Latest news with #SeanMatthews
BBC News
03-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Lincolnshire nuclear waste storage plan thrown out after vote
Lincolnshire will not be used to store nuclear waste after the county council voted to withdraw from the Waste Services (NWS), a government body, had earmarked an area near Louth, in East Lindsey, as a possible site for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).Speaking after the vote to end the talks, council leader Sean Matthews said communities had been subjected to years of "distress and uncertainty".NWS said it would take "immediate steps" to close down the consultation. NWS originally earmarked the former Theddlethorpe gas terminal site, near Mablethorpe, for a storage facility.A community partnership group was formed to open talks with local communities and government body later announced it had moved the proposed location to land between Gayton le Marsh and Great County Council today voted to follow East Lindsey District Council's decision to quit the partnership means that the project cannot progress in Lincolnshire because it does not have the required "community consent". 'Treated appallingly' Matthews, who represents Reform UK, said the authority's former Conservative administration should "hang its head in shame" for allowing the process to continue for four years."I would like to apologise to the communities who have been treated appallingly," he Conservative opposition leader Richard Davies said his party had "always listened to the community" and "led the charge to say no".Mike Crooks, from the Guardians of the East Coast pressure group, which was set up to oppose the project, said the wait for a decision had left people "unable to go on with their lives"."People haven't been able to sell their houses, to do whatever they want to do, to move on with their lives, so we are delighted they now can."In a statement, Simon Hughes, NWS siting and communities director, said it had granted £2m to support local community projects which had "left a lasting positive legacy". Analysis by Paul Murphy, BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Environment the sleepy coastal village of Theddlethorpe, the four year-long "conversation" about the disposal of radioactive material has been a source of anger, distress and least because it has taken four residents talk of their mental is largely a population of older people who retired to the coast for a bit of peace and quiet, not for a prolonged scrap with Britain's nuclear day one there was fierce and vocal opposition to the plans.I remember householders hanging plastic skeletons in their front gardens. Others just put up "for sale" strong opposition grew, despite the promise from NWS of millions of pounds of investment, skilled jobs and transformative road and rail are being asked about how and why it took the county and district councils so long to reject the proposals when public opposition was being so powerfully expressed.A similar nuclear disposal plan for East Yorkshire provoked similar furore and was kicked out by the local authority after just 28 days of public prospect of an underground nuclear disposal site in Lincolnshire appears to be dead and buried – unlike the UK's growing pile of toxic waste from nuclear power problem of finding a permanent and safe home for this deadly material is no longer Lincolnshire's issue, but it hasn't gone away. 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.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Will anyone miss a council flood committee?
On its first day in charge of Lincolnshire County Council Reform UK abolished one of the authority's most important and powerful committees. The Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee oversaw nearly every aspect of flood defence in a county that has been devastated by flooding in recent years. Despite cross-party pleas to save it, Reform UK's new council leader Sean Matthews said he wanted to save money and "streamline" the authority. But will scrapping the committee make any difference to the experiences of those who live with the threat of flooding? Forget politics for a second. Let's start with geography. When it comes to flooding, Lincolnshire is one of the most vulnerable places in Britain; this low-lying region is criss-crossed by a complexity of rivers and drains. The county also has more than 50 miles (80km) of coastline and nearly all of this needs defending from the North Sea. Every drop of rainfall that falls on Lincolnshire must be managed. This means either pumping it out to sea via the river and drainage network or diverting water and storing it. And the flood risks are far from being theoretical. In recent years Lincolnshire has been battered by a succession of powerful weather systems. Most notably Storm Babet and Storm Henk between October 2023 and February 2024, when 900 homes were flooded and 13 river defences were seriously damaged. According to the Met Office, this part of the country recorded its wettest ever winter on record, experiencing a month's rain in just a 24 hour period. No one ever lost sleep over the scrapping of council committee, right? Well, drive through this watery landscape on a rainy November morning and you might see their point. Conservative councillor Ian Carrington, who sat on the Committee said "it was very unfortunate" that it had been scrapped. "The committee did not just listen and scrutinise, it took steps to improve the protection that the people of Lincolnshire enjoy from the scourge of flooding", he said. Defending Lincolnshire from flooding involves a number of public bodies as well as specialist officers from the Council. These include The Environment Agency, which plays a leading role in protecting people and property. There are also at least 15 Internal Drainage Boards or IDBs. These IDBs have specialist local knowledge and operate hundreds of pumping stations, sluices and flood gates. There are lots of moving parts in a flood defence plan. The Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee was there to try to make them all work together. It made recommendations, including calls for more government money and it would hold to account the myriad private and public bodies. The Flood and Water Scrutiny Committee met four times a year. It involved at least 18 councillors and dozens of other specialists. These were drawn from the council itself, from the IDBs, The Environment Agency and private companies such as Anglian Water. Conservative councillor Ian Carrington said the recent experiences of big storms in Lincolnshire demonstrated the need for the committee: "When you have been through the appalling experiences that many of our local residents have been through, any dilution of our ability to improve the situation has to be deeply worrying." he said. But Reform UK scrapped the committee on its first day in charge of Lincolnshire County Council. The new administration said the change would save money and simplify the council. Reform UK Council leader Sean Matthews, said that flooding will now sit within the Environment Committee, which already deals with issues such as waste and pollution Mr Matthews said: "I want there to be more meetings about flooding in the county and by moving it under the umbrella of Environment we get to talk about it more." he said. "We will work longer and harder on flooding than ever before." he added. Labour group leader Councillor Karen Lee described the change as "Reckless, foolhardy and wrong". As the climate changes, as rain events become more frequent and more severe, it is clear that properties in Lincolnshire are under an increasing threat. The immediate responses to flooding incidents are unlikely to change in the short term. There are well-rehearsed protocols between the council, the fire service and the police. Seasoned professionals who work hard to mitigate the worst of what nature throws at us. But the longer-term strategies of defence, response and recovery will also need to function effectively; what we learn from flood events, whom we hold to account and where we spend the money to improve protection for communities. All this against a backdrop of tightening budgets. Even the government's Environment Secretary Emma Hardy has described the state of the UK's flood defences as being in the 'worst state on record' Despite resounding criticism from its political rivals Reform UK is arguing that its "simplified" approach will better serve the thousands of vulnerable residents, some of whom look nervously to the skies every time the clouds darken. Cllr Sean Matthews denied he was watering-down the council's role: "Absolutely not. We were elected on a mandate of reducing waste and simplifying the council, and this [decision] will do that." 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. New Reform council abolishes flood committee Repairs 'to cost £45m' after storms hit county 'Do something for a change' - Flooded farmers Lincolnshire County Council
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Will anyone miss the flood committee?
On its first day in charge of Lincolnshire County Council Reform UK abolished one of the authority's most important and powerful committees. The Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee oversaw nearly every aspect of flood defence in a county that has been devastated by flooding in recent years. Despite cross-party pleas to save it, Reform UK's new council leader Sean Matthews said he wanted to save money and "streamline" the authority. But will scrapping the committee make any difference to the experiences of those who live with the threat of flooding? How much of a problem is flooding in Lincolnshire? Forget politics for a second. Let's start with it comes to flooding, Lincolnshire is one of the most vulnerable places in Britain; this low-lying region is criss-crossed by a complexity of rivers and county also has more than 50 miles (80km) of coastline and nearly all of this needs defending from the North drop of rainfall that falls on Lincolnshire must be managed. This means either pumping it out to sea via the river and drainage network or diverting water and storing the flood risks are far from being theoretical. In recent years Lincolnshire has been battered by a succession of powerful weather systems. Most notably Storm Babet and Storm Henk between October 2023 and February 2024, when 900 homes were flooded and 13 river defences were seriously damaged. According to the Met Office, this part of the country recorded its wettest ever winter on record, experiencing a month's rain in just a 24 hour period. What did the committee do? No one ever lost sleep over the scrapping of council committee, right?Well, drive through this watery landscape on a rainy November morning and you might see their point. Conservative councillor Ian Carrington, who sat on the Committee said "it was very unfortunate" that it had been scrapped."The committee did not just listen and scrutinise, it took steps to improve the protection that the people of Lincolnshire enjoy from the scourge of flooding", he Lincolnshire from flooding involves a number of public bodies as well as specialist officers from the include The Environment Agency, which plays a leading role in protecting people and are also at least 15 Internal Drainage Boards or IDBs. These IDBs have specialist local knowledge and operate hundreds of pumping stations, sluices and flood are lots of moving parts in a flood defence Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee was there to try to make them all work together. It made recommendations, including calls for more government money and it would hold to account the myriad private and public bodies. Why was it axed? The Flood and Water Scrutiny Committee met four times a year. It involved at least 18 councillors and dozens of other were drawn from the council itself, from the IDBs, The Environment Agency and private companies such as Anglian councillor Ian Carrington said the recent experiences of big storms in Lincolnshire demonstrated the need for the committee: "When you have been through the appalling experiences that many of our local residents have been through, any dilution of our ability to improve the situation has to be deeply worrying." he Reform UK scrapped the committee on its first day in charge of Lincolnshire County Council. The new administration said the change would save money and simplify the UK Council leader Sean Matthews, said that flooding will now sit within the Environment Committee, which already deals with issues such as waste and pollutionMr Matthews said: "I want there to be more meetings about flooding in the county and by moving it under the umbrella of Environment we get to talk about it more." he said."We will work longer and harder on flooding than ever before." he added. Labour group leader Councillor Karen Lee described the change as "Reckless, foolhardy and wrong". What will the impact be? As the climate changes, as rain events become more frequent and more severe, it is clear that properties in Lincolnshire are under an increasing immediate responses to flooding incidents are unlikely to change in the short term. There are well-rehearsed protocols between the council, the fire service and the professionals who work hard to mitigate the worst of what nature throws at the longer-term strategies of defence, response and recovery will also need to function effectively; what we learn from flood events, whom we hold to account and where we spend the money to improve protection for this against a backdrop of tightening budgets. Even the government's Environment Secretary Emma Hardy has described the state of the UK's flood defences as being in the 'worst state on record' Despite resounding criticism from its political rivals Reform UK is arguing that its "simplified" approach will better serve the thousands of vulnerable residents, some of whom look nervously to the skies every time the clouds Sean Matthews denied he was watering-down the council's role: "Absolutely not. We were elected on a mandate of reducing waste and simplifying the council, and this [decision] will do that." 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.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Reform UK-run Lincolnshire County Council scraps flood committee
A newly elected Reform UK council has abolished a flooding committee, despite other parties calling for it to be County Council's Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee was axed by the party which took control of the authority in this month's new administration said the change would save money and simplify the council without harming efforts to fight group leader councillor Karen Lee described the change as "Reckless, foolhardy and wrong". According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the closed committee allowed councillors to hold bodies like Anglian Water, the Environment Agency and Internal Drainage Boards to will now sit within the Environment Committee, which already deals with issues such as waste and pollution, and those groups would not automatically be will now meet eight times per year instead of leader Sean Matthews promised the new administration would work "longer and harder on flooding than ever before.""Whether you think it's man-made or a natural cycle of events, we won't neglect flooding," he said."We were elected on a mandate of reducing waste and simplifying the council, and this will do that."Lincolnshire suffered some of the worst flooding in its history during from deluges in Storm Babet and Henk, along with fresh flooding in Ian Carrington, from the Conservative opposition, said: "Flooding isn't just about technical solutions, it requires a web of complex relationships to work better. Those are forged and sustained in this committee."Abolishing it will reduce co-operation and silence voices which should be heard."An amendment to stop the change was defeated, with all Reform members against and all opposition councillors voting in 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.
Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Reform council leader claimed circumcision leads to transgenderism
A newly elected Reform UK council leader has angered a leading Jewish group by suggesting circumcision leads to transgenderism in children. Sean Matthews, a former Royal protection officer, was pictured celebrating with the Reform deputy leader, Richard Tice, after being elected as leader of Lincolnshire county council last week. Now Tice is facing questions after a post emerged, from 2022, in which Matthews appears to mock Jews and Muslims. 'It's no surprise that children want to remove their penises and become girls,' Matthews said in the now-deleted post. 'Most of their parents started the process shortly after birth, by chopping their foreskin off in the name of (insert deity).' The comments were condemned by the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC), which said: 'Circumcision is a vital
