Lincolnshire this week.

Lincoln went to the polls this week with a third of the seats on Lincoln City Council up for grabs. The council currently comprises 17 Labour seats, 14 Conservative, 1 Liberal Democrat and 1 Independent.


The county has been affected by a strike by members of the Aslef Union which has brought a large part of the rail network to a virtual standstill. The drivers, employed by East Midlands Trains are in dispute over pension payments. The company want to reduce the amount the employees pay into the pension fund. Why is that a problem? The amount the company pays goes down too. A spokesman for East Midlands Trains. Ian Smith told BBC Lincolnshire:-

"We delivered a good service for our passengers on 1 May despite the Aslef industrial action, and managed to run even more services than we had previously advertised.

"In total, we ran over 100 train services and more than 200 replacement bus services."

Typhoon jets from Lincolnshire have made the short (for them) hop to RAF Northolt in preparation for the Olympics this summer. The pilots will experience a totally different environment when they are based in London, to the relative calm of the skies over Lincs and the eight days training is to get them acclimatized.

Eight Lincolnshire beaches have been acclaimed in the latest Good Beach Guide. Skegness, Ingoldmells South, Chapel St Leonards, Anderby, Moggs Eye, Sutton on Sea, Mablethorpe Town and Cleethorpes have all been included in the guide published by the Marine Conservation Society putting the county in the top ten most recommended for quality beaches. East Lindsey District Councillor Craig Leyland, said: “Our wonderful beaches are a really important part of the visitor offer in Lincolnshire and it great news that they’ve once again made the Good Beach Guide for the cleanliness of the sea water.

“We are proud of this success and must continue to develop the offer along the coastal strip and inland to ensure that when visitors come they have access to great facilities and attractions and ensure that they want to come again time and time again.

"A quality holiday experience is vital in supporting our tourism economy and this is another acknowledgment that our offer is one of the best.”

Nottingham Forest owner Nigel Doughty who died recently left an estate of more than £194 million . The Lincolnshire father of four was found collapsed at his home in Skillington.

Bostons twice weekly market will move to Pump Square to make way for the May Fair before it moves back to the revamped Market Place following a £2 million revamp. The popular twice weekly market is planning a special celebration to mark its return home. Portfolio holder for markets Councillor Derek Richmond told the BostonTarget: "The council does not have a commitment to hold markets during the May Fair and some stall holders welcome the break.

"In past years we have made special arrangements to accommodate those who still want to stand and this year is no exception. In fact, I gave the traders the choice of two sites, one being Custom House Quay and the other Pump Square.

"The traders actually chose Pump Square where there will be approximately 20 stalls each day.

"This council is always willing whenever possible to assist those who wish to do business in Boston and a satisfactory arrangement has again been made to help with that during this year's May Fair."

A Lincoln author has written to the Pope to ask him to canonize Robert Grosseteste the 13th century Bishop of Lincoln. Dr Jack Cunningham, a theology lecturer at the Bishop Grosseteste University College reckons the Bishop should have been made a saint but political shenanigans damaged his reputation and he was never accorded the honour. Dr Cunningham’s book – Robert Grosseteste: His Thought and Its Impact – will be launched on Saturday as part of the college's One Big Reunion event. The author aims to use the event to rally support for his cause.

“It’s a really interesting story, and it’s a mystery why this influential mediaeval thinker was never made a saint,” Dr Cunningham explains.

“The story goes that after his death he appeared as a ghost to Pope Innocent IV and hit him in the side with his bishop’s staff as punishment for the pontiff’s waywardness and corruption.

“In fact this is a legend which has no basis in truth, but it was recorded by the Benedictine chronicler Matthew Paris and, as a result, Robert Grosseteste went down in history as an English hero who stood up to the Pope.

“His reputation was scuppered. Clearly he should have been canonised but he became associated with an anti-Papist movement which ultimately led to the formation of the Church of England.”

Well bless me that’s all we have time for this week. Have a good weekend.