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A brazen thief who stole more than £1,400 worth of items from Boots and a woman who spat at a police officer have been sentenced at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court in recent days. While some cases were adjourned to a later date and others sent to Grimsby Crown Court, many offenders from across northern Lincolnshire were handed prison sentences, community orders and hefty fines by magistrates in Grimsby last week. Here are ten people who have been sentenced in recent days. READ MORE: Jamie Courtney, 41, of Crosby Mews, Scunthorpe indicated pleas of guilty to 14 counts of theft from a shop in which he stole more than £1,400 worth of perfumes and cosmetic products from Boots, a washing machine and microwave from Home Group and £50 worth of items from Co-op. He also pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating. He was jailed for 16 weeks. Liam Warman, 24, of Station Road, Scunthorpe indicated pleas of guilty to 11 counts of theft from a shop in which he stole £390 worth of razors and razor blades from Boots, perfume worth £80 from TK Maxx, steaks worth £60 from Asda, legs of lamb worth £45 from Farmfoods and chocolate bars worth £26 from Sainsbury’s, among other items from other shops. He also admitted the possession of an offensive weapon, namely a screwdriver, in a public place, and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour. He was jailed for 28 days. Tara Gray, 42, of no fixed abode indicated a plea of guilty to one count of assault by beating against an emergency worker in which she spat at a police officer in Cleethorpes. She was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service. Matthew Dye, 43, of Links Drive, Humberston pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating and two counts of criminal damage in which he damaged a car window and a car bonnet. He was jailed for eight weeks due to the incident being unprovoked and ordered to pay £400 in compensation. Brandon Hansen, 20, of Torrington Street, Grimsby pleaded guilty to driving a moped without a licence and without insurance and whilst under the influence of cannabis. He was disqualified from driving for 17 months and given a community order with the requirement to complete 80 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service. Shaun Cox, 35, of Sutcliffe Avenue, Grimsby indicated a plea of guilty to going equipped for theft in which he went to a building site equipped with two saw blades, a torch and gloves for use in connection with theft. He was fined £500 and ordered to pay a £200 victim services surcharge and £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service. Jamie Forbes, 46, of no fixed abode indicated a plea of guilty to burglary other than dwelling in which he entered Poundland in Scunthorpe as a trespasser and stole multiple items. He was jailed for 56 days. Michael Payne, 54, of Guildford Street, Grimsby pleaded guilty to the handling of stolen goods in which he dishonestly undertook or assisted in the retention, removal, disposal or realisation of stolen goods, namely a Mac Book, various make up pallettes, a baby monitor and headphones, of a value unknown, knowing them to be stolen. He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service and a £26 victim services surcharge. Leoni Laine, 24, of Sanctuary Way, Grimsby was found guilty of one count of assault by beating. She was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £350 in compensation. Robert Kopczynski, 37, of Ladysmith Road, Grimsby also appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to driving whilst above the legal alcohol limit. He was jailed for 13 weeks due to being 2.5 times the limit when an accident occurred and the offence being the second of its kind in two years. He was also banned from driving for 42 months. Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

The economy and keeping the furnaces going, the Heritage Party’s Scott Curtis gave as a priority if he is elected as Scunthorpe MP. In the run-up to polling day, Scunthorpe Live is speaking to Scunthorpe candidates, putting to them set questions to find out their priorities and stances. There are seven candidates standing in the constituency. Scunthorpe is now a slightly redrawn constituency compared to the last general election. As well as the town itself, it has expanded to include some places that were previously in the now defunct Brigg & Goole constituency such as Winterton, Burton-upon-Stather, Gunness, Winteringham, Alkborough and Flixborough. Read More: Scott Curtis is standing for the Heritage Party and has lived in Bottesford almost all his life. The majority of his career has pertained to the steelworks, he said, including more on the administrative side of a contract for several years. He added this gave him “a bit of knowledge” with how British Steel worked, at least with contractors. What will be your priorities for Scunthorpe, if elected? “The main priority will be the local economy,” he said. “Primarily the steelworks, keeping the furnaces running. It’s very important because it’s not just our economy, it’s not just the country’s economy but it’s also a matter of national security. We need to be able to create high-quality steel and not just whatever we can create out of scraps, recycled steel, which is what the arc furnaces would do if they’re set up.” If they are decommissioned, he said of the blast furnaces, he would like to get other industry set up on the brownfield site and diversify it. “There’s a lot of space on the steelworks where, if we change to the electric arc furnaces, it’s going to be just sitting there not doing anything, so we want to get that in use as quickly as possible, if the worst comes to the worst.” The steelworks – there are real fears of more than two thousand job losses, should the coke blast furnace closures go ahead as planned. What will you do to try to ensure those fears never become reality? “I know the Chinese were asking for a large payout in order to repair the furnaces,” Scott Curtis asserted. “I would lobby for that to go through but I would add a stipulation that we need to be able to come in and actually check and see what they’re doing” He claimed that the steelworks haven’t been managed well in the time Jingye has owned the site. He, in particular, said he had heard proposed repair work of the furnaces that involved their temporary turning off had been refused. “If we do plug in money, in order to get them repaired, then we need to be able to have a say in how it’s being run.” Across Humberside, we have had questions on the Gazan conflict for candidates. How will you represent constituents’ views on foreign policy issues, like Gaza? “Our stance on the conflict in Gaza specifically is we hope for a ceasefire and we would push for a ceasefire in any way we could. We don’t like seeing people’s lives wasted anywhere,” he said. “We will not be hanging anything militarily, we will not be inserting ourselves into conflict, but we certainly don’t want to see it.” He said the UK needed to “sort our own house before we try and deal with other people’s issues abroad, but we’ll speak out against”. The Scunthorpe steelworks skyline in late January (Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive) Howwouldyou as the MP try to support people struggling with the cost of living? “My primary focus would be to try and bolster the economy of the Scunthorpe region specifically, try and do what we can to put more money into people’s pockets.” That included whether through better existing jobs locally, or bringing in more work, if possible. “On a national scale, we do hope to reduce drastically the amount of immigration coming into the country. It depresses wages, strains services, it’s driving inflation which reduces purchasing power. We desperately want to help out with that because we know it’s a terrible thing that’s happening to everyone in the country.” If elected, what will you advocate to help address crime and anti-social behaviour locally? “A more robust police force in the short term will be necessary to deal with the crime, as it currently exists. But personally, I think the real issue we’re facing is social degradation on every level,” he said. “I think we need to start looking into outreach to people while they’re still young,” he said, adding to support them in any way can, including community-driven activities. “Something like art programmes, something where people can come together, meet people and help out in a healthy, constructive way,” he said, so that people meeting on the streets for unsavoury activities is reduced. Reader-prompted question: “Which one of you will seek to end the tax on visiting loved ones in hospital or ourselves having to go to to hospital? Parking fees and on road fear of a ticket are a added problem.” – What is your stance on proposed hospital changes, and hospital parking charges? On the proposed hospital changes, he brought up the future community diagnostic centre (CDC) and welcomed the impact it could have. “If that would help relieve some of the strain on the general hospital, I think having any of the tests done outside of the hospital itself would be a good idea. And then keeping the hospital itself for any serious matters or actual matters that require seeing a specialist.” On parking, he added the CDC would reduce the amount of parking sought at the hospital. “That’s my biggest issue, when I visit the hospital, it’s less to do with the payments, it’s to do with actually finding a space.” He recalled there at least used to be a shuttle service going from the town centre multi-storey car park to the hospital. “I think if

Keeping hospital services as is Reform UK’s Darren Haley gave as a priority if he is elected as Scunthorpe MP. In the run-up to polling day, Scunthorpe Live is speaking to Scunthorpe candidates, putting to them set questions to find out their priorities and stances. There are seven candidates standing in the constituency. Scunthorpe is now a slightly redrawn constituency compared to the last general election. As well as the town itself, it has expanded to include some places that were previously in the now defunct Brigg & Goole constituency such as Winterton, Burton-upon-Stather, Gunness, Winteringham, Alkborough and Flixborough. Read More: Darren Haley is 52, married to his childhood sweetheart and spent 19 years in the prisons service as a senior officer. He left in 2015 to start a company for vapes in secure environments like prisons. Its success has allowed him to venture into other business areas, and he and his wife bought Low Hill Farm, Scunthorpe, in 2022. They are about to open their own secure dog park. He previously stood for UKIP in 2012. He was drafted into stand for the constituency the day after the election was called, after the previous candidate resigned due to personal reasons. Darren Haley also said he was an inventor and has US and UK patents for a new type of razor blade, Brengor Innovation, to reduce self-harm. He said it would lend itself to the generic market of shaving and spoke about the prospect of it creating “hundreds, if not maybe thousands of jobs” locally, regardless of the election outcome. What will be your priorities for Scunthorpe, if elected? “Most certainly, tackling the proposed downsizing of the hospital,” he said referring to proposed hospital changes. “It’s not acceptable. People need to be able to have accessibility locally to hospital services for their healthcare needs,” he said, adding: “I’ll be most certainly fighting to get that decision reversed. “On a par, will also be the steelworks. Scunthorpe is built around the steelworks and it’s just been spiralling downwards. Because of Reform scrapping net zero, all that it’s doing by adhering to it in the UK, it’s affecting jobs. People want security long-term.” He suggested “thinking outside the box” and reopening mines for iron ore and coal necessary to make virgin steel, adding it would create jobs in itself. “I don’t truly understand why these mines were closed to start with. The material is still down there, buried in the ground. Some people might say it’s the quality, we’ve got increased mining capabilities now that can sift out the poor quality,” he said. A Reform government would reduce red tape and reduce government, he said. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) could then “get on and do what they do good, which is create jobs and create money”. The steelworks – there are real fears of more than two thousand job losses, should the coke blast furnace closures go ahead as planned. What will you do to try to ensure those fears never become reality – you’ve outlined Reform would scrap net zero, in that scenario, you would presumably want to keep the blast furnaces open? “Absolutely. The materials that go into this system are all coming from abroad, why can’t it be mined here? Then there’s not the costs associated with travelling it all the way around the world.” “Getting it here will create jobs.” He acknowledged Labour’s £3bn steel industry investment pledge. “But that is a government-funded job and it will come to an end. You need longevity, which is allowing SMEs to get on and do what they do best.” “It’s a sticking plaster until we can get onto something more long-term,” he added of Labour’s pledge. “I also think allowing international companies a controlling interest in companies here in the UK that are critical to our industries maybe shouldn’t be allowed.” He suggested if it had remained British-owned, there would be less uncertainty over the steelworks. Reader-prompted question: “Which one of you will seek to end the tax on visiting loved ones in hospital or ourselves having to go to to hospital? Parking fees and on road fear of a ticket are a added problem.” – What is your stance on proposed hospital changes – it sounds like you are completely opposed – and hospital parking charges? “The services that are there should stay there.” He added if it was about cost-cutting, which the local NHS has never suggested, he said Reform UK’s manifesto focused on paring back office staff to only essential administration and management. “Anything else, the diversity managers on £50-70k a year, anyone worth their salt in management understands you can’t discriminate. Diversity – all for it, but you don’t need to pay someone that stupid amount of money that could actually be diverted to frontline doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants.” On parking charges, he said his dad died of cancer last year and he visited him in hospital. “Fortunately, I was ok for money,” he said, but he did think to himself about others who may find it more difficult. “It’s got to be reasonable so that it deters people dumping their car,” he said, but “not to the excessive amounts, more of a token. And if people abuse it, they leave their car in a car park and then go off to work, then they should be heavily fined.” He suggested a token charge of around £1 for two hours for visitors. What would you as the MP try to do to support people struggling with the cost of living? He said Reform was very much for the lower income people of the UK. “Because we want to lift seven million people out of paying income tax, raising the threshold of £20,000 before you start paying income tax. It just makes sense, it will incentivise people that want to work,” he said, with no worry about losing money through tax. “Let’s incentivise people, it will save money quite simply because we’re not paying

The NHS and social care is a key priority for Independent Dr Abdul Butt if he is elected as Scunthorpe MP. In the run-up to polling day, Scunthorpe Live is speaking to Scunthorpe candidates, putting to them set questions to find out their priorities and stances. There are seven candidates standing in the constituency. Scunthorpe is now a slightly redrawn constituency compared to the last general election. As well as the town itself, it has expanded to include some places that were previously in the now defunct Brigg & Goole constituency such as Winterton, Burton-upon-Stather, Gunness, Winteringham, Alkborough and Flixborough. Read More: Dr Abdul Butt is an independent candidate. He is a local GP working in a practice, a doctor at Scunthorpe General Hospital‘s urgent treatment centre, part of a community response team who look after patients in care homes. He is also the lead for Armed Forces veteran-friendly GP practice. What will be your priorities for Scunthorpe, if elected? I think it has to be the NHS and social care first. Improving those two would do more for our town than anything else right now. People are suffering, and it takes a full toll on our physical and mental health. Reader-prompted question: “Which one of you will seek to end the tax on visiting loved ones in hospital or ourselves having to go to to hospital? Parking fees and on road fear of a ticket are a added problem.” – What is your stance on proposed hospital changes, and hospital parking charges? “I believe it’s completely a wrong choice and unfair with the residents of Scunthorpe,” he said of proposed hospital changes. “It’s not a small town and moving hospital services to Grimsby will only bring suffering to the residents of Scunthorpe. I don’t agree with the moving of services. “I’m a doctor, I talk to the patients on a daily basis, so they have to travel to get themselves seen because a few of the hospital services are already moved. It will bring a lot of sufferings in terms of logistic issues, and it will affect patients’ health and their care. “I think this is not the right choice. And again, it’s not a small town.” “In terms of hospital parking charges, I think they have to be repealed, for the staff and the visitors. It’s effectively a stealth tax and cannot be justified. It only adds stress and worry to the ill patients,” he said, trying to find parking spaces and “then having to, in most cases pay to park each time they visit the hospital”. Scunthorpe General Hospital – Dr Abdul Butt does not support proposed service element changes (Image: GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford) Across Humberside, we have had questions on the Gazan conflict for candidates. How will you represent constituents’ views on foreign policy issues, like Gaza? “As you know, I’m a doctor, so human life matters to me a lot, I value it a lot. People trust doctors, they share every single thing which they cannot share with their parents or their partners. “What’s happening in Gaza is basically unreal and unprecedented. It’s beyond. I would reflect public opinion in a way that neither of the two parties is willing to do. The public are strongly in favour of an immediate ceasefire, and for the suspension of arms licences. These are not at all minority opinions. Our taxes cannot be used to kill innocent children, women and men.” The steelworks – there are real fears of more than two thousand job losses, should the coke blast furnace closures go ahead as planned. What will you do to try to ensure those fears never become reality? “If I got the chance, I would give my full support to the unions fighting for a realistic future and work always for the interests of our workers. As with so many other issues, I will be guided by the local voices and not the party whips in Westminster.” If elected, what will you advocate to help address crime and anti-social behaviour locally? “Full support of our police is non-negotiable. But pretending that the collapse of our social fabric is not a key driver of the crime mess cannot continue either.” Howwouldyou as the MP try to support people struggling with the cost of living? “It’s a difficult question, I think we have no choice but to increase the tax burden on the very wealthy, whose riches have increased massively over the last decade. As an MP, lending my support and whatever resources we can afford to those who are working to help struggling people.” Join the FREE Grimsby Live WhatsApp Community Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp – all you need to do is click the link. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Scunthorpe has had its first Pride event in the last year. How will you represent the concerns of the LGBT+ community in Parliament? “Equal rights is a fundamental right across all of our communities here. I will respect and raise the concerns of all the genders of our constituency.” How would you like to have seen the area improved in five years’ time? “Improved funding for our services, and far more responsive government at local and Parliament level. The general view is that nobody’s listening to us and I think this is absolutely true.” Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

Continuing to build trust between residents and their elected MP, work with businesses and to build on achievements so far are priorities for the Conservative Party‘s Holly Mumby-Croft if she is re-elected as Scunthorpe MP. In the run-up to polling day, Scunthorpe Live is speaking to Scunthorpe candidates, putting to them set questions to find out their priorities and stances. There are seven candidates standing in the constituency. Scunthorpe is now a slightly redrawn constituency compared to the last general election. As well as the town itself, it has expanded to include some places that were previously in the now defunct Brigg & Goole constituency such as Winterton, Burton-upon-Stather, Gunness, Winteringham, Alkborough and Flixborough. Read More: Holly Mumby-Croft is the Conservative candidate. Born in Scunthorpe and brought up in North Lincolnshire, she was the town’s MP from 2019 up until this general election. Before that she was a North Lincolnshire councillor. In much of her answers, she cited her track record in the last four-and-a-half years, and the government’s. What will be your priorities for Scunthorpe, if elected? “It’s to continue to build on what we’ve already achieved. That’s things like saving the football ground, protecting the steel industry, further improvements to the hospital.” Improvement in recent years to the latter included the new A&E, a new ambulatory care unit and improvements to some of the wards, she said. “I use the hospital and my family does just like everyone else, so it’s also about protecting services and making sure we don’t lose any services.” She also would “continue to work with businesses. There’s a lot of land on the steelworks site that’s not been utilised so I’m really keen to get some businesses onto there.” There was more to do on public transport too, even though there have been new services and “quite big investment in that”. “To be honest, when I got elected, the first job I had was to try and rebuild the trust between residents and the elected MP, because of everything that happened in 2019 and people felt they’d been ignored and not had their wishes respected on Brexit. The initial thing was to build that contract back,” she said, adding: “I will continue to protect that, because that is the most important part of my job.” Scunthorpe General Hospital’s relatively new A&E – it opened last year (Image: GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford) Reader-prompted question: “Which one of you will seek to end the tax on visiting loved ones in hospital or ourselves having to go to to hospital? Parking fees and on road fear of a ticket are a added problem.” – What is your stance on proposed hospital changes, and hospital parking charges? Ms Mumby-Croft said she is “absolutely totally opposed to any move of any services from Scunthorpe to Grimsby, or anywhere else.” She said she raised it with government immediately, including to ministers and Secretaries of State, and got the minister to visit. “I started doing a big local survey and interacted really closely with the hospital.” Noting the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board’s (ICB) response to its consultation is awaited, she said: “I’m ready and waiting if I’m re-elected to challenge that if it’s not acceptable to us.” “I don’t, just as everyone else, want to see us losing those services and frankly having to drive down that really loud road to Grimsby,” she said. “I’ve been clear it’s totally unacceptable to me and it’s something I have fought and will continue to do if I’m re-elected.” On parking charges, she said: “It’s something we have talked about before, it’s something the hospital feel they can’t stop doing. One of the things I have done, because I am concerned about parking charges, I know it’s difficult for people, is to start to think differently about how we provide services.” She highlighted the community diagnostics centre (CDC) being built in Lindum Street, saying: “I wanted it in the town centre. Part of the reason for that was an increase in footfall into the town centre, but also one of the reasons is because people can then park for free. They can park in the multi-storey for free for two hours right next to it. So that would be 150,000 appointments that people won’t have to pay to park.” “I think we’ve got to start being a bit smarter about how we deliver healthcare and thinking about ways like that,” she added. The new CDC being built in Lindum Street, Scunthorpe, pictured early May (Image: LDR) The steelworks – there are real fears of more than two thousand job losses, should the coke blast furnace closures go ahead as planned. What will you do to try to ensure those fears never become reality? “Under the last Labour government, steel jobs halved and production halved,” she asserted. “Under the Conservative government, what we actually did was step in and pay people’s wages, so I’m completely comfortable that our instinct is to protect the steel industry.” Her personal view is “we need to retain the blast furnaces at least until we can find greener ways to run them.” Other countries do, she said, like with hydrogen. “It is totally unacceptable to me in every conceivable way to lose those blast furnaces for two reasons. One because I’m deeply concerned about people’s jobs and livelihoods. But two, because I really believe a country should be able to make its own steel. Ms Mumby-Croft said she had “banged on absolutely endlessly in Westminster” about the steelworks, adding she had raised it more than 250 times in Parliament. “It has been the biggest piece of work I’ve done, working with Andrew Percy, who was MP next door, to make sure we kept those blast furnaces running. “We’ve had decent support, we’ve had energy support, the steel safeguards extended twice, and the government is still at this time negotiating on a big package of support with British Steel, to try and find a way forward.” She

The steelworks, Scunthorpe General Hospital and help on cost of living are priorities for Labour‘s Sir Nic Dakin, if he is elected as Scunthorpe‘s MP. In the run-up to polling day, Scunthorpe Live is speaking to as many of the Scunthorpe candidates as it can, putting to them set questions to find out their priorities and stances. There are seven candidates standing in the constituency. Scunthorpe is now a slightly redrawn constituency compared to the last general election. As well as the town itself, it has expanded to include some places that were previously in the now defunct Brigg & Goole constituency such as Winterton, Burton-upon-Stather, Gunness, Winteringham, Alkborough and Flixborough. Read More: Labour’s Nic Dakin was the town’s MP from 2010-2019. Before that, he was also North Lincolnshire Council leader from 1997 to 2003. He was a teacher at John Leggott College while a councillor and, at one stage, also became the college’s principal. He is a trustee of Lindsey Lodge, North Lincolnshire MIND, and a Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce board member. He has lived in the area locally for about 40 years and brought up his three kids here, too. What will be your priorities for Scunthorpe, if elected? He gave three main priorities, which included “to make sure the people in need are supported through the cost of living crisis” and “fighting for our steel industry”. The other was to “stand up to Scunthorpe Hospital”, which he explained in the context of the proposed transfer of service elements to Grimsby only. The steelworks – there are real fears of more than two thousand job losses, should the coke blast furnace closures go ahead as planned. What will you do to try to ensure those fears never become reality? “I think the steel industry in the UK and in Scunthorpe is at a crossroads. The current owners Jingye, and Tata in South Wales, are both at the moment going down a route with the current Conservative government,” he said, “of just using recycled steel through electric arc furnaces”. He argued: “The Labour Party has a more ambitious view of where the steel industry should be.” If it wins the general election, it was committed to £3bn steel industry investment, “which would allow us to decarbonise in a way that totally retains our primary steelmaking capacity”. Coke blast furnaces provide the primary steel ability currently. “In the medium term, that ought to be deliverable through a new technology, which is called direct reduced iron. Currently used in natural gas, but it ought to be able to run on hydrogen.” There was still investment to get this delivered in the right place and right way for the industry. But it was “the more ambitious future” both for green steel jobs and to ensure the security of our defence and infrastructure. A reader-prompted question: “Which one of you will seek to end the tax on visiting loved ones in hospital or ourselves having to go to to hospital? Parking fees and on road fear of a ticket are a added problem.” – What is your stance on proposed hospital changes, and hospital parking charges? “I took part, as many people did locally, in the consultation about hospital changes. I’m not convinced it’s the right thing for patient outcomes.” That the response time to the consultation had been extended by the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) “suggests that there are serious issues that they need to grapple with,” Sir Nic said. “Consistently, both patients and local clinicians have indicated to me that these proposed changes may well not be in the best interests of patient outcomes.” He added: “Everybody needs to work together towards a common goal, and that’s what I’d be committed to.” Scunthorpe General Hospital sign on Cliff Gardens – part prompted by a reader-submitted question, all Scunthorpe candidates are being asked about their views on proposed hospital changes, and parking charges (Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive) On parking charges, Sir Nic said he had taken his wife up to A&E last week and paid £4.60 or so for a couple of hours, but others would unfortunately have to stay for longer. “That seems to me a significant burden on people at a time when a lot of people are struggling to have an additional cost, to essentially be charged to have to go to the hospital seems not something you’d ideally have there. I’ve always been clear that most charges oughtn’t be there.” He added the difficulty is with the hospital and country’s finances being “in a sorry state”, saying: “I’m not certain that anything would be immediately be able to be done about it. But certainly, I would campaign to try and get rid of them.” Across the Humber region, we have had questions on the Gazan conflict for candidates. How will you represent constituents’ views on foreign policy issues, like Gaza? A number of foreign policy issues had been raised with him in recent weeks, including Gaza, Kashmir and Sri Lanka. “I think the first and foremost thing to do is to listen to what people are saying and respond accordingly.” He added it was important to bring about change rather than shout from the sidelines. On Gaza specifically, the Labour Party’s policy is clear,” he said, adding horrific things had been seen in Gaza and Israel. “There are four things that need to happen. There needs to be an immediate ceasefire, there needs to be a release of hostages, there needs to be aid into Gaza, an urgent amount of aid going in there. “And the fourth thing, the Labour Party’s committed to recognising the Palestinian State within an international solution to the long-standing problem in the Middle East.” Scunthorpe steelworks, pictured in late January (Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive) How will you as the MP try to support people struggling with cost of living? “I think we need to stabilise the economy so that we have low inflation and growth – it’ll

Climate and social justice are priorities for the Green Party’s Nick Cox, if he is elected as Scunthorpe‘s MP. In the run-up to polling day, Scunthorpe Live is speaking to as many of the Scunthorpe candidates as it can, putting to them set questions to find out their priorities and stances. There are seven candidates standing in the constituency. Scunthorpe is now a slightly redrawn constituency compared to the last general election. As well as the town itself, it has expanded to include some places that were previously in the now defunct Brigg & Goole constituency such as Winterton, Burton-upon-Stather, Gunness, Winteringham, Alkborough and Flixborough. Read More: Nick Cox, standing for the Greens, is from the East Midlands. He has worked in the armed services and police, including nine years as a frontline police officer. He has been a parish councillor for twenty years and a school governor. He has two kids at university, and is himself studying Physics with Philosophy at the University of York. What will be your priorities for Scunthorpe, if elected? “I’m climate first or environment first on my statement, so therefore, I’d expect constituents to be behind that idea. But climate justice is difficult to achieve unless you’d got the social justice to go with it,” he added. He would also prioritise a communication consultation. This would ensure he understood the concerns of residents and businesses “in order to make sure they are treated fairly and their voices are heard”. He also identified the steel industry as a priority. The steelworks – there are real fears of more than two thousand job losses, should the coke blast furnace closures go ahead as planned. What will you do to try to ensure those fears never become reality? “There’s going to be fears with any change, but modernisation, decarbonisation of our industry is inevitable.” Returning to the theme of social justice with climate justice, he said, “We’ve got to make sure we bring people with us, alleviate those fears.” He called for investments in the community as much as money is being given to the steelworks to make its transition. “There is always going to be with transition that period where you’re between jobs, that’s why our social justice includes things like universal basic income,” he said adding that in a person’s lifetime they are likely to change jobs. “But we need to invest especially in communities where the whole community is based around the industry. We can’t expect people to change and modernise unless we take them with us, and we’ve got to look after communities. Unlike the coal industry, where we let villages go to waste. “That investment in the community would make sure we get sustainable, green jobs in other industries into the area as well.” Scunthorpe steelworks last summer (Image: Getty Images) Across the Humber region, we have had questions on the Gazan conflict for candidates. How will you represent constituents’ views on foreign policy issues, like Gaza? “Again, it’s that consultation process,” he said, highlighting the importance of being at the heart of a constituency, talking to and asking people to find out what they want. “That’s where you can best represent them.” On Gaza specifically, he said, “The Green Party have from the middle of October, been calling for a ceasefire, I think we were the only party that were that early on. We obviously condemn what happened on October 7 as well. But we need a ceasefire, we need to get humanitarian aid in there. I strongly suspect I would be reflecting the views of the majority of constituents on that,” he said. What would you as the MP do to support people struggling with the cost of living? “We’re quite radical,” he said, before arguing for universal basic income as a longer term prospect of getting social justice. An immediate change he called for, “is definitely to end this cap on the two-child benefits for family allowance. For some reason, the big parties are really shying away from that, I don’t know why. It’s a no brainer, straight into the heart of the matter.” In the medium term, he called for a different programme to improve home insulation. “That’s the way to keep people’s bills down.” If elected, what will you advocate to help address crime and anti-social behaviour locally? “When people leave their homes in the morning, what they want is to breathe fresh air and to feel safe.” He hoped if elected to have a good working relationship with the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner. “We could help together drive forward the improvements needed to address the local concerns there. “On a national basis, the policy of the Green Party, we’re heavily into things like restorative justice.” He added: “It helps offenders better with rehabilitation than putting them in overcrowded prisons. It also gives another stronger voice to victims as well in that process” Reader-prompted question: “Which one of you will seek to end the tax on visiting loved ones in hospital or ourselves having to go to to hospital? Parking fees and on road fear of a ticket are a added problem.” – What is your stance on proposed hospital changes, and hospital parking charges? Hospital parking was a “big issue” everywhere, he said, particularly historically with hospitals built in town centres or the middle of residential areas. “I’m guessing they do need to bring in some kind of fees to manage the estate and also to prevent abuse of the parking there.” He said if people had to go regularly and through those means with being unable to use public transport, “There really ought to be some kind of system whereby this is certainly affordable and it’s not deemed as a tax.” “Car parking generally, I would like to invest in it and have a reliable, safe public transport system.” People who needed to park, he said, “If it’s a question of need, then really they should be helped with the costs.” On the

Parking for longer than permitted was the top reason drivers got issued parking penalties in Scunthorpe and North Lincolnshire last year. There were 2,798 tickets issued in 2023/24 for the parking breach, and 326 this financial year, as of June 3. A lack of clear pay and display ticket was the second most common reason, despite the council offering free weekend parking. The data, obtained by Grimsby Live through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, shows also that nearly 1,500 parking penalties have been successfully appealed. There were 443 successful appeals last year, and 43 so far this financial year. Read More: Parking in a restricted street during prescribed hours was the only other reason responsible for more than a thousand penalty notices. It is also the only other breach reason that is the cause of more than a hundred notices, 285, this financial year. Motorists parking in disabled bays without a disabled badge came fourth. There were also more than 100 hundred penalties issued last year for vehicles stopping on a bus stop or stand. The top reasons for getting a parking penalty in North Lincolnshire are shown in the chart below. Top reasons for getting a parking penalty in North Lincolnshire, 2023/24 FOI-obtained council data The number of tickets successfully appealed has remained steady in the last three years, falling slightly from 520 in 2021/22, to 460 the year after, and 443 last year. In total, 8,880 penalty notices were issued last year. North Lincolnshire Council were contacted for comment. A council spokesperson said: “Parking in North Lincolnshire must be among the cheapest in the country – with two-hour free parking weekdays and it is totally free on weekends. “Inconsiderate parking on residential streets can lead to real problems for residents. Signage where there are restrictions are clear and it is easy to avoid a ticket – just stick to the rules.” Want to sign up to the Scunthorpe newsletter, but can’t access the link below? Click here . Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

Three people have been arrested following a stabbing on Frodingham Road in Scunthorpe. Humberside Police were called at 1.10am on Saturday, June 22, to reports that a man had sustained stab wounds after an altercation between a group of men in the street. Officers were immediately deployed to the area and a 40-year-old man was taken to hospital to receive treatment for his injuries, which are not thought to be life threatening. Three men were arrested at the scene on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and violent disorder and all remain in police custody whilst enquiries continue. READ MORE: Detective Inspector Scott Miller said: “I understand an incident of this nature will cause concern to those who live in the area; however, I want to offer my reassurance that from our enquiries conducted so far, we do believe this to be an incident between people known to each other with no wider risk to the public. “I want to thank the local community for their patience whilst initial enquiries were underway at the scene. Road closures were put in place to enable the necessary investigations to take place which I appreciate may have impacted those travelling in the area. “The road has since been re-opened; however, teams will continue to be visible in the area, providing additional reassurance to residents. Please come and speak to us if you have any concerns. “I urge anyone who witnessed the incident, or has any information that may assist our enquiries, to please call our non-emergency 101-line quoting log 49 of 22 June. “Alternatively, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.” Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

A video shows how the construction of a £38million teaching building at North Lindsey College is progressing rapidly. Now 71 years old, the college in Scunthorpe announced plans for the ambitious project last year. It said the new teaching block would be a focal point for its Kingsway campus and accommodate 1,400 pupils and staff, including students in the 14-16, 16-plus and adult age groups. This video, filmed and edited by drone videographer Eye In The Sky, shows how construction has progressed from demolishing the old buildings to digging the foundations. According to the plans, a SEND area for students with additional needs will be created on the western side of the ground floor with a separate entrance. READ MORE: Large-capacity dining and kitchen areas, along with an auditorium, are planned for the ground floor which could also double-up as a performance space. It is planned to be finished next year. In a previous statement, Barrie Shipley, the chief operating officer at the college, said: “The plans will significantly improve the condition of the North Lindsey Campus, and complements recent work upgrading facilities for the launch of T-Levels and the opening of University Centre North Lincolnshire and investment in the Institute of Technology.” (Image: Bond Bryan – North Lincolnshire Council) Money for the project was provided from the Government’s £1.5bn further education capital transformation fund. North Lindsey College was one of 16 institutions to have benefited from the initial phase of funding. Get the latest Scunthorpe news Sign up to our Scunthorpe newsletter here for the latest news from North Lincolnshire. By signing up, you will get the latest news, what’s on and sport from across the area directly to your inbox. What are you waiting for? Sign up now! Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe