Latest news with #BBCRadioLincolnshire
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Police chief warns of 400 job cuts due to funding
The chief constable of Lincolnshire Police has warned 400 staff and officer jobs could be cut if the force cannot secure extra funding by October. It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the government's Spending Review, which includes a 2.3% real terms yearly funding increase for policing in England and Wales. Chief Constable Paul Gibson said this was not enough for Lincolnshire and would leave the force facing a deficit of almost £70m. He said he had begun negotiations with the Home Office. But Reeves told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme she did not "accept" the need for cuts to police jobs. Speaking during a hotseat with BBC Radio Lincolnshire presenter Frances Finn, Mr Gibson said the Home Office had recognised Lincolnshire as a "significant outlier" in terms of funding. "If we don't get more money by October, then, unfortunately, I have to start consultation to reduce our organisation significantly," he said. Mr Gibson said cuts to officer numbers could result in reductions to services that were "hugely important" to communities, including neighbourhood, roads and rural policing and crime prevention work. He said: "I have to make sure that I balance the budget, and if I can't do that then I have to reduce resources, which obviously will be felt within the communities across our great county." The chief constable said he had a meeting planned with Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson for early July, and he would be "pitching for more money". "I'm as optimistic as I can be, but I can't guarantee money will come along," he said. In April, Lincolnshire Police announced previous planned cuts to 400 jobs had been delayed due to a new £5.7m government funding package. But speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Mr Gibson said this was "one-off money" to provide "stability" for six months. A report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue, released in May, rated Lincolnshire Police inadequate at investigating crime, responding to the public and managing offenders and suspects. Mr Gibson said he appreciated the findings of the report would be "concerning" for residents, but he said funding had a "massive impact" on the level of service the force could give. He said: "It's [the report] not as good as I wanted it to be, that's absolutely clear, and there's no doubt that there are things we need to do better. I completely accept that. "We're working incredibly hard in the background to make sure we are investigating crimes better, supervising criminal investigations better, meeting the requirements of victims better." Caller Chris Fairweather, from Old Leake, near Boston, told the chief constable she had not been visited by officers after reporting a garage break in at her home. She said tools and equipment had been stolen, but she had received a letter from police a week later to say the case had been closed. Mr Gibson said it was "just not possible" to visit the scene of every crime, and officers had to work out the likelihood of solving a crime. He said: "Finance, whether we like it or not, has a major impact upon what you're able to do, in terms of the quality of service you can deliver." Later in the discussion, Mr Gibson said: "I know that people are concerned about policing – they always want more, quite understandably. "But I also need to make sure that I balance that with my staff, who are operating in difficult circumstances. "They get assaulted quite frequently. I write to them, I speak to them, almost daily, in terms of someone who's been punched, kicked, spat at." The Home Office has been approached for comment. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Police cuts postponed after funding boost Winners and losers: Who got what in the spending review? 'Serious concern' over police crime investigations Lincolnshire Police
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Three peregrine falcon chicks hatch at Cathedral
Three peregrine falcon chicks have hatched at Lincoln Cathedral. The birds, which have made their nest on a ledge on the side of the main tower, laid four eggs last month. Bruce Hargrave, a tower guide, said three of the four hatched overnight on Tuesday and one was "still to hatch". Speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire's Breakfast Show, Mr Hargrave described the chicks as "little white balls of fluff with big feet". He said: "The first three hatch quite quickly and the fourth takes a bit longer." The nest has a live video feed on the internet. Mr Hargrave said the male peregrine had been nesting at the Cathedral for the past 10 years and the female arrived in 2023 following the death of his previous partner. The peregrine population in the UK declined in the 1960s due to human persecution and the impact of pesticides, according to the RSPB. However, improved legislation and protection has helped the birds to recover and they have now expanded into many urban areas, although they are still illegally killed to stop them preying on game birds, the charity added. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Peregrine falcons lay eggs at cathedral Peregrine falcons return to city nesting spot Lincoln Cathedral - Peregrine Falcons
BBC News
22-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Three peregrine falcon chicks hatch at Lincoln Cathedral
Three peregrine falcon chicks have hatched at Lincoln birds, which have made their nest on a ledge on the side of the main tower, laid four eggs last Hargrave, a tower guide, said three of the four hatched overnight on Tuesday and one was "still to hatch".Speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire's Breakfast Show, Mr Hargrave described the chicks as "little white balls of fluff with big feet". He said: "The first three hatch quite quickly and the fourth takes a bit longer."The nest has a live video feed on the Hargrave said the male peregrine had been nesting at the Cathedral for the past 10 years and the female arrived in 2023 following the death of his previous peregrine population in the UK declined in the 1960s due to human persecution and the impact of pesticides, according to the improved legislation and protection has helped the birds to recover and they have now expanded into many urban areas, although they are still illegally killed to stop them preying on game birds, the charity to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Lincoln athlete aged 85 sets two British running records
An 85-year-old athlete has set two British records for the 800m and 1, Stracey from Lincoln won the races in the women 85 and over category at the British Masters Athletics event in Stracey said she had been running for about 40 years and was a member of a road running said she started track racing after a friend invited her to go and keep her company at an indoor championship in Birmingham about 25 years ago. She told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: "I said I'm only going if I do something. I've being doing it ever since."Mrs Stracey attends a local parkrun every week and has also taken part in them in other parts of the UK and other countries."It gets you out in the fresh air," she said."It probably does me good and also the group of friends I have are a completely different set of friends to everything else."We just get together usually twice a year for the indoor and outdoor championships."Mrs Stracey set the record in February at the Lea Valley Athletics Centre, completing the 800m in five minutes and 31.77 seconds and the 1500m in 11 minutes and 11 to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Skegness needs a bypass to attract more visitors'
A call has been made for a bypass to be built around Skegness to tackle traffic problems in the resort and attract more visitors. Chris Baron, chairman of Connected Coast, said holidaymakers on the Lincolnshire coast did not want to be "stuck in traffic jams", and a bypass would provide a solution. Connected Coast has funding for places such as Skegness and Mablethorpe, and currently has more than £130m to invest. Lincolnshire County Council's executive member for highways, Richard Davies, said the possibility of a bypass had been looked at "quite extensively", but it was not an affordable option. Speaking during a 'hotseat' on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Mr Baron said: "The road networks are a problem and we're going to lobby on that as much as possible." He said a bypass would make it easier to travel between resorts, including Ingoldmells and Chapel St Leonards. "It's more of an issue getting around the coast, as opposed to getting to the coast. We need a bypass around Skegness to make that traffic easier," he said. According to Connected Coast, Skegness attracts four million visitors every year, helping to bring more than £800m in economic benefits to the district of East Lindsey. But Davies said it was unlikely a bypass would be eligible for government funding. "Alone, we can't fund a bypass for Skegness," he said. The county council previously proposed to build a relief road around Skegness, but plans were axed in 2023 due to funding. Connected Coast was formed in 2021 after Skegness and Mablethorpe won a combined £49m from the Conservative government's Towns Fund to regenerate towns. The money has funded projects including a £7.5m redevelopment of the 1950s colonnade structure in Sutton on Sea and improvements to the Skegness foreshore. But Mr Baron said more could be done to attract visitors to Skegness all year round, and not just for the "sun, sea and sand" in the summer. "It's so easy to criticise Skegness, or the coast, but I've lived there most of my life and it is beautiful," Mr Baron said. "We have to celebrate what we're doing, but concentrate on making ourselves even better." Candidates vying to become the first elected mayor of Greater Lincolnshire have also commented on the issue as the mayor will oversee decision-making on issues such as housing and transport. Andrea Jenkyns, the Reform UK candidate, said: "We need a joined-up approach to transport across the whole of the county be it road, rail or buses. "This is why I would form TfGL (Transport for Greater Lincolnshire)," she added. Independent Marianne Overton said: "It's important to preserve the attractiveness of places for residents and tourists. We need to ensure traffic is carefully managed." Conservative candidate Rob Waltham said: "Yes, Skegness does need a bypass, as do many other places in Lincolnshire, but we have to make the coast secure from flooding first." Trevor Young, the Liberal Democrat candidate, said there were many areas where major road improvements were needed, adding there was a need to have a conversation about a bypass in Skegness. "Devolution would help those discussions to take place," he said. Sally Horscroft from the Green Party and Labour's candidate Jason Stockwood have yet to respond to a request for comment. Nominations for mayor closed on 2 April ahead of the election on 1 May. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Residents invited to name new seaside attraction Rural England under attack, says councillor Chancellor announces £1bn for 45 areas of England Connected Coast Lincolnshire County Council
