Go skating with new hire bike tariff

A new tariff has been added to the Lincoln hire bike scheme, which allows people to rent a bike for one day.

New hire bike scheme tariff hits Lincoln for the Christmas period

 

The casual tariff makes registration easy and means people can rent a bike for just one day, rather than committing to a membership.

Access LN6 has also offered free entry to the Lincoln Ice Rink to anyone who rents a hire bike using the new day tariff before December 11.

Hayley Cook, Strategic Communications Officer for Access LN6, said: “The new day tariff is additional to the current annual membership tariff. When you sign up to become a member, you are asked to deposit £5 worth of credit on your account.

“We realised that this wasn’t ideal for visitors to the city, or residents who didn’t want to commit to a membership, so we’ve introduced a new day tariff as well.”

She continued: “We’re confident that the new day tariff will encourage more people to rent a hire bike – visitors can use the bike for a day without committing to a membership, or residents can give the scheme a go.”

“We hope that our offer to receive free entry to Lincoln Ice Rink, when you rent a hire bike using the new day tariff before 11 December, will encourage more residents and visitors to try the scheme – especially those visiting the city for the Christmas Market.”

For more information see
http://www.visitlincoln.com/things-to-do/hirebike

Train service increased ahead of market

East Midlands Trains have put on extra services ahead of the Lincoln Christmas Market 2014.

More trains to meet extra demand

Hundreds of thousands are expect to attend the market, which runs from the December 4 up until December 7.

Over 200 stalls are situated amongst the castle grounds, drawing in tourist from across the globe.

Transport is always an issue that arises during the four days, with a park and ride service being opened up at the Lincolnshire Showground.

With more people expected than ever before, East Midlands Trains have reacted by putting on extra carriages during the busy period.

Lisa Breeze, Team Manager at East Midlands Trains, said: “The additional services, as well as additional coaches, are added to the usual routes to deal with the vast numbers of passengers who travel to the market.

“We try and use whatever spare stock we have available to transport passengers across our routes. The past two years have also seen us using coaches to deal with any passengers who are not able to travel by train at certain stations.

“This also hopefully alleviates problems of overcrowding on alternative transport options such as local bus routes.

“The additional services are set to run on the Friday and Saturday only as past experience has showed that the Thursday and Sunday are not really impacted at Lincoln station by large crowds of passengers.”

For more information on the trains, visit http://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/tickets-deals/deals-savings/christmas-travel/Christmas-Shopping-Destinations/Lincoln/#Friday-5-December

Plan to ban all legal highs

Plans to ban “legal highs” in the city centre have been highlighted in a new proposal by the City of Lincoln Council. The Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) has the purpose to prevent the use of intoxicating substances in the city centre.

Members of the public are given the chance to air their views on the possible ban of legal highs at the Policy Scrutiny Committee meeting on, Saturday December 17.

The PSPO is made possible through new government legislation that was introduced on October 20, which gives local councils the power to place an order where continuous activities are having a detrimental effect on the quality of life for members of the community.

Councillor Fay Smith, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services and Public Protection, said: “New psychoactive substances, commonly known as ‘legal highs’, are a concern to the council and other agencies.

“This proposal for a new PSPO is a proactive approach that will allow the council and Lincolnshire Police to tackle on-street use of legal highs, alcohol and any other intoxicating substances within the city centre, helping to prevent the issues this causes and offer support and intervention to those who need it.” The order would not impede the use of tobacco or other substances that are used for medicinal purposes.

This new power replaces the current Designated Public Place Orders (DPPO) which prevents alcohol consumption under certain circumstances in certain areas but does not have any control over the use of legal highs.

Anyone who breaches the order would be deemed as committing a criminal offence and could receive a fixed Penalty Notice or face a fine in court. It is hoped that a full recommendation will be presented so that full council can decide upon whether to enact this order on, Tuesday February 24.

For more information about the dangers of legal highs see

http://www.talktofrank.com/drug/legal-highs

Castle Volunteer Open Day

Lincoln Castle held the first of many proposed volunteer open days yesterday in an effort to improve visitor’s experiences at the landmark.

People encouraged to volunteer at castle

The volunteer day, which ran from 11am to 2pm, gave people the chance to learn more about the castle, as well as provide feedback which may eventually shape the future of the renovations that are currently taking place.

Madeleine Hawkins, a duty manager at the castle, said: “the work being done involves renovating old parts of the castle, as well as adding in a cinema and a new café.”

“These open days give people the chance to say what they like and dislike, then we can go about trying to fix it so they will have a better experience next time.”

Renovations on the castle will continue into 2015, with an estimating finishing date of April 1, but the location is still open to visitors despite extensive work being done. The castle is keen to have visitors throughout the construction period, who can say whether they like the progress or not.

More open days have been planned in January and February, which will provide refreshments for participating visitors. For more information go to the Lincoln Castle website.

To get involved email Katy-Jayne.Lintott@lincolnshire.gov.uk or telephone 01522 782040.

100s of guns handed into the police

Hundreds of guns were handed in during a recent firearms amnesty in Lincoln which took place over the last two weeks.

100s of guns, including an AK-47 were handed in to the police.

The amnesty started on November 3, giving local residents the opportunity to hand in any fire arms in their possession to the police without consequence.

The amnesty ended on November 14, with hundreds of real guns and imitation weapons amongst those that were relinquished to the Police. Some of the firearms included were an AK47 assault rifle, a Desert Eagle handgun and a Mac 10 machine pistol.

Debra Owen, Police & Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable Shared Service at Lincolnshire Police said: “It’s really encouraging to see the amount of weapons that were handed in, it shows that people are responsible with fire arms. Some of the weapons handed in were very surprising, but at least they’re now in the Police property where they can be stored properly.”

Lincoln’s Eastern Bypass is building momentum as McCartney meets Chancellor

Lincoln’s Eastern Bypass is building more momentum as Lincoln MP Karl McCartney met with Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne to push the need for continued investment for the road.

The Bypass is set to serve as a step towards the completion of an eventual ring road around Lincoln, with plans to connect the existing western and northern roads to the southern bypass.

Karl McCartney met with Chancellor George Osbourne to discuss the new Bypass

It is expected that the bypass will minimise traffic congestion and support Lincoln’s growth by enhancing the inter-city environment.

After meeting the Chancellor, Mr McCartney said: “I was delighted with the chancellor’s response to the arguments I put to him in favour of the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, and indeed the additional argument that investing more in duelling the new road now would be an infrastructure investment well worth making as our City expands and goes from strength to strength economically.”

“I told the chancellor that virtually everyone in our city and county believes that the Eastern Bypass should be duelled now, rather than in stages potentially over the next 50 years, with the cost differential being well worth the investment now rather than later.

“No one wants the LEP or others having to scrabble around for local funding to dual bits of Bypass as Lincolnshire County Council has been doing, to their credit, with regard to our Western Bypass since it was built 20 years ago.

“The chancellor listened very carefully and was left in no doubt that, particularly given the delay we are now experiencing, the Eastern Bypass needs to be built in any form. I also let him and his colleagues know that any approval for duelling the Lincoln Eastern Bypass will be hugely welcomed.

“I shall, of course, continue to press our case in this regard to my colleagues in our Conservative-led Government from the Chancellor of the Exchequer down.”

Sports star lights up Christmas

Four-time Winter Paralympian medalist Jade Etherington will be turning on the Christmas lights in this year’s annual event on Lincoln High Street.

Jade Etherington collects numerous awards at this year’s Lincolnshire Sports Awards.

Etherington, who won three silver medals and a bronze for skiing in Sochi 2014, will be turning on the lights on November 20.

Also joining her will be the Mayor, Councillor Brent Charlesworth, and the Mayor’s Christmas card competition winner.

Being brought up in Lincoln from a young age, this is something the Paralympian is excited about, as she is rarely at home during the festive period.

Etherington said: “I’m so excited to do the Lincoln Christmas lights this year. I’m never here at Christmas and I never to get to see them turned on, or see them at all.

“I’m lucky to be in Lincoln when it gets dark early as I am normally away.”

She continued: “I’m really excited. The honour to come back here and meet all sorts of people and to be chosen to turn the Christmas lights on in the High Street, is great. Also to do the tour and go round the schools is great too.

“Doing these sorts of things is a good chance to give something back to the people who watched me during the winter.”

The Christmas light switch on is a success every year and Kate Fenn, Civic manager at City of Lincoln Council, believes this year is going to be a fantastic occasion for the public.

She continued by praising Jade Etherington, saying it is the perfect way to start the Christmas festivities in Lincoln.

She said: “We can’t wait for the lights switch on as it means Christmas is well and truly on its way.

“It will be a fantastic event and something we know the people of Lincoln always look forward to.

“Jade has had a phenomenal year, becoming Britain’s most successful female Winter Paralympian. We’re all so proud of her achievements and it’s fantastic that she will be there to mark the start of the festive season.”

Sports Direct opening shrouded in protests

The opening of a new Sports Direct on November 15 was met with a protest outside the store as activists campaigned against the use of zero-hour contracts and low pay.

It was revealed last year that 90% of staff at Sports Direct was on zero-hour contracts which means the workforce did not know how many hours they would work each week. It was also discovered that staff don’t receive any sick or holiday pay.

Protesters outside Sports Direct in Lincoln’s St Marks Square

Campaigners against zero-hour contracts gave out leaflets bemoaning the lack of bonuses Sports Direct workers received from the £240million in profits made by the company in the last financial year.

The protest last Saturday coincided with a major speech made by Labour Party leader Ed Milliband. He had singled out the “Victorian practices” of Sports Direct and labelled it a “bad place to work”.

Nick Parker, Secretary of Lincoln & District TUC, said: “When a company like Sports Direct owned by a multi-billionaire like Mike Ashley and makes annual profits of £240 million, they can afford to pay their workers at least £10 an hour and give them regular hours at work.”

Lincoln & District TUC held a protest as part of the ongoing Midlands TUC “Decent Jobs” campaign to encourage particularly young staff to organise together to stand up for their rights at work.

“We welcome Ed Miliband’s speech in drawing more attention to this crucial issue,” he said. “The Labour Party leadership needs to go further to strengthen workers’ rights by committing to reverse the Con-Dem attacks on Employment Tribunals and scrap what are some of the most repressive anti-trade union laws in Western Europe.”

The new Sports Direct is located a few stores down its old location, taking over the former JJB store on St Marks Centre.

Lincoln geared up for Call of Duty

Gamers were out in force in Lincoln last night after two video game shops held midnight launches for the new Call of Duty game.

Queues formed for the latest Call of Duty installment.

Game and Gametronics, located on Lincoln High Street, held launch events for the newest addition to the popular Call of Duty series, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Around 100 people waited for over an hour to get their hands on the game, which officially launches tomorrow.

Luke Travis, a Game sales associate, said: “We hold a lot of midnight launches like this, for games and consoles. It just makes getting the games more of an occasion, instead of just having it drop through the mail box. This isn’t our largest turnout for a midnight launch, but we’re still happy that people are up for coming out at midnight for something they enjoy.”

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare officially launches tomorrow, but the one day early launch events come as part of a pre-order scheme that allows gamers who have pre-ordered the game to get it and play it a day early.

Staff at both video game stores held competitions and raffles before midnight hit. This gave those who had bought a copy of the game the chance to win prizes including posters, game guides and even a limited edition Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare themed Xbox One.

Since its launch, Advanced Warfare has received very positive reviews from outlets including Game Informer and Eurogamer. It is being hailed as one of the best games of the franchise.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is available tomorrow on PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4 and PS3.

Concerns over Derelict Properties

Valuable properties are being left unused in the Lincoln city centre, raising concerns about the economic situation of the city.

There are many commercial locations that are unoccupied, particularly in the Brayford are. This highlights an issue regarding Lincoln as a tourism destination.

The buildings were recently used by Chicken Cottage takeaway, as well as restaurants; Thai Sabai and Cinnamon Bay.

City of Lincoln Council’s Neil Murray, Portfolio Holder for Economic Regeneration, believes there is a need for these properties to be filled as soon as possible.

He said: “It would be good to have these properties filled quickly. For some reason, whoever has occupied that property round the corner of the Brayford has never done well.

“It’s a little concerning that they aren’t being used.

“The buildings on the actual Brayford have all thrived, so I’m not too sure why they haven’t been successful.

“They have been marketed and I expect someone to move in soon. It’s a really good location so I would be surprised if they aren’t occupied soon.

“You would imagine it will be a fast food franchise that will take it over, as that is what tends to go there.”