Cllr Nick Worth, county councillor representing Holbeach on Lincolnshire County Council, discusses the investment that the council has made in the whole of the South Holland area in the last few years, and future projects too.
"To start with, we've invested £4m in completely rebuilding parts of the districts road network, including a section of the A151 Winsover Road and sections of the A17 near Fleet Hargate, Long Sutton, Algarkirk, Fosdyke and Saracen's Head.
"By making major improvements to these roads now, it will mean smoother and safer journeys for people and less disruption in the coming years.
"Meanwhile, we're nearly ready to start building the first section of the Spalding Western Relief Road. This will see a new five-arm roundabout at Spalding Road and a signalised T-junction at Vernatt's Drain built, along with a bridge spanning over the Lincoln to Peterborough rail line.
"This section of the relief road will cost £34m. Once the whole relief road is finished, people can expect better journey times and less congestion in and around Spalding, particularly as more freight passes through town.
"In 2017, we spent nearly £6m to build a brand new roundabout where the A17 and A151 meet. The previous T-junction was a collision hotspot, so this new junction has made getting around South Holland much much safer for people.
"Not only that but it has also provided some of the key road infrastructure needed for the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprize Zone.
"The FEZ, as we call it, is a huge project to the north west of Holbeach, that is progressing fast! Together with partners, we're building a high quality business park that will meet the demand from food technology businesses, both locally and nationally, who want to be close to our existing food producers.
"It's a 15-acre site, and one of the key parts of it is the Food Centre of Excellence being built by the University of Lincoln.
"As well as the millions of pounds that the council has invested, the project has recently been boosted with £6.4 million of government money from the ‘Getting Building Fund’. This will help accelerate further developments on and around the site, including a brand new ‘hub’ building which will help foster a community for businesses that locate here.
"We have also invested half a million pounds into the development of Sutton Bridge Marina which is due for further expansion next year thanks to central government money from the Coastal Communities Fund.
"And away from roads and businesses, one of our key priorities is giving our children a great start in life.
"A good education is vital to that, so over the last few years we have invested over £13m in improving and maintaining schools in this district.
"Notable projects include the creation of new classrooms at Spalding Parish Primary School, Monkshouse Primary School and Pinchbeck East Primary School. The council also made a significant contribution towards an expansion at University Academy, Holbeach.
"Not only did these projects create hundreds of new places to help meet the growing demand for spaces, but also improved the facilities for the existing pupils.
"And to ensure we keep our residents safe, South Holland will benefit from the £8m the council has spent on new fire appliances and equipment in the last year. Fire stations at Crowland, Holbeach, Donington, Long Sutton and Spalding will all benefit from top of the range equipment to help at fires, road traffic collisions, rescue operations and other incidents.
"Another vital service we continue to invest in is our household waste recycling centres. We’ve recently invested in a new compactor at our Spalding site to ensure we can continue to offer our high standards of service.
"Overall, we have invested more than £60m on projects in the South Holland area in the last few years, and we're continuing to do this to improve facilities for our residents.
"And this is on top of the billion pounds we spend on running day to day services across Lincolnshire including schools, caring for older and vulnerable adults, safeguarding children, running the tips, disposing of waste, the fire service, filling potholes and so many other public services."