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North East Lincolnshire Council has appointed a number of senior managers to lead it’s Children’s Services, all with recent experience of running Ofsted-rated ‘outstanding’ services.

Incoming Director of Children’s Services at North East Lincolnshire Council, Ann-Marie Matson, and her team will take over, continuing the Council’s work to offer the best support at the right time for vulnerable children, young people and their families.

Ann-Marie has taken up the reigns from Interim Director, Janice Spencer OBE, who led has led the service since September 2022. Janice worked closely with Lincolnshire County Council, Ofsted and the Department for Education to improve the Council’s Children’s Services.

At a recent event with staff, Janice thanked staff for their hard work and support over the past 13-months:

“The sooner you intervene to support a struggling family, the better the outcome that is achieved.

“In North East Lincolnshire I’ve seen that partnership working is much stronger than it ever was before, and that has been critical in making the improvements that we’ve achieved so far.

“I’ve been here for 13-months, and can say that North East Lincolnshire gets under your skin. It’s a great place, and it now has some strong foundations to build a really great support mechanism for children and families.”

Speaking ahead of her first day, Ann-Marie Matson said:

“I’m really looking forward to continuing the hard work – building upon the foundations that have been put in place.

“I’m really excited to be joining the team here. There are lots of great people doing incredible work every day to safeguard vulnerable children and keep families safe and happy.

“This work is without a doubt one of the biggest responsibilities that a Council has, and it’s important that we are able to provide safe and effective support to families at the right time, and only where absolutely necessary.

“I can’t wait to hit the ground running.”

Ann-Marie joins North East Lincolnshire Council from North Lincolnshire, where she has over 25 years experience of working with Children and Families.

Joining Ann-Marie’s team are Charlene Sykes, Service Director Safeguarding and Early Help, and Paul Cowling, Service Director Regulated Services.

Speaking following the new appointments, North East Lincolnshire Council’s portfolio holder for children and education, Cllr Margaret Cracknell, said:

“I’m thrilled that we have been able to appoint a permanent team to lead our children’s services going forward.

“Janice and her team have done a brilliant job of helping us to really recover from a difficult place, putting in the building blocks for a great future.

“Although only an interim appointment, Janice brought a tremendous amount of experience, support and tenacity to the role, and has helped us to get to a really strong position.

“I know that Ann-Marie will continue that work. It’s fantastic to have a permanent team at the top with a really strong and experienced leadership. I’m optimistic for the future of our children’s services.”

Ann-Marie and her team joined North East Lincolnshire Council in December 2023.

As part of the transformation, the Council is hiring new social workers at all stages of their careers. Visit the jobs section at www.nelincs.gov.uk to find out more. We’re also hiring to new key roles to support the strategic development of our Children’s Services team.

Article and image from NELC. 

Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCo’s) from local schools met on Wednesday 6 December at Grimsby Town Hall to build on an ongoing piece of work to improve our offer for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

This work is a part of Delivering Better Value in SEND, known as DBV. DBV is a national programme funded by the Department for Education. North East Lincolnshire is one of 55 Local Authorities to participate.

The Local Authority is being supported to identify the highest impact changes that can be put in place to improve outcomes for children and young people.

As part of the focus on improving our offer with and for schools, they have each completed an individual SEND evaluation facilitated by the Local Authority in conjunction with Learn Teach SEND Hub.

The purpose of the event was to take the findings of their evaluations further, to receive and share advice and guidance as well as receive resources to support their individual action plans.

Rebecca Taylor, Head of SEND and Inclusion said: “We have done an extensive amount of research and engagement to understand the needs of our schools and their pupils.

“The SEND evaluations have given us the opportunity to take this further, working with each setting to understand in more detail their individual strengths and challenges, and establish solutions.

“Every setting now has an individual action plan encompassing all areas of SEND that they can execute in a targeted way to improve their offer. This creates a strong foundation for even more improvements going forward.”

The next cohort of schools will meet on 24 January meaning all Local Authority schools, Academies, and Trusts will have taken part.

Cllr Margaret Cracknell, portfolio holder for children and education, said: “We are being proactive in our approach by working with schools in such an individual way.

“This approach means that we are unlocking the potential of our schools and their staff to provide the right support to children and young people.”

Article and image from NELC.

The Worshipful the Mayor of the Borough of North East Lincolnshire, Councillor Ian Lindley, is looking to inject some disco into the area with a non-stop dance event.

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A priority pledge within the Greater Lincolnshire Devolution Deal Proposal is that investment is made to boost economies and jobs, whilst protecting the environment. Novartis Ings (pictured above) in North East Lincolnshire is an ideal example of how that can work with land along the South Humber bank developed for nature that mitigates the impact of development nearby.

The three upper tier councils of Lincolnshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Council and North East Lincolnshire Council secured a £750million devolution deal in principle with government on 22 November 2023.

This means is that, if the deal is agreed, the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County Authority, (MCCA), would be handed control of approximately £24 million per year of investment funding for the next 30 years, to drive growth and take forward the region’s priorities for the whole area over the long term.

The Greater Lincolnshire MCCA would then be able to allocate the Investment Fund to specific place-based projects to support economic regeneration in Greater Lincolnshire, subject to a business case process. This would be extra money, with the existing local authorities running as they do now with their own separate budgets, to develop and grow services for their residents.

Cllr Philip Jackson, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “This is a time of considerable opportunity for Greater Lincolnshire and this proposal is designed to unlock significant long-term funding and give local leaders greater freedom to decide how best to meet local needs and create new opportunities for residents and those who come to Greater Lincolnshire for work or leisure.

“Under this proposal the Greater Lincolnshire MCCA would be given the powers, funding and flexibilities required to accelerate progress to address long term challenges and opportunities across Greater Lincolnshire.”

Professor Neal Juster is Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, (GGLEP) and welcomes the Proposal both for Greater Lincolnshire and the Humber.

He said: “Devolution will bring many opportunities for our area, not least through this additional pot of money which we can use to support economic regeneration across Greater Lincolnshire.

“Many of our priority sectors and game-changing projects rely on significant investments and the right skills if they are to be fully realised – investment in new technologies for agrifood, for example, or investment in extra capacity for our world-leading green energy cluster on the Humber.

“If approved, our devolution deal will give us the freedom to allocate these funds where we believe they will be most effective – and that can only be good for the economic future of Greater Lincolnshire.”

If the deal is agreed, the Combined County Authority would direct long-term investment in areas such as highways, transport, and local communities. There would also be a focus on green growth, delivering food and energy security to the UK and putting Greater Lincolnshire at the forefront of renewable and clean energy technologies and production – to be a world-leading provider of food, seafood and associated technological innovation.

The deal Proposal also pledges improvements in business productivity, increased employment opportunities and improved career prospects, securing the nation’s supply chains and maximising the strategic advantages of our ports. (The Port of Grimsby pictured above is home to Orsted where there is opportunity for ‘green’ jobs. The Proposal pledges to create more opportunity for local people to get these kind of jobs. Picture courtesy of Orsted).

Let’s take a look at why this money is needed across Greater Lincolnshire, and what the money could be spent on.

• Public spending per head is below average when compared against the UK. The economy has an over-reliance on seasonal jobs, whether that is in tourism or agriculture. A longer term funding package for things like transport, infrastructure and skills will help create the environment that our businesses need to grow.
• The area has carbon-rich heavy industry which is critical to the UK, but sees challenges in terms of the green agenda. If approved, the Investment Fund will support work to decarbonise our industrial areas and deliver more jobs in “green” industries, like carbon capture and storage and energy distribution.
• Education attainment lags behind our neighbours and the rest of the UK with only 29% of our working age residents having a level 4 qualification or above. This is 32% lower than nationally. If approved, the Investment Fund will help support adult education and invest in courses that deliver the skills that our local businesses need to innovate and expand.
• Greater Lincolnshire suffers from a lack of funding in transport infrastructure which holds back the local economy. Costs are often higher and greater investment is required. If approved, the Investment Fund will support transport improvements to help link areas of the county for trade and social movement.
• Greater Lincolnshire also has an aging population which has increased 30% faster than the rest of the UK since 2020. There is a need to both attract and retain a younger workforce and residents to enable local economies to thrive. If approved, the Investment Fund, along with support from other agencies, will help back the building of high quality, sustainable and affordable housing across Greater Lincolnshire.

Cllr Jackson added: “Whilst much of Greater Lincolnshire has benefitted from short-term funding pots, these are not enough to achieve the strategic level of change that Greater Lincolnshire needs to see.

“Our ambitions for devolution seek to deliver the leadership required to address unique long-term challenges across Greater Lincolnshire and maximise the area’s opportunities to deliver future prosperity.

“By delivering on this proposal we will reflect the identities of and bring benefits for the residents and communities of Greater Lincolnshire and make the case for further devolution of powers and subsequent devolution deals to keep our area at the forefront of levelling up.”

To find out more about the proposals, visit www.nelincs.gov.uk/devolution, and to have your say, visit www.letstalk.lincolnshire.gov.uk/devolution- external site 

Article and image from NELC.

Ground investigation works are set to be undertaken at the Sea Road development site in Cleethorpes.

JPP Geotechnical and Environmental Ltd have been appointed as the contractor to complete these works over a two-day period, Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 December. During this time, the contractor will be on site using machinery to drill boreholes.

As previously reported, a three-storey building will be constructed at the former Waves site on the corner of Sea Road and the Promenade, comprising of new public amenities and a changing places facility, as well as commercially lettable space across all floors of the building.

Following Easter weekend in April 2024, North East Lincolnshire Council’s project management team and its delivery partner Equans will work in partnership with the successful principal contractor to commence construction of the new building.

The scheme has been made possible by £18.4m of Government Levelling Up Funding to regenerate three key areas in Cleethorpes: Sea Road, Pier Gardens and Market Place.

Article and image from NELC.

North East Lincolnshire Council’s support for people across the borough will remain a top focus in the next financial year.

In line with other UK local authorities, the demand for services to help people of all ages who are in need is either growing or becoming more complex. That means Adult Services and Children’s Services combined will see the most spend from the council’s budget in the 12 months that start in April 2024.

However, North East Lincolnshire Council remains committed to investing. With grant funding support and the use of capital borrowing, it is determined to ­­transform key areas especially in central Grimsby and Cleethorpes, as well as improving peoples’ skills, training and health.

The above priorities are highlighted in the annual budget consultation document – outlining what the council is expecting to spend from April 2024 to the end of March 2025.

The council’s Portfolio Holder for Finance, Cllr Stephen Harness, said: “We must look at how we deliver the best support possible for those in need, and with an improving picture in Children’s Services, we are striving for that. That work will continue.

“However, we must also remember that for people to take opportunity they must see it and be able to take it. We need a better town centre, we need more good quality homes, and we need people who are skilled and healthy to take the opportunities in areas such as renewable energy, which are here now,” he added.

This budget consultation is now on the council’s website at https://tell-us.questionpro.eu/Budget2024- external site  for people to read and have their say on between now and January 18, 2024. It wants as many people as possible to get involved – detailing what services are most important to them.

It shows how, with a budget of approximately £167-million, the key areas of spend are likely to be:

• Adult Services: £54.7-million (this covers all support for those over 18 who need it);
• Children and Family Services: £56.9-million;
• Economy and Growth: £26.5-million;
• Environment: £15.1-million;
• Resource & Governance: £4.2-million;
• Public Health: £1.1-million.

The money is raised with support from Government grant funding, (every council receives a Local Authorities annual settlement annually), from specific grants especially in areas such as public health and adult services, and locally from council tax and business rates. There is also other income from, for example, buildings it owns such as Freshney Place and Pioneer Business Park in Stallingborough.

The council is also looking at selling some of its properties and land, as reported in the last budget report – a move that will reduce energy and running costs as well as reducing the authority’s carbon footprint.

Although yet to be announced, it is also expected that the Government will allow local councils to, once again, raise a precept on council tax especially to invest in adult services.

Take part in the consultation at https://tell-us.questionpro.eu/Budget2024- external site  If you need to speak to someone to give your views or ask any questions or you need a copy of the survey posting to you, you can ring the engagement team on 01472 325985 or send an email to consultation@nelincs.gov.uk. We can supply the survey in large print.

Article and image from NELC.

People in North East Lincolnshire are being encouraged to nominate their community heroes for a Civic Award.

Created 2-years ago, the awards recognise and celebrate local people who have gone above and beyond across North East Lincolnshire.

They look to champion various businesses, charities and individuals, including brilliant neighbours and deserving veterans.

The Good Neighbour Award category says thank you to the people who are so supportive to the people they live near. Whether it’s checking in on a vulnerable person, running errands, offering a listening ear or companionship to someone who’s lonely.

The Veteran in the Community award recognises an individual who has served for at least one day in His Majesty’s Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) or Merchant Mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations, who has:

• Successfully transitioned to the civilian world and has been a pillar of the local community and also a strong and effective role model to other service leavers
• Significantly contributed to the local community, by going above and beyond, by raising money, being a role model for friends and neighbours or raised awareness of needs of vulnerable people to promote social change
• Seized opportunities when they have arisen to inspire others within your community
• Made significant efforts to bring the (Armed Forces) community together to improve / strengthen community spirit?

The nominations for the awards close on 31^st January 2024. To make your submission visit www.nelincs.gov.uk/CivicAwards. The winners will be invited to a special ceremony at Grimsby Town Hall in March 2024.

The categories in full are:

1. Mayor’s Community Impact Award
2. Environmental Impact Award
3. Sporting and Wellness Impact Award
4. Business in the Community Award
5. Charity/Volunteer of the Year Award
6. Inspirational Young Person Award
7. Good Neighbour Award
8. Veteran in the Community Award

Article from NELC.

Today the Government has announced that Grimsby has been nominated as one of 10 towns is to take part in a High Street Accelerator pilot scheme to help improve the town’s future.

As previously reported, Grimsby is one of 55 town centres across the country that were allocated ‘Long-Term Plan’ money from the Government to help transform Grimsby Town Centre into a central hub where people and families can visit and enjoy.

The £20million scheme, with money to be spent over the next 10 years, will look at tackling issues like anti-social behaviour, graffiti and other things that will help people feel and be safe when visiting the town centre.

Ahead of the start of this programme, the Government has invited selected town centres, including Grimsby, to take part in a pilot programme to build on the work of the town centre task force, which has been meeting over the last six months, to agree a long term vision for the town centre, and an allocation of £237,000 to put initial interventions in place.

Work to improve the town centre’s safety and security is already underway, with the opening of a Youth HAVEN on Osborne Street that will operate until the Horizon Youth Zone opens, and improvements to business security, graffiti removal and supporting the evening economy.

Projekt Renewable now open at Fisherman’s Wharf, the new OnSide Horizon Youth Zone  scheduled to complete in 2025, and an NHS Community Diagnostic Centre in Freshney Place next year, all of which will attract more people and families into the town centre.

Cllr Jackson said: “Working with local businesses, we will now be able to build on the good work that is already taking place to look at improving our urban heartlands in the decade ahead.

“We have been working extremely hard with partners across both the public and private sector to build relationships especially within Grimsby Town Centre so we can grow the area in the right way. This work has been running alongside our plans to regenerate and transform our place, as has been well reported.

 “For our plans to succeed and be sustainable it is vital that we look at ensuring people can feel and be safe and this announcement will allow us to accelerate schemes and actions to help us realise that ambition as the physical redevelopment takes place.”

If you’re interested in taking part in the town centre task force, contact enquiries@InvestNEL.co.uk

Article from NELC.

THE former House of Fraser building on Grimsby’s Victoria Street West has been bought by North East Lincolnshire Council as it continues its drive towards town centre transformation.

Contracts have been exchanged today and the sale, which has been advised by strategic partner Queensberry, also includes a leasehold on an adjacent car park.

The prominent five-storey building sits within the council owned Freshney Place and with a high-profile frontage on 9 to 29 Victoria Street West, it has been empty since House of Fraser closed four years ago.

Continuing to see it unused was not an option, said Council Leader Cllr Philip Jackson, who has responsibilities for regeneration and the economy. This purchase, he explained, would provide yet more opportunity for the authority and its partners to look at the redevelopment and diverse use of Freshney Place as a whole.

“In order to effect change, which we all know is needed, we must look at opportunities such as this with a view to shaping and guiding redevelopment. Town Centres across the country have changed almost beyond what any of us would have anticipated and that is what we are determined to do here,” said Cllr Jackson.

“We have a fantastic opportunity to re-invent Freshney Place and complement its retail offer with the new cinema, leisure attractions, and fresh new market. The House of Fraser building will now form an integral part of those plans. This is a good move for the town centre,” he added.

Over the last five years, the reshaping of the town centre has been led by the local authority. Along with partners and stakeholders including the Greater Grimsby Town Board, it has won multi-million-pound funding bids from Central Government.

This money, all ring-fenced for specific projects, has seen the transformation of St James’ Square and Garth Lane with its new footbridge, river dredging and extensive paving and landscaping. Further to that, work has started on the redundant St James’ House with the E-Factor purchasing the building to create a business hub.

This is in addition to the Future High Streets Fund, and projects earmarked for Towns Fund money including the already underway full refurb of Riverhead Square, a plan for new housing at Alexandra Dock and the new OnSide ‘Horizon’ Youth Zone. The latter involves the transformation of the historic redundant buildings along Garth Lane into a state-of-the-art centre for young people.

Meanwhile initial work has now started with Queensberry on the multi-million-pound Freshney Place Leisure & Market Hall Scheme with its new cinema, market, and leisure attractions.  More good news is the arrival, in mid-2024 of a Community Diagnostic Centre. The NHS facility in Freshney Place will bring thousands more people into the town centre every year – with such increased footfall through the town centre presenting more opportunities.

Article and image from NELC.

In one of the largest land deals done in recent years, North East Lincolnshire Council’s Cabinet agreed last week [30 November 2023] to release land to Associated British Ports (ABP).

The land includes 28 acres of allocated development land at Stallingborough Interchange, and two small areas of land in NELC ownership.

Pioneer Business Park (PBP) is a strand of the award winning South Humber Industrial Investment Programme (SHIIP) which has so far seen the Myenergi and HETA facilities developed on the site, with other projects in the pipeline.

Other elements of SHIIP include a new link road between Immingham and Grimsby which has unlocked development land and improved connectivity between the ports, and two ecological mitigation sites, the first in Europe, created to offset the environmental impact of future developments and provide a safe haven for birds. These innovative interventions have proven to be a key part in attracting large scale investment to the area.

Cllr Philip Jackson, Leader of the Council, said: “The sale has realised the opportunity to see development accelerated at Pioneer Business Park at a pace which is likely to bring with it a variety of benefits, including additional investment, facilities and jobs locally.

“I’d like to thank ABP for coming to the table with the proposals, and for creating what will be one of the biggest single developments in the area in recent times.”

ABP has also been working with other landowners in the area to assemble a wider parcel of land to concentrate these operations in. The overall deal will see ABP investing significantly to expand its port operations around Immingham after the purchase of the freehold of 227.5 acres at Stallingborough Interchange.

The prominent site is earmarked for commercial port opportunities including automotive, bulk warehousing, distribution and logistics uses, advanced manufacturing, as well as green energy initiatives.

In a prime strategic location next to the A180 and located two miles from the Port of Immingham and six miles from the Port of Grimsby, the designated employment site is one of the largest of the original Enterprise Zones in the area and is key to future proofing the continued growth of ABP’s commercial business on the Humber.

Simon Bird, Regional Director of the Humber said: “This is an important milestone in the future growth of the Humber ports. It demonstrates the need for strategic investment in land to facilitate the continued growth of ABP and to maintain the Humber ports leading position in the UK, as well as significant investment in the region for jobs.

“As demand is expected to increase for energy generation, automotive storage, bulk warehousing, and storage and distribution uses our space constraints within our ports will increase. This additional land will ensure the delivery of state-of-the-art infrastructure, facilities, and technological innovation for new and existing customers.”

Greg Lacey, Head of Property – Humber, ABP said: “It’s always a challenge to bring forward a site of such significant scale and I’d like to personally thank NELC for all the investment in time and costs to get it to this stage. We now pick up the baton to bring to fruition our shared ambition to create a major UK port logistics development.

“This is a unique opportunity, assembled by ABP working collaboratively with NELC and three other landowners. The site is the largest development land parcel in such proximity to the ports, and of significant scale versus wider opportunities in the Yorkshire region. It is unlikely any opportunity of the same size will be coming to the market for some time. The sizeable investment we have made in this shows ABP is a key player in supporting the growth of commercial activities within the region.”

Article and image from NELC.