This May there are elections taking place; the District and Town/Parish Council elections on May 2 and the European Parliamentary election on May 23. In addition, for those living in the Alford Parish, there is a referendum on May 23 in regard to their locally developed Neighbourhood Plan.
 
In order to prevent any confusion arising, here's some further information on what's happening:

District and Town/Parish Council elections – May 2

• These elections will be going ahead as scheduled and are not impacted by the UK's possible involvement in the European Parliamentary elections. Please note that not every District Ward is being contested and some Town/Parish areas are also not being contested. 
• The list of candidates standing in the District election can be viewed here; those standing in the Town/ Parish election can be found here
• Poll Cards for the District and Town/Parish council elections have now been distributed.
• Postal vote packs for the District and Town/Parish council elections have all been delivered.
• You can no longer register to vote for the District and Town/Parish election.

European Parliamentary elections – May 23

• Poll Cards for the European Parliamentary Elections, which the UK will potentially be involved in, these are in the process of being posted to those already registered to vote in this election.
• If you are not already registered but wish to vote in the European Parliamentary election on May 23, you must do so by May 7. Your Poll Card will be sent after May 7; you can register to vote here.
• Postal vote packs for the European Parliamentary Elections, which the UK will potentially be involved in, will be posted out in early May.

Poll Cards for both elections are printed on white card, so please be careful to note which election the poll card refers to (as outlined at the top of the Poll Card).

For residents of the Parish of Alford there will also be a Referendum on the Neighbourhood Plan. Those who can vote in the referendum should have now received their Poll Cards.
 
If residents have any questions about either election, please email: elections@e-lindsey.gov.uk

The permits offer a substantial saving for regular car park users, from as little as 38p per day for a 12 month permit.

Our Buildings and Property Service Manager, Duncan Hollingworth said; "The introduction of the virtual permit eliminates the issue of permits being lost and brings a degree of flexibility to the user by enabling them to update their details easily online at their convenience. The application of the virtual permit should make it easier and much quicker for users".

If you want to find out more, or are interested in applying for a car park permit, head over to our website.

The visit provided the Lords with the chance to visit Skegness and the surrounding area to get an understanding of the issues and challenges the area faces; discussing a range of local projects, speaking with the public about the challenges of living and working in a coastal community, and visiting Butlins which showcased the local benefits of sustained investment in the visitor economy.

The findings from the Select Committee's trip to East Lindsey, and other coastal areas across the country have now been released in a report titled 'The future of seaside towns'.

The report identifies a number of unique and complex issues that affect coastal towns around the UK and provides a vision for how those towns could look in the future.

Our Property, Business and Growth Assistant Director, Neil Cucksey, said: "We were pleased to host a visit from The House of Lords Select Committee in 2018 to our coast to help shape the recommendations identified within the final report.

"We clearly recognise that there are challenges for seaside towns throughout the country, and seasonality is just one of them.  Whilst there is year round employment on our coast, we recognise the need to increase skilled employment and skills development in our area and help our local communities to address the decline in local services, such as healthcare and banking.  We also recognise that our coastal towns and environment need further investment and protection from flood risk, so that residents and visitors can take advantage of new business and leisure opportunities along the coast.

"In recent years our coastal towns have seen a blend of both national and local investment helping towards significant growth, much of this facilitated by District Council.

"In Skegness, the Council has adopted the Foreshore Master Plan, identifying key projects for growth and investment and secured some initial funding to enhance public open spaces along Tower Esplanade and to renovate the Rockery Gardens.  Multi-national firm Whitbread are opening a new Premier Inn imminently, a new purpose built marine observatory opened in July 2018 at Chapel St Leonards and a new £1million visitor centre at Gibraltar Point also opened in May 2016. 

"In Mablethorpe, a £5m allocation has recently been secured for the Council and Magna Vitae to improve leisure facilities in the town, and the Council has recently submitted a bid for additional town centre investment for Mablethorpe under the Governments' Future High Streets Fund.

"This new investment is bringing about a greater confidence in the economy and employment in the area.  The latest report shows that the visitor economy in East Lindsey already brings in over £650m to the local economy - an increase of £50m (11%) between 2016 and 2017, with visitor numbers up by 3.6% and day visitors up by 6.2% across the same period.  The industry has also seen a rise in total employment of over 300 in 2017 compared to 2016 (8,198).  We therefore welcome the Report of the Select Committee and hope that it will help to raise the profile and importance of the need for continued investment and regeneration support for our coastal towns within Whitehall."

The full report, 'The future of seaside towns', is available to view online.

To kick off Love Your Local Market, the Lincoln Teenage Market will be heading on tour to Louth. The event, organised in partnership with Bishop Grosseteste University, will head to Louth on Saturday 18 May, where young traders will be given the opportunity to trade their products alongside the regular Saturday market; a variety of performers will also be attending.

In addition to that, we want to hear from people who are keen to run their own market stall and have an idea of what they'd like to sell. Up to four budding entrepreneurs will be given the chance to trade on the markets at Spilsby, Horncastle and Louth, with free Public Liability Insurance for eight market days and eight market days rent for the price of four to help them get started (£7.50 per stall instead of £15). To apply for one of the four positions, visit https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/marketdays and download and return the application form by May 13, 2019. 

For full details on your local market, visit https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/marketdays

Alford and Mablethorpe also hold markets, which are organised by the local town councils.

ELDC will co-fund and manage, with Community Lincs' T.E.D. programme, an Age-friendly Principal Officer role. The Principal Officer will play a key part in the development and success of the programme; they will be working directly with strategic partners to support the development and implementation of a district wide action plan.
Gail Jackson, CEO of Community Lincs and T.E.D. Strategic Lead, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be working in partnership with ELDC on this exciting opportunity. Our T.E.D. programme has been active across the district over the last four years and the achievement of Age-friendly Community status will be a wonderful part of T.E.D.s legacy in the area."

Michelle Howard, Assistant Director (People) at East Lindsey District Council, said: "Older people make up a significant proportion of East Lindsey's population and this is projected to increase. People aged between 55 - 64 years of age also represent the highest proportion of visitors to East Lindsey. With that in mind it is vital that the district is as accessible and welcoming as possible for older people and that people are able to live and age well in East Lindsey. We are delighted to be working alongside the T.E.D. programme to achieve Age-friendly community status."

This partnership is directly informed by the work of the T.E.D. Ageing Better programme throughout East Lindsey, which ELDC has been a key member and champion of. Age-friendly environments foster healthy and active ageing. They enable older people to:

• age safely in a place that is right for them;
• be free from poverty;
• continue to develop personally; and
• to contribute to their communities while retaining autonomy, health and dignity.

T.E.D.s engagement with older people and partners, evaluation, research and delivery to date has provided an evidence base about the needs and gaps in provision for socially isolated older people in East Lindsey. Working towards Age-friendly status is an opportunity to view and assess existing learning, services and policies across all sectors through an 'age friendly' lens; focussing attention on the issues of particular relevance to older people and to us all as we age.

T.E.D. - Ageing Better in East Lindsey is part of Ageing Better, a programme set up by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK. Ageing Better aims to develop creative ways for people aged over 50 to be actively involved in their local communities, helping to combat social isolation and loneliness. It is one of five major programmes set up by The National Lottery Community Fund to test and learn from new approaches to designing services which aim to make people's lives healthier and happier. www.tedineastlindsey.co.uk

The T.E.D. programme is managed by Community Lincs, a charity based in Sleaford, who work throughout Lincolnshire to make a positive difference to the lives of individuals and communities in the region www.communitylincs.com.