Baroness Andrews OBE, the Chairman of English Heritage, recently wrote to Karl to brief him about historic sites in the City of Lincoln that appear on the Heritage at Risk Register.  The Register is compiled by English Heritage and identifies the most endangered historic sites in England.  The Register currently includes one place of worship, Lincoln Cathedral that, which although cited as ‘slowly decaying’ is considered by English Heritage to be in a ‘fair’ condition, as well as the following six conservation areas, which are described by English Heritage as ‘deteriorating’ and ‘at risk’:

• Cathedral and City Centre,
• Gowt’s Bridge,
• St Catherines’,
• St Peter at Gowt’s,
• Swanpool
• West Parade and Brayford

Karl said, “I am well aware that our City has a proud and distinguished history and these historic sites are an important part of Lincoln’s heritage.  As the Member of Parliament for Lincoln and a member of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, English Heritage and the National Trust, I am, of course, concerned at the number of historic sites in Lincoln that are currently included in the Heritage at Risk Register. 

“Baroness Andrews OBE, the Chairman of English Heritage, has promised to write to me again next year with a further update and I shall be watching this situation closely.

“It is vital that places such as Lincoln Cathedral, and the various buildings and areas that the City Council and County Council administer, that form such an important part of our local identity, are preserved for future generations.“

- ENDS -

For further information, please contact Karl M^cCartney MP at karl.mccartney.mp@parliament.uk

Karl M^cCartney, Member of Parliament for the City of Lincoln, enthusiastically supports the Government’s review which will boost the number of local pubs. As part of its commitment to the Great British pub, the Government this week launched a review of restrictive covenants, a legal clause that can be used to prevent community pubs reopening as public houses following a sale.

In just 5 years under Labour – between 2004 and 2009 – some 572 pubs are said to have been permanently lost following a sale with a restrictive covenant, potentially depriving thousands of regulars of an important community asset.

Speaking in support of pubs, Karl said, “Pubs are hubs of community life, as important to the local social scene as they are to the local economy here in Lincoln. But time is being called at too many of our ‘locals’, depriving people of treasured places to get together in the community.

“We are putting the people back in charge, giving them the power to step in and save their much-loved community assets. By reviewing this restrictive red tape we will enable people to use their collective powers to ensure that their locals remain local and continue to thrive at the heart of every community”.

-Ends-

For further information, please contact Karl M^cCartney MP at karl.mccartney.mp@parliament.uk

The Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund have recently given initial lottery support¹ for a £2.7m bid, including £22,500 of development funding, to Boultham Park in the City of Lincoln.

Boultham Park, originally part of a large private estate, dates from the 1800s. The park is made up of both natural and man-made features including a large open lake, mature woodland and flat grassland. The project will carry out much-needed conservation work to the whole site (a key natural habitat in the area) transform the disused stable block into a heritage skills training centre for people with learning disabilities and the general public and enable volunteers to take part in grounds’ maintenance and conservation projects.

Karl said, “As a member of English Heritage, the National Trust, and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings,  and a supporter of Natural England, the news that Boultham Park has initial support from theHeritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund for this funding bid is very welcome indeed.  Boultham Park is a much-valued green space in our local community, supporting a wealth of wildlife species as well as hosting an excellent playground for children.   I would hope that lottery funding will ensure that Boultham Park will be enjoyed by the residents of, and visitors to, our City, for many years to come.”

- ENDS –

For further information, please contact Karl M^cCartney MP at karl.mccartney.mp@parliament.uk or go tohttp://www.hlf.org.uk/news/Pages/Eightparksgivenanewleaseoflife.aspx

Following a successful local campaign, East Coast trains launched their first direct train to London on the 22 May.  Since the introduction of the first East Coast train service direct from Lincoln to London’s King’s Cross, the popularity of the service has been greater than expected.  Official East Coast figures show a higher than expected use of the service, with an average of 59 people per journey using the service departing from Lincoln Central, while the return service from London King’s Cross has seen an average of 389 people using the train. In addition, many more people from other towns such as Newark and Peterborough also took up the service, with the train to and from Lincoln proving popular on all parts of the line.

Welcoming the news, Karl said, “I was pleased to meet with Elaine Holt of East Coast Trains at the House of Commons today and congratulate her and everyone at East Coast on the successful introduction of this new train service for the people of Lincoln.  Strong travel links with cities such as London are vital for Lincoln’s economy and I hope that following the success of this service, we will work with East Coast to see more trains to London and other key areas introduced in the future.”

“While welcoming these passenger numbers, I hope the people of Lincolnshire will continue to support this service in the coming months, taking advantage of offers such as the £25 first class tickets available if booked in advance. With increased use of this new service, I hope people in Lincoln can look forward to more trains to and from London in the future.”

- ENDS -

For further information, please contact Karl M^cCartney MP at karl.mccartney.mp@parliament.uk

Karl M^cCartney, MP for Lincoln, has joined Prime Minister David Cameron in giving his backing to a new competition aimed at giving budding entrepreneurs in the City of Lincoln a unique opportunity to showcase their ideas and designs in front of thousands of visitors as part of this year’s Conservative Party conference Start-Up Hub.

The Start-Up Hub will run at this year’s conference being held in Manchester between October 2^nd and October 5^th, offering the budding business leaders the chance to show off their work.

In order to win a chance to appear at the Start-Up Hub, ideas must be submitted to the Conservative Party before July 29^th. Application forms are available from www.conservatives.com/startuphub. The winners will be chosen by a panel of experts, chaired by Damian Collins MP, and including leading business representatives from Barclays, BlackBerry and Fujitsu.

Welcoming the competition, Prime Minister, David Cameron, said, “The Conservative Party has always been keen to showcase British business and innovation and I am pleased to welcome this initiative this year at our Conference in Manchester.  I want to encourage businesses to create and innovate; to invest and grow; to develop and break boundaries. That is why I am pleased that the Conservative Party is giving new companies this great opportunity to showcase their ideas to the thousands of people who are attending our Conference.

“I would encourage young start-ups and entrepreneurs across the UK to get involved and help showcase the amazing talent this country possesses.”

Karl added, “This is a unique opportunity for budding entrepreneurs here the City of Lincoln and I would encourage anyone with a brilliant new idea to enter the competition for a chance to show off their work to thousands of delegates, the nation’s media and business leaders from across the country.”

- ENDS -

For further information, please contact Karl M^cCartney MP at karl.mccartney.mp@parliament.uk

On Friday 10 June, Lincoln’s Member of Parliament, Karl M^cCartney, joined Rethink staff, carers and service users at a tea party event in Lincoln.  Rethink is a leading national mental health membership charity; which works to help everyone affected by severe mental illness recover to lead a better quality of life.

Karl M^cCartney, Member of Parliament for Lincoln said: “I am delighted to have attended the Rethink tea party.  It’s the perfect example of a community event that brings people together and helps break down the stigma still surrounding mental illness.”

“Mental health issues will affect many in Lincoln – whether directly, or as carers and families.  It’s important that everyone has access to the support and information they need.  Events like these are crucial to that aim.”

- ENDS -

For further information, please contact Karl M^cCartney MP at karl.mccartney.mp@parliament.uk

Karl M^cCartney, MP for Lincoln, made a special visit to BMI The Lincoln Hospital recently to meet with staff, consultants and patients and learn about the important role the team are playing in the provision of healthcare across Lincolnshire.

During the tour led by the hospital’s Acting Director of Clinical Services Avril Mackie, Karl visited a number of departments including physiotherapy where he met with physiotherapist Lyndsey Townsend and tried out the unit’s Wii Fit.  The Wii Fit is used at The Lincoln Hospital to asses a patient’s balance in orthopaedics and is also used to demonstrate to patients how they are over compensating for painful joints.  Post-operatively it enables the hospital’s physiotherapists to determine how well the patient is recovering following joint replacement.

Concluding his tour, Karl met with the hospital’s Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), consultant anaesthetist Dr Alan Feerick to discuss the vital role the consultants, nurses and staff at the hospital play in the effective delivery of care to patients.

Karl M^CCartney, Member of Parliament for Lincoln said: “The whole tour really highlighted the dedication, great quality of care and personal service that everyone who works at The Lincoln Hospital provides to their patients.  Avril was so passionate about the healthcare profession, and it was inspiring to speak with her about her team.  Hospital visits such as this can sometimes be very formal affairs so it was great to be able to have a more hands-on experience at The Lincoln.”

After the visit Avril Mackie added: “We were delighted to welcome Karl M^cCartney MP to our hospital and give him a tour of our departments and facilities.  It was great that he was so willing to learn about what we do in our roles to assist patients from across Lincolnshire everyday.  I would like to thank Mr M^cCartney for taking the time out of his busy schedule to visit us.”

-ENDS-

Notes for editors

About BMI The Lincoln Hospital

The Lincoln Hospital is part of BMI Healthcare, the UK’s largest independent provider of private healthcare with more than 70 hospitals and facilities nationwide. Our commitment is to quality and value, providing facilities for advanced surgical procedures together with friendly, professional care.

For more information visit www.bmihealthcare.co.uk/lincoln

For further information, please contact Karl M^cCartney MP at karl.mccartney.mp@parliament.uk

BT has recently announced that another 31,000 Lincolnshire homes and businesses will have access to its super-fast broadband network.  The company also revealed that five million premises across the UK will be able to get the high-speed technology by the end of this month.

Lincoln is the latest exchange in the region set to benefit from BT’s £2.5 billion roll-out programme, with upgrades expected to be completed during 2012.  It will take the number of East Midlands homes and businesses passed by the new super-fast network to more than 700,000.

Karl M^cCartney, Member of Parliament for Lincoln said: “I’m pleased to hear that around 31,000 premises served by Lincoln exchange should be able to access super-fast broadband speeds of up to 40Mb/s during 2012.  This is good news for residents and businesses in Lincoln, as a fast and reliable internet connection is vital for businesses and has become increasingly important in our daily lives.”

- ENDS -

For further information, please contact Karl M^cCartney MP at karl.mccartney.mp@parliament.uk