Having spent the last 20 years in Lincolnshire, Johnny Dudgeon couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. The Director at Savills in Lincoln may be a Scotsman at heart, but this county has won him over.

This feature interview was first published in issue 14 of the Lincolnshire Business weekly magazine, now available to read at www.lincsbusiness.co. Subscribe to the email newsletter to receive the latest edition in your inbox this Friday.

Originally from Edinburgh, Johnny was brought up as part of a farming family — but being the youngest of five children, didn’t have the opportunity to farm himself. “Being in the land industry, a rural business, is to me the next best thing. That’s what led me that way.

“I went to Agricultural College at Cirencester for three years and then qualified as a surveyor. I suppose at that stage in my early 20s, I didn’t know that I would necessarily have that career as a chartered surveyor, but I have no regrets.”

With a love of hunting, Johnny came to Lincolnshire for a Hunt Ball 20 years ago. He heard that there was a job going at Savills, so he bought a typewriter, had his wife type up a CV for him and handed it in. After a successful interview at head office, he never looked back.

“If you had said to me that I would end up in Lincolnshire, then I might have said ‘hogwash’ as a Scotsman — but I have and I love it. I feel hefted to Lincolnshire now.”

Johnny has worked his way up through the company over the last two decades and has, for the last five years, run the office on Doddington Road. But this is only a very small part of his job.

“I’m a jack of all trades and master of none. I do arbitration work, expert witness work which is in the courts when there might be a judicial claim or a valuation aspect. I do estate management for a lot of private clients and institutional clients throughout the midlands and I do portfolio evaluation work which is for year-end accounts.”

When it comes to going to court, preparation is key for Johnny. “Most of them get settled on the steps before you actually enter the domain, but providing you’re prepared, then it can be quite enjoyable.”

However, court cases can come in all different shapes and sizes when it comes to property.

“There may be a valuation that was done some years ago and there is a statute of limitation of about six years, so it is in the recent past, and it might be judged to be wrong. I have been called in quite often as a joint court appointed expert to reduce costs. If there is one valuation report done and if that is significantly different to the original valuation, then there can be a few sparks flying around in terms of why the original valuation was what it was.

“Each case is different, so sometimes it’s a house and some land, other times it can be just a farm. There are no two cases the same. That’s what makes it interesting actually, variety is the spice of life.”

Read the full cover interview in issue 13 of the Lincolnshire Business magazine here. Also, look out for the next issue on Friday.

Nominations are now open for the first Lincolnshire Digital Awards organised by Lincolnshire Business magazine and The Lincolnite.

Eight awards are up for grabs, covering the spectrum of digital work and innovation across the county. They are:

• Digital Business of the Year
• Best Digital Campaign
• Best Use of New Technology
• Innovation in Web Design
• Best Use of Mobile Technology
• Best Use of Digital Photography
• Best Use of Multimedia
• Best Digital Startup

Visit www.lincsdigital.co to enter the awards until February 18. Nominations are free.

Dean Graham, Associate Publisher at Lincolnshire Business magazine, said: “The awards are now open for nomination or self-nomination and we are hoping for a great response, particularly from agencies who have client projects that they think really showcase digital technology in Lincolnshire.

“The awards span quite a broad range of digital industries from film to web development to marketing campaigns. We’ve tried to make the entry process as simple as possible by letting the work speak for itself rather than needing to fill out page after page of paperwork.”

The judging panel, which will be announced soon, will consist of local business and technology experts.

There will be two shortlisted finalists for each category, and they will receive two free tickets to the evening awards ceremony on March 10 at Doubletree by Hilton in Lincoln.

As previously announced, TV tech guy Jason Bradbury will be joining the awards evening and meet the winners of the awards.

For more information, visit the Lincolnshire Digital Awards website.

A family of sculpted Barons will come to Lincoln city centre to create a special Charter Trail as part of the 800th anniversary celebrations of the Magna Carta.

The collection of at least 15 individually designed sculptures will be situated at various locations across the city centre in time for the Magna Carta Weekend – June 13 and 14, through to mid-September.

The Lincoln Business Improvement Group (BIG) has teamed-up with Wild in Art to devise the quirky trail – which will also take place in Salisbury, Lincoln’s sister Magna Carta city.

Businesses are being offered the opportunity to get themselves noticed by thousands of tourists and shoppers, by signing-up to be part of Lincoln’s Magna Carta 800th Anniversary celebrations and sponsoring a Baron.

Sponsors get a professionally-designed Baron sculpture which includes their company name, logo and details displayed on a plinth – and this figure will form part of the display around Lincoln throughout this summer.

The company will be invited to view and be consulted on designs from a wealth of local artistic talent and this initiative gives businesses a chance to engage staff, customers and associate with their uniquely decorated sculpture.

Other benefits include – using the Baron and the overall Barons’ Charter Trail to raise awareness of their brand, having their company details included on the Barons’ Charter Trail website and an invitation to official Barons’ Charter Trail events.

The sponsor’s brand will also feature on an exclusive Barons’ Charter Trail map, which will be available both on and offline.

Lincoln BIG’s sister organisation Visit Lincoln is also organising a treasure hunt encouraging people to “collect” all of the Barons.

Lincoln BIG Chief Executive Matt Corrigan said: “We think this is going to be a fabulous fun trail and we can’t think of a better way for a business to promote itself during what promises to be a key year in Lincoln’s history,

“Each Baron starts out as a blank sculpture but, once it has been sponsored, it could become a construction Baron, engineer Baron, craftsman Baron, lawyer Baron or even a Steampunk Baron. They will all be individual and the possibilities are endless.

“Ten sponsors have already rushed to reserve their Barons, so we encourage other businesses to act fast so that they don’t miss out. We are planning a high-profile marketing campaign promoting the trail through printed leaflets and also online.

“Ideally we would love to get to 25 Barons, which is the number who actually made King John agree to the Magna Carta, but we will need sufficient sponsors to achieve this.

“There is also another brilliant reason for becoming a sponsor. Each of the Barons will be auctioned off in aid of the Trussell Trust – a national charity which operates foodbanks and a proportion of the monies raised will be used in projects in the Lincoln area.”

Magna Carta Carnival

Lincoln BIG has also received a £10,000 grant towards staging a special carnival as part of Magna Carta Weekend (June 13 and 14).

Lincoln BIG has also bid to other sources, such as the Arts Council, Lincolnshire County Council and the Lincoln Cultural Arts Partnership, with the aim of securing funds to further boost this highlight in the city’s events calendar.

Matt Corrigan added:“2015 is a milestone year. Lincoln Cathedral owns one of only four surviving copies of 1215 Magna Carta – as well as the 1217 Charter of the Forest (which added to Magna Carta’s freedoms). We are the only place in the world where people can see these two documents at the same time.”

Three of Lincoln’s Cooplands bakery stores have been closed, resulting in 12 job losses, after the company went into administration.

Around 40 stores have been closed nationally, including the ones on Lincoln High Street, Sincil Street and in The Forum in North Hykeham causing more than 300 job losses nationally.

Of the Lincoln stores, two jobs have been lost from Lincoln High Street, seven from Sincil Street and three from The Forum.

The company had over 80 stores, 26 sandwich vans and 562 employees. Business restructuring specialist Resolve has purchased 41 branches of Cooplands, including the stores on Bailgate and the Carlton Centre in Lincoln, saving over 260 jobs in total.

Deloitte have been names as administrators of the company. Adrian Berry, joint administrator, said: “Cooplands has seen a recent deterioration in trading performance across its retail business, which combined with a significant fixed manufacturing cost, has resulted in unsustainable losses.

“Regrettably we have had to close 39 retail stores together with the bakery and head office in Doncaster.

“However, there is some positive news today with the sale of 41 retail stores and the entire mobile sandwich van business, which will preserve 259 jobs.”

Paul Davies, Director at Resolve, said: “Cooplands will continue to focus on providing great customer service and the best quality products at competitive prices. To celebrate the purchase, Cooplands will be introducing some great new offers from tomorrow.

“We would like to thank our loyal customers and staff for their support during Cooplands’ 83 year history and your local bakery looks forward to serving you for many years to come.”

Around 20% of employees in Lincoln are paid less than the living, according to data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In November last year, the living wage was increased to £7.85 for areas outside of London; the minimum wage is currently £6.50.

The data, estimated by ONS based on its 2014 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, shows that in Lincoln 20.2% of employees were paid less than living wage.

Of these, 17.2% were male and 22.5 were female. Some 34.2% of employees were working on part-time contracts.

In North Kesteven 31.2% of employees were paid less than minimum wage, in West Lindsey showed 28.9% and East Lindsey showed 28.8%.

The East Midlands, as a whole, has the largest percentage of people paid less than the living wage in the whole of the England and Wales at 24.7% – one in four jobs,

On average 21.7% of people in the UK are on less than living wage.

The figures have been analysed and ranked by general union GMB in a campaign to convince local authorities to back living wage.

Andy Worth, GMB Regional Secretary for the East Midlands said: “The Living Wage matters because it takes into account the income that people need for a minimum acceptable standard of living. It is a first step towards a rate of pay that people can live on without relying on benefits. Life below the Living Wage is a life of want and worry for millions of workers and their families.

“Town halls can’t solve the low-pay problem on their own and some in the worst-hit areas are already signed up to the Living Wage. But councils are a very important part of the picture locally, not least through their procurement of goods and services from other local employers.”

Some 50 employers and organisations welcomed around 1,000 people to the Lincoln Jobs Fair on Friday, February 6 with job vacancies advertised alongside seminar opportunities and skills sessions.

The fair, which was held at the County Assembly Rooms on Bailgate, was hosted by Lincoln MP Karl McCartney and his team in Lincoln and Westminster.

The fair was open to people of all ages and experience and was supported by Job Centre Plus and key sponsors such as Kisimul Group, Stagecoach, The Showroom, Lagat, Branston, Interserve Healthcare, the YMCA and The Lincolnite.

Lincoln MP Karl McCartney said: “Today has been a very positive event. Over 50 business and organisations in and around Lincoln had decided to be in attendance and we have welcomed in the region of 1,000 people to the event.

“It’s a privilege to offer the people of Lincoln new opportunities and we have seen people attend that are both looking for jobs, interested in hearing what else is out there, or looking for new training or apprenticeships.

“Something I’m very pleased about is the fact that, compared with say 2010, unemployment in Lincoln has dropped dramatically.

“Businesses and organisations in attendance today have included charities, huge local firms like Siemens and organisations such as Lincoln College and the University of Lincoln.”

Camper UK celebrated their grand reopening on February 6, just over a year after a fire devastated the company’s former home.

The Lincoln-based camper van sales firm have opened a new showroom on Deacon Road, which they say is bigger and better then their previous store.

The company lost everything inside their old showroom, including 26 vehicles, after the fire broke out in January 2014.

The new building consists of a main showroom, an outside storage area, a service area and an accessories shop. The firm are currently selling camper vans starting at £26,000 to £102,000.

Alan Pickering, Joint Managing Director for Camper UK said: “We are a £15 million turnover business. Over the next few years we want to develop that into an £18 million turnover. Camper UK is a good solid business.

“I think we have done a fantastic job which is testament to the team we have. We were always looking to move and we found this building around 18 months ago and during the negotiations and the moving in period we had the devastating fire.

“To get to where we got to now without the fire is a marvellous effort. With the fire it is unbelievable what we have achieved.”

Lincoln MP, Karl McCartney also attended the opening. He said: “It is amazing where they have come from in a year. It is a great site and it is amazing to take a tour to see, not just the showroom but also for the workshop facilities that they have.”

New jobs and a new lease of life are on the cards for a high-tech manufacturing facility in Lincoln.

The new owners of Dowsett House on Sadler Road, Castle Square Developments Ltd, plan to revitalise the area, allowing it to be used for car sales.

Work is expected to start soon but no date has been confirmed at this point.

The building is poised to be remodelled by the Scampton-based company and its development partner Stirlin Developments – signalling future employment opportunities.

John Lockwood, Chairman of Castle Square Developments, said: “We were interested in this site as soon as we knew it was on the market. It comprises good quality freehold land, of which there is a limited amount in Lincoln.

“We intend to redevelop it and have already achieved outline planning consent that will allow it to be used for car sales. This may or may not be its eventual use due its excellent location and the amount of interest being shown in the premises by various parties.”

James Kirby, Stirlin Developments Managing Director, said: “We are primarily freehold developers and we struggle to acquire freehold land, so when an opportunity like this crops up we tend to move quickly.”

This story was first published in issue 15 of Lincolnshire Business magazine. Read the full issue here.

The rollout of better broadband to 95% of Lincolnshire is ahead of schedule, say project partners Onlincolnshire and BT.

The project, which has gained around £40.3 million of investment so far, has now brought faster broadband to 74,000 homes and businesses across the county.

The rollout is delivering superfast access – internet speeds greater than 24 Mbps – to those properties not covered by existing commercial networks.

The coverage amounts so far to 75%, with the aim set to reach 95% coverage by 2017 and an additional 1700 premises a week.

Nationally, rollout of better broadband has hit a two million milestone. Of these, 188,955 properties in the East Midlands are now enjoying access to faster speeds.

Liz Truss MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs took a tour of Lincoln Technology Hub on the University of Lincoln campus on Monday, February 9, which offers businesses access to the latest technology.

Liz Truss MP said: “We are seeing the impact here in Lincolnshire with more jobs being created.

“We are seeing more activity in rural areas as they get connected. It means that you can run a business from somewhere quite remote and you can reach the rest of the world.

“Today, we are launching pilot projects to look at solutions for that final 5% because, having access to broadband is vital for all kinds of businesses, whether you are a farmer or a small rural business.

“We are seeing a very high rate of start ups in rural areas, higher in fact than urban areas outside of London.”

Councillor Colin Davie, Executive Member for Economic Development said:“We in Lincolnshire are ahead of our target and we in Lincolnshire have close to 75,000 home connected.

“We’re seeing a real increase in the number of people signing up for superfast broadband, and with the improvements being rolled out even more will be able to benefit.

“Improved broadband is not only vital for business growth, but for all residents accessing services, including the growing number of silver surfers, and for young people looking to download learning materials. The possibilities are endless.

“So check our website to find out whether you’re in a superfast area, and contact your internet service provider to upgrade your package.

“I have no intention of anyone being missed out. People say that roads are critical but this is even more critical in my view.

“Once we have this sorted out I want to get mobile phone technology and start thinking about how we are going to address those issues. We need to have 4G everywhere.”

Developers have been given the green light for a 30-home estate on land near Lincoln, including 14 affordable homes.

The land at Heath Road in Scothern, which will be renamed The Grange, is currently a cleared field.

Approval for the development plans, submitted by Chestnut Homes, was granted by West Lindsey District Council’s planning committee on February 4.

The housing estate will consist of a mixture of one and two-bedroom bungalows, one-bedroom apartments and two five-bedroom houses.

Some 16 of the homes will be sold on the open market and 14 will be affordable homes.

As part of the work, Heath Road will be widened and improved in front of the site. The existing footpath will also be extended to provide access to the site.

A number of objections were received in response to the application regarding concerns over highway safety, drainage, location and a lack of local facilities.

Conditions of the approval included details of which homes will be affordable, as well as maintenance and management of public open space and drainage systems.

David Newton, Managing Director of Chestnut Homes, said: “We are delighted that our plans for Scothern have been approved and we look forward to bringing forward these 30 much-needed new homes.

“The Grange will provide a mix of property types to meet local housing need. We took great care in drawing up our plans for this site to ensure that our scheme both complemented and enhanced the village.

“The frontage of the development and the homes within it have been designed to create an attractive street scene which echoes the character of traditional Scothern.

“The site plan includes a village green, which the new homes will overlook, and includes the retention of hedges and trees to mitigate the visual impact of the new homes.

“People who have grown up in villages often face the prospect of having to move further afield due to a lack of affordable homes and high property prices, and developments like The Grange will only help to address this issue.

“We look forward to beginning work in the near future on our new homes at The Grange.”

As part of a mission to double Lincolnshire tourism by 2020, more than 150 people attended the Transforming Tourism 2015 conference in the city on February 11.

West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) organised the event at the Epic Centre in the Showground to bring the county together businesses and organisations to increase Lincolnshires tourism and economy.

Speakers included Susan Hallam, Managing Director at Hallam Internet Ltd, and James Berresford, Chief Executive of Visit England.

Wendy Osgodby, Tourism Manager at WLDC, said: “We organised this event as the visitor economy is a key sector in Lincolnshire and we want to help this sector grow and develop. It is all about helping individual businesses move forward.”

Susan Hallam spoke about how to transform business online, including how to use social media successfully; she said: “Businesses came to the event with the expectation that they wanted to improve their online marketing.

“The kind of topics that I covered were in terms of getting discovered in Google, improving your website and working with your email marketing. This gave the businesses practical steps that they can take when they go back to their offices.

“It’s exciting to come along to a conference like this. My expectation is that they go away and do something. I’d like to think that colleagues would be looking to see what they have done.

“They can be sharing best practice, they can show what it is that they’ve achieved and they will have practical results that they can measure that can make their businesses more successful.”

Lydia Rusling, Principal Development at Tourism and Visitor Economy for Lincolnshire County Council, added: “It is a celebration of everything Lincolnshire and tourism. We want to double tourism for the county by 2020.

“When we work together we are stronger; whether that is joining an initiative like Select Lincolnshire by promoting local food, or a tea room having a Magna Carta themed afternoon tea, and taking advantage of the investment that we have had in Lincoln Castle.”

Phase two of work to revamp North Kesteven Sports Centre into a new £3.6 million facility has begun, with local contractors secured for the build.

North Kesteven District Council (NKDC)’s redevelopment of the centre in North Hykeham is set for completion in March 2016, when it will be relaunched as One NK.

As previously reported, the scheme was set for £2.5 million of investment before the council agreed to allocate a further £1.1 million of its New Homes Bonus.

The name change comes after the idea was welcomed in a public consultation.

The council’s project board voted on a number of different options, with One NK coming out on top due to the nature of the name — one place to go to the gym, swim, take a class, theatre or even go to school.

With the second phase of the project underway, NKDC appointed local contractors Lindum Group to take on the work.

The next part of One NK’s journey sees the introduction of two multi-purpose activity studios. The studios will feature a semi-sprung cushioned vinyl floor; an acoustic suspended ceiling system; modular lighting and air conditioning, alongside glazed screens to see into the studios.

The cafe will be relocated on the ground floor and there will also be improved air conditioning, heating and lighting, new dry changing rooms with private cubicles and showers, and a unisex assisted changing facility.

By the end of the project, work will also be carried out to improve the swimming pool facilities.

The flume will be replaced and relocated to enable better spectator viewing during gala activities, the area surrounding the pool will be re-tiled, the pool hall modernised, a Toddler Splash activity area created, the heating system renewed and the building re-roofed.

A new 3G all-weather all-purpose football pitch is already open after construction was carried out by Woodhead.

In addition, the gym will be relocated and enlarged, more studio space will be provided and the building will be re-roofed.

Lindum say they aim to keep disruption to a minimum, however people should expect a few temporary changes. These include the contractors making use of some of the parking and tennis courts, closure of the spectator gallery and the café operating from the Theatre Foyer until its new location is complete.

Council Leader Marion Brighton OBE said: “Our main aim with the North Kesteven Centre project is to meet the needs of the customer. Through consultation we listened to what is required and remain committed to arts and leisure in the district.

“With the help of Lindum Group Ltd, we believe this will be carried out to a high standard and look forward to seeing the results over the next year.”

Kevin Damarell, Managing Director of Lindum Building and Maintenance Services in Lincoln added: “Being a local contractor we understand what these facilities mean to the community, and will put our heart and soul into the project to make sure it meets everyone’s needs.”

The first few tenuous steps of a fledgeling entrepreneur can often be marred by swamps of information, checklists and ticking target pressures. Breaking into business or new territories however, need not be a lone mission, especially with the University of Lincoln’s business incubation and support programme’s ever widening outreach. At its lead, Vicky Addison has an unwavering passion to nurture and drive innovation, and she’s tenacious in her vision for a sustainable network of professionals in and beyond the city.

This feature interview was first published in issue 15 of the Lincolnshire Business weekly magazine, now available to read at www.lincsbusiness.co. Subscribe to the email newsletter to receive the latest edition in your inbox this Friday.

From the offset, Vicky, 35, has a talent for friendly, earnest conversation and her drive is infectious. Her role as head of business incubation and growth sees her not only aiding the beginnings of new enterprise ideas at Sparkhouse on the university campus, but also helping existing firms excel, innovate and grow through the high-tech Think Tank office space facility.

‘Sparking’ the university’s business incubation programme in 2003, the Sparkhouse facility on the Brayford campus has helped hundreds of tenants find their feet. Vicky joined the mission in 2010 after a £3.2 million extension with a remit of managing the space and making the facility self-sustainable within five years. “When I came, typically the occupancy sat at about 60%,” she said. “Now not only is the facility a self-sustainable business, but we also operate at more than 90% occupancy most of the time. We are never at 100% because of the way businesses move but in terms of stimulating and supporting interest we have definitely seen a big increase.

“We now also support in the region of 45 virtual tenants who can use facilities, events and expertise here. At any one time we have around 100 businesses that we are working with and that consists of young entrepreneurs looking to start out, through to companies that are interested in innovation and growth who we support through Think Tank.”

In just five years, Vicky has greatly amplified her role after the university took on management of the £7.1 million Lincoln Think Tank Innovation Centre, and supported the creation of new Lincoln Science & Innovation Park (LSIP) – a fashion true to her way of work. “I’m one of those people who like to push the boundaries,” she added. “I don’t just do my job description, I try to do other things to move forward. It’s been that way throughout my whole career.”

The ability to be ever forward-thinking and “pushing the boundaries” is something that Vicky naturally applies to the ethos of the business: “Not only are we now a sustainable business of our own but we are always thinking innovatively about how we can invest more into the services we provide, in that sense we are practicing what we preach.”

Read the full cover interview in issue 15 of the Lincolnshire Business magazine here. Also, look out for the next issue on Friday.

HSBC has announced that it will close its branch on the junction of Newark Road and Rookery Lane, on May 1.

The three staff who work at the site will be transferred to other HSBC branches in the area.

A spokesperson for HSBC said: “Our customers’ habits are changing – they are increasingly using the convenience of internet, smartphone or telephone banking for their day to day needs. We have seen a 40% reduction in customer footfall over the last four years.

“It is never a decision we take lightly, but on occasions this has meant we have needed to close a branch and our Lincoln branch is a case in point.

“Decisions like this are never easy, but we worked with the small number of customers who use the branch to help them reorganise their finance ahead of the closure.”

Students in Lincoln are forking out over 27% more for their rented accommodation than non-students living in similar housing, according to new research.

Undergraduates in the city are charged an average of £84.02 per person per week (pppw) by landlords for privately rented housing, with the average rental price in the city being £65.84 – 27.61% less.

Only Loughborough (36.08%) and Durham (31.84%) charge higher student premiums on average.

By contrast, the UK-wide research, conducted by student housing search website StuRents, suggests that students in the south of England are enjoying accommodation at a discount compared to the prices paid by locals in the same areas.

For example, students in Reading are paying an average of £80.78 pppw for accommodation in areas where the overall average price is £132.75 pppw – a discount of 39.2%.

Undergraduates in Oxford also enjoy a 32.63% discount on housing compared with non-students.

Tom Walker, Co-Founder of StuRents.com said: “In towns and cities where the mainstream rental market suffers from upwards pressure as a result of a burgeoning demand from young professionals and out-of-reach house prices, the student rental sector seems to trade at a discount to the market average.

“Conversely, the general consensus in the northern half of England seems to be that students represent a more premium demographic, and rental prices are adjusted upwards to accommodate this.”

The University of Lincoln Students’ Union and letting agents Lighthouse and Loc8me were contacted but declined to comment.

Jobs at Lincoln’s largest employer Siemens have been secured for the long-term after the company won a major new contract on Thursday, February 12.

The global giant, which employs around 1,500 members of staff across its three sites in the city, has won a £30 million contract to deliver gas turbines to a major South American company.

All nine of the core engines for these turbines and six of the full packages will be manufactured in the Siemens plant in Lincoln and supplied to OCENSA, the main oil line pipeline operator responsible for 70% of the crude oil transported in Colombia.

To mark the announcement, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne visited the firm’s base at Teal Park where he also set out the Conservative Party’s six-point Long Term Economic Plan for the Midlands.

The Chancellor said the aim of the long term plan is to make the Midlands an Engine for Growth by investing in skills and transport, and creating 300,000 new jobs locally over the next five years.

By 2030, the plan aims to add an extra £34 billion in real terms to the Midlands economy – an extra £3,000 per person.

George Osborne said: “Lincolnshire is an extremely important part of our Long Term Economic Plan and I wanted to come and see a brilliant local business – great British engineering that’s going to create jobs here and deliver products for the Latin American market.

“Our plan involves backing the core strengths of the ‎local economy here in Lincoln, like advanced manufacturing and engineering. It’s a fantastic example of what we want to see more of – more economic opportunities for this county and more economic opportunities for the Midlands.

“Here in Lincoln we’ve seen a massive fall in unemployment and youth unemployment. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by having an economic policy that invests in what’s required to bring jobs to Lincoln, and deliver economic security for Britain as a whole.”

Lincoln MP Karl McCartney added: “It’s great news for Lincoln that Siemens has won the £30 million contract and I’m very happy that George Osborne has been up to see the amazing success story of the company in the city and hear the long-standing history of Lincoln’s manufacturing and engineering sector.

“We want to enable all businesses – ones as big as Siemens and smaller businesses – to grow and thrive in Lincoln. We also want to attract new businesses, but this can only be achieved by having that proper transport infrastructure and broadband infrastructure in place as well as consistent economic growth.”

Councillor Colin Davie, Executive Member for Economic Growth at Lincolnshire County Council, also welcomed the news.

He added: “Over the last few months, I have been impressing upon the Chancellor that Lincolnshire is well-placed to play a key role in driving economic growth in the region.

“We continue to support local businesses, helping them flourish and create new jobs – our role in the Teal Park development being a prime example.

“And we’re investing heavily in new infrastructure, such as roads and superfast broadband, which is helping attract new companies to the county.”

The announcement follows a positive year for the Lincoln base of the company, with work having also just begun on the extension to the Siemens Product Training School, based at the University of Lincoln, with the help of a further £500,000 contribution by Siemens.

Neil Corner, Managing Director, Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have secured this contract and it proves once again that by continuing to invest in our people, facilities and innovation, we have a world-class business here in Lincoln that is able to compete and win in the global market place.”

The Lincolnshire Showground is one of the first three projects in the county to secure funding for a pilot Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ).

Some 11 new zones will be created across England to make it easier for farming businesses to grow, and bring new jobs and opportunities to boost the local economy.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are offering grants of up to £50,000 to set up the projects.

Based around Local Development Orders, and in line with local priorities, they will make the planning process simpler and easier for food and farming businesses that want to expand.

The pilot schemes will allow local people to decide what kinds of businesses should be in their FEZ, and where it should be located.

The Lincolnshire Agricultural Showground and Helmswell Cliff Business Park have together been allocated funding to build a food enterprise zone to grow local food businesses. A partnership with Bishop Burton College will also see support training, research and technology development opportunities.

Funding will also be supplied to create FEZs in Europarc business park in Grimsby and The National Centre for Food Manufacturing in Holbeach.

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said: “Food Enterprise Zones will help unlock the potential of local food and farming businesses, boosting local economies and attracting more investment.

“Consumers both here and abroad want to buy Great British food. These zones will ensure we can grow more top quality produce and expand our food industry, which is worth more than £100 billion a year to the UK economy – more than cars and aerospace combined.

“Food and farming is at the heart of our long-term economic plan and vital to securing Britain’s economic future.”

The Joseph Banks Conservatory at The Lawn in Lincoln is set for demolition as the landmark is redeveloped.

The Grade II listed building, which sits on Union Road near the Cathedral Quarter was purchased by bidders R W Stokes in November, after being put up for sale by the City Council earlier in the year.

In order to create more car parking spaces, the City Council is proposing to extend the existing car park. This would include the demolition of the existing Joseph Banks Conservatory.

The council has held discussions with the Joseph Banks Society with a view to developing a proposal to build a new conservatory adjacent to the Dawber Gardens.

The society is now looking at ways to raise funds for the project.

R W Stokes plan to make The Lawn an operational outlet for Stokes Tea and Coffee, with a roastery, café, barista training and wholesale.

Mark Wheater, Strategic Property Manager for the City Council, said: “Stokes has ambitious plans for the site, including the creation of a new coffee shop and museum.

“Adequate car parking is essential to accommodate the increase in visitors this will undoubtedly attract.

“We’ve worked closely with the Joseph Banks Society to ensure it can create a new conservatory and garden area and have made a sizeable piece of land available to be developed as funds are realised.”

Nick Peel, Managing Director of Stokes, said: “The new conservatory and extended car parking will ensure at last that The Lawn becomes a commercially viable site of public access and interest, and a worthy neighbour for the Castle and Cathedral.

“After initial disappointment that the existing Joseph Banks Conservatory was no longer sustainable, we were delighted when the Joseph Banks Society working with the city council, came forward with plans for a new Joseph Banks Heritage Centre on the site

Paul Scott, of the Joseph Banks Society, said: “We are excited by the prospect of a new larger, and modern Joseph Banks Conservatory which will incorporate the Dawber Gardens and the West Lawn and will also include education facilities as well as adding to the visitor experience in uphill Lincoln.”

In addition to the car parking/conservatory proposals, RW Stokes are working towards submitting a full planning application for the wider scheme.

Bus passengers in some of the most rural parts of Lincolnshire will benefit from an improved service from the County Council’s CallConnect bus service.

The rural bus service saw passenger figures rise to more than 322,000 in 2014, the biggest annual total since the service launched nearly 15 years ago. It represents a 5% growth in passenger numbers compared to 2013.

To cater for the increasing demand, the council is introducing a new online booking system and real-time vehicle tracking facility so that customers can track their bus up to one hour before departure.

The council will also continue to refurbish and and refresh the vehicles to improve the quality of the CallConnect fleet.

Councillor Richard Davies, Executive Member for Transport and Highways said: “We are delighted to announce another year of rising passenger numbers because this means we are continuing to reach out to more people in rural and isolated areas.

“CallConnect is a much valued service which is making a difference to more people’s lives every year. It’s important that we continue to move forward with new initiatives and a constant drive to make our services as efficient and effective as possible.”

The service operates between 7am and 7pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 6pm on Saturdays.

Anyone wishing to find out more about the Lincolnshire service can call 0345 234 3344.

Lincoln-based Rilmac Fabrication has been contracted to manufacture the £75,000 Lincoln Tank Memorial, which will be revealed on May 10.

The company, which specialises in asbestos, insulation and scaffolding markets, will create the life-sized model of a Mark I tank on the Tritton Road roundabout, near to the University of Lincoln.

Managed by the Lincoln Tank Memorial Group, the structure will sit close to the site of William Foster and Co’s factory where the first tank came off the production line in 1916.

The project has also been given a boost by Chancellor George Osborne, who pledged £15,000 of support towards its construction during a visit to Lincoln on February 12.

The memorial will be in the form of a partly constructed tank; it will have no guns as no production tank ever fired a shot in Lincoln, and the male and female figures standing around the tank will be dressed in their work wear with spanners and paintbrushes in their hands.

The memorial will also include the figures of Tritton, Rigby and Wilson, who were the designers, developers and manufacturers of the tank.

Rilmac, who have a long history of engineering in the heart of the city, were selected to manufacture the memorial after a competitive tendering process.

Alan Wilds, Managing Director of Rilmac Fabrication said: “We are extremely proud to be a part of this project that recognizes the rich tradition of engineering that exists in Lincoln.

“It is key that we appreciate our heritage and the efforts made by the people of Lincoln in the past and how they underpin the continued engineering excellence offered by companies such as ourselves within the city.”