Forum for residents of St Georges Park and Long Leys Road Lincoln

[Jeff]

I am shocked and dismayed that the residents group and Mr Shipton have been lied to over the St Georges bus route used by pensioners and disabled people on route.
In todays Echo 100 bus routes are under threat. This includes 0620 St Georges to Lincoln service, Monday to Saturday.
I rang Transport Services today at Lincolnshire County Council who are dealing with the matter. There was no officer available to take my call. There was no officer available to deal with my complaint. Also what Mr Shipton has said on the St Georges web site. I am troubled because pensioners like me use the bus service to do my shopping and getting into Lincoln. It means for me if the bus service is axed that I will have to use a taxi or walk into the city centre which at my age I cannot afford and having to walk across the West Common in all weathers.
We have no village shop and community facilities which were promised before the urban village was built. Ten year after building began - nothing!
I believe that our councillors only represent themselves and party politics comes first before people. Mr Shipton has been lied to only to be fobbed off.
So what are the LLRA and our councillors going to do about the situation? For I wish to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Neville]

the pc coach driver was asked today about the bus service. does not know except what was published. if axed it will affect pensioners and disabled who mainly use the bus route. i will be included. my bus pass would be useless. i would be expected to walk over the common or get a taxi. taxi fares are expensive. at my age walking long distances is out of the question. it appears pensioners are expendible. not surprise is euthanasia is introduce due to the aging problem. the country cannot afford to keep us alive. reminds me of george orwells book called 1984. suggest that young people read this book.
those who moved in the area with their posh cars do not care less about the bus service - the village shop - and community facilities. they keep themselves to themselves and fingers up to everyone else. i have met these residents when walking my dog.
perhaps residents will ring the councillors. got their details from the councils web sites.

Councillor Details - Councillor Helen Heath
Liberal Democrat (Carholme ward)

10 Rosebery Avenue
Lincoln
LN1 1ND
01522 881291
Mobile number not available
helen.heath@lincoln.gov.uk

Councillor Details - Councillor Neil Murray
Labour (Carholme ward)

26 Rudgard Lane
Lincoln
LN1 1QH
01522 546065
Mobile number not available
neilmurraymis@hotmail.com


Councillor Details - Councillor Karen Lee
Labour (Carholme ward)

26 Rudgard Lane
Lincoln
LN1 1QH
01522 546065
07818 423079
karen.lee@lincoln.gov.uk

Councillor Robert Bernard PARKER
Councillor Robert Bernard PARKER Party:Labour
.Electoral Division:Lincoln West
.Address:138 West Parade
Lincoln
Lincs
LN1 1LF

.Work Phone:n/a
.Home Phone:(01522) 880848
.Home Fax:n/a
.Email: cllrr.parker@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Councillor Neville Ian (Nev) JACKSON
Councillor Neville Ian (Nev) JACKSON Party:Labour
.Electoral Division:Lincoln Park
.Address:23 Oberon Close
Lincoln
Lincs
LN1 1WE

.Work Phone:n/a
.Home Phone:(01522) 534073
.Home Fax:n/a
.Email: cllrn.jackson@lincolnshire.gov.uk
.

[Peter]

Here is the link to the story

http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/new ... ticle.html

[deb]

have looked at the article Peter posted and it says 100 routes are under threat. maybe you have the full article Jeff and it says our route is to be axed but not on the website. thing is, it's not strictly speaking the council axing the routes as they are surely privately run. it will be the lack of subsidy to PC Coaches so that they will not run the route if there are not enough people using it - it simply won't be cost effective for them to do so. But maybe there are enough, even without a subsidy, only PC would know that.
Another case of use it or lose it but I would hope that the council have not just looked at numbers but at the demographic. Also when did they do the runs - in the snow when less people would have been using them anyway? False figurers perhaps?
JS may have been lied to but Cllr Parker is apparently on the case to find out what the truth is - can we still use it or have we lost it.

[john shipton]

Received a telephone call from Lincolnshire County Council today after enquiries made. I was assured that the St Georges bus route is not affected. The bus service is to remain as it is.
Councillors Rob Parker and Nev Jackson have informed me today that they are looking further into the situation. I have requested Rob to update the St Georges web site of his findings.
The senior officer at County Hall who rang me is:-
Paul Harvey
Principal Transport Officer
His telephone number is 01522 782070

So to our senior citizens using the famous phrase from Dad's Army...."don't panic Mr Mannering, don't panic."

[gman28uk]

I like this website as it gives relevant information to the people on the estate, but I hate it when people make stupid assumptions such as “those who moved in the area with their posh cars do not care less about the bus service - the village shop - and community facilities. they keep themselves to themselves and fingers up to everyone else”. I care about the bus service as I use this when my wife in her posh car goes to work. I would also love a shop, as it’s a pain to go to Burton road or the Garage across the common, but I get on with it, instead of blaming my neighbours. With community spirit like Neville, its no wonder no one speaks to each other.

[Michelle Bradford]

We've lived on St Georges for 7 years and on the whole really enjoy living here. Not many new housing estates have people who are so willing to devote their own time to set up and run Residents Associations, Wonderful Carol Services and even a community lunch in the field one year to name but a few things they do.

My husband and I set up this website to keep people in touch at least virtually because we were dissapointed by not being able to get out and meet people because of the lack of the facilities and it was very time consuming to begin with and there is obviously the monthly hosting charge which we pay ourselves. I have never used the bus route myself but I have contrubuted to the area in other ways. If people don't want to concern themselves with facilities surely that is there right? Being so critical of the area all the time so openly surely just damages us all by putting off potential buyers and perhaps decreasing the value of the area.

I am sure there are more people that would be involved with the LLRA if people actually respected the fact that it is a voluntary group of people, no-one pays subs and stopped being so demanding. And I can't envisage their being inundated with offers of help. The only reason I do not is because it is such a thankless task.

It would just be nice if the website had a more positive feel to it.

[Robert Parker]

Dear Residents,

I can confirm that there is no bus subsidy cut to the service operated by PC Coaches serving St Georges. The only reduction is an early morning journey from St Georges operated by Stagecoach at 0620, which if there is one passenger we are very lucky.

I want the members of the Long Leys Residents Association to be aware of the County Council's position.

Many thanks

Robert Parker
County Councillor Lincoln West

[deb]

well said gman and Michelle. people don't HAVE to do anything, being nice to your neighbour and keeping an eye out is worth heaps and probably more than an Association. How anyone could expect the LLRA to do something about keeping a bus service running I am not at all sure, nor can we or anyone MAKE a shop come here. If the figures had said no one used the service then how would we persuade a business to run a route or the council to subsidise it? As it happens the posting re Mr Shipton being lied to seems to have been well and truly premature. The LLRA has made use of funding available and has canvassed the councils for everything from benches, bins and bulbs to the Higson footpath and for the past few years, because the community are supportive of it, we have also had funding for the carol service. Shortly we will have a noticeboard where anything of use can be posted and perhaps a minimal charge made for local advertising, funds from which can be kept for a time when there will perhaps be no funding for community events but enable us to keep them going anyway.
So yes, let's keep to facts or questions but keep politics out of it. Your local councillors are there and from an Association point of view they have all been more than helpful whenever we have needed them. The 'urban village' was never a promise, it was a plan of an idea, but the concept is still not completely dead, there is land that is still not developed...

Michelle, people, including myself, forget about how this website came about and what it takes to run it but it is a brilliant Forum so grateful thanks to you and James for the ongoing work.

[Michelle Bradford]

And very kind my neighbours are too Deb... I was heartened by being dug out of the snow this year by neighbours so I could get to my pregnant poorly niece! The amount of people who were so ready to help people who slid on the roads was lovely!

Our son had so many snow ball fights with adults and kids joining in too!

People are nice and it's a shame we don't get to mingle too often! There is most definitely a community here so lets not dampen it!

Are we having open gardens again this year?

[deb]

I'd love to do Open Gardens again Michelle. I can't remember the numbers but probably around 30 as I remember the funds gained from that meant we had money to plant bulbs up Higson steps and on the green on Manrico which was in itself a community thing with all the kids deciding to help! But although it was enjoyed by those that came and first time gardeners finding out what they could do, it was a lot to have to ask people to stay in all day. I think in another year or so there could be some quite mature gardens to show off and this year I think, if they're anything like mine, they'll be recovering from this winter. Still not sure what has made it through. But yes, another go is a good idea. When the rest of the landscaping is complete (ha!) we'll need bulbs for those areas too!