Agenda and draft minutes

The Chairman welcomed all present, and wished to acknowledge comments which were raised at the previous meeting regarding the length of the agenda, noting there were two reports for consideration previously, and on the current agenda. She highlighted that the point had been addressed at the previous meeting, but reiterated it was important to recognise that sufficient business did not just cover the number of items on an agenda, but also the content of those reports and the level of detailed information provided for Member consideration and debate. She stated the two reports for consideration were incredibly detailed and covered a large scope of work, making it clear they amounted to sufficient business for this meeting to have been called.

With that in mind, the Chairman also stated her approach to the meeting, in order to ensure that all Committee Members had opportunity to raise questions and comments relating to the two reports, but to keep the flow of debate, each Member would be afforded one comment and one come-back if needed.

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, 4 November 2025

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Prosperous Communities Committee held on 4 November 2025 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

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.

There are no outstanding matters arising.

There were no outstanding matters arising.

The Committee heard from the Senior Transformation and Performance Officer regarding the Progress and Delivery Quarter Two report for 2025/26, including the Performance Improvement Plan. It was highlighted that 81% of all KPIs were exceeding target, 6% were within tolerance, and 17% were below target. This figure equated to six measures, five of which were covered by the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). The Officer provided further context to those measures included in the plan, and summarised actions being taken to improve performance.

It was noted that there were two new measures contained within the PIP, those being the number of services at Lea Fields Crematorium, and the average weekly number of Tuesday and Saturday market traders. It was explained that awareness campaigns were being rolled out for the crematorium, and in relation to the market traders, work was ongoing and a new Market Officer was now in post.

Members discussed in detail the ongoing concerns regarding the Gainsborough markets, noting the extent of the town centre improvements and questioning the plans for seeing real improvements to the markets. Examples were provided of other areas in the district which were offering successful markets, such as Welton, with concerns raised that the regeneration of the area could falter if efforts were not put in to consistently build footfall and encourage shoppers into the town centre. The markets were seen as having the potential to be a key draw to the town, and Members expressed disappointment that numbers appeared to be falling rather than building.

Officers highlighted that the period covered within the report had been somewhat challenging, with town centre closures in place for building works, as well as staff changes. The cinema had now opened, there were new market hoardings in place and there had been several successful events held, however these fell outside of the reporting period. Members were advised that in real-time data, numbers were increasing, and growth was being seen.

Members acknowledged the ongoing nature of concerns regarding the markets, reiterating the implementation of improvement plans which had brought incremental growth. It was also suggested that those incremental improvements may not appear as a success from one reporting period to the next, however if compared with data from two or three years ago, the offer within the Market Place in Gainsborough was considered drastically improved. The constant challenges of changed shopping habits, for example using supermarkets or online shopping, were highlighted, with Members in agreement that the town centre needed to be seen as an attraction in itself, in order to bring visitors in as well as local residents.

Further discussion highlighted the transport difficulties across the district and beyond, with Members suggesting the Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire should be approached for improving the public transport offering into Gainsborough from surrounding areas. The success of previous focus on, for example, the antiques markets, was noted, with Members highlighting traders who had returned on that basis. The agreed aim from Members was for the markets to be an aspect  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

In giving consideration to the annual update report regarding the Environment and Sustainability Action Plan, Members were played a short video, introduced by Councillor Stephen Bunney, Chairman of the Environment & Sustainability Working Group, and featuring Councillors from around the district. This summarised the actions which had been put in place since the previous annual report, and where impact had been targeted. It also covered information such as who to contact for assistance with warm home grants, or how to get involved in volunteer groups.

The Chairman thanked the Policy and Strategy Officer - Climate and Sustainable Environment, and all Officers and Members involved, for the video introduction, acknowledging the breadth of information covered. Members echoed her sentiments and praised the innovative method of information sharing.

During the course of debate, Members enquired as to public engagement and whether there was scope to work with local experts to involve local communities in all possible areas. Examples were provided of other authorities providing free trees to people for planting, and committing to planting a tree per resident, as well as schemes of work being undertaken by schools and community groups which would benefit from cross-working with the council. Additionally, Members enquired as to the planning process and whether environmentally sustainable housing was being championed in the district, alongside the advice to homeowners for improving energy efficiency of their homes.

Members were advised that public involvement had been a key focus since the inception of the strategy in 2021 which followed a period of public consultation. Officers were also focusing on an increased presence online, providing interactive tools and using methods such as the video to increase awareness and engagement. It was also explained that planning applications under the revised Local Plan were beginning to be seen. With regard to working with homeowners, Members heard that West Lindsey had the largest uptake of air source heat pumps in the country, and in working with Lincolnshire County Council, there had been over 300 enquiries for the installation of solar panels, with over 50 applications since September 2025.

Members of the Committee highlighted the need to communicate other avenues, such as green burial spaces where, for example, ashes could be interred in public access orchards, as well as raising public awareness of the waste cycles, and where and how residents’ waste was processed. The upcoming food waste collections were referenced, with details given of the site at Hemswell Cliff, where waste would be processed and the produced energy and bio-fertiliser would be used locally.

In response to a question regarding the earmarked reserves and ensuring monies were spent for the benefit of the district as a whole, it was explained there was to be a grants programme launched to enable community based schemes to benefit from funding. Members would be informed of the details in due course and were requested to share details and encourage applications within their wards.

Final comments from the Committee highlighted the success of mapping tools used by other organisations, with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

A Member of the Committee enquired to whether there was further progress regarding the leisure project, as there was no associated item on the workplan. The current situation was explained, with a proposal due to be presented to the Committee imminently.

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