since the Council took full control of the project, significant action has been taken:

• The Council terminated the original contract with Spencer Group (CSL);
• Experienced bridge restoration company, Taziker, are assisting with the project;
• Assessments and a number of inspections above and below deck have been carried out on the bridge to produce an updated programme of works;
• Invasive testing has been carried out across the site, above and below the deck.
• Cllr Swinburn has also confirmed that the Council has ‘instructed a number of independent experts to critically review the work undertaken to date’.

He said: “Early indications suggest that there are defects that require remediation. The authority is committed to pursuing the appropriate legal recourse in relation to the same, should it be necessary.”

Councillor Jackson, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, added:

“Once physical work started on the bridge, it became apparent that corrosion and structural degradation was much worse than initial surveys had indicated.

“My colleagues and I are frustrated with the delays and the lack of progress. It’s not good enough. We have been very patient, but the level of delay and the cost of the works is no longer acceptable.

“I’m pleased that we have now been able to make tangible progress in the last few months, and we’ll see workers back on site, and things moving forward.”

Councillor Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for highways, added:

“We know that this work has caused some disruptions for businesses and residents, and whilst much of this has been unavoidable, we have asked officers to share more regular communications about the works with local residents and businesses going forward.”

Similar to the Tower Bridge in London, Corporation Bridge is one of only 25-bascule lifting bridges remaining in England, and has attracted grant funding due to its significance as a heritage asset, reflecting Grimsby’s industrial rise in the early part of the 20^thCentury.

The bridge was opened by the then Prince of Wales – later King Edward VIII – in 1928.

Replacing the bridge has never been an option due to the structure’s Grade II listed status, and the sheer cost. For example, the estimated costs of a new road bridge over the Northumberland rail line has risen from £11m in 2021 to more than £30m by 2023, according to media reports.

Article and image from NELC.

A MASTERPLAN detailing the proposed ‘Grimsby West’ development site has been discussed at a North East Lincolnshire Council Cabinet meeting.

After considering the paper, Cabinet members voted not to approve the Masterplan straight away.  Instead, they deferred any decision until points raised at a recent scrutiny panel were answered by the private developers behind the scheme.

The Grimsby West proposal includes 3,500 new homes set around a country park with open space, a link road and new schools, stretching from the A46 to the west of Morrisons through to the A1136 west of Wybers Wood.

The site is allocated in the Local Plan 2013 to 2032 (Adopted 2018) as a Strategic Housing Site under Policy 14.

This policy within the Local Plan requires a Masterplan for the Grimsby West site to be submitted to the Council before planning applications for development on the site are determined.  A masterplan is not a planning application but outlines a vision and guidelines for the overall development.

Now complete and published, the Grimsby West Masterplan was initially discussed by members of North East Lincolnshire Council’s Transport, Infrastructure and Strategic Housing Scrutiny Panel.

Councillors on the Panel voiced concern in three areas:

1. Flood risk and waterflow and pollution into the River Freshney;

2. The need for the completion of a Traffic Assessment;

3. The need for more graphic detail on the Freshney Valley Country Park.

Those concerns and comments were then considered by Cabinet members, who met tonight to make their decision on the plan. After hearing the points raised, they went against a report paper recommendation to approve the Masterplan and instead agreed on the deferment.

The developers will now be asked to amend the Masterplan to address the above issues.

Following the Cabinet vote and decision, the Portfolio Holder for Housing, Infrastructure and Transport, Cllr Stewart Swinburn, said: “As a council we must ensure we take the appropriate and correct advice and follow all the necessary and statutory steps to consider plans of this nature and that is what we are doing and will continue to do.”

Grimsby West is a private development however due to the number of inquiries, the council has a factual question and answer at: https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/grimsby-west/

North East Lincolnshire Council is relaunching a scheme to help communities safely clean an alleyway or open space in their neighbourhood.

Clear It aims to help people who live with alleyways or patches of neglected land that suffer with fly-tipping and littering.

Last year, the scheme helped to transform several alleyways across the area including Castle Street on Grimsby’s East Marsh, with over seven tonnes of waste cleared including a fridge and unicorn head.

This year, applications open on Wednesday, 1 November, with anyone interested asked to email cleanandgreen@nelincs.gov.uk. by the end of December to apply.

It’s hoped that, should there be enough applicants, the Council will be able to help clean an alleyway or piece of land in each ward, with work starting in the New Year.

How does it work?

With Clear It, the Voluntary Community Clearance scheme, the Council aims to support communities to come together, safely clean up an alleyway or an open space in their area and improve community pride.

Volunteers will take responsibility for removing waste from an alleyway or patch of land and Council staff will help dispose of it.

The Council will also lend equipment such as litter pickers, bin bags and large bins.

Officers will arrange a site meeting with successful applicants to assess the site, the amount of waste and agree a date for the work.

Councillor Henry Hudson, portfolio holder for Environment and Net Zero, said: “We’re bringing back Clear It to help those who are willing to come together and clear illegally dumped waste from an alleyway or patch of neglected land that’s not owned by the Council.

“When we first launched Clear It in 2022, we helped volunteers dispose of 48.73 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from problem areas.

“We’d like to see these types of spaces given a fresh start so they become vibrant places the community can enjoy and make better use of.

“If you are keen to transform a neglected alleyway or patch of land, please use the online application form at www.nelincs.gov.uk/alleyways .”

 Councillor Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, added: “Clear It gives people the opportunity to work with their neighbours and take ownership of their shared space.

“We sympathise with people whose lives are affected by mess left in their alleyways and want to do as much as we can to help them.

“Not all wards have alleyways, so to make the scheme fair and open to all parts of the borough, we are including patches of land that aren’t part of the Council’s usual street cleansing duties. These might be small areas where the owner can’t be traced or where it’s not clear who’s responsible for it.

“We’re willing to help those who organise themselves and put plans in place to try and bring their alleyway or a neglected patch of land into use after we’ve helped them by disposing of the rubbish.”

Visit www.nelincs.gov.uk/alleyways/ for more details. If you have questions about the scheme, please email cleanandgreen@nelincs.gov.uk.

Article and image from NELC.

Two years on from the launch of the Clear Hold Build initiative on the Nunthorpe Estate in Grimsby, the community is seeing the benefits of a coordinated and determined effort to disrupt organised crime and build community resilience.

Since the initiative began in September 2023, Humberside Police, North East Lincolnshire Council, and community groups have worked together to deliver long term, sustainable improvements for local residents and visitors.

Underpinned by the national 4P approach to tackling serious and organised crime (Pursue, Prevent, Protect, and Prepare) officers and partners have focused on tackling criminal activity, supporting vulnerable individuals, and strengthening the community.

Over the past 24 months, several targeted actions have taken place:

Crime reduction: Between July 2024 and June 2025, reported incidents on the estate fell by 5.1% compared to the previous year. Public order offences dropped by 53.6%, anti-social behaviour by 35.1%, and road-related offences by 30.4%.

Community engagement: Officers have increased visibility through youth clubs, street surgeries, and school programmes such as Mini Police, which aim to build trust and raise awareness among younger people.

Safeguarding efforts: A funded passive drugs dog has been deployed in local colleges to help identify early signs of exploitation and positive interventions are made in partnership with schools and agencies to support those at risk.

Partnership working: Initiatives such as the South Ward Forward neighbourhood watch group and the Local Housing Partnership’s Neighbourhood Action Plan have helped improve communication and coordination across services.

Councillor Ron Shepherd, Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “The reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour is a clear indicator that Clear, Hold, Build is achieving exactly what it set out to do.

“Every organisation involved is playing their part to make the Nunsthorpe and surrounding areas a safe and welcoming place for those who live and work there.”

He added: “However, this isn’t the end. We will continue with the excellent work we have already carried out to ensure the area is in the best position it can be.”

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Claire Jacobs added: “The Clear Hold Build initiative has enabled us to take a more coordinated and intelligence-led approach to tackling organised crime and safeguarding vulnerable people on the Nunsthorpe Estate.

“Through close partnership working and regular engagement with residents, we’ve been able to respond to concerns, disrupt criminal activity, and support those most at risk.

“Our teams have executed several drug warrants in the area, targeting addresses linked to organised crime and acting on information provided to us by the community.

“These actions not only help remove harmful influences but also play a vital role in identifying and protecting individuals who may be at risk of exploitation, including those living in cuckooed properties. We have also responded to concerns raised by residents through platforms like HumberTalking and My Community Alert.

“Operations such as Op Yellowfin have also addressed anti-social behaviour and illegal vehicle use, while multi-agency meetings ensure we remain aligned and responsive to emerging issues.

“The reduction in crime figures over the past year is making a positive impact and reflects the collective effort of officers, partners, and residents.

“While there’s still work to do, we’re optimistic about the direction we’re heading and remain committed to building on this momentum and continuing this work to make Nunsthorpe a safer and more resilient place for everyone.

“If you have concerns or information about crime in the area, please speak to an officer or contact us report via our non-emergency number 101.

“Alternatively, you can report information via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Article and image from NELC.