Category Archive News

North East Lincolnshire Council Cabinet members have approved recommendations to retain Cleethorpes and Waltham Libraries in their existing locations and to explore initiatives to better utilise the available space.

They have also approved, in principle, the reopening of Grimsby Central Library building, subject to confirmation of the options and costs for refurbishment. These options will be subject to full and transparent engagement.

The recommendations on the future of Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Waltham Libraries are based on the public responses obtained during Phase Two of the Library and Archives Public Consultation, which closed in July,  and which are also in line with recommendations from Full Council.

Full Council put forward the recommendations in August when a petition, supported by more than 4,700 residents was presented against the closure of library buildings. At that meeting, Council Leader Philip Jackson said: “We have listened.”

The full results of Phase Two of the Library and Archives Public Consultation were also presented to Cabinet. Councillors thanked everyone who took part in the survey, which they heard has provided a wealth of views and feedback collated across more than 1,400 respondents. The feedback will be very valuable in taking the library and archives service forward into the future.  You can read the full report here: 8.-Library-and-Archives-Review-Phase-2.pdf

Members also approved the following recommendations:

• To establish a timeline for the presentation of the options and costs for refurbishment of Grimsby Central Library, and agreed that the anticipated timeline, that Cabinet can commit to with a degree of confidence, be shared with the members of the Economy, Culture and Tourism Scrutiny Panel.
• That the Economy, Culture and Tourism Scrutiny Panel receive the results of the initial Structural Survey of Grimsby Central Library, when made available to Cabinet.
• To refine the library service needs assessment, and  develop the emerging library service strategy informed by the findings of the two phases of public consultation and engagement, and also the findings of the Library Services Select Committee. 

Cllr Hayden Dawkins, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Heritage and the Visitor Economy, said: “As I have said before, I wish to make it very clear how, throughout the consultation on possible changes to the library service, it was always our intention to be open-minded and transparent in our drive to improve the services and ensure the libraries become vibrant and well-used community spaces for all ages.

“It has been made very clear that people want to ensure changes are made within the existing library buildings. This is about listening to the people and working with our communities to achieve positive change.”

Cllr Philip Jackson, Leader of the Council, said: “A select committee has been set up by Full Council to ensure that councillors from across the political spectrum have the opportunity to contribute to our future library strategy. A select committee also enables partners, community groups and other members of the public to contribute to the thinking. It’s important that we hear as many ideas as possible that will help to improve our library services and encourage more people to use libraries in the future.”

Article and image from NELC.

On Wednesday, 8 October, at 6.30pm North East Lincolnshire Council Leader, Cllr Philip Jackson, and his Cabinet colleagues will be live on Facebook – ready to answer your questions.

There’s lots happening in the years ahead – and the council is playing a pivotal role in most of that change:

• Our towns of Grimsby and Cleethorpes will be transformed with major grant-supported regeneration schemes;
• Freshney Place will continue to be developed under council ownership
• Environmental work continues to protect our SSSI coastline through the DUNE project
• 130 new homes will be built, pending planning approval, on the site at Alexandra Dock next to the new OnSide Horizon Youth Zone
• Plans for Neighbourhoods scheme looks to help improve and build upon our communities

Then there’s the creation of the new Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority, and the work in Children’s Services, Adult Social Care and Public Health – continued investment in these areas is vital to the authority’s ambition for a better place.

Cllr Jackson said: “It is important that people know they have the opportunity to ask myself and my colleagues about the decisions we make that will impact on their lives both now and in the future. We will listen to what they say and try to answer any questions they ask. Others may have issues to raise and points to make that we can take away.”

What does Cabinet mean?

Key decisions, which are those with a significant impact, are made by the Council’s Cabinet. The Cabinet is made up of between three and 10 elected Members appointed by the Leader of the Council.

Each Cabinet Member has responsibility and individual decision-making powers for a range of particular services, collectively known as their ‘portfolio’.

North East Lincolnshire Council’s Cabinet is made up of eight Members from the Conservative group – the majority party. These members include the Leader, Cllr Philip Jackson, and Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Stan Shreeve. The Cabinet is the key decision-making body of the Council, and provides political leadership and direction across the whole range of council services.

Cabinet also votes to accept policies, plans and strategies, including the fixing of the budget and council tax levels. However, the final decision on such important matters rests with Full Council when all members vote.

Who is on the Cabinet?

Every member will be attending the Question Time with Cabinet event to respond to your questions and queries. Those people are:

• Cllr P Jackson – Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economy, Regeneration, Devolution and Skills
• Cllr S Shreeve – Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care
• Cllr M Cracknell – Portfolio Holder for Children and Education
• Cllr H Dawkins– Portfolio Holder for Culture, Heritage and the Visitor Economy
• Cllr S Harness – Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Assets
• Cllr R Shepherd – Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities
• Cllr S Swinburn – Portfolio Holder for Housing, Infrastructure and Transport
• Cllr H Hudson – Portfolio Holder for Environment and Net Zero

Between now and Wednesday 8 October we will be taking questions in advance to be answered on the night. Please send them to  communications@nelincs.gov.uk with your questions. Cabinet members will endeavour to answer all questions on the night, but will respond to all relevant questions in time.

Article and image from NELC.

From good health news to primary academies, here is the statement to full council made by Leader Coun Philip Jackson at the latest meeting of North East Lincolnshire Council:

The situation remains uncertain over the future of Prax Lindsey Oil.  This refinery provides 10% of the UK’s crude oil refining capacity and is strategic infrastructure, as well as being hugely important to the local economy.  We are receiving mixed messages about potential buyers, but local politicians at all levels continue to exert pressure on both Government and the official receivers to try to ensure the site remains fully operational.

We continue to work with our neighbouring upper tier councils in Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire to develop a common narrative as to how local government reorganisation might look across Greater Lincolnshire. North East Lincolnshire’s public engagement has recently closed, with nearly 1500 responses.  We are about to start a round of engagement with local businesses.  The outcome of both engagements will help inform this council’s proposals. Group Leaders continue to meet regularly to oversee progress, and members will be aware that a special full council has been called on November 12 to consider our proposal document.

Turning now to Grimsby’s rapidly changing town centre.  With most of the demolition of the western end of Freshney Place complete, the leisure scheme development is on time and on budget.  Work continues at pace on the site of the proposed new transport hub.  The demolition of the structures on Osborne Street is complete.  Material is currently being sorted on site before removal.  Overall, the demolition project is 85% complete and is on time and within budget.  The public consultation for the provision of facilities within the transport hub closed on 19th September and I would like to thank everyone who responded.

Combatting crime and the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour in the town centre is essential if we want to see footfall continuing to increase.  Operation Mastery, a very effective partnership between the police and the council, has achieved remarkable results when comparing 23/24 to 24/25.  Overall crime is down 5%.  All theft has reduced by 9% with retail theft down 3%.  Cycle theft is down 47%.  Violence with injury is down 23% and stalking and harassment down 29%. ASB has reduced by14%, whilst alcohol-related ASB is down 51%.Sanction detections have increased 40% from 185 to307, driven by the team’s intelligence-led approach and their ability to identify and target high-harm offenders. These outcomes are not only statistically significant but also reflect the team’s relentless effort and strategic focus.

The Operation Mastery team have also undertaken a number of very effective days of action over the past 18 months.  There have been 59 arrests, 476 stop searches with 52 positive outcomes, action against 66 PSPO breaches and 60 parking enforcement reports.  However, it is recognised that there is still much do, and we will continue the relentless tackling of crime and disorder in the town centre.

Cleethorpes has not been neglected.  On the back of an ongoing review of resort management arrangements, a Resort Task Force has been established with dedicated resource to clean and smarten up the resort.  To date, this has included repairing to all wooden benches along North andCentral Promenade and the Boating Lake and partnering with Probation Community Payback to have them re-painted and re-varnished.  A regular jet washing regime is now in place for promenades and the Boating Lake, including regular bin cleaning.  There has been repainting of promenade bollards, slipway gates and road markings.  Flower containers are being reintroduced to the North Promenade.  Litter and rubbish is being cleared from the Boating Lake.  In combination, these initiatives are making a significant improvement.

Let us not forget Immingham.  The new owners of Kennedy Way are already improving this important shopping facility with retail premises being re-opened.

This month has seen the opening of two new primary academies in Waltham and at Scartho Top, part of the ongoing improvement in the education offer to young people across North East Lincolnshire.

Turning now to good news on health. North East Lincolnshire has been selected as the only location with the Humber and North Yorkshire ICB footprint to pilot the new National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme.  It will be focussed on Immingham and East and West Marsh.  This involvesformalising and scaling integrated neighbourhood working, using data and co-production to improve outcomes for people with multiple long-term conditions, while reshaping funding, workforce and estates to sustain the shift from hospital to community care.  This initiative also aligns with our Marmot Place status.

Council asked me to keep you updated on the Ukrainian refugee situation. Since its inception, NEL has received 154 people through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The application process is still open but arrivals to NEL are few. The team is still supporting 30 people residing with sponsors and 77 living independently. 47 people have left the area. The scheme provided an initial 3 years leave to remain plus an 18-month extension. A furtherannouncement has been made that this will be extended by an additional 24 months.  The Ukraine Permission Extension scheme launched in February 2024. This does not come with any additional funding, and the previous Homes for Ukraine grant is used to facilitate any further work. 25 people have moved on to the extension scheme.  We are now in the fourth year of Russian aggression against Ukraine and NEL continues to be supportive of the Ukrainian people and those who have come here.  We are sympathetic to the suffering of Ukraine,recognise the threat this conflict poses to a wider Europe and continue to fly the Ukrainian flag over this town hall.

The next steps have been taken to help support a £20 million investment into a brighter future for Grimsby.

Grimsby Together is shaping the town for the better – led by those who live here, work here and believe in listening to the community.

Aided by Our Future – an organisation that invests itself in supporting communities to effect long-term change – working in partnership with the Greater Grimsby Board and North East Lincolnshire Council, Grimsby Together will look at how to best invest the Plan for Neighbourhoods grant funding.

The Government’s Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) last year changed the focus of the Long-Term Plan for Towns funding scheme.

Now called Plan for Neighbourhoods, 75 areas – one being Grimsby – were awarded a total funding pot of £1.5-billion (up to £20m for each area over 10 years) with a focus on involving communities in decision making of how and where the money should go.

Recently, the project concluded the latest round of working groups, focusing on key topics like business and housing.

With a range of opinions from 80 local leaders, teams can now feed these insights into the plan that will be submitted to Government, detailing what is to be done with some of the £20 million.

Councillor Philip Jackson, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Economy, Devolution and Skills, said: “This project is a great opportunity for our town. We are already undertaking one of the biggest transformations in the area’s history with the redevelopment of Freshney Place, and this can only be a positive addition to that.

“Grimsby Together will help shape the future of our town and it is great that investment will be led by the ideas of local organisations and people who are dedicated to improving the lives of residents and visitors.”

Emily Bolton, Co Founder and CEO of Our Future, said: “It has been inspiring to see so many people from across the town working together to shape this plan and commit to building a thriving future.

“This is all about Grimsby, and on 25 September we are excited to meet a wider group of people, share the progress so far, and hear new ideas on how this funding can support positive change the town cares about.”

The public are invited to a drop-in event on Thursday 25 September, 3pm–6pm at Grimsby Central Hall. This will be a chance to see the ideas developed so far, share your own views and help shape how £20 million is invested in Grimsby’s future. Everyone is welcome and everyone’s voice matters.

For more information and how to get involved in Grimsby Together, visit https://www.our-future.io/grimsby-together – external site 

Article and images from NELC.

The demolition work at Osborne Street in Grimsby has reached the half way point, with the fronts of the buildings being taken down this week.

This means that for the first time in more than 50 years, you’ll be able to see from Osborne Street right through to the railway line behind Abbey Walk.

The old units are being taken down piece by piece, in a similar way to the work at Freshney Place, and the plan is ultimately to use this 1.6 acre site to deliver a potential transport hub which connects with the railway station, encouraging public transport use and supporting the wider Grimsby Town Centre regeneration ambitions.

The remainder of the frontage of the buildings will be removed over the next week or so, which will be followed by sorting of materials into recyclables, and removing the rubble and steel off site. The demolition work is due to be complete in October.

The businesses on Osborne St (Sage, Rejuvadent and Racks) are all be open as usual during the works.

After demolition, the project will then move into the design stage, which will include consultation with stakeholders and the wider public. As part of this process, an initial public survey remains open to gather views on the importance of various facilities that could be included in the proposed transport hub. If you’d like to give your views, visit https://tell-us.questionpro.eu/PublicTravel2025- external site .

This stage of the project is being funded by Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority.

Article and images from NELC.

A MAJOR scheme that will support Grimsby’s positive future and see up to £20m invested across our town has taken its next step.

‘Grimsby Together’ will help to change the town for the better – and is being led by those who live here, who work here and who believe in our communities.

Aided by Our Future – an organisation that invests itself in supporting communities to effect long-term change – working in partnership with the Greater Grimsby Board and North East Lincolnshire Council, Grimsby Together will look at how to best invest the Plan for Neighbourhoods grant funding.

The Government’s Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) last year changed the focus of the Long-Term Plan for Towns funding scheme.

Now called Plan for Neighbourhoods, 75 areas – one being Grimsby – were awarded a total funding pot of £1.5-billion (up to £20m for each area over 10 years) with a focus on involving communities in decision making of how and where the money should go.

Now, Grimsby Together are pushing on with people who have a passion for the town coming together to see how the funding can best be used. The second round of workshop meetings are now underway, with one of the first working groups focused on “thriving business and town centre”, led by E Factor Director Mark Webb, exploring physical and digital connectivity amongst other things.

“Today’s workshop really focused on bringing together what can only be described as fans of Grimsby, people have invested themselves, their businesses and their lives into this town.

“We want to understand what is possible for Grimsby and make sure this town gets what it deserves,” said Mark.

He added: “The whole project is about making sure there is a strong voice for the future of Grimsby.”

Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council and Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Economy, Devolution and Skills, Cllr Philip Jackson, said: “Grimsby Together is a great opportunity for our town. We are already undertaking one of the biggest transformations in the area’s history in our town centre with theredevelopment of Freshney Place, and this can only be a positive addition to that.

“Grimsby Together will help to shape the future of different areas of our town and it is great that investment will be led by the ideas of local organisations and people who are dedicated to improving the lives of residents and visitors.”

Emily Bolton Co-Founder and CEO of Our Future, added: “What stands out most to me is the commitment and love for the town that binds the people involved. Our 8 working groups and taskforce are made up of 80 local leaders, coming together across different sectors.

“They are all working in the collective good of the town and care deeply that we are building a thriving place for future generations. It is a joy to work alongside them developing the plan for Grimsby’s future that we can all own and bring to reality.”

More workshops will be taking place throughout September, discussing key themes like the environment, communities and housing. The public are also invited to an event on Thursday, 25 September, from 3pm-6pm at Grimsby Central Hall to listen to these ideas and have their say on how Grimsby can be improved.

For more information and how to get involved in Grimsby Together, visit https://www.our-future.io/grimsby-together- external site – external site 

Article and image from NELC.