i) Chairman of Council
ii) Leader of the Council
iii) Chief Executive
Minutes:
Chairman
The Chairman addressed the Council, referencing briefly some of the events with which he had been involved since Council last met.
The Chairman reported that he had presided over a flag raising event to celebrate “Pride Month” as well as a flag raising event to mark “Armed Forces Day” outside of the Guildhall. The Chairman spoke of the importance of recognising the contribution made by these groups of individuals to the local community and to the nation as a whole.
The Chairman had attended the formal opening of the new “quiet garden” at Market Rasen Library. The initiative aimed to provide an opportunity for young and old alike to sit outside in the sun and enjoy reading.
The Chairman had also attended a concert given by the Claxby Community Choir and in complimenting them on their talents, encouraged Members to take whatever opportunity they might have to do likewise. It was hoped that the Community Choir would lead the Council’s Christmas Carol Concert in December.
On Saturday, 17 June, the Chairman had attended the street entertainment in Gainsborough and was pleased to see so many people enjoying themselves. The event had given the Chairman an opportunity to speak with residents from Gainsborough, Lincoln and further afield.
Later that same evening the he had travelled to Scunthorpe to attend the
opening of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Mosque as a special guest of Dr Awan Dr Marwan, a local Gainsborough resident. The formal opening ceremony had been undertaken by the world leader of the group, his holiness Hazard Meza Mersood Ahmed.
Along with other Councillors and staff, the Chairman had attended the Lincolnshire Show and had had an opportunity to visit at least twenty stands set up by companies which traded in the West Lindsey area. This had provided a great networking opportunity. The Chairman thanked all those individuals from the Council who had been involved in the organisation of this year’s show.
Leader
The Leader made the following address to Council: -
“This is my first report to Full Council and although it has been an extremely busy first few weeks, I will try to keep my announcements brief.
I have the following items to report:-
With regard to the (former RAF) Scampton migrant camp proposal, the Council continues to fight the Conservative Government's decision to use the former RAF airbase at Scampton as a migrant camp. Our legal fight continues and the next court hearing is on the 12th to 13th July. We meet on a weekly basis with our colleagues from Lincolnshire County Council, Lincoln City and the police to challenge this wrong decision regarding this historic airbase.
We also meet on a regular basis with the other authorities faced with similar issues where the Home Office has similar plans to create migrant camps. The Authority has spent hundreds of hours fighting this Government decision, and I would like to pass on my thanks to all the staff for their hard work to protect our district. I am conscious that we have a motion on this evening’s agenda regarding Scampton, but would like to reassure Members that regular updates on Scampton will be provided by our Communications Team. Meetings are being arranged with our local MP, and we are demanding that the Home Office starts engaging and communicating meaningfully with the local community regarding their intentions.
Along with a number of other Members, I attended the recent event held at the Trinity Arts Centre. These exciting plans on the West Burton site will create thousands of jobs to boost our local economy for the next 50 years. The Fusion site will bring endless opportunities for the District and we look forward to working with our neighbours Bassetlaw District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council on how this site is developed. This is a fantastic good news story for our area and future updates will follow.
I attended the latest consultation event with Officers and Members regarding the Tillbridge solar farm application and we are trying to arrange an urgent meeting with the 7,000 acre action group to hear their views on the latest solar planning application.
After several years of discussion, devolution is back on the agenda for Greater Lincolnshire which includes North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. Following this May's elections, early discussions are taking place with the Leaders of each authority regarding the governance and approval processes for the participating Councils. Further updates and a Member workshop will follow over the next few months.
Finally, in an endeavour to work closer with our Town and Parish Councils, I have asked the Chief Executive to arrange twice yearly meetings with our main Town and Parish Councils with a view to improving joint working for the benefit of all the District’s residents. We are starting with Gainsborough and Market Raisen and will report back regularly on progress”.
Chief Executive
The Chief Executive addressed the Council and started by thanking the Elections Team, noting some of whom worked for over 24 hours straight on 4 May through to 5 May.
Thanks were also expressed to the Democratic Services Team for the work they had put into the Member Induction Programme. Some sessions had had to be rescheduled but he expressed the hope that as many Members as possible would find time within their busy schedules to attend the sessions. Members were encouraged to offer feedback on the induction and to let the Chief Executive know if there were any general issues which they would like to be covered and which would help Members better carry out their civic and community representational roles, particularly first time Councillors.
The Chief Executive advised that arrangements had been made for the Leader’s Panel to attend a Strategy Away Day on 28 July. The objective was to ensure that Members’ aspirations and expectations could be fully integrated into the work plans of the organisation.
The Joint Staff Consultative Committee (JSCC) had provision for two staff representatives. One was a Union representative and the other was elected by staff – representation had been ad-hoc, .as there was low union representation within the authority, so terms of reference had been amended to ensure they did not impede the work of the Committee The Chief Executive was pleased to report that seven members of staff had expressed an interest in serving on the Committee and rather than force an election of any kind, the individuals had been asked to work together as a group and engage with staff to better represent the staff co-hort at JSCC meetings. Only one individual would have
voting rights but it was a real bonus to have so many people engaged in that
way. The Chief Executive thanked the individuals concerned.
A number of individuals had attended the LGC Awards ceremony earlier in June. Unfortunately, however, the Council did not win the “Council of the Year Award” but encouragement could be taken from the fact that West Lindsey was the only District Council shortlisted.
The Council’s Land Searches Team had been voted “Team of the Year” and the Council had also won the Government and Public Service Apprentice Champion Award. The Chief Executive was particularly proud of the fact that staff had managed to win awards due to the level of support and development opportunities offered by the Authority.
Members were advised that West Lindsey had been the first Council in Lincolnshire to publish its financial statements. The Authority had been one of only a handful of local authorities across the country to have met the statutory deadline. This had been achieved whilst also implementing a new financial system. The team were congratulated on the achievement.
The New Lincolnshire Local Plan had been adopted on the 13 April 2023 and was considered groundbreaking in its approach to carbon neutrality and its attempts to drive policies that worked towards that end.
The Community and Business Grants Scheme, funded through the UK Shared
Prosperity Fund had been launched straight after the May elections. Members were encouraged to engage with the local communities they represented to make them aware of the scheme. The Council had two years in which to spend its allocation.
Council Officers would be starting the business planning process over the summer in respect of the financial year 2024/2025. Discussions would be held with the Leader’s Panel and Committee Chairs and Vice-Chairs. The budget process for 2024/2025 would start formally in November.
And finally, as mentioned by the Leader, the Chief Executive confirmed that court dates had been set in relation to the use of the former RAF base at Scampton as a migrant centre. The outcome would determine whether or not the Council could proceed with a judicial review of the Government’s decision.
This concluded announcements.