Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to what was the first meeting of the Prosperous Communities Committee, not only of the current Civic Year, but also the first of the new term of office, following the elections in May. She expressed thanks for those Councillors who had been involved previously in the Committee and welcomed all those involved at present, both new and returning.

Up to 15 minutes are allowed for public participation.  Participants are restricted to 3 minutes each.

There was no public participation.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Prosperous Communities Committee held on Tuesday, 7 March 2023.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Prosperous Communities Committee held on 7 March, 2023 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Setting out current position of previously agreed actions as at 19 May 2023

The Senior Democratic Services Officer introduced the Matters Arising Schedule, giving Members of the Committee a brief summary of the purpose of the schedule and how they could expect it to be used to track actions arising from each meeting. It was explained that the document was for noting only, however Members could pass comment or ask questions of Officers should they seek additional information.

With no comments, questions or requirement for a vote, the Matters Arising schedule was DULY NOTED.

Members may make any declarations at this point but may also make them at any time during the course of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest at this juncture.

The Director of Planning Regeneration and Communities introduced the report and explained that it set out an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee (CLJSPC).

It was explained that the aim of the MOU was to ensure the smooth operation of the CLJSPC as it oversaw the production and adoption of the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan. The background to the formation of the CLJSPC, its responsibilities, membership and governance were outlined. It was emphasised that each of the four authorities remain individually responsible for other planning functions such as development management and neighbourhood planning. The CLJSPC had responsibility for the preparation, submission and adoption of the Local Plan.

It was noted that the MOU had not been reviewed since 2009 and the proposed changes detailed in the report to bring the document up to date to reflect the current operation of the partnership were outlined. The proposed changes had all been agreed between officers of each of the partner authorities and also each democratic services team. Therefore, officers were happy that the proposed changes were appropriate and reflective of the activity and approach taken by Central Lincolnshire and the partnership of authorities.

The recommended changes were detailed and the Committee was requested to consider and approve the changes, and that the Director of Planning Regeneration and Communities be authorised to sign the MOU on behalf of West Lindsey District Council.

A Member of the Committee thanked Officers for the work on the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan and suggested it was a long running and well proven project and that it was important to keep the MOU under continuous review.

It was proposed and seconded that the recommendations in the report be approved and, on being put to the vote, it was unanimously

RESOLVED that the new Memorandum of Understanding, as shown in Appendix 1 to the report, between the Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee and Partner Authorities, which includes West Lindsey District Council (WLDC), be approved, and the Director of Planning Regeneration and Communities be authorised to sign the MOU on behalf of WLDC.

The Committee heard from the Change, Projects and Performance Officer who provided an overview of performance reporting in general, to set the scene for the report, which would be regularly presented to the Committee.

It was explained that the report was brought for discussion by Members of the Committee due to the links to services and strategies that were set within those services for which the Committee was constitutionally responsible. It was highlighted that the report was publicly available and, following approval by both the Prosperous Communities and Corporate Policy and Resources Committees, would be published on the Council website.

Members heard that each service had a collection of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). For those whose performance was within the control of the Council, the target was allocated based on either baseline performance or statutory requirement (such as planning KPIs) . There were also KPIs where performance was outside of the Council’s control (such as received planning applications) and for those KPIs there were no targets allocated.  

Every year all measures and targets would be reviewed, with the involvement of Members, to ensure the KPIs continued to drive service improvement, remained aligned to the corporate/service priorities, the targets were relevant and stretched, and that they were helpful to Councillors in aiding understanding of service activity and performance.

It was explained that the data within the report to the policy committees was on an exception basis, meaning that only those KPIs whose performance returned as red or green were included. KPIs without targets were also included in the report. In addition, it was clarified that Quarter 2 and Quarter 4 reports were presented to the committees whilst Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 reports were circulated via the Members newsletter. The Committee heard there would be a review of the 2023/24 measures set later this year, which would involve working closely with Councillors via working groups, further details would follow in due course.

The Officer proceeded to detail the specifics contained within the report as follows.

Overall Summary of Council Performance. This section of the report provided an overview of KPI performance, with a breakdown of those exceeding, below or within the tolerance of their targets. Information was presented by Portfolio allowing for a clear overview of Council performance. Quarter four performance was looking positive with over 84% of all measures either exceeding or within agreed tolerance of their targets.

Corporate Health. The Corporate Health Section of the report included a suite of measures related to the overall health of the council, and, as such all measures were included, do not just reporting by exception.

It was highlighted that, due to the figures within the report being estimates, the following update on the financial figure and narrative included in this report was provided:

“COF03 - Overall Council budget forecast outturn (%) -3.72%. The end of quarter four reports a surplus of £564k underspend on the forecast budget, which equates to a -3.72% variance against the revised budget. The variance within this position  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Senior Democratic Services Officer introduced the workplan, and, for the benefit of new Members, explained the purpose of the report and how it would shape the future agendas. It was highlighted that the workplan was to be noted only, although Councillors could comment or ask questions should they wish.

With no questions or comments, the work plan was DULY NOTED.

The Chairman thanked all present for their time and successful first meeting, and invited any members of the public watching via the webcast to attend in person in the future should they wish to, with further public engagement encouraged.