Agenda and minutes

To confirm and sign as an accurate record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on Tuesday, 20 February 2024

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on Tuesday 20 February 2024 be approved 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.

There were no declarations.

Matters arising schedule setting out current position of previously agreed actions as at 18 March 2024.

The Chairman took the opportunity at this point to welcome everyone to the meeting and gave a special mention to Rachel Stamp, Waste Partnerships and Projects Manager, Lincolnshire County Council, and welcomed the member of public who had attended to observe the meeting.

The Senior Democratic Services Officer presented the Matters Arising Schedule setting out the position of previously agreed actions as at 18 March 2024.  

With no comments or questions, the Matters Arising Schedule was DULY NOTED.

Presentation by Rachel Stamp, Contract Management and Performance Senior Officer from Lincolnshire County Council, regarding paper and cardboard recycling collections (roll-out of the purple-lidded bins).

Members received a presentation on the Twin Stream Recycling Implementation from Rachel Stamp, Waste Partnerships and Projects Manager at Lincolnshire County Council. The presentation included responses to the questions raised by the Committee at the previous meeting.

The Waste Partnerships and Projects Manager highlighted that Lincolnshire had the highest quality paper and card material recycling in the UK, and West Lindsey was ahead of other local authorities, sustaining high recycling rates with less than 10% contamination and 80% quality recycling.

She reiterated that engagement and communication with residents and other local authorities was a key priority and there was a dedicated lead officer at the Council. The Corporate objectives, to improve the quality of waste to maximise recycling, was in line with the Joint Municipal Waste Strategy. Each district had their own unique factors, different demographics and working practices.

In terms of financial impact, Lincolnshire County Council had generated some income from the paper and card recycling, but this was offset with the implementation cost, the purchase of bins, and communications. There were also increased disposal costs and fuel costs. The initiative had helped the Council put back into the service to maintain their waste budget and quality of recycling.

There were some areas across the county which were hard to reach with haulage collections and so still used sack collections. Conversations with waste providers were ongoing, as it was difficult to find a provider that would take paper and card recycling in a plastic refuse sack. Other options could include stackable boxes for residents but would require a different vehicle to collect to these areas. Specifically in West Lindsey, there was a poor level of quality recycling from the South West Ward in Gainsborough, and there was a need to revisit and work with the community liaison in this area to improve recycling. The Council would not be able to provide separate paper and card collection in this area.

Overall, statistics demonstrated that the recycling rate nationally had decreased, but Lincolnshire maintained its high standards of recycling. They were aiming for waste minimisation in line with government work in this area. National statistics reported the volume of recycling, compared to the quality of recyclable waste, and the Council was trying to lobby the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to change its approach to reporting on recycling.

The Waste Partnerships and Projects Manager concluded her presentation and invited Members to ask questions. She thanked the Director of Commercial and Operations and his team at the depot for their hard work, as well as West Lindsey District Council and residents for their commitment to recycling, and cooperation working in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council.

The Chairman thanked the Waste Partnerships and Projects Manager for her detailed and interesting presentation, and praised the work that was ongoing.

During the course of discussions, Members were pleased to hear the incinerator was not running at capacity, meaning there was room for expansion still, and enquired what impact the devolution deal might  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

The Director of Commercial and Operational Services presented the update on the Markets Working Group. He highlighted the Terms of Reference (ToR) which set out the membership and purpose of the group, and frequency of meetings to be on a 4-weekly cycle. The group were unable to meet as regularly as hoped due to work pressures and other commitments. The Markets Working Group had met four times, and an action plan had been presented to Members with one outstanding action on the design of future market stalls. There had been a visit to Barnsley to look at their heavy-duty gazebo stalls, and Officers were looking into the cost of erecting the stalls and dismantling to present this information back to Members. There was a three-year plan in place promoting levelling up and prosperity work. There was a new Town Manager supporting market offerings in Caistor and Market Rasen, as well as Gainsborough, and work on fees and charges was being done to incentivise market operators. There was a new Antiques market with an estimated 50 traders due to start on Saturdays from April to October.

Members recognised the work done on the markets by Officers and suggested there was a need to look at the quantity of waste from traders. It was also suggested that work could be done on reviewing the townscape and the potential for traders to open a shop in the local area.

The Committee thanked the Director of Commercial and Operational Services and with no further comments or questions, the Markets Working Group Six Monthly Update was DULY NOTED.

The Senior Democratic and Civic Officer presented the draft Annual Overview and Scrutiny report and explained that as stated in the constitution, the Chairman would present the report at Annual Council. The report contained a summary of the work undertaken by the Committee over the year, a look ahead to the upcoming civic year and also an initial review of the operating methodology. The Committee was asked to consider the report and any amendments or additions they wished to make to the report.

Members discussed and reflected on the challenges over the past year, and the collaborative effort put into bringing together the Cultural Strategy. Members raised concerns regarding training and the Senior Democratic and Civic Officer shared that a handbook had been produced for Members, and confirmed work would take place over the summer to revisit this.

The Chairman thanked the Senior Democratic and Civic Officer for the report, and, having been proposed and seconded, took the vote. It was

RESOLVED that

a)    consideration had been given to the content of the draft annual report, and the Operating Methodology, with comments for the latter to be shared through the Constitution Review; and

b)    the annual report be supported for submission to Annual Council; and

c)    any comments made through the course of debate be further considered by the Director – Change Management, ICT & Regulatory Services and Chairman of the Committee prior to the finalised report being submitted to Annual Council in May 2024.

Note:              Councillor P. Key requested that his vote against the above resolutions be recorded.

With no comments or questions, the Forward Plan was DULY NOTED.

The Senior Democratic Services Officer presented the Committee Workplan and explained there was one meeting left of the municipal year on 30 April 2024, with work planning for the upcoming year to take place at the first meeting in July 2024.

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