Agenda and draft minutes

To confirm and sign as a correct record the Minutes of the Meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on:

The Senior Democratic and Civic Officer explained there were two sets of minutes for signing. She explained the minutes from 30 July 2024 were presented at the last meeting, and had since been edited to include the required amendments; however, it was brought to Members’ attention before the meeting that evening that whilst some Councillors were present at the 30 July meeting, the record no longer reflected that. Members were asked to agree the 30 July minutes as a correct record, being assured that the attendance record would be updated accordingly.

Having been moved and seconded it was

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 30 July 2024 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

The Committee was then asked to confirm the accuracy of the second set of minutes, and having been moved and seconded it was

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 3 September 2024 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.

There were no declarations of interest at this point in the meeting.

Matters arising schedule setting out current position of previously agreed actions as at 7 October 2024.

After the Senior Democratic and Civic Officer had provided a short update regarding the Matters Arising Schedule, a Member of the Committee asked a question regarding the Future4Me organisation. He emphasised the importance of the service offered by the organisation and enquired whether an explanation of the service provided by Future4Me could be distributed to all Members before Future4Me representatives came to Committee to present.

Councillor T Bridgwood then proceeded to inform the Committee that the Government had produced an online Renewable Energy Planning Database, with 1,564 applications for battery storage sites nationwide, and 14 of those sites approximated in the West Lindsey District. He explained that he was aware of Councillors in other areas raising concerns regarding these sites, and highlighted concern that there was a lack of legislation in relation to battery storage sites. He continued that local fire authorities were not statutory consultees, meaning that their comments may not have been considered by policymakers.

The Chairman thanked Councillor Bridgwood for raising the issue and stressed the serious nature of the matter. This was further reiterated by another Member of the Committee, who enquired whether the matter could be moved at Full Council, with a view to a potential lobbying standpoint.

The Director of Change Management, ICT and Regulatory Services added that the Committee had requested the Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities to present to the Committee regarding legislation and policy around battery storage sites. She confirmed that the presentation would take place after an active planning application had been determined, and that continued liaison would be maintained with Members to update them regarding ongoing battery storage site concerns.

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

Presentation by Inspector Michael Head of Lincolnshire Police, regarding crime, disorder and the role of Community Policing across West Lindsey.

The Chairman welcomed Inspector Michael Head of Lincolnshire Police to the Committee, who proceeded to present the Lincolnshire Police Annual Update.

Inspector Head gave an overview of his background in the role and explained that the previous year had been difficult due to a force-wide restructure resulting in a reduced number of Police Community Support Officers (PSCOs); alongside issues at Scampton; and other serious issues force-wide that had impacted on staffing in West Lindsey. Despite this, he attributed policing successes in the local area in large part due to the close working partnerships established with Council Officers and Councillors, working closely together to reduce Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), providing safeguarding education, and partnering on long-term problem solving. Inspector Head detailed how regular updates were sent via email to Parish Councils but explained how he hoped to get more feedback from them in the future. A Member later responded that a closer working relationship may be more of a challenge for some Parish Councils, due to the infrequency of Parish Council meetings.

The Inspector then outlined the Neighbourhood Policing Remodel, which entailed a transition to an evidence-based policing approach, which ensured a better allocation of resources for different areas; he explained how areas which were considered high-risk in terms of crime would be allocated more resources, such as PSCOs, compared with low-risk areas. It was added that PCSOs had been reduced in numbers, with fewer in operation than expected due to funding, meaning fewer were allocated to rural areas as planned.

Members heard there were four different teams working from Gainsborough and Market Rasen; each team consisted of one Sergeant and ten Constables who would respond to 999 and 101 calls. He then gave an overview on the policing model for West Lindsey, highlighting that the district was split into nine separate beat codes, each of which had their own Neighbourhood Policing Team and priorities. Details of the geography of each of the nine areas was then outlined together with the staffing and priorities for each. Detailed crime figures for each beat code were presented to Members, with a summary that the crime figures had generally reduced.

Attention was drawn to the impact of the crime statistics, as the Inspector explained that by using an evidence-based policing model, it was challenging to make the case for additional resources for his team when lower crime figures appeared to reflect less criminal activity. He emphasised that he believed the lower crime figures were impacted by reduced reporting rates, rather than primarily a reduction in criminal activity.

It was explained that Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) were being considered as one of their main policing tools in neighbouring policing. Inspector Head outlined that such orders could run for a period of two years and recipients could face a custodial sentence should they breach the mandated condition; Members heard there were six CBOs in place in West Lindsey. The increase in use of Closure Orders (COs) was also brought to the attention of the Committee, as the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

The Change, Programme and Performance Manager gave a short presentation to the Committee regarding the report. It was explained that the Progress and Delivery framework was under full review, with a cross-party Members’ group to be created. He highlighted the need for Members of the Committee to volunteer to join the group, and proposed that they met for a two-hour workshop at a date to be confirmed during November 2024. It was explained that the input from the Members’ group would inform the development of the Progress and Delivery Framework report, which was scheduled to be presented at the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee in January 2025.

The Manager added that the proposed measure set was circulated to Members on 7October, with the engagement outcome to be included in the November workshop.

Councillor S Bunney explained that the report was currently paper-based and released on a quarterly basis, however, he enquired whether the report could be digital, and accessible via a dashboard, to enable Members to be more frequently updated. The Manager responded by agreeing with the Member and confirmed that they were looking to roll out dashboards in the future to increase transparency and engagement.

The Chairman asked the Committee for volunteers for the aforementioned cross-party Members’ group, with interest expressed by Chairman Cllr P Howitt-Cowan, Cllr M Snee, Cllr T Bridgewood, Cllr M Palmer, with Cllr Westley’s interest confirmed by the Chairman in her absence.

With no further comments, and having been moved, seconded, and voted upon, it was

RESOLVED that the creation of a cross-party Member working group to review the 2026/28 Progress and Delivery framework and associated measures be approved.

With no comments, questions or requirement for a vote, the Forward Plan was NOTED.

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