Cllr Mark A Kirk

I was delighted that at the Labour group annual general meeting this week we managed to keep together the leadership team and cabinet members.  I am very pleased to remain as leader of the group, while Cllr Len Foster will continue as Deputy Leader. Cllr Steve Swift will remain as group secretary, while Cllr Darrell Barkworth will continue as chief whip. Cabinet members will also stay the same, with Cllr Mick Grant in charge of housing and strategic planning, Cllr Pauline Carlile in adult services, Cllr Tony Gosling in children's services, Cllr Bernard Regan in highways and planning and Cllr Christine O'Sullivan in leisure, arts and culture. Cllr Barkworth will remain as chair of licensing and Cllr John Collinson chair of planning.  There will be no changes to the current chairs of the four scrutiny groups.  Cllr Steve Swift and Cllr Sandra Bainbridge will join Cllr Sue Armitage as the Labour group's representatives on the Humberside Fire Authority. They replace Cllrs Darrell Barkworth and Mashook Ali. 

I am delighted the Labour group has opted to keep together a successful team of cabinet members, heads of scrutiny and chairs of planning and licensing. I feel we have worked hard to improve North Lincolnshire and the team we have in place will continue to give their all.  Sweeping changes to the team would not have been helpful and this sends a clear message the group is united and working very well as a team.

The news that a Polish company is to set up base in North Lincolnshire and create more than 300 new jobs is absolutely fantastic.  Can Pack UK Ltd are to invest £60-million in the area after purchasing the 360,000sq ft former MFI building on Holyrood Drive, Scunthorpe.  The firm specialises in packaging and the new factory will produce aluminium cans for the drinks industry.

The investment will bring jobs to the area, it will boost our local economy and it will also send out the very strong message that North Lincolnshire has loads to offer companies looking at relocating or expanding. I have always said North Lincolnshire is a great place to live and do business and I would like to think this is further proof of that. I have already met with senior officials from the firm and was very impressed with them.  I'm delighted to welcome Can Pack UK Ltd and look forward to a long relationship with them.

Last month North Lincolnshire Council was named as a finalist in the Local Government Chronicle 2008 awards for it's work in procurement. The council joins forces with colleagues in North East Lincolnshire to have a joint strategic procurement unit and the awards recognise councils which have made a real difference to the place and people for which they are responsible.

An awards ceremony took place on March 17 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London and our team was shortlisted and commended for their work.  Last week I received a letter from Rosie Winterton, Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber, congratulating the council on being a finalist. 

I believe this is recognition of a lot of hard work and I am pleased people such as Rosie Winterton are noticing our achievements.

Yesterday I was contacted by the Scunthorpe Telegraph over comments made by the leader of the opposition with regards to Club 2000. The Tories, who agreed to purchase the building in Church Square using money provided by Yorkshire Forward, have suggested we should open the former nightclub for a number of other uses.

Labour took on the building after the Conservatives failed to determine a use for it before they were voted out at the May 2007 elections so I find it a little rich they are making a big issue of it now. As a council we are looking at a massive regeneration scheme for the town centre which will bring millions of pounds of investment and the possibility of many new jobs. The Club 2000 building will be a part of this scheme and as negotiations progress relevant announcements will be made. 

In any case, Club 2000 has already been used by the Labour council for consultation events and Cllr Redfern's comments serve only to deflect from her party's inability to make tough decisions while they were in power.

Today marks the start of a new Labour government initiative which gives the elderly and the disabled free travel on buses across the UK. In North Lincolnshire the scheme has been running within our boundary for a year and has proved to be very successful and judging by the response to the scheme so far I think this will be every bit as popular.

The response for bus passes has been staggering with 23,000 requests for a travel pass so far. The scheme will prove to be a big hit as it allows the elderly to travel across the country without having to pay a fare. Today is the first day of the scheme and nearly all residents have been sent their passes. Those who have not yet received their pass, for instance those who applied after the deadline, will receive their passes by the end of April/early May.

I would advise anyone who applied for their pass before 8 February and who hasn't received it by Friday 11 April, to contact the council on (01724) 297000. People can still use their current pass in North Lincolnshire until their new one arrives, until the end of May 2008. Those people who qualify for a pass but have not yet claimed one should also apply and take advantage of such a fantastic scheme.