The following nomination(s) have been received in accordance with Article 6 of the Constitution: -
Nominee: Councillor Trevor Young
Proposer: Councillor Stephen Bunney
Seconder: Councillor Karen Carless
Minutes:
Nominations for the position of Leader had been sought in accordance with Article 6 of the Constitution, with only one nomination having been received.
Councillor Trevor Young had been proposed and seconded.
RESOLVED that Councillor Trevor Young be elected Leader of the Council for the 2024/25 civic year.
Councillor Young addressed Council and expressed his thanks at having being appointed and made the following short address : -
“Council Members, Officers, and residents of West Lindsey District Council, I am honoured to stand before you today, as the Leader of this great Council. I express my great sincere gratitude to all those who have supported the Administration in this past year, changes in our own Administration, present challenges, and opportunities. I sincerely thank all those who have worked positively with us to ensure that we focus on new priorities whilst continuing to drive forward the existing work and projects of the Council that it undertakes. I am particularly proud that this Council is undertaking the work around the former RAF Scampton, a sign as an Administration we took a bold stance to challenge the Government when it made a sudden decision to use the site to house 2000 asylum seekers. The proposal has caused significant concern to those in our communities, and we are concerned. We were also concerned that the £300 million project could have been scuppered and the heritage assets destroyed. It was clear from the start of this project, we have the potential to transform opportunities in West Lindsey, so it's very much worth fighting for.
We continue to strive for excellence in all that we do from delivering essential services through fostering economic growth and development, and we have worked hard and been committed to additional funding to ensure that the project to build a new cinema and make improvements to Whitton's Gardens, the Baltic Mill and the Town Centre stays on track.
We are now seeing improvements to the bus station and the impact of the townscape. Heritage fund work, creating a sense of quality, restoring 20 of our heritage buildings in Gainsborough and other heritage projects across the district.
Our work to introduce the weekly antiques market in Gainsborough is proving popular and we are seeing footfall in the market square in Gainsborough increase, as well as the empty shops gradually being filled.
We also see working with key partners as hugely important to achieve the best outcomes for our communities. Several parts of our district have been badly affected by flooding and we continue to work with our partners in the Environment Agency and Lincolnshire County Council to ensure that funding is dedicated, to ensure that the devastating effects of flooding are minimised going forward.
Connecting with our communities and the businesses that sit within them is of key importance. Understanding those businesses and the challenges they face will continue to be a priority. We have delivered £719,000 in grants to businesses, another £650,000 towards community grants and a further £65,000 to support vulnerable communities. We have taken forward a new Cultural Strategy and we are in the process of employing both a new Cultural Development Officer and a new Sports Development Officer who will help drive participation in the sports and arts.
Communities, it is our aim that engagement in activities will form the bedrock of the events in the district going forward and help communities become more active and vibrant places where people feel supported, happy and they want to live.
We have employed two extra Enforcement Officers to ensure that the issues important to our communities are dealt with and we will continue to strive for excellence in all that we do, listening to our communities, and looking towards making improvements in our service provision where necessary. Thank you.”
The Leader of the Opposition commented in response and was pleased the current Administration, having been in post just over a year, were continuing to implement the projects which had been in place over a year. He credited Officers for their excellent work and for the support they had given, citing the Chief Executive, Mr Knowles, Sally Grindrod-Smith and other senior Officers, stating that without whom, Scampton would be in a potentially different environment. Thanks were also given to the local MP.
The Leader using his right to reply, spoke highly of the fantastic Officer team and of the work they continued to undertake to support Members, in respect of Scampton, having only that day again visited Ministers in London, following successful meetings the previous week. He appreciated the Council had some excellent Officers who continually work hard and indicated he wholeheartedly shared the Leader of the Opposition’s thoughts on the matter.