Farmers to blame for worse pollution in Lincs than London...?

Wonder how our county council will respond to this damning indictment of farming in Lincolnshire.

Many of the controlling group of councillors are themselves farmers of course - including the Conservative Leader Martin Hill, so I'll be watching with fascination...

Private Eye focus on Lincs Leader's expense claims...

Today's Private Eye has revelations about the expenses claimed by Tory Leader of Lincolnshire County Council who apparently booked into the Intercontinental Hotel on London's Park Lane and expected us us council taxpayers to pick up the tab.

Looking forward to Councillor Martin Hill's explanation, as he made his name when in Opposition as a rottweiller who went through the Council's accounts with a fine toothcomb looking for half a chance to attack any spending by the then Labour-LibDem administration as 'extravagant'.

Wonder what the Taxpayers Alliance would say about his stay at the Intercontinental?

No doubt the Private Eye story is embarrassing for Cllr Hill, particuylarly if the local media actually follow it up.

Of course, it's not exactly in the same league as Martin's Conservative predessessor 'Honest' Jim Speechley, who you may recall, went to prison convicted of abuse of public office...

PS - sorry, no link to the Private Eye story as don't put their articles online...

You'll have to buy one!

Tourism in Lincoln relegated to 2nd Division...?

I was first to welcome moves by the Tory Leader of Lincolnshire County Council to limit potential damage by shutting down both tourism centres serving historic Lincoln.

Martin Hill knows that the decision by his colleagues who run Lincoln City Council to save a few bob could cost the local economy dear in the long run.

He is putting on a brave face by hoping local businesses devoting a corner of their shop to promote Lincoln's attractions will offer a '21st Century' solution...

...But while no doubt better than nothing, will Martin's alternative plan relegate historic Lincoln to the second division of UK destinations, as suggested by one business leader in tonight's Echo?

I hope not...

Martin's 'Titian moment' over BNP victory...

Tory Leader of Lincolnshire County Council Martin Hill is unlikely to have won any friends on Fenside, Boston with his analysis of why they voted for a BNP councillor.

At Friday's county council meeting in Lincoln, Mark Anderson (Skegness, Labour) linked BNP winning their first seat on Boston Borough Council with lack of a coherent regeneration plan for the poorer parts of Lincolnshire.

In an astonishing outburst, Martin Hill blamed Labour for the BNP’s by election victory.

Martin insulted Fenside people, describing them as traditional Labour “who would vote for a dog” providing it was wearing a red rosette. But he said the BNP won because Fenside had given up on Labour.

Boston councillor Paul Goodale rose to his feet to say proudly that some years ago he was elected as a Labour candidate for Fenside…

Paul didn’t bark, but kept his cool, saying he now knew what the Council Leader thought of him.

Paul went on to point out that when he won his Fenside seat, the result was a LABOUR GAIN and he had in fact defeated a sitting CONSERVATIVE councillor.

I wonder if it was a donkey in a blue rosette…!!

In the coming months, I'm sure Paul will be making sure that his friends on Fenside get the knowledge on what the Tory Leader at the county council thinks of them.

I couldn't help thinking that this was Martin's 'Titian moment'...

Maverick Mark quits council...

Just heard that Mark Horn has resigned from with immediate effect as county councillor for Bourne.

Maverick Mark was elected as a Conservative but went Independent last month after a series of fall-outs with the controlling group - and Council Leader Martin Hill in particular.

Notably, he was the only Tory councillor to have the balls to oppose the 78.9 per cent increase in council tax for policing which was pushed through by the Conservative county councillors on the police authority and later capped by Government.

He claimed that the record increase demonstrated arrogance and was totally unjustified - and no doubt incensed Martin Hill when he was the only Tory in the chamber who refused to back moves to prevent the county council debating why the Conservative members of the Authority had supported the eye-watering increase.

Mark had even publicly called for capping - which of course added to internal Conservative party problems and pressure within the controlling group.

Last year, Mark strongly criticised Grantham and Stamford Conservatives choice of candidate at the next general election, describing all those shortlisted as:

wealthy, metropolitan, priviliged, bright young things...totally out of touch with ordinary folk...None of these ‘A-listers’ have any local connections. They are simply careerists looking for a safe seat.

He also stood up strongly for gypsy and traveller rights - and refused to take a populist stance over.

A couple of months ago he accused the Conservatives of losing control of the budget on care homes for elderly people.

I understand that he was recently referred to the Standards Board by Cllr Hill over an exchange of emails with my colleague on the Labour group Chris Burke.

I've 'locked horns' with Mark on numerous occasions in the council chamber - but I respected his outspoken views (most of the time!!) despite them usually being very different to my own. On occasion I've enjoyed a quiet beer or two with Mark when between us we put the world to rights...

Born in South Africa, Mark is a trained London barrister who was clearly too radical and too much of a handful for Lincolnshire Tories who never quite knew how to handle him.

Every time he stood up in a Council debate, it was always entertaining watching the faces of the all-Tory Executive who never knew what was coming next. They tried - but clearly failed - to contain him.

But Mark is also a real character who brought much-needed colour to council debates.

He stood up for what he believed to be right, refused to be 'whipped' by his own political group, and he will be missed by all sides.

I wish him well for the future.

(more later...)