Much to look forward to in 2024

As we reach 2024 at the end of another challenging year, it’s worth reflecting on what we have achieved in the area of adult care and community wellbeing as this continues to be an important part of the county council’s work.

Firstly, our Trading Standards team has been involved in some innovative work throughout the year to combat scammers and rouge traders, securing prosecutions in a bid to take them out of the system and helping residents to spot and avoid their fraudulent schemes.

Our new-look Domestic Abuse service is playing a key role in enabling people to escape such relationships and rebuild their lives. The recent success of our second Domestic Abuse Business Conference highlights the importance local businesses place on the wellbeing of their staff, to raise any concerns with employees and increase the wellbeing and mental health of their workforce.

Our Strength and Balance service is helping older people to retain (and in some cases regain) their mobility, increasing their independence and reducing the chances of them suffering a potentially life-changing falls. We’ve had over 600 referrals from health professional and GPs to exercise classes designed to improve and develop strength and mobility.

The Lincolnshire Ageing Better Partnership has been drawing together different agencies to enable a more coherent and effective system of support for residents. And we are making great strides in providing more extra care and supported living accommodation in the county. Construction is well underway for a new extra care development featuring 62 apartments and 10 bungalows in Welton for the over 55s.

The continued development of our extra care and supported housing provision will be key as we look forward to 2024. As well as the Welton development, planning permission has been agreed for The Hoplands in Sleaford, with proposals for 40 extra care apartments for older people and 12 apartments for working aged adults with a disability. We hope to start on site towards the end of 2024.

Planning has also been submitted for new accommodation featuring 10 one-bedroom apartments for working aged adults in Market Rasen. We are working through the planning and procurement process with an estimated start on site in April 2024.

I’m particularly looking forward to seeing improvements to our day services across the county, which support a wide range of people including people with disabilities, learning disabilities, autism and other long-term health conditions or differences. We are carrying out work to modernise and freshen our day services facilities and offer, with major refurbishment already taking shape at Ancaster and plans for improvements in Grantham, Spalding and Skegness.

We’ll also be further developing our digital offer to support older, vulnerable residents to become more digitally skilled and help keep them out of hospital and independent in their own homes.

We want to ensure that Lincolnshire is a positive place to grow older for our residents, both now and in the future.

My very best wishes to you all for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year 2024.

Councillor Wendy Bowkett

Executive Councillor for Adult Care & Public Health

Lincolnshire County Council

(Wainfleet and Spilsby Ward)