November 2025 Newsletter from Councillor Marianne Overton MBE
Welcome to my monthly personal newsletter to let you know what I am doing on your behalf and to keep in touch with you.
Let me know if I can help you. Text or call 07920 235 364
Hot Planning Applications
Huge thanks to all who attended the public meetings in Welbourn and Swinderby this month.
Our Cliff Villages Solar Action Team is working hard on your behalf. We have raised questions as the safety of the huge Lithium Battery Storage units at the Springwell Inquiry, through the District Council and Directly with the UK Health Security Agency.
Our persistence is paying off. The Agency has now responded to the planning application, pointing out that the design significantly increases the risk and is not in keeping with the guidance from the National Fire Chiefs. This is the first time a proper Government Agency has taken a stand on safety of these applications. BBC Look North has investigated further and came to interview our team. LINK
The two live applications close to our villages at Navenby and Coleby are still open for comment on the website. 324 shipping containers of Lithium batteries close to Navenby and 1,346 close to Coleby. Please also comment or “object” even very briefly online at NKDC. Or online “Planning on line North Kesteven” Type in 25/0491/FUL for Navenby and 25/0533/FUL for Coleby. There are others also proposed at Aubourn and Wellingore, so these two will set the precedent for others, so please speak up now!
Fosse Green is now going to the Inspectorate. Your support is needed! Please Register with the Cliff Villages Solar Action Group here.
Thank you
For signing our letters to the Prime Minister. I took 500 to the previous Minister for Net Zero and last week took another 500 to the current Minister for Net Zero, Katie White. I made our case clearly. Everyone agrees that solar should be on roofs, industrial or poor land in preference to farmland, but left to commercial interests, that is just not happening. Locally we have vacant commercial roofs and just under 10,000 acres of industrial development proposed over miles, right up to our villages. That is 40km sq., an area greater than the whole of the City of Lincoln, which houses over 100,000 people! It changes the nature of our area from rural countryside to industrial with knock-on consequences.
We are well on the way to our next 500 signed letters to the Prime Minister, so please ask me or look out for the boxes in local shops.
Ed Miliband passed Tillbridge Solar Industry to the West of us, with extant connection to the grid. We responded with a well attended cross-party demonstration at Marton, covered by GB News and others.
Marianne made our case with the new Minister for Net Zero, Rt.Hon. Katie Stark MP. (October 2025)
Map of second development, proposed on productive farmland near us. Together solar is planned to sprawl across 25 villages. Please join the campaign!
Congratulations!
Rob and Theresa Brewerof Coleby wrote and performed a brilliant song for us in a heartfelt rail at the disappearance of much-loved way of life under solar industrial sprawl. It was shortlisted for the annual Lincolnshire award, presented in October this year. Well worth a listen here.
Congratulations also to Malcolm and Susannah Ramsey, who also wrote an amazing song in support.
On Freedom's Wings
Astonishing picture of the Lancaster Sculture with Lemmon’s Comet and a dump of fuel from an American Falcon 9 Rocket. Thanks to Steve Fearn. https://www.bombergatewaytrust.co.uk/
Wellingore Celebrates 1000 years!
Congratulations all for the wonderful weekend of events celebrating 1,000 years of Wellingore. Choirs, cakes, bell-ringing, stories, village history, opening by the Duke of Rutland, David Manners of Belvoir castle. More here.
Sign up to become a Friend of the Church here.
The Celebration Cake competition was won by Rev Kathryn Windslow who has moved back locally, with the adult winner of the Photographic Competition being Rev Stuart Foster; William Taylor was the winner of the children’s section, and the People’s Choice was won by Paul Hathaway.
The updated Timeline in the church, covering a 1,000 years of both local and national events, is on permanent display in All Saints Church, Wellingore.
The weekend was rounded off with All Saints’ Harvest Festival celebration, which was enjoyed by some 70 people. It was certainly a weekend to remember.
Winning cakes, photo and a 1000 year timeline!
Low Carbon Advice for Businesses
Fully funded Low Carbon Lincolnshire programme is now open, offering practical, flexible support to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint.
Complete the initial diagnostic to get started.
Local Truth, Shared Trust -
Civility and Tackling Misinformation
Join us on Saturday noon November for discussion on what do Independents think? Register here for the link www.Independentnetwork.org.uk Let’s call for cohesion as hate crime levels reach record levels.
Last week in Brussels, I spoke on behalf of the whole of European Local Government, heading up our new report Local Truth, Shared Trust with recommendations to improve democracy. In UK, the Speaker in the House of Commons coincided with a similar event this week.
I spoke on behalf of the CEMR, representing over 100,000 councils and a million councillors. We celebrated 40 years since the Charter of Local Self Government, calling for funding and Independence of powers at local level. This was part of European Local Government week with a great many exciting discussions, people to meet and plans to make.
European councillors also say they find that the vast solar developments in the name of “Net Zero” are turning people away from the whole concept, and opening the door to far right politicians.
We want to reduce our impact on the environment, but current profit-driven plans by global companies of lifetime take-over of our farmland, risks creating an environmental and economic disaster of its own.
Local Government Reorganisation-Rumbling on.
Previously, as Leader of the Independent Group of councillors nationally, I raised with Government that re-organisation is a costly distraction when we can barely make ends meet as it is. Experts have demonstrated that the “hope savings” just do not appear and powers go up to the Mayoral authority, not our councils. Worse, it creates very large organisations that make it very hard for local people to be heard. If you thought our District Council was hard to influence, try something 7-10 times bigger!
However, if we are forced in Lincolnshire, the Independents feel the proposal to join North and South Kesteven, and Rutland is the best as the new councils are smaller, with focal points on our towns, Sleaford, Grantham and Stamford. More here.
Bomber Command Centre art in the sun, commemorating RAF Operation Manna in the Netherlands, the first humanitarian aid drops, saving many lives.
Heroic Women at Wartime
Have you visited the “Women in Air-Force Blue” at Cranwell Aviation Heritage Museum (open Friday to Monday), or the Bomber Command Centre, both now celebrating the heroic efforts of women in the air services?
Did you know about the courageous nurses who returned to a doomed ship to rescue servicemen, brave agents who were executed in occupied France, scientific breakthroughs by physicists, flying planes (including the Lancaster) ready for service, packing parachutes and caring for evacuees. Just a few of the 57,871 who died in World War II Bomber Command were women, but what an impact they made!
Locally, Margaret Hourigan, was a miner’s daughter who became a plotter with fighter command, serving at RAF Waddington and Skellingthorpe. More here.
By 1943, 80% of married women and 90% of single women were working outside the home, an unprecedented change in society, and a genie out of the bottle!
Keeping Children safe outside schools
There is increasing concern about children and traffic outside schools. The lovely rural primary school in Wath Lane, South Hykeham has had building traffic from the extension, and staff parking near the school. There is clearly no space for parental cars who must park further away and bring the children to the school gate on foot.
To prevent unsafe parking, the County Council uses double yellow lines, where drivers can be prosecuted by Council staff, even if only stopping for less than a minute.
Please help keep children safe by careful parking.
NKDC’s Halo nearly fell off!
I made a thorough investigation at NKDC as the Government’s “Regulator of Social Housing” caught out North Kesteven District Council with a surprise visit to the housing department. All Councils are required to visit and assess every council house for safety and condition every five years. This had not been fully done, creating a possible risk for residents. The regulator gave a low grade C3 noting “serious failings”. An action plan and £131,000 for consultancy is in place to get back up to date by the end of the year, and we are expecting to be reassessed in November.
Want to keep in touch?
If you know anyone else who would find this newsletter useful, please suggest they drop me an email here. I write a weekly bulletin which you can find here. Please keep in touch with social media. facebook or @overtonmarianne
Best wishes,
Marianne
Marianne Overton MBE