Councillor Steve Swift

The North Lincolnshire Labour Group is joining a national campaign to reject government proposals which would change Police Authority membership by replacing councillors with directly elected crime and policing representatives. 

It seems a shame that we're at a time when partnership working (Councillors, Police, Community Representatives etc.) through Neighbourhood Action Teams are starting to have effect, that new decision making on broader policing issues will be put into the hands of fewer people. 

While we recognise the vital and urgent need to ensure police forces are held to account by local people we believe imposing directly elected representatives will further confuse accountability, conflict with existing local democracy and open the door to extremist elements such as the BNP.  

This campaign is not about party politics but about common sense and has been signed by members of different political parties.

There are already people elected at local level to represent the community so why set up a parallel and potentially conflicting system with a competing mandate?

I would urge people to either sign the petition at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/700morepoliceor send a letter to your local MP, either Elliot Morley for Scunthorpe, Ian Cawsey for Brigg and Goole or Shona McIsaac for Barton.  I have enclosed below a dummy letter which may be useful if you wish to support the campaign.   

Dear MP,  

I write to reject new proposals made in the government's Policing Green Paper which would change police authority membership by replacing councillors with directly-elected crime and policing representatives.  The police must be held to account by the general public and we must have a say in how the local force is run.   But we need people who know about many local issues and those who serve the community as a whole. People who just focus on crime may not understand that spending a little more on streetlights, pathways or investing money on substance abuse will tackle crime in a more realistic and suitable way.  I am also concerned about the possibility of extreme right-wing groups trying to target voters and gain positions of power.   Please can you pass on my letter to the Home Secretary and call for these measures to be abandoned.   

Yours faithfully,     ....    

North Lincolnshire Council is minded to introduce double yellow lines (known as a Traffic Regulation Order) along Messingham Road from the junctions of Burringham Road and Moorwell Road/Manor Road (Yaddlethorpe Cross Roads). 

The lines are designed to prevent the indiscriminate parking which block the cycle lanes and despite attempts to resolve the situation amicably, this unfortunately hasn't been achieved.  

The consultation period should last approximately six weeks beginning on the week commencing 8th December 2008 and ending on the week commencing 16th January 2009, allowing those that both support and oppose the introduction to make their views known.