Agenda and draft minutes

The Chairman welcomed all Members, Officers and Members of the Public to the meeting, with a special welcome extended to Katie Barry, Head Teacher of St Georges School in Gainsborough, who the Chairman would be formally recognising, later in proceedings, for her contribution towards the lives of young people in the town.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting of Full Council held on 26 January 2026.

Having been proposed and seconded, on being put to the vote it was:-

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of Full Council held on 26 January 2026 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Members may make any declarations of interest at this point and may also make them at any point during the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made at this point in the meeting.

Setting out the current position of previously agreed actions as at 20 February 2026 -  for noting.

The Chairman introduced the report, advising Members that it would be taken “as read” unless Members had any questions that they wished to raise.

With no comments or questions and with no requirement to vote, the matters arising were DULY NOTED.

i)               Chairman of Council

ii)              Leader of the Council

iii)            Head of Paid Service

Chairman

The Chairman addressed Council indicating he wished to use his announcements this evening to “recognise one of those that make outstanding contributions to our communities -  above and beyond” -  something he had sought to do throughout his term of office.

He again welcomed Mrs Katie Barry, Headteacher of St George's School in Gainsborough, who was due to shortly to finish her position with school.  The Chairman read aloud to the Chamber the achievements of Mrs Barry.

“Mrs Barry who has served as Headteacher of St George's since 2006. For nearly 20 years Katie has led the school with exceptional dedication, compassion and unwavering commitment to its pupils, staff and wider community. Under her leadership the school has achieved an excellent Ofsted outcome, reflecting a clear vision and the strong team she has championed throughout her tenure. Beyond the school gates, Katie has made a profound difference to local families, establishing food banks, securing vital grants and ensuring that no child or parent in need went unsupported. Her impact on education and on the well -being of our community has been truly remarkable and her legacy will endure for many years to come. It is a privilege to present her with a certificate and recognition of her outstanding service”

The Chairman then presented Mrs Barry with a certificate and flowers and Members showed their appreciation with a round of applause with several paying their own tributes to Mrs Barry.

Mrs Barry in return expressed her thanks, paid tribute to her wider team at the School and spoke of the honour and privilege it had been to serve the Gainsborough community, its young people both of which she was very proud of.

With a further round of applause, Mrs Barry left the meeting and announcements continued.

The Chairman firstly reminded  Members that they could make recommendations to the civic team for any “above and beyond-  community recognition” awards, before outlining some of the events he had had the privilege to attend.

Events highlighted were the Lincolnshire Construction and Property Awards alongside Officer and teams from Gelder’s and the Savoy, as the cinema project had been nominated for an award, receiving a special recognition award for the building.  Operators had also reported the cinema continued to be busy and well used which was pleasing.

The second event being the Council led Illuminate Event, at which the Chairman had had the honour of leading the parade. He spoke of his delight and seeing so many people engaged in the event and about during the event. He also thanked all those involved in hosting and preparing the event, including the school workshops, stewarding and pre- planning activities, acknowledging the key role many volunteers played on the day. He asked that a formal thank you, from him on behalf  of all Members be sent to those Officers involved.

Leader of the Council

The Leader of the Council made the following address to Council: -

“Since the last Full council I have been able to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

Questions, if received, under this Scheme will be published by way of supplement following closure of the deadline.

The Chairman advised the meeting that no public questions had been received.

Question(s) received attached.

The Chairman advised the meeting that five questions had been received pursuant to Procedure Rule No.9, The questions had been circulated to all Members, separately to the agenda, and published on the website.

The Chairman invited Councillor Velan to put his question to the Chairman of Prosperous Communities Committee, Councillor Emma Bailey, as follows:-

“There has been a clear and ongoing increase in rubbish and litter on road verges across West Lindsey, which is damaging the appearance of the district and raising concerns about environmental harm and public perception. Given the scale and persistence of the problem, can you as the Chairman of Prosperous Communities Committee set out what specific actions the Council is currently taking, how frequently verge clearance is being carried out, what enforcement measures are in place, and whether the Council considers current resources and arrangements to be adequate?. Furthermore, what measurable improvements and timescales can residents expect to see?”

The Chairman of the Prosperous Communities responded as follows:

Thank you for your question and I would agree that there is rubbish and litter on verges across West Lindsey. I am not sure that there is an ongoing increase as WLDC do not weigh their rubbish that is collected currently for a comparison year on year. The worse reported areas are the A46 and A57 both of which are high speed roads.

Litter anywhere is an eyesore and the most common places for high volumes of litter is along high-speed roads. It amazes me with the number of bins that each household has that people still throw things out of windows and on the floor rather than disposing it properly at home or in roadside bins.

I regularly litter pick in my area and have helped to organise several group litter picks in my ward over the years. WLDC provide bags, sticks, gloves, hi vis and risk assessments and then collect the rubbish. I appreciate that the H & S involved in having crews working along the verges is complicated and potentially dangerous should there be an accident. This is one of the reasons why these clearances only happen twice a year in line with other maintenance of verges in high-speed areas, (dual carriage ways) . I have also approached probation to see if community payback could also apply to these jobs but unfortunately this is not the case.

We have recently promoted a young person called Reggie, who has been doing a fabulous job in his local area!

Some towns in the district have dedicated litter pickers in them (Mkt Rasen and Caistor have ones paid and managed through the town councils, WLDC say what they are to do and fund 20 hours per week).

The mobile street cleaning teams cover the whole district every week (some areas more frequent, dependant on the need), they will empty all dog/litter bins and if there are any places that are bad within the 30mph, litter pick those.

During 2025 the following FPNs were issued 34 FPNs (2 x breach  ...  view the full minutes text for item 88.

No Motions have been submitted for this meeting.

The Chairman advised the meeting that motions under Council Procedure Rule 10 had been received.

Councillor Bierley, Chair of Corporate Policy and Resources Committee, introduced the report and in doing so explained that  approval was being sought for a new Corporate Plan covering the period 2026 to 2030 and the corresponding thematic business plans which set out how the council intended to deliver the plan in the coming years.

He highlighted the background to the Plans development noting that in January 2025, the Council had participated in a Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge which had  recommended that the Council refreshes its Corporate Plan and business planning arrangements to ensure the Administration’s priorities were clearly reflected in both strategy and delivery.

Additionally, the Government’s announcement on Local Government Reorganisation, and new political and officer leadership for the Council had provided an appropriate opportunity for a review and refresh of strategic priorities and delivery arrangements, building on already strong foundations.

The new Corporate Plan focused on the delivery of well-managed, forward-thinking local government services that were grounded in good governance and committed to enhancing our places and improving the lives of people across the District. 

To ensure effective and focused delivery of the Corporate Plan, Corporate Policy and Resources Committee had been advised  of  new internal governance arrangements that have been developed, and which were set out clearly in the report before Members.

Importantly, work to develop the Corporate Plan had been closely linked to development of the latest Budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan, ensuring the Corporate Plan was appropriately financed and resourced and had  enabled a balanced budget to be presented to Council for consideration later in the evening.

Councillor Bierley thanked Officers for their work and collaboration over recent months to produce a Corporate Plan and delivery programme before moving the recommendations. 

The Leader of the Council, seconded the recommendations and addressed the Council on behalf of the Administration, indicating she believed the Plan was strong and ambitious and clearly set out not only the priorities of the new Administration, but also the key principles, values and behaviours that would guide working together to deliver in the years ahead.

Referring to  the 10 Point Plan, the Leader had previously  presented to Full Council which had set out a clear commitment from the new Administration to embed a new way of working, reflecting on the recommendations of the Peer Challenge;  she believed the new Corporate Plan delivered on that commitment.

The Plan aimed to deliver for the whole of the district, in the best interests of the residents. Working closely with local communities, introducing initiatives to reduce deprivation, supporting the delivery of key strategic programmes such as STEP Fusion and the redevelopment of RAF Scampton were key priorities.

Engaging with employers to create new opportunities and remove barriers to local employment, delivering the Pride in Place programme, supporting and working with parish and town councils and working with the Greater Lincolnshire Mayor to drive economic regeneration across the region were also key.

Councillor Brockway fully endorsed the Corporate Plan and seconded the recommendations.

The Deputy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 90.

Members gave consideration to a report which presented the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for 2026/27 onwards, alongside the 2026/27 Budget and the Capital Programme from 2026/27 to 2031/32.

Councillor Bierley, as Chairman of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee presented the report,  advising the MTFPs purpose was  to set a robust overall framework for the Council’s Financial Strategy and spending plans over the next five years in support of delivering the Corporate Plan.

The report set out the revised financial plans within the financial analysis for changes in Government Funding, the economic environment, local engagement and the priorities of the Council. The Plan reflected revisions to previous estimates and covered the period 2026/27 to 2030/31.

A balanced budget for 2026/27 was proposed, without the requirement to support it with funds from the general fund balance. The final local government finance settlement had been delivered in February and had set funding allocations for the next three years. This had encompassed a reset of Business Rates and a wider review of local government funding.

For 2026/27 the West Lindsey part of Council Tax was proposed to increase by 2.97% which equated to a rise of £7.38p per week for a band D property.  The 2026/27 Budget totalled £21.414m, was fully funded and represented a balanced budget within the requirements. 

Councillor Bierley moved the recommendations before handing over to the Leader who seconded the recommendations before making the following budget speech.

“On behalf of the West Lindsey Administration Group, I am delighted to second the recommendations in this paper.

Building on what Councillor Bierley has outlined, it is a busy time for the Council at the moment and this budget provides us with a stable base to continue to deliver award winning and highly efficient services whilst also working on a number of initiatives.

We are currently rolling out the food waste service which is the biggest new service the Council has delivered in many years and thanks go to not only the waste team but also teams across the Council in helping to roll out this service to residents.

The future of the former RAF Scampton site will hopefully be resolved during this year with the Council hoping to successfully bid for the site and together with Scampton Holdings deliver a once in a generation regeneration scheme. This will regenerate the site and create jobs and bring visitors to the area in what will be a landmark scheme for the area.

Part of Gainsborough has been awarded Pride in Place funding which will be up to £20m over a ten year period. The Council will look to work with the Pride in Place neighbourhood board when it is established to help to deliver long term improvements that matter to local people.

With Local Government Reorganisation on the horizon work has already started within the Council on ensuring we are in best shape we can be whilst also ensuring residents’ voices are heard when shaping any new authority.

With the new Corporate Plan  ...  view the full minutes text for item 91.

Members considered a report which sought approval for the submission of an expression of interest for the purchase of former RAF Scampton in partnership with the Council’s development partner ‘Scampton Holdings Limited’.

Securing a positive future for the community at Scampton and maximising the economic and social potential of regenerating the key site had been a priority for the council for many years now.  There was a much clearer understanding of the Government's disposal strategy and some of the associated time scales. It was considered the marketing materials reflected the Council's work to-date, particularly in creating a planning framework for the site and in setting out the priority and opportunity for investment in the defence sector, as well as the utilisation of key assets on the site, including the runway and the technical buildings.  The hugely significant heritage of the site had also clearly been articulated and the need for it be incorporated in future plans.

The paper before Members included a short options appraisal, which considered the Council's options going forward, along with an updated risk register, included at Appendix 2.

At this stage of the process, interested parties were  only required to submit an outline of their plans and outline details of how these would be taken forward.

Following submission of the EOI, shortlisted parties would be invited to submit a site proposal, summary business plan, financial offer and evidence of funding.

The District Valuation Office were completing a refreshed site valuation, which had been jointly commissioned by the Home Office and West Lindsey District Council, to help inform any future financial offer. Work continued to finalise the details of the legal agreements between the Council and Scampton Holdings and Officers outlined how the acquisition transfer to Scampton Holdings would be implemented and safeguards which would be put in place to ensure the site was delivered in alignment with the proposed master plan.   If the Councils EOI advanced to Phase 2, this would be the subject of further Committee decisions.

Debate ensued and Members across the Chamber wholeheartedly supported the submission of the EOI.  They spoke passionately of the work and efforts, and the highs and lows of the Scampton journey, thanking Officers for continuing to press for the best outcome for the District.  In the context of LGR this could be the District’s legacy.  The Plan for the site had the ability to  transform Lincolnshire and its economy and have long lasting positive implications for the people of Lincolnshire.    Members were encouraged by the information they had heard in the All Member Briefing.

In response to questions, it was confirmed, in the context of LGR, that should Lincoln City’s proposals for re-organisation be successful, the site would sit outside of the current District.  Others spoke of how the master plan complemented the work and wider aspirations of the GLCCA.  At the request of Members, Officers outlined the specialist nature of the site, the unique facilities and opportunities it presented, its significance in UK operations both historically  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92.