Brand new signs will be erected at two junctions of the A1 by the end of the month (May) after a joint campaign by Karl McCartney MP, Lincolnshire County Council, Lincoln BIG, as well as other local Lincolnshire Councillors and local businessmen.
The argument that Lincoln should have brown signs was won after a co-ordinated approach from Lincoln’s leading officials within Lincolnshire County Council, Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln BIG, Greater Lincolnshire LEP and local Member of Parliament, Karl McCartney MP. Mr McCartney’s involvement was pivotal which involved him raising the matter in Westminster by making representations to Ministers at the Department for Transport in numerous letters and personal meetings, in addition to taking part in a debate in Parliament on the issue of brown signs.
After the campaign finally won approval after over 25 years of asking, Lincoln BIG led the search for money to fund the signs and earlier this year secured the full £60,000 needed after Lincolnshire County Council, Lincoln Cathedral, Lincolnshire Co-op, City of Lincoln Council, Bishop Grosseteste University, the University of Lincoln and Lincoln BIG all contributed to the fund.
The brown signs will be installed at two sites on the A1 – at Newark and Markham Moor near Tuxford - by June of this year.
Karl McCartney MP said: “As a significant historic Cathedral and County City and as home of one of just four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta, I have long felt that having some ‘tourist’ brown signs pointing travellers on the A1 towards Lincoln is of crucial importance to our tourist and visitor industry.
“With the longstanding help and support of Lincoln BIG, Lincolnshire County Council, Lincoln Cathedral, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, the University of Lincoln, local businesses and others, and with the help of Conservative Ministers at the Department for Transport, together we have finally, after much bureaucratic delay, made A1 located brown signs to Lincoln finally become a reality."
Cllr Richard Davies, Lincolnshire County Council’s Executive Member for Highways and Transport, said: “I am grateful to Lincoln’s Member of Parliament, Karl McCartney MP, for working with me and my colleagues at the County Council on our successful campaign for brown signs along the A1, which I am sure will provide a boost to our tourist industry.
“Our Conservative-led County Council will continue to work proactively with our City’s Conservative MP to improve our transport infrastructure for the betterment of the residents and visitors in Lincoln and Lincolnshire.”
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For further information, please contact Karl McCartney MP at [email protected] / 020 7219 7221.