Agenda item
Questions submitted by Members under Procedure Rule No.9 will be published by way of supplement following closure of the deadline.
Questions submitted and which will be put to the meeting now attached.
Minutes:
The Chairman advised the meeting that two questions pursuant to Council Procedure Rule No.9 had been submitted to the meeting. These had been circulated to all Members, separately to the agenda, and published on the website.
“A Cherry Willingham resident has requested I ask the Council to join and support the “Planning for the Planet” organisation, www.foodfortheplanet.org.uk/councillors . I know the Council is rightly concerned about our environment and that the District Council has limited power to influence matters, but in supporting Planning for the Planet, I believe the Council will be making one further step to help preserve a viable planet for our grandchildren.
Personally, I believe this action should have been taken as a result of the Kyoto Agreement 32 years ago, but better late than never.
Will the Leader of the Council commit to asking the Environment and Sustainability Member Working Group to explore the feasibility of joining Planning for the Planet, if we do not already belong, as a matter of urgency, and can he confirm that our Environmental Protection Officers are currently enforcing the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone legislation and the General Binding Rules for small sewage discharge to the ground that were brought in a few years ago?
Thank you.”
The Leader of the Council responded as follows : -
Thank you, Councillor Darcel and please pass on my thanks to the Cherry Willingham resident for their important enquiry into what this Council is doing to play its part in tackling climate change.
Through its ambitious Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, this Council has made tackling climate change a key priority and we are committed to our target of becoming a carbon net zero Council and district by 2050.
Planning for the Planet is a network of places using local planning policy to support good food and farming, and to save rivers.
57 local authorities are currently signed up to Planning for the Planet. Currently, West Lindsey, nor any other Lincolnshire Council with the exception of City of Lincoln, is signed up to Planning for the Planet.
However, through our Corporate Plan, the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan, and our Environment and Sustainability Action Plan, the Council is already delivering, or planning to deliver many of the actions that Planning for the Planet encourages. On that basis, I will write to the Chair of the Council’s Environment and Sustainability Member Working Group to ask that the group investigates the feasibility of this Council formally signing up to Planning for the Planet, including any financial implications, and that an update on the group’s findings are reported back to their Parent Committee – Prosperous Communities Cttee
In the meantime, the meeting of Prosperous Communities Committee on 26th October received the Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change annual progress report, which set out in detail the actions this Council has taken over the last 12 months to tackle climate change; and the actions planned over the next 12 months and beyond in pursuit of meeting our 2050 target.
NVZs are enforced by the Environment Agency, as are the General Binding Rules for small sewage discharge. The Rural Payments Agency also carries out inspections to check farmers and landowners are complying with the NVZ rules as part of cross compliance.
The Local Authority where its aware of such matters works with it partners to ensure that they discharge any powers available to them. Enforcement Officers here, have highlighted to me two Government websites where Members of the public can find more information about these matters including how to report concerns to relevant agencies. I shall ensure these are circulated to you Councillor Darcel and all Members following the meeting.
Councillor Darcel, thanked the Leader for his response.
The Chairman then invited, Councillor Paul Swift Local Ward Member for Dunholme and Welton, to put his question to the Leader as follows:-
“Leader of the Council,
It has been mentioned in media reports including by the BBC[1] and My Local Lincolnshire[2] as well as included in the Home Office’s Scampton Factsheet[3] that West Lindsey District Council will receive £3,500 for each new and occupied bedspace at the Scampton asylum centre once it is up and running.
What is unclear is exactly when and under what conditions this money will be received when costs to the council and other local bodies are already being incurred, over what time span it is intended to cover expenditure for, how the money will be spent or divided with other authorities, and most importantly for taxpayers, if it is enough to cover the actual costs.
There is an intimation in some quarters including by a former Chief Immigration Officer at Border Force[4] that West Lindsey District Council is being “paid off” by the Home Office and will turn a profit from Scampton being used as an asylum centre, which as Members being privy to draft financial plans, we know this to be wholly not the case and that we are in fact likely to have our finances negatively impacted by the Government’s disastrous and unwelcome plan. The tax burden of which the Government appears intent for our residents to unfairly pay for.
Can the Leader of the Council please give a breakdown of:
a) how and when the money will be received;
b) over what time frame it is intended to cover (and beyond that if it is a recurringly granted sum);
c) what the split with other local bodies will be;
d) what it will be spent on;
e) whether the council stands to gain or lose financially and if so by how much, and;
f) how might the Home Office’s sparse funding impact our residents’ tax bill compared with other Lincolnshire districts that don’t have this intrusive and ill thought out plan forced upon them?
Thank you.”
References:
1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-67145553
2. https://mylocal.co.uk/lincolnshire/feed/118078
The Leader of the Council responded as follows : -
“Officers at West Lindsey District Council are in negotiations with the Home Office regarding a funding agreement for the extra services that will need to be delivered by the Council arising from the Home Office’s decision to locate an asylum accommodation centre at RAF Scampton. We continue to act in the best interests of the Council Tax-payer by protecting them from costs to the Council directly attributable to the centre. The Corporate Policy and Resources Committee have been provided with estimations of additional required costs based on current evidence and it was confirmed that actual income and expenditure would be reported back to committee as it arises.
The Home Office has confirmed that any funding from them will now be ringfenced and we can only claim what has been spent up to a maximum of £3,500 for each bed made available. West Lindsey cannot keep the full £3,500 per bed as the funding is to cover West Lindsey costs, City of Lincoln costs and County Council Costs.
As negotiations are ongoing we are unable to provide answers to questions a – f. However these answers will be reported to the relevant committee when they are known”
Councillor Swift thanked the Leader for his response.
Supporting documents:
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