Agenda item

Motion 1  - The development and planning approval process in respect of Battery Electric Storage System (BESS) sites.

 

The need to switch to renewable energy is well established.  As a result, there is a need for large scale development of BESS sites in order to mitigate the fluctuation of renewable energy due to the lack of consistency with solar and wind systems.

 

A modern well designed and constructed BESS site is, in all probability of very little risk. Based on analysis of incidents involving BESS sites, the majority of incidents occur during the construction and commissioning phase of development.

 

Generally, the planning process is concerned about the impact of developments in an area when they have been completed.

 

As such it would seem that the potential risk area for a BESS site, (Construction & Commissioning phase) is currently given little consideration by the current statutory consultees.

 

The Government published a research briefing on 19 April 2024 https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7621/CBP-7621.pdf . 

 

However, it would appear this provides little clarity and raises further questions (See comments by Paul Christensen, Director Lithiumionsafety Ltd Consultancy in background information attached.

 

In August 2023 the Government updated its planning practice guidance to encourage developers and local planning authorities to consult their local Fire & Rescue Service on planning applications for BESS sites.

 

The National Fire Chiefs Council produce a guidance document in April 2023 which was reviewed in July 2024 and went through consultation which closed on 22 August 2024. The final version is yet to be published.  https://nfcc.org.uk/consultation/draft-grid-scale-energy-storage-system-planning-guidance/

 

However, the Local Fire Authority (LFA) is not a statutory consultee for planning applications and therefore they do not have to be consulted and even if they are consulted their feedback is only advisory.  Furthermore, they are not funded to respond to such consultations which can create capacity issues.

 

As such currently there is no defined safety regulator.

 

Even the statutory consultees who are consulted review the applications based on the final site, rather than the Health & Safety issues that could arise during construction and commissioning, the riskiest part of the development. Highways do not consider the implications of a major fire on the local highway network nor the risk of contaminated run-off water in the event of a fire, neither does The Environment Agency.

 

This technology is fairly new, and development is very fast moving (see background information for number of sites), so there is a lack of legislative control in place. too stricter regime risks tying up the developing industry.

 

Given the current situation Council resolves to :

 

• Lobby the Government (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to make Local Fire Authorities statutory consultees in respect of planning applications relating to Renewable Energy Sites and specifically Battery Electric Storage System sites.

 

• Writes to the Local Government Association and Greater Lincolnshire Local Authorities to highlight the current situation and lack of oversight on such developments and request that they too lobby the Government to bring about this national change.

 

I so move

Councillor Trevor Bridgwood

 

 

Motion 2

 

In founding the Metropolitan Police in 1829 Robert Peel created ‘modern’ policing.

 

The underlying principle of which is to make the community safer by preventing the occurrence of crime and disorder and by ending the need to tackle anti-social behaviour with military force and severe legal punishment.

 

The first Metropolitan Police Commissioners Charles Rowan and Richard Mayer stressed the need for the Police and Public to work together in the interests of community welfare. This required the ‘Peeler’ or ‘Bobby’ to be seen in public on the ‘beat’.  The emphasis was very much on community cohesion rather than crime detection. 

 

Peel being clear that if officers spent time on the latter, high levels of anti-social behaviour would continue and the public remain threatened and feeling unsafe.

 

The current Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police, Paul Gibson, echoes the aims of Peel, Rowan and Mayer in the document “Making Lincolnshire Safe Strategy 2024 -2025” by making Neighbourhood Policing a major priority for the force as evidenced in the following extracts in the section entitled ‘Building Confidence in Policing’.

 

“…      Neighbourhood Policing is effective as it engages creatively with the          communities and solves problems …”

“...      takes a proactive approach to prevention, working in partnership….”

“...      maximising our visibility..”

“…      opportunities for collaboration with … partners, community groups, schools etc..”

“ …     focus on rural crime and the prevention of harm in the rural communities”

“ …     expand connections with the community …”

 

Worthwhile aspirations but not being fully met across our district – the limited number of officers and resources available focusing on detecting and solving serious crime – leaving precious few resources and individuals to carry out ‘preventative work’.

 

In some areas levels are so low that Neighbourhood teams are providing minimal part time cover for less than half the week – hardly working with the public to bring about community safety and welfare.  In fact, it harbours the opposite – residents do not have confidence in the force and so do not report issues etc. taking the attitude ‘there is no point as there are no officers to deal with the concern.’

 

Both the Chief Constable and Marc Jones, The Police and Crime Commissioner are lobbying The Home Office and Central Government to provide sufficient funding to finance a force that they believe will deliver both the ‘preventative’ neighbourhood policing and crime detection. So far, they have had little success leaving Lincolnshire Police as the second lowest centrally financed force per head of population in the country at just over £100 per head a total of £89.834m for 2024 -2025.

 

To this a further £86m is added from local sources – one of the highest contributions per head in the country.  Nevertheless, the combined figure of £174m makes the Authority the least funded force in the country, with the third lowest number of officers per 1000 head of population.

 

This is detrimental to our low-density rural area where the numbers of officers per head of population need to be higher than the national average to compensate for the time taken travelling between communities and to visit the myriad of hamlets and ‘isolated’ standalone properties.

 

This Council resolves to instruct the Chief Executive, Leader and Chairman to write:

• to the Chief Constable and Police Commissioner to support their lobbying for fairer funding for Lincolnshire police to ensure that they can establish and sustain a truly preventative Neighbourhood Policing Structure, alongside an effective detection service, enhancing community safety and well-being in our District.

 

• to petition Sir Edward Leigh MP, The Home Office and Treasury to provide a realistic funding formula to allow Lincolnshire police to carry out the preventative policing principles laid down by Peel, Rowan and Mayer in 1829 alongside the justice system functions of crime detection.

 

I so move

Councillor Stephen Bunney

 

 

The Chairman advised the meeting that two Motions had been submitted pursuant to Council Procedure Rule No. 10 and these were set out on the agenda.

 

As the mover of the first motion, Councillor Bridgwood was invited to read aloud his motion to the meeting, as follows: -

 

“Motion 1  - The development and planning approval process in respect of Battery Electric Storage System (BESS) sites.

 

The need to switch to renewable energy is well established.  As a result, there is a need for large scale development of BESS sites in order to mitigate the fluctuation of renewable energy due to the lack of consistency with solar and wind systems.

 

A modern well designed and constructed BESS site is, in all probability of very little risk. Based on analysis of incidents involving BESS sites, the majority of incidents occur during the construction and commissioning phase of development.

 

Generally, the planning process is concerned about the impact of developments in an area when they have been completed.

 

As such it would seem that the potential risk area for a BESS site, (Construction & Commissioning phase) is currently given little consideration by the current statutory consultees.

 

The Government published a research briefing on 19 April 2024 https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7621/CBP-7621.pdf . 

 

However, it would appear this provides little clarity and raises further questions (See comments by Paul Christensen, Director Lithiumionsafety Ltd Consultancy in background information attached.

 

In August 2023 the Government updated its planning practice guidance to encourage developers and local planning authorities to consult their local Fire & Rescue Service on planning applications for BESS sites.

 

The National Fire Chiefs Council produced a guidance document in April 2023 which was reviewed in July 2024 and went through consultation which closed on 22 August 2024. The final version is yet to be published.  https://nfcc.org.uk/consultation/draft-grid-scale-energy-storage-system-planning-guidance/

 

However, the Local Fire Authority (LFA) is not a statutory consultee for planning applications and therefore they do not have to be consulted and even if they are consulted their feedback is only advisory.  Furthermore, they are not funded to respond to such consultations which can create capacity issues.

 

As such currently there is no defined safety regulator.

 

Even the statutory consultees who are consulted review the applications based on the final site, rather than the Health & Safety issues that could arise during construction and commissioning, the riskiest part of the development. Highways do not consider the implications of a major fire on the local highway network nor the risk of contaminated run-off water in the event of a fire, neither does The Environment Agency.

 

This technology is fairly new, and development is very fast moving (see background information for number of sites), so there is a lack of legislative control in place. too stricter a regime risks tying up the developing industry.

 

Given the current situation Council resolves to:

 

·       Lobby the Government (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to make Local Fire Authorities statutory consultees in respect of planning applications relating to Renewable Energy Sites and specifically Battery Electric Storage System sites.

 

·       Write to the Local Government Association and Greater Lincolnshire Local Authorities to highlight the current situation and lack of oversight on such developments and request that they too lobby the Government to bring about this national change.

 

I so move

Councillor Trevor Bridgwood”

 

Members also noted the background information, attached to the agenda and referenced in the Motion.

 

Having been duly seconded, the seconder of the Motion took opportunity to make a statement setting out his reasoning for the support, starting with reference to comments made by a market leader only that day on BBC News relating to the instability of some electric vehicle batteries.

 

The District would also see large scale NSIP projects, and other renewable energy schemes in the near future.  With all developers having their own ideas and their own consultants who produced documents, but in reality he concurred with Councillor Bridgwood that there needed to be some level of legislation, nationally, to actually ensure that the safety of the public was at the heart of all such developments.

 

Acknowledging there was a need to have energy and whilst it could be generated through various renewable means, some of that energy needed to be stored but it needed to be stored in a proper and safe manner.

 

In seconding the motion, Councillor Fleetwood also undertook to raise the matter at the County Council to ensure that they were fully aware of the issues attached to such developments, not necessarily just through fire and rescue, but through the planning system.

 

Debate ensued, with Members speaking in support of the motion and the need for national legislation, concerns were expressed that there was tendency for the UK Government to rush towards renewable energy without the basics having been put in place.  This was a matter national government needed to address and on being put to the vote it was: -

 

RESOLVED unanimously that: -

 

(a)       the District Council lobby the Government (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to make Local Fire Authorities statutory consultees in respect of planning applications relating to Renewable Energy Sites and specifically Battery Electric Storage System sites; and

 

(b)       the relevant Director for the Service area, write to the Local Government Association and Greater Lincolnshire Local Authorities to highlight the current situation and lack of oversight on such developments and request that they too lobby the Government to bring about this national change.

 

 

Note:    Councillor Ian Fleetwood declared a personal interest in the above item of business as the Chairman of Lincolnshire County Council’s Planning Committee.

 

 

Motion 2

 

The Chairman, as the mover of the second motion, read his motion aloud to the meeting as follows: -

 

“In founding the Metropolitan Police in 1829 Robert Peel created ‘modern’ policing.

 

The underlying principle of which is to make the community safer by preventing the occurrence of crime and disorder and by ending the need to tackle anti-social behaviour with military force and severe legal punishment.

 

The first Metropolitan Police Commissioners Charles Rowan and Richard Mayer stressed the need for the Police and Public to work together in the interests of community welfare. This required the ‘Peeler’ or ‘Bobby’ to be seen in public on the ‘beat’.  The emphasis was very much on community cohesion rather than crime detection. 

 

Peel being clear that if officers spent time on the latter, high levels of anti-social behaviour would continue and the public remain threatened and feeling unsafe.

 

The current Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police, Paul Gibson, echoes the aims of Peel, Rowan and Mayer in the document “Making Lincolnshire Safe Strategy 2024 -2025” by making Neighbourhood Policing a major priority for the force as evidenced in the following extracts in the section entitled ‘Building Confidence in Policing’.

 

“       Neighbourhood Policing is effective as it engages creatively with the communities and solves problems”

“       takes a proactive approach to prevention, working in partnership”

“       maximising our visibility”

“       opportunities for collaboration with partners, community groups, schools etc”

“       focus on rural crime and the prevention of harm in the rural communities”

“       expand connections with the community”

 

Worthwhile aspirations but not being fully met across our district – the limited number of officers and resources available focusing on detecting and solving serious crime – leaving precious few resources and individuals to carry out ‘preventative work’.

 

In some areas levels are so low that Neighbourhood teams are providing minimal part time cover for less than half the week – hardly working with the public to bring about community safety and welfare.  In fact, it harbours the opposite – residents do not have confidence in the force and so do not report issues etc. taking the attitude ‘there is no point as there are no officers to deal with the concern.’

 

Both the Chief Constable and Marc Jones, The Police and Crime Commissioner are lobbying The Home Office and Central Government to provide sufficient funding to finance a force that they believe will deliver both the ‘preventative’ neighbourhood policing and crime detection. So far, they have had little success leaving Lincolnshire Police as the second lowest centrally financed force per head of population in the country at just over £100 per head a total of £89.834m for 2024 -2025.

 

To this a further £86m is added from local sources – one of the highest contributions per head in the country.  Nevertheless, the combined figure of £174m makes the Authority the least funded force in the country, with the third lowest number of officers per 1000 head of population.

 

This is detrimental to our low-density rural area where the numbers of officers per head of population need to be higher than the national average to compensate for the time taken travelling between communities and to visit the myriad of hamlets and ‘isolated’ standalone properties.

 

This Council resolves to instruct the Chief Executive, Leader and Chairman to write:

 

·       to the Chief Constable and Police Commissioner to support their lobbying for fairer funding for Lincolnshire police to ensure that they can establish and sustain a truly preventative Neighbourhood Policing Structure, alongside an effective detection service, enhancing community safety and well-being in our District.

 

·       to petition Sir Edward Leigh MP, The Home Office and Treasury to provide a realistic funding formula to allow Lincolnshire police to carry out the preventative policing principles laid down by Peel, Rowan and Mayer in 1829 alongside the justice system functions of crime detection.

 

I so move

Councillor Stephen Bunney”

 

Having been duly seconded, the seconder addressed the Chamber, adding that following a recent visit by the Police to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee    there was a suspicion of underreporting. The importance of reporting incidents and how this supported the Police was stressed.

 

Debate ensued and the Leader of the Opposition proposed an amendment as removing Sir Edward Leigh and the Treasury from the final paragraph, offering rationale for the amendment which was aimed at strengthening the action and directing it squarely at the department responsible for Policing, the Home Office.

 

With the amendment duly seconded and Members declining opportunity to debate the amendment, on being put to the vote the amendment was carried.

 

Further debate ensued with a Member commenting on the current conditions in terms of pay and working conditions for Police Officers, which had led to some of the lowest morale in the police across the country. An annual survey conducted by the Police had found that one in six Police officers reported back that they were thinking of leaving the force. Over half reported stress and low mood exacerbated by their workload and low pay. As such it was important the District Council supported the local force in their persistence for increased resources and funding particularly in rural areas and given recent serious incidents. 

 

Members also commented on how reduced police visibility could feed into underreporting, with communities, historically, knowing their local officer, building community relationships and confidence, something reducing resources had eroded.

 

The motion as amended, was put to the vote and it was: -

 

RESOLVED unanimously that: -

 

(a)       the Chief Executive, Leader and Chairman write to the Chief Constable and Police Commissioner to support their lobbying for fairer funding for Lincolnshire Police to ensure that they can establish and sustain a truly preventative Neighbourhood Policing Structure, alongside an effective detection service, enhancing community safety and well-being in our District; and

 

(b)       the Chief Executive, Leader and Chairman petition, The Home Office to provide a realistic funding formula to allow Lincolnshire police to carry out the preventative policing principles laid down by Peel, Rowan and Mayer in 1829 alongside the justice system functions of crime detection.

 

 

Note: Councillor Tom Smith declared a personal interest in the above motion as his sister was a Police Officer.