The leader of the Conservative group on North Lincolnshire Council has set out why he believes his party deserves your vote in this week's local elections. Rob Waltham, who has been the council leader since 2017, is aiming to lead the Conservatives to a fourth term in control of the authority. Should they be successful in winning a majority, the Tories will secure another four years in charge to make it 16 consecutive years controlling the council after gaining it from
Labour in 2011. On May 4, all seats on North Lincolnshire Council are up for grabs across 19 wards, up two from 2019 under revised ward boundaries, meaning 43 councillors will be elected. Because of the number of candidates put forward, only two political parties can lead the council - Labour and the Conservatives . The Greens, with ten candidates, and other smaller parties and independents, can only be a junior party in a coalition or alliance to run the council. Read more: Local
elections May 4 - full list of candidates for North Lincolnshire Council North Lincolnshire Council is made up currently of 28 Conservative councillors, 14 from Labour and one independent. Labour hope for a swing of at least seven seats to bring to an end the Conservative majority. A gain of eight councillors will give them a majority for the first time in over a decade. Ahead of
election day, the Scunthorpe Telegraph reached out to the leaders of the council's Labour and Conservative groups for a short summary of their policy pitch to North Lincolnshire's voters. Below is what current council leader Cllr Rob Waltham for the Conservatives had to say: "Like you, we are local residents and care deeply about our area. That is why your Local Conservative team are committed to every community and resident we serve in Ashby, Barton, Brigg, Scunthorpe, the Isle of Axholme and across North Lincs. "We froze general council tax earlier this year and in the coming years we will continue to keep it as low as possible. "We will protect free car parking. Thirteen million free tickets have been issued and residents have saved £20m. That’s 13 million times you have kept your money to support high streets across North Lincolnshire. "We are the only party who committed to this in our recent budget. Not able to access our election issues poll below? Click here . "We will keep the Imagination Library fully funded, a project that we are proud to have started over 10 years ago. This gifts new books every month to every child from birth to five. "We will keep free swimming for children during the school holidays, a cast iron promise that keeps kids active and gives them something fun to do during those long summer days in a safe place. "As our population ages, we have also committed more funding to support our older residents. Whether that's more for social care, the 'Safe and Sound Grant' or additional cost-of-living payments for pensioner households, we are doing what we can to support older households. "All of these are hard-wired into our priorities for every single resident. We are committed to keeping people safe and well, to enabling flourishing communities and to backing business to create new, high-paid jobs and supporting our steel industry. "On our watch, nine out of ten schools are good or outstanding, the care and support the most vulnerable children, older residents and residents with disabilities experience is rated one of the best in the country. 100,000 trees have been planted, new nature reserves have been created and miles of new paths and cycle ways have been built. "We are investing millions of pounds of Government cash in Scunthorpe to bring gigabit broadband, a new business start up hub, a new science and technology centre for children and families and to enable schools to go green, slashing energy costs with more solar panels. "Our community grant pot has supported children’s play areas, outdoor gyms, village hall improvements, environmental projects and In bloom grants. "We back residents so everyone can lead happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives through enabling strong and connected communities and creating an environment where businesses thrive. "Despite the challenges of the pandemic and global inflation, the strength of our communities and more than £250m of Government cash means we have weathered the storms. "We will continue to make improvements, to invest in the things which matter to local residents and to make communities stronger. The results will be better and they will cost less with your Local Conservative team." Want to sign up to the Scunthorpe newsletter, but can’t access the link below? Click here . Read next: Conservative Party suspends North Lincolnshire Council candidate over
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