Lincolnshire Mayor Andrea Jenkyns' busy to-do list for her second year
There is no shortage of goals on Andrea Jenkyn’s to-do list as she looks towards her second year as Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire.
A new town, a dental college, transport hubs and an entrepreneurs’ fund are among the plans that could take a step forward this year.
The Reform UK mayor declared “Lincolnshire is taking back the steering wheel from Westminster” as she passed her budget for the next financial year on Wednesday.
After nine months of building her team and drawing up plans, she hopes that residents will begin to see a difference.
Housing and new town plans
The mayor has talked frequently about plans for a new town in Greater Lincolnshire, and a feasibility study will hopefully be carried out in the next year.
Her goal is to “unlock growth without destroying rural character”, but says infrastructure must be in place before expansion begins.
During the budget meeting, she said it would require private investment and could help ease housing targets.
“We could say to the government we will deliver you a new town, but you need to take the pressure off the districts,” she said.
The mayor also has wider powers to promote housing, and will be talking with Homes England to agree priority housing sites.
She will also be examining options for a veteran’s village, which will help ex-service members to adapt to civilian life and “ensure there’s no barriers for them”.
Getting Lincolnshire moving
North Hykeham and Gainsborough will get the first “transport hubs” in a new pilot, promising more digitalisation, better integration between buses and trains and improved parking.
Ms Jenkyns says she wants to see these rolled out in each town eventually.
The mayor’s office is developing proposals for a Transport for Greater Lincolnshire app which will include information such as bus and train times, and issues on the roads.
The mayor said it could eventually provide information about heritage locations to visit around the county.
Bus cards will be introduced for care leavers and veterans, with Ms Jenkyns saying: “No one should be priced out of opportunities.”
A study will be carried out on how to improve Gainsborough’s bridge over the River Trent, which she labelled “a nightmare” that is “stopping growth”.
Better skills and opportunities
Giving people the skills they need to succeed has been a big theme for the mayor.
Plans will progress for the East Midland’s first dental college, which will help tackle the chronic shortage in Lincolnshire.
A Mayoral Digital Academy has also been announced for the coming year, aiming to “upskill our people for the jobs of tomorrow”.
The mayor spoke about a renewed emphasis on traditional trades such as bricklaying, manufacturing and engineering, saying: “We should value master builders as much as university graduates.”
She has also promised to cut illiteracy through a new qualification that will be developed with businesses, saying the number of people who can’t read is alarming.
Business
Andrea Jenkyns has proposed a fund to help get innovative new projects to market, saying she wants to “keep world-beating ideas in Lincolnshire”.
A Mayor’s Business Guild will be launched in April with quarterly conferences involving investors and government decision-makers.
Proposals will also be brought forward to help the farming industry innovate and adopt new technologies.
The mayor says she is keen to continue building trade links with other countries, declaring that “Lincolnshire is open for business”.