newsnk
Want to be a Superman record breaker? See page 2
The newspaper for all North Kesteven residents
Spring 2012
jubilation to NK boasts one of the Jubilee set flags a-flutter best qualities of life for summer events District highlighted as ‘oasis of civilisation’ in a national survey It’s something that everyone living, working and visiting already knows, but the District is now officially recognised as one of the best places in Britain to live. The quality of life already enjoyed by North Kesteven residents has been assessed as among the highest in the country. At the start of the year the Halifax bank placed the District 36th in its list of all 405 local authority areas in the UK, based on a number of criteria relating to quality of life. It is the only part of Lincolnshire included and one of only four which are away from the south or east of England. The table recognises North Kesteven’s low incidence of burglary, ease of traffic movement, good employment rate, small primary school class size, low population density, high academic achievements at GCSE and good house size, quality and cost. These factors are so strong that they
outweigh poorer ranking for Broadband speed and gross weekly earnings, which are areas of priority action for NKDC going forward into 2012. Council Leader Cllr Mrs Marion Brighton OBE said: “North Kesteven’s ranking of 36th is a strong reflection on the work of NKDC and its partners in delivering high quality services which improve the lives of District residents. “Those of us who live, work and enjoy leisure time in North Kesteven already know what a great place it is, but to have that quality of life recognised so strongly and promoted so widely by the Halifax is a strong endorsement. “One media commentator referred to North Kesteven as ‘one of only four oases of civilisation outside southern and eastern England and that is exactly how we like to think of the District,” she said. The District Council is committed to enhancing all aspects of life in North Kesteven and where it is not directly
responsible for this it plays an active part in all partnerships, initiatives and ways to achieve this. “While we welcome the findings as a reflection on North Kesteven as a great place to raise a family and do business, the study doesn’t take account of our beautiful countryside, cultural heritage and strong community cohesion, which all combine to enhance our District even further,” said Cllr Mrs Brighton. On top of this study further recent assessments identify the Council as ‘good, verging on excellent’; ‘continuing to provide a high level of service at low cost’; and investing in its people and delivery excellent services across the district’. And from this years council tax consultation, residents concluded that the Council has set the right priorities and is delivery excellent quality services whilst performing well with its money - all at a higher rate than even last year.
“I moved to the district several years ago and it’s fair to say that I am a proud North Kesteven resident. There’s plenty to do, the cost of housing is reasonable, crime is low, and there is beautiful countryside on my doorstep. All in all it’s a great place to live, work and visit.”
“Leaving a busy London life wasn’t an easy transition in the late 80s. We gave ourselves two years before moving on but are still here 23 years later. We appreciate a wonderful quality of family life, access to excellent schools, facilities and good transport and make full use of the leisure and arts facilities.”
Factors behind North Kesteven’s high-ranking status
Andy Holderness, Witham St Hughs
Pamela Marnie, Metheringham
Our Communities – page 6
The report is based chiefly on quality on jobs, the housing market, education, health and crime. > The work of the NK Community Safety Partnership is key to the low burglary rate recorded as 17.4 crimes per 10,000 population; still the 8th lowest of all areas. > The District is mid-table with its employment rate of 75.8%. > It has one of the healthiest ratios of earnings to house price at 5.7; only nine areas have more affordable
Fly the flag this summer, adding to the festival of feel-good factor surrounding both the Diamond Jubilee and Olympic Games. The District will be awash with red, white and blue in early June in celebration of the Queen’s 60 years on the throne. Don’t put the flags away or take the bunting down though as just three weeks later there’ll be the Armed Forces Day
housing than North Kesteven. > Housing is among the largest; only two other areas have more than an average of 6.9 rooms in a house. > At 894, the traffic flow per square km is the lightest of all top 50 areas. > Ten areas have lower average broadband speeds than NK where 73% of people have more than two Megabytes per second; NKDC is working hard and investing £600,000 to increase local coverage.
Our Economy – pages 7 - 10 & 12
01529 414155 / 01522 699699 info@n-kesteven.gov.uk
pageant and then, later in the same week, the Olympic Torch Relay will swing through Sleaford and Bracebridge Heath on June 27. There’ll be more detail of the Olympic procession and how you can join in, in June’s newsnk. Turn to page 6 to learn more about how the Jubilee will be celebrated in North Kesteven and also details of the Armed Forces Day events.
> Only eight areas have lower carbon dioxide emissions per person than the 2.1 tonne level in NK, reflecting the success of NKDC’s emphasis on sustainability education and enabling residents to take ‘green’ action. > Only Rutland has a lower population density than NK’s 115 people per square km. > Only five other areas score higher than the 83.6 % of students gaining five or more A-C grades at GCSE.
Our Homes – page 11
www.n-kesteven.gov.uk
Spring 2012 newsnk 1