The following decisions have been made by magistrates at court hearings. In all drink-drive cases the legal limit is 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood or 107 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of urine. Addresses of defendants published here are taken from the legal records held by the magistrates’ courts. V/S means victim surcharge; C/C/C means criminal courts charge.

Grantham Magistrates’ Court

December 15

Ingus Laipnicks (30), of Livingstone Drive, Spalding. No insurance (Spalding). £660 fine, £66 victim surcharge, £85 costs, £150 criminal courts charge, 6pts. No separate penalty for driving without due care and attention.

Lukas Gerasimovas (23), of Matmore Gate, Spalding. No insurance (Spalding). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 6pts.

Mark Wrighton (50), of Plover Drive, March. Speeding (Moulton Seas End). £335 fine, £33 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

December 16

Tanya Glover (32), of Hagbeach Gate, Whaplode. Speeding (Whaplode). £140 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 3pts.

December 21

Megan Spear (21), of Seas End Road, Spalding. Assault (Stamford). 12 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c.

Jamie Spooner (21), of Castle Drive, Northborough. Assaulting a police officer (Bourne). Community order with 150 hours unpaid work, £1000 compensation, £60 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c. Second count of assaulting a police officer (Bourne). £1000 compensation.

December 22

Dawn-Marie Chantry (45), of Aveland Close, Aslackby. Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence (Aslackby). £40 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 3pts.

Daniel Mihai (23), of Priory Road, Spalding. No MOT (Spalding). £220 fine, £22 v/s, £85 costs, £15 c/c/c.

Jaromir Nowak (35), of Livingstone Street, Lee Mount, Halifax. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £220 fine, £22 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 3pts.

Damian Piwowarczyk (25), of Little London, Spalding. No insurance (Boston). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 6 months.

December 31

Adam Manning-Coe (24), of Meadowgate, Bourne. Criminal damage (Bourne). Community order with rehabilitation activity requirement, £100 compensation. No action taken on breach of conditional discharge.

Lincoln Magistrates’ Court

December 10

Patrick Leighton (68), of Glebe Gardens, Crowland. Driving without due care and attention (Deeping St James). £115 fine, £20 v/s, £150 costs, 5pts.

Callum Faulder (23), of The Pavilion, Lincoln. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £100 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 3pts.

Kevin Garner (24), of Pensbury Street, Darlington. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £100 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 3pts.

Lesley Knibb (58), of Belgrave Close, Belton, Doncaster. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £100 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Gregory Knott (64), of Maltby Way, Horncastle. Failed to comply with a red traffic light (Sutton Bridge). £240 fine, £24 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

James Strawson (26), Holyport Road, Fulham, London. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £100 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

December 16

Rebecca Dearsly (47), of Church Road, North Ferriby. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £470 fine, £47 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Stephen Bullivant (51), of Hereward Road, Spalding. Speeding (Spalding). £220 fine, £22 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Ionut Enciu (21), of Bridge road, Sutton Bridge. No insurance (Long Sutton). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts. No separate penalty for no MOT.

James Ramsay (38), of Rosebank Street, Dundee. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £220 fine, £22 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Sebastian Stanberry (35), of Marketstead Estate, Kirton. Used a vehicle, the manner in which passengers were carried in it was such that its use involved a danger of injury (Boston). £440 fine, £44 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Dawn Williams (48), of York Road, Stevenage. Speeding (Quadring). £80 fine, £20 v/s, £45 costs, 4pts.

Stephen Young (50), of Edinburgh Close, Kirton. Speeding (Kirton). £440 fine, £44 v/s, £85 costs, 5pts.

Victoria Richards (28), of Two Sisters Close, Sutton Bridge. Assault (Sutton Bridge). 12 months conditional discharge, restraining order, £50 compensation, £100 costs.

December 17

Karlis Kapalns (21), of Figtree Walk, Dogsthorpe, Peterborough. Defective vehicle lamp (Spalding). £40 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs.

Stephen Swayze (49), of Lancaster Road, Stamford. Speeding (Baston). £50 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 3pts.

Robert Lotts (56), of High Street, Billingborough. Breach of the peace (Sleaford). Bound over £100, for 6 months to keep the peace.

Gytis Balceris (38), of Southwell Road, Wisbech. Assault (Sutton Bridge). Restraining order, £200 fine, £100 compensation, £20 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c.

Peter Woods (52), of West Street, Spalding. Assault (Crowland). Community order with rehabilitation activity requirement, restraining order, £60 v/s, £150 c/c/c, no action taken on two conditional discharges.

December 21

Samuel Steadman (19), of Clay Drove, Spalding. No insurance (Spalding). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 6pts.

Natalie Harker (29), of School lane, Coningsby. Speeding (Moulton Seas End). £80 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Arturas Dubik (22), of London Road, Wyberton. No insurance (Boston). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 6pts.

Nicki Harrington (26), of Spalding Common, Spalding. No insurance (Spalding). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 6pts.

Evaldas Janavicius (34), of Hankey Street, Peterborough. Driving while using a hand held mobile phone (Kirton). £220 fine, £22 v/s £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 3pts.

Naison Mubaina (41), of Grange Avenue, Leeds. No insurance (Swineshead Bridge). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 6pts.

Adrien Worth (23), Black Prince Avenue, Market Deeping. No insurance (Bourne). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, £150 c/c/c, 6pts.

December 29

Derek King (50), of Tweed Grove, Kingston Upon Hull. Drove a vehicle with a load which was so secured that danger or nuisance was likely to be caused (Algarkirk). £145 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs.

Damiam Lapinski (29), of NFA. Assault (Sutton Bridge). Community order with rehabilitation activity requirement, restraining order, £75 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs.

Samuel Church (29), of Acacia Avenue, Spalding. Produced 16 cannabis plants (Pinchbeck). Community order with 150 unpaid work, £60 v/s, £40 costs, cannabis to be forfeited and destroyed.

TRISH TAKES FIVE: By Trish Burgess

The 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta in 1215 was celebrated across the world last year and, in Lincoln, where one of only four original copies of the document is held, this was particularly significant.

There were a number of events in the county to mark the anniversary and one was the publication of a unique book celebrating the impact of Magna Carta on modern society. The hardback book, ‘800’, explores, through the voices of Lincolnshire residents, how the medieval document still plays a vital part in shaping the values we hold sacred today.

It also includes the first published versions of specially commissioned works from UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Welsh National Poet Gillian Clarke and the holder of the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry Imtiaz Dharker. The poems were first read to an audience at the official opening of Lincoln Castle by Princess Anne last June. All three poets have signed each copy of the book.

Their work was part of the Poets Laureate Lincolnshire Landscape programme which questions the past and how it has impacted on the lives of Lincolnshire people in 2015. This programme tied in seamlessly with the events of Festival 800 last summer in Lincoln.

I decided to order a copy of the book to have my own memento of the anniversary. Artistic directors and executive producers of the project, Lincoln-based Cultural Solutions UK, have produced 1215 copies, with 800 being sent to Lincolnshire’s schools and libraries, the Commonwealth heads of state, the British Library, Runnymede, Salisbury Cathedral and world leaders. That leaves only 415 copies available to the public, making it a collector’s item, especially with the poets’ genuine signatures.

The 60 page book only costs £8 with £2 for postage. Receiving it in the post a few days ago, I felt as if I were holding a printed version of a time capsule: something that represents our county as it is today. The poems are the jewels in this printed crown but the thoughts and opinions of Lincolnshire residents, including police cadets from Boston and pupils from local primary schools, certainly earn their place in the publication.

Mention should also be made of the poem by 17 year old Peter Latimer, Lincolnshire Young Poet Laureate. Peter has taken on this role, which was created as part of the Poets Laureate programme, and must be justifiably proud of ‘Divide’, the piece he has written to commemorate this important anniversary.

It’s not too late to order your own copy of this limited edition book as there are still a few available. They can be ordered online at www.festival800.co.uk/beta/product/800-book/

Follow Trish on Twitter via @mumsgoneto and read her blog at www.mumsgoneto.blogspot.com

Previously...

Food heaven on the motorway

A Bourne-based shoe retailer is out to prove it is one step ahead of the rest – by claiming more prestigious national accolades.

North Shoes, which has stores in North Street, Bourne, Red Lion Square, Stamford, and Westgate, Peterborough, has been shortlisted in four categories at the Footwear Industry Awards 2016.

The store has been shortlisted for Men’s Independent Retailer of the Year, Independent Family Retailer of the Year and Fashion Independent Retailer of the Year.

And owner James North, who is the fifth generation of the family at the head of the business, is shortlisted in the Leaders in Customer Service category.

He said: “The awards honour the finest in the footwear retail industry and it’s great just to be shortlisted.

“We have been lucky in them since 2012 and I’m so pleased and honoured that people in the trade have thought of us again.

“The shortlistings recognise we’re always looking at new things and focusing on quality service and products. The trade sees us as a business that’s progressing and doing well.”

The winners will be announced on February 21.

The independent family business, which was launched in Bourne in 1876 and also has a shop in Cambridge, hopes to add to the three titles it has collected since the awards were launched in 2012 – including Men’s Independent Retailer of the Year in 2015.

North Shoes has won the men’s independent retailer, independent family retailer and ladies’ independent retailer crowns in the past, as well as being highly-commended three times.

A regular column from South Holland Centre in Spalding.

It’s Oscar season, nominations are out, and we’re looking forward to bringing you all the movies that matter.

There’s not long to wait for some of them, with Carol, Joy and The Danish Girl already scheduled for February dates at South Holland Centre.

One star hotly tipped to take the ‘Actress in a Leading Role’ award is Cate Blanchett for her portrayal of Carol Aird, a sophisticated housewife who, after embarking on a relationship with another woman, is threatened with losing custody of her daughter. Set in sumptuous 1950s New York, screenings of the beautifully realised and heart-breaking Carol run from Monday, February 1.

Also nominated is Jennifer Lawrence for her portrayal of Joy, a single mother who out of sheer desperation starts her own business empire, the Miracle Mop! Screenings of this rollercoaster comedy start on Friday, February 12.

Meanwhile, after securing the top prize in 2015 for his role as Steven Hawking in The Theory of Everything, Eddie Redmayne is in the running for the ‘Actor in a Leading Role’ Oscar for his part in another movie biopic – this time as Danish artist and pioneer Einar Wegener, the first man to undergo gender reassignment surgery to become the beautiful Lili Elbe in the early 20th century. Screenings run from Saturday, February 20.

Keep an eye on our website for more Oscar Best Picture nominee titles including: banking crash comedy drama The Big Short; Steven Spielberg’s Bridge Of Spies; 1950s immigrant love story Brooklyn; American wilderness survival movie The Revenant; an adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s best-selling novel Room; and a powerful American biographical drama Spotlight in which investigative journalism uncovers widespread child abuse. We’re rounding off February with a few screenings of ‘Dad’s Army’.

Lincolnshire County Council leader Martin Hill has dismissed fears home care services could be slashed as the authority looks to make savings of £170million in the next four years.

Colin Mair – the leader of UKIP at County Hall – claims lives of elderly and vulnerable residents will be 
put at risk because of the 
scale of cutbacks.

Coun Mair says the council has handed ‘responsibility for delivering home care services to 12 private companies’.

However, he warns the criteria for people qualifying for home care will be ‘toughened up’ and says care workers are already ‘leaving in droves’ because of the introduction of zero hours contracts and lower 
mileage allowances.

Coun Mair’s comments come just a week after he revealed subsidies to school and college bus services could be cut with parents facing 
bills of up to £40-a-week.

His comments prompted a robust reaction from Coun Hill, who pledged cuts to home care services would be minimal.

He said: “Although adult care services will not be totally unaffected, the impact on this area will be minimal and in fact we are proposing to spend more on adult care next year than we will be doing this year.

“This is one of our main areas of spending and a key responsibility for the council, with an ageing population and a trend of increasing demand.”

In a separate statement, the spokesman added: “LCC has not and does not intend to ‘toughen up’ our criteria for services.

“These are set nationally under the Care Act 2014 and cannot be changed by local councils.”

He also dismissed the suggestion that private companies were driving home care policy. He added: “What they are doing is delivering services that contribute to the council meeting its 
statutory obligations.

“The council contracts 12 providers to deliver care. Until last year, the council contracted with more than 70 different providers. With fewer contractors, this allows more time to manage the contracts.”

However, the spokesman did not deny that some workers were on zero 
hours contracts.

He said: “Each of the 12 providers has been given a guaranteed volume of work by the council, which enables them to offer permanent contracts.

“However zero hour contracts are legally allowed and anecdotally many carers prefer to not have to guarantee the time they will be available.

“Providers need to meet all their legal requirements as employers and our rates enable them to do so. This includes them being compliant with the National Minimum Wage, which covers the requirements of 
travel to and from calls.”

Over 10,000 people work in the care sector in Lincolnshire.

Hereward Television will host a ‘discovery evening’ at The Nag’s Head in Bourne at 7.30pm on Tuesday, January 26.

People will be able to see presentations, watch promotional videos, and hear the progress made by Hereward Television in bringing local broadcasting to a small screen near you.

So far, broadcast regulator Ofcom has awarded 34 local TV licences across the UK, and those behind Hereward Television want to make sure the Bourne area does not miss out.

Station director Alex Geairns said: “Hereward Television has already captured the imagination of our community. Citizens want to have this outlet, to give us all a voice.

“Whether it’s to improve your skills to add to your CV, have a new creative outlet, or develop a unique hobby, people are already bouncing with enthusiasm. Not only that, we are finding that local companies are keen to be associated with what we are doing.”

The station was launched at the 2015 Peterborough Camra Beer Festival. It is a charitable community initiative covering Bourne, the greater Fenlands and Peterborough.

The open evening will give people the chance to meet those behind the station and find out how to be part of it. There will be an opportunity to try your hand at being a presenter, and businesses are also encouraged to attend.

Technical director and Bourne resident Nik Fox said: “Subject to the granting of relevant licences by Ofcom, our channel aims to initially be available via Virgin Media, and then eventually on Freeview Channel 8.

“From Bourne, Spalding, and Holbeach in the north of our region, through Market Deeping, Crowland, Whittlesey, March, Yaxley, and down to Alconbury, Ramsey and Chatteris in the south, local TV will be coming to all these areas.

“Some parts of Stamford, Oundle, Long Sutton and Wittering will also be covered. It’s ambitious, but achievable, as we will explain on the night.”

To find out more about the station visit www.hereward.
tv

There is an old saying: never leave a letter unanswered. It is clear that Mr Foyster and Mr Gammba Jones have different political allegiances.

I think that what Mr Foyster was trying to reinforce is that, over the last 30 years, Holbeach – the second largest town in our district – has been woefully underfunded by both Lincolnshire County Council and South Holland District Council.

What both gentlemen should do is work towards ensuring that Holbeach does not miss out on the opportunity for some sort of community infrastructure levy to be set up in order to fund improvements to the town.

No-one should lose sight of the fact that Lincolnshire County Council is finally putting in a roundabout that should have been installed when the Holbeach bypass was built.

From the drawings I have seen, it also looks like there are further improvements to the Boston Road roundabout as part of the scheme.

The roundabout to service both areas of land off the bypass is no more than any developer would have to fund to build on a piece of land that size and therefore is a cost to the developer.

It’s important to remember that the bulk of the land around Holbeach that has been earmarked for development (1800 plots) is on farm land that has been historically owned by the county for centuries. A contribution to a community infrastructure levy fund could deliver close to £2million to help improve the town.

A new action plan to improve air quality in areas such as Bourne and the Deepings is under review and open to the public.

South Kesteven District Council’s Air Quality Action Plan has been in place since 2010 but now the council wants people to give their views on improving air quality in general

Coun Nick Craft, portfolio holder for healthy environment, said: We have been monitoring air quality in the district since 1998 and it is generally good.

“However, like over 230 other councils across the UK, we have found that levels of some pollutants are above the guidelines set by the Government in some areas.

“The council is committed to improving air quality in our district and we have produced a Draft Air Quality Action Plan that contains measures to improve air quality.

“We will consider all comments received and use them to finalise the Air Quality Action Plan which we expect to publish later this year.”

To take part in the review, visit http://www.southkesteven.gov.uk

This is the third year that the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has organised its Big Farmland Bird Count, a great campaign to highlight how farming and conservation work hand in hand, writes Steve Barber, NFU South Holland.

This is the third year that the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has organised its Big Farmland Bird Count, a great campaign to highlight how farming and conservation work hand in hand.

Last year, nearly 1,000 farmers took part from every English county and the rest of the UK, too. They recorded 127 different species of birds including 19 that are of conservation concern – the ‘red list’ species. This year’s count takes place from February 6 to 14.

Farmers care for the wildlife that lives on their land and they quietly go about protecting, feeding and enhancing habitats without much fanfare or recognition. A field corner that’s difficult to cultivate, a strip of land next to a wood, or a new pond or scrape are ideal places for a bit of ‘wilderness’ on the farm.

Specialist seed mixes to grow bird food for the autumn and winter provide both cover and essential food when natural food sources are scarce. Field headlands and margins often host what must look like scrubby nothingness, but is in fact valuable cover for many different species: solitary bumble bees, field voles and ground-nesting birds all benefit from a farmer’s careful management.

Farming’s contribution and commitment to the future of wild bird populations is important and recording the industry’s successes is vital. We hope that as many farmers as possible will join in with this year’s count and show how diverse and special our farmland is for wild birds.

Find out more about the count and how to join in at http://www.gwct.org.uk/farming/big-farmland-bird-count/

A regular column from Spalding Gentlemen’s Society Museum in Broad Street, Spalding.

This month I’ve been looking at blue and white china in the collections, writes Patricia Buck.

There’s so much one can learn from the artefacts and literature in the museum. Apparently the birthplace of English porcelain was the Bow Porcelain Factory which operated in the mid-18th century, manufacturing ‘soft-paste’ porcelain.

Oh, and the phrase ‘bone china’ comes from the fact that they actually used bone ash in the manufacturing process. The amount of bone and the temperature of the firing will affect the shade of blue achieved on the blue and white pieces as well as the clarity of the pattern and the quality of the finished product.

Experiments to find ways of manufacturing bone china as good as that of the Chinese, Dutch or French, for example, went on all over the UK. Each factory having its own recipe. By the last quarter of the 18th century Ambrose Gallimore and Thomas Turner at their factory in Caughley, Shropshire produced some of the finest soft-paste porcelain made in England.

An oven which is used for firing glazed pottery is called a ‘glost oven’ and the Caughley glost oven was not excessively hot. This helped with the consistent good quality finish and clarity of the blue and white.

Taking a while to study these items makes you appreciate not only their beauty and the achievements they represent, but also the things we take for granted around our homes and table today.

• Our next Museum and Library Open Sunday will be on February 21. If you would like a guided tour then contact us. Individuals and parties welcome by arrangement. Email sgsinfo@btconnect.com or telephone us on 01775 724658.

A mum is appalled that her beautiful cat was killed by a car yards from home and the driver didn’t bother to tell her.

Angie Maris made sure Gypsy always wore a fluorescent collar so he was more visible, even in bright sunlight, and says his address details were on the collar.

But he was hit and killed on Hospital Drove, close to its junction with Bridge Road, at Little Sutton on Saturday lunchtime.

Angie said: “There is no legal requirement to report a car accident involving a cat.

“But, surely, you would expect some human decency.

“I am appalled that someone just left him. It is devastating. Our home will not be the same.”

A neighbour found Gypsy’s still warm body at about 1pm, just five doors away from the home where the character cat “adopted” Angie and husband Tony after straying to pastures new.

Angie says the speed limit on her road, which has homes along one side, is too high at a “ridiculous” 60mph but wonders how a driver could have got up so much speed coming in from the junction.

She said: “It could have been someone’s child.

“It was a lovely, sunny day with less traffic than normal.”

Angie said Gypsy, a dark tortoiseshell cat with white patches, was pretty street-wise, “slowly wandered about” and didn’t dash out in front of cars.

Gyspy moved in with the couple in July 2013 after making a few visits.

Angie said: “We first found him on the top of the landing one day when we came home. He meowed at us from the top of the stairs. He must have got in through a window.”

His visits became more regular and then Angie checked with a vet to see if an owner could be found via a microchip.

The owner was traced, but didn’t want to keep him.

Angie describes Gypsy as a “friendly, talkative character” who was a big part of the family.

She said: “He was very chatty. You could meow to him and he would meow back – you would meow again and he would meow.”

Angie says she will have another cat because her house “is so lonely” without Gypsy.

“I don’t think you would get another one like him,” she said.

“He was such a character. He was a smashing cat.”

Police have issued a car’s description in relation to a report of dangerous driving in South Holland.

The car, a gold and yellow three-door Vauxhall Corsa Breeze, was last seen in the Holbeach area, but may now be in Spalding.

Its last known registration was N3 SLE, but police are also aware that it may have the plates S998 GNU.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident 409 of January 18.

The European Water Framework Directive was passed and implemented in 2000.

What that means to us in Spalding is that dredging has not been carried out or mentioned by the Environmental Agency or MPs in Westminster over the last 15 years.

The EU states that rivers must be left to flow naturally and allow silt to build up, which has been and is the case now.

In this area, we have been very fortunate to have the Coronation Channel, which has helped save us over many years.

Last year, it was mentioned in the Daily Express that the Environment Agency has, or was going to, sell off 15 dragline excavators, the best piece of equipment to deal with clearing out the river bottoms and allowing more room for excess water to flow and not flood.

Modern diggers are no match for the 360 degree dragline when it comes to coping with the issue of flooding.

In Spalding, along London Road and Cowbit Road, where the Welland and Coronation Channel meet, a build-up of silt will occur on the town side of the Welland and at the mouth of the channel. This was dredged about 25 years ago.

When you walk over the Taku bridge in town and the water is clear, you can see a build-up of silt along the river, which has accumulated as a result.

My concerns are that, while the Environment Agency and politicians talk about the problem, which is staring them in the face, throwing money at it with very little thought is getting us nowhere.

Both Labour and the Conservatives need to take equal share of the blame by sticking to that EU directive, and get hold of the situation.

The Dutch engineers drained the Fens in the 1700s and that’s what we need now. Someone who understands the way to keep the dykes and drains running. Spend money wisely.

It is no good clearing the deficit if we are up to our armpits in water doing it.

At the risk of being accused of jumping on the band waggon, I would like to comment on the letters and columns published by my political associate Paul Foyster and Roger Gambba-Jones.

As a councillor on Crowland Parish Council, I too have had to deal with the issue of a failing street market.

Three years ago, the once thriving street market in Crowland was reduced to one fruit and veg stall and, following that owner’s death, no stalls at all.

Consequently, I sought a meeting to discuss the matter with Roger, who, with his team, did his best with a limited budget to promote the venture. Six months later, it had blossomed.

But look again now and it’s dwindling, fewer stallholders are attending and our town retail is not so good either.

No doubt many will blame the council, a seemingly anonymous organisation who can’t be trusted to do much for the electorate, but I believe the decline is due to several sometimes complex reasons, some of which I will explain below.

Firstly, I should point out that I recently retired from owning a retail business, and can identify the three main reasons why small retailers fail.

The first is online shopping. In the case of my business, at the time of its sale, more than 55 per cent of sales were on my website, with fewer customers coming through the door.

The second was the disappearance of pedestrians from the market town in which I traded.

Older pensioners were able to travel free on a pensioners’ bus pass to the nearest big city, where they could spend all of their money, while younger adults would whizz past the town on their way to work.

The final reason was the negative effort by retailers to form a retailers’ association, which might work to counter the problems they faced.

It isn’t the job of councils to promote businesses – it is those who hope to profit from them, and councils will help those who try.

I hope the new market location in Holbeach will have some success, but in Crowland I hold my breath and wait for a retailers’ association to form.

We, the council, will help you, as my associate in Holbeach might, but the push must come from you.

HAYES IN THE HOUSE: By Hayes in the House

Last week, many of us mourned the passing of one of Britain’s greatest popular musicians with the death of David Bowie at the age of 69, following a battle with cancer. Bowie was phenomenal, selling millions of records in a career - spanning decades - which left a lasting effect on popular culture that few others have matched or ever will.

There are some who sport a snobbish, dismissive disdain for most popular culture, but it is perfectly possible to recognise qualitative differences in pop and rock music. Whilst it is true that too much of what dominates the charts is unexceptional or trite, there are artists now who, as Bowie did, offer the originality through distinctive musicianship and particular style; in essence through authenticity - the Arctic Monkeys, Muse and Katie Melua all spring to mind.

Like David Bowie, I was born in a working class family in South London; Brixton, in his case, Woolwich in mine. Few could have imagined where his humble beginnings would take him in life, just as the remarkable journey I travelled from a council estate to working in Parliament and serving as a Government Minister often makes me pinch myself to check if it’s all just a dream!

Benefiting from the care and support of wonderful, loving parents, who worked very hard to give me every chance in life and with a grammar school education, I was well prepared for adulthood. The sad truth is that too few people growing up today on such estates are as fortunate. For many, family breakdown is routine and poverty entrenched. Urban decay traps people in a spiral which starts with impoverished expectations and, often, ends in addiction or violence, or both.

Too often, too many claim that these problems can be solved by welfare alone. In fact, we’ve been treating the symptoms of poverty, instead of its causes, for years; trying to manage the problem, rather than fix it. In future we must be far more imaginative about how we change people’s life chances, focusing on the social regeneration of ‘sink estates’ where neglect has become endemic. It’s through changing people’s sense of worth by enhancing their sense of place; by nurturing social obligations -rather than crowing about rights- that cohesive, caring communities are grown.

It was also last week that I spoke about transforming such estates to provide new places in which people want to live, homes where families can feel safe, aspirations can be nurtured, and where civility and care go hand in hand. Those living in slums would jump at a chance to escape their surroundings, and we should help them to do so, thus creating the lasting conditions for upwards social mobility.

Changing life chances changes lives; we can, and should, be much more ambitious about combating poverty - helping people to soar to the height of their hopes, regardless of where they began. Our mission should be no less than to give every child the chance to realise their potential, to reach for the stars. Maybe then more of today’s boys and girls on council estates will live their dreams of becoming tomorrow’s musicians or the people’s representatives in Parliament. More still will simply enjoy the chance to live the fulfilled and successful lives which we surely all desire and deserve.

Previously...

We must focus on economic security

Early in 2015, my wife, Barbara, and I volunteered to help keep the flower beds and rose beds on the riverside behind the South Holland Centre tidy for Spalding In Bloom.

We did the weeding and deheading on a regular basis and got rewarding remarks from visitors using the water taxi.

On Monday, December 20, I decided the beds needed a quick weed, so I parked my vehicle, with my tools, at the far end of the lay-by behind the centre.

I have a sign in the car window stating “Spalding In Bloom worker” and was wearing a high-visibility vest with the same wording. After approximately three minutes, I glanced up and saw a traffic warden looking at the sign in my car.

I approached him and said it was my car, to which he replied that anyone could make a sign like that and go into town shopping. I agreed, but insisted that I was there to work on the flower beds.

After a long, heated argument, he gave me no choice but to leave or get a parking ticket. I have never had any problems with other traffic wardens while working there.

As a genuine Spaldonian, who still cares for the look of our town, should I have to put up with the arrogance of a man in a green uniform who thinks he has more authority in running the town than our local council?

Barbara and I apologise if the flower beds soon look very untidy, but we personally cannot do anything about it if we cannot park our vehicle nearby.

I ask the question: What is the difference between God and a traffic warden?

Answer: God does not think he is a traffic warden.

Police across four forces have been tackling hare coursing with Operation Galileo seeing officers focussing their efforts and sending out a clear message that coursers are not welcome. Reporter Daniel Jaines took part in a day of action.

Our day starts in a small briefing room in Spalding Police Station.

Sgt Dave Robinson, tells us – a couple of reporters, plus officers from across East Midlands – that we will be patrolling the surrounding areas, including Holbeach, Long Sutton and Deeping St Nicholas – basically from Boston to the border of Cambridge.

We are reminded that hare coursers are ‘creatures of habit’, while another PC gives us positive news that the farmers of Deeping St Nicholas have ‘started helping themselves’ by securing their properties.

We are also told there was quite a coup on hare coursers the previous day, and warned there may not be as many this time round.

It’s then I’m paired up with EMOps officer PC Shaun Gent and PCSO Jane Gardner, who will be our ‘local knowledge’ for today.

This is a public day of action and we are one of five liveried vehicles on the ground. All local officers are also on the radio to feed information to the operation.

As we set off into the countryside, it soon becomes clear why ‘coursers’ come here – long back roads, along with open fields and clear visibility make spotting any potential dangers easy, and flat land means their off-road vehicles can cross from one side of a field to another quicker than a police car can drive around it.

As we drive around, PC Gent describes the kinds of things we are looking for, and we check a couple of isolated and parked vehicles through the radio and speak to any owners as we go.

Reports of a green Discovery and other vehicles come across the radio and ANPR systems and a couple of local men also signal us to report suspected hare coursing nearby – all leads we follow up on if they enter our patch, including hitting some higher speeds to get to predicted routes faster.

Then it happens, the green Discovery has been spotted again in Pode Hole – all teams on alert – and, after weighing up the options, PC Gent switches on the blue lights and we cover the 14 miles from our current position to where the last known location was.

Here we are met by another officer, and Lincolnshire Police wildlife crime officer Nick Willey.

Four men are dealt with at the scene - given dispersal orders - and we are able to return to our patrols before the day ends.

German Shepherd Saxon loves lolli-pups!

It sounds barking mad but heart-shaped Lolli-pups made with dog-friendly ingredients are proving a hit for canine confectioner Emily Wadsworth (37), who runs the Canine Cupcake Kitchen.

The mum of two, who launched her pet bakery a couple of years ago, cooked up the idea for the wholewheat heart-shaped baked biscuit, flavoured with ham on a rawhide stick, all covered in doggy white chocolate and finished with naturally coloured red dog chocolate piping – while chatting to her sister.

“She came up with the name lolli-pups jokingly and then I ran with the research,” Emily, of Spalding, says.

“I was trying to come up with a Valentine’s line and we were saying how I do pup-corn and pup-cakes and she said lolli-pups, just being silly, but it’s actually worked really well!”

The Valentine treats cost £2.70 each and have been tried and tested by Emily’s own dog, Saxon, a pup she recently adopted from Central German Shepherd Rescue.

The mum of two started baking to earn some extra cash after the birth of her second child three years ago.

She initially sold cakes, brownies and biscuits for humans, but started making dog-friendly treats after taking a stall at a local dog show where she didn’t want hungry hounds to miss out.

Her doggy cakes and biscuits went down a storm and she soon found herself inundated with orders for pup-cakes, celebration cakes, biscuits, pup-corn and more.

Another of her current best-sellers is a banana-bomb, a wholewheat and banana baked dumpling.

All Emily’s recipes are made from natural ingredients and are sugar free, low in salt and dairy free and wherever possible use local ingredients.

• For more information visit www.facebook.com/caninecupcakekitchen

A stern telling off was received by a 24-year-old man who admitted breaching a community order.

Magistrate chairman Jeanette Foster reprimanded Adam Manning Coe for his “attitude and tardiness” during a hearing at Grantham Magistrates’ Court on Monday, January 18).

Manning Coe, of Meadowgate, Bourne, was made subject of an 18-month community order in March last year, after pleading guilty to two counts of common assault. The order included supervision and a curfew. He was also ordered to attend a ‘Resolve’ programme run by the probation service.

He was in court on Monday to answer to a second breach of the order, made when he used “unacceptable behaviour” at the Grantham probation office on December 22.

The court heard how Manning Coe made a “rude comment” about a volunteer driver who arrived a few minutes late to pick him up and take him to a supervision appointment.

Chris Pye-Smith, defending, said the comment was made to the supervising officer, not the driver.

After deliberating his punishment for some time, magistrate Mrs Foster told Manning Coe: “The probation service has bent over backwards to accommodate you and you’ve abused that position by your attitude and tardiness.

“We’ve taken a close look at your throwaway comment about sending you to prison and we very nearly did.”

However, magistrates opted to add 10 days to the current community order. He was also ordered to pay £75 costs.

An application was made to remove the ‘Resolve’ programme, which was granted.

Family-run Delaine Buses of Bourne has got the go-ahead from district planners to expand its depot in the town.

The firm, which dates back to 1890, won consent from South Kesteven District Council to use land to the south of its depot in Eastgate for its fleet of buses, land which was once a livestock yard.

A statement from Delaine Buses, in support of the planning application, said: “The expansion of Bourne in recent years has created an increased demand for public transport services.

“The company operates a fleet of 24 vehicles (expected to rise to 26 this year) and the site is presently approaching capacity for ease of operation.

“The measured expansion of the depot of the sole bus operator in the town is considered worthy of support in this instance, given the absence of harm arising.”