A petition with the 6,000 signatures of concerned residents in our area was delivered to NHS Lincolnshire headquarters in Bracebridge Heath.  Together with Councillor Tom Brown, Pat is appealing for the restoration of a round the clock A&E service at John Coupland Hospital in Gainsborough. There is a minor injuries clinic at the Hospital which treats over 10,000 people a year and is open from 8am to 8pm.  Despite plans for a huge housing development in Gainsborough, there has not been an A&E service at the hospital for more than a decade. Tom and Pat have arranged to meet Dr Martin McShane, director of strategic planning and health outcomes for NHS Lincolnshire to discuss the lack of services.

Pat promised to keep you updated as to how much of your money, it is estimated might be recovered from the Icelandic Banks.  You will recall that £7 million pounds was invested. 

West Lindsey District Councillors are given a regular update of how much of your £7 million might be recovered from Icelandic Banks.  This seems to be dropping by the month.  These are estimates of how much the council might get back and in some cases not until 2013. 

Tory leader Cameron tells us we should look to local Conservative councils to see how a future Conservative government might operate.  On this I have to agree, you only need to look at West Lindsey District Council.   

For months after their colleagues on the County Council pulled all their public money out of Icelandic banks, West Lindsey Conservatives invested a further six million pounds!  Estimates of how much they might recover continue to fall weekly. 

When they were in opposition they promised they would never introduce a fortnightly black bin collection.  Now, in power, that is exactly what they have done. 

The Audit Commission is currently undertaking a review of governance of the council at the same time as internal auditors are looking at potential fraud and mis-management in Planning.  The Audit Commission review will cost taxpayers £35,000. 

So, taking the Tory leader at his word we can look forward to our money being wasted, saying one thing and doing another and potential fraud and mis-management.

Many of you will be surprised that the Conservative controlled West Lindsey District Council is now only collecting your black bin fortnightly.   

After all, this what they said in 2007about fortnightly collections:  The West Lindsey District Council Conservative Group has consistently rejected this.  Unless forced by legislation to make this change, it will not happen under a Conservative Controlled West Lindsey. 

A sixteen page West Lindsey News titled “have your say on the future of waste collection” was sent to 36,000 properties with a freepost survey form.  Except if you live in the South West Ward which was specifically excluded.  

How many of the 1271 people who returned the survey about the introduction of a Triple Bin System realised this meant fortnightly black bin collections?

Firstly I would like to thank everyone who signed my petition.  It really did make the difference having all that support and coverage in the press.  The Highways Authority, working with Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership has come up with a plan to alter the layout of the junction.  Basically, coming up Thorndike Way from the town the dual carriage way will be narrowed down to one lane through the junction before reverting to two lanes after it.  This will be achieved by both road markings and a physical kerbed area.  They will also refresh all the road markings at the same time.  I would have preferred either a roundabout or traffic lights.  I also have concerns that drivers will either race for the junction or be more concerned with the traffic merging into one lane that watching the junction. 

The highways authorities have assured me that the markings will be far enough back to alleviate this concern.  I also broached the subject of a further drop in the speed limit or a static speed camera.  There are no current plans to implement any of these suggestions. They are hoping to have this work completed in this financial year, which is by April 2010.

The junction at Thorndike Way/Corringham Road is dangerous and needs to be sorted out now.

Pat has obtained figures from the Road Safety Partnership that show over the past five years there have been 28 injury accidents at this junction.This is broken down into 3 fatal injuries, 4 serious injuries and 21 injury accidents.Pat has been the only local Councillor on the project board for the new secondary school and is concerned that there will be a great deal more traffic using this junction when the new school opens. He wants this junction to be completely re-designed to make it safer and is asking for you to support him by emailing your name and address to be added to the petition.

In January 2oo3 Pat was campaigning for an upgraded crossing on Lea Road near to the Post Office primarily for local residents including those on Wintern Court.  However the closure of the Post Office meant that the chance of a crossing went as well.

However, Pat will never give up on somethng he believes in and he continued to push the Highways Authority to keep the issue alive.

Pat is pictured with District Cllr Trevor Young at the new double crossing and improved junction at Foxby Hill.  “This is a much better facility for residents who want to cross this busy junction particularly to use the station” said Trevor “Pat has done an excellent job of getting a much needed crossing in place.”