i) Chairman of Council
ii) Leader of the Council
iii) Head of Paid Service
Minutes:
Chairman
The Chairman addressed Council, summarised as follows:
The pendant for the full civic regalia was collected from Birmingham, and for the first time, the Chairman realised there was an inscription on the back which read: ‘This medallion was presented to the Council by Councillor Gordon F Fox in the year of his chairmanship 1974 to 1975’. An interesting note on times past.
Since the previous meeting, the Chairman had undertaken several engagements, including speaking at a U3A meeting in Market Rasen about his role as a Councillor and the responsibilities across Town, District and County Council. He commented on the benefits of talks, highlighting that many residents were unaware of the tiers of local government and where responsibilities differed.
The Chairman highlighted the fifth anniversary of the crematorium, praising the celebrations whilst regretting his unavailability to attend, however he had visited the Operational Services Depot at Caenby Corner for the arrival of the first liveried food waste collection vehicle. He reminded Councillors that the team at the Depot were available to attend local events to raise awareness and answer questions regarding the anticipated roll out of food waste collections.
The Chairman had also attended the Illuminate Festival, including exhibitions at the Old Hall, praising the success of the event and the involvement of the local community. Another engagement took place in Nettleham, celebrating the awarding of the Freedom of the Parish to Pearl Wheatley, who was also celebrating her birthday at the same time.
Special mention was given to West Lindsey based businesses, the Bridleway Bed and Breakfast, and Ashleigh Farm Caravan and Glamping, winners at the Destination Lincolnshire Tourism Excellence Awards, which the Chairman had attended alongside the Leader, Deputy Leader and Council Officers. He praised all those businesses who had been finalists, recognising the value they brought to their local communities and the wider district, whether that be by providing employment, services, or welcoming visitors into the area thereby helping grow the local economy.
In concluding his announcements, the Chairman reiterated the diversity of engagements, and invited the Leader to speak.
Leader
The Leader made the following address to Council:
“Thank you, Chairman. Welcome Members and Officers to this evening's meeting. I've just got two announcements this evening. Firstly RAF Scampton. Last week myself and the Deputy Leader met with Minister Angela Eagle regarding RAF Scampton. As Members will be aware, for the last two years the authorities have been fighting the government to protect that site and deliver our £300million development. I must say the meeting was very productive. We're very optimistic that the Labour government will make an announcement very shortly regarding the decision to transfer the site to us. It was an extremely positive meeting, and we were really optimistic in terms of finally trying to get that one over the line.
Local Government Reorganisation: there's been several meetings since the last Full Council meeting on LGR, work is ongoing and we will be arranging an Extraordinary Full Council meeting in the next couple of weeks to debate the issue
That's all for this evening, thank you.”
The Chairman thanked the Leader, and, on seeing an indication to speak from the floor, invited the Leader of the Opposition to speak.
Councillor I. Fleetwood commented on the previous and ongoing involvement of Sir Edward Leigh, MP, in discussions regarding the Scampton site, alongside the previous administration at West Lindsey District Council. He requested that when such meetings with Ministers occur, briefing notes or updates be shared with Council in a timely manner.
The Leader of the Council highlighted the short notice with which the meeting had been arranged, and took on board the request for information to be shared when and where it was possible to do so.
The Chairman thanked them for their comments and invited the Head of Paid Service to speak.
Chief Executive
The Chief Executive thanked the Chairman and opened by explaining that, in relation to a legal case brought by Thurrock Council against APSE members, there had been a stay of procedures agreed by the courts and no further action was required at this time. Members would be kept updated in due course.
He echoed the comments regarding the Destination Lincolnshire Awards, and added his congratulations to the West Lindsey based businesses. He also highlighted that council teams had been nominated for the Pride of Place award, for the Gainsborough Arts Heritage; the Culture Award for the Trinity Arts Centre; and the Event Festival of the Year, for the Go Festival. Whilst not winning was disappointing, it had been appreciated to be recognised.
Additionally, the Local Land Charges team had been shortlisted in the 2025 Land Data Awards in two categories: Customer Satisfaction Award for Local Authority Searches and the Best Performing National Land Information Service Level 2, Local Land Charges Department, with the Chief Executive highlighting their success at being recognised at a national level.
In thanking the Chief Executive for his announcements, and before moving on with business, the Chairman added that he had received a response from the relevant minister regarding the Council’s concerns about health and safety around battery storage, which had also been forwarded to Councillor Bridgwood who had raised the issue initially.