i) Chairman of Council
ii) Leader of the Council
iii) Head of Paid Service
Minutes:
i) Chairman
The Chairman addressed Council and advised that on 17 June she had attended Doncaster Minster for a special service to mark the start of the term of office of their new Civic Mayor. It was particularly pleasing to see how many different faiths could work together in their community; many leaders of faith groups spoke at the Minster including those from the Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist communities.
The Chairman had also attended the Lincolnshire Show on the 20 and 21 June along with many other Councillors. She thanked all those involved in supporting the Show, over the two days. Whilst there, the Chairman had taken the opportunity to visit the trade stands of a number of local businesses they all seemed very appreciative that we had taken the trouble to do so
On Monday 25 June the Chairman had hosted the Armed Forces Day flag raising event alongside other Councillors and Officers. She thanked those who attended and supported the event.
On Saturday, the Chairman along with Councillor England and Councillor Palmer attended the Armed Forces Community Celebration Day at Marshalls Sports Field. A remembrance service had been held in the afternoon and the day had been well attended by the public.
Later that day, the Chairman had enjoyed a lovely evening at the Gainsborough Methodist Church to celebrate 50 years since the Church’s dedication. There had been lovely music and the congregation had provided superb refreshments. What had been most enjoyable was the positive attitude of the event organisers who had spoken of their pleasure at the way in which Gainsborough was moving forward and they could see a bright and positive future for the Town.
ii) Leader of Council
The Leader addressed Council and advised that early in the month he attended a meeting of the South West Ward residents group. It had been interesting to hear residents’ views about the community they live in. Many comments related to concerns and incidents which occur in the ten-footed areas. The Leader took the opportunity to congratulate the street force team for all the work they undertook in the area.
The Leader had also had the pleasure of attending the Skills Fair and had been very impressed by the number of visitors, trade stands and the amount of information and contacts available at the event.
The Leader advised that Councillor Giles McNeill had been appointed Regional Northern Delegate on the National Council of APSE, giving the Authority a seat at the table of management.
The Leader thanked all staff and Members who had been involved in the organisation of the Lincolnshire Show, another very successful event.
The previous week, the Leader had had a very successful meeting with Richard Wills, Deputy Chief Executive at Lincolnshire County Council regarding the junction of Corringham Road and Thorndyke Way. Mr Wills had offered his support to realise the much needed improvements.
The Leader had also spent time in Hemswell Cliff, with the Ward Councillor, identifying issues in need of remedy. The Authority had strong and close working relationships with all local bodies in the area and the Leader looked forward to progressing work in this community.
At a meeting with Sir Edward Leigh, he had been very complimentary of the work the Council was undertaking across the District and had offered his support in terms of lobbying efforts where required.
Last week, the Crematorium Project had received planning permission and it was hoped work would commence on construction before the end of the year.
A number of supplementary planning documents to the Local Plan had recently been approved by the Central Lincs Committee, one year on from the Local Plan been adopted.
And finally, there had been a county wide agreement to pursue a growth deal across the whole of Lincolnshire, this was instead of pursing a devolution deal. All Lincolnshire Districts, together with the County, City and surrounding Unitary Authorities would be working together to present proposals to the Government in the future.
The Leader concluded his announcements indicating he believed the Council was in a positive position and a positive phase, thanking everyone for their hard work.
iii) Head of Paid Service
The Head of Paid Service addressed Council on behalf of the Management Team during which the following points were made: -
· The organisation was in the process of updating its Corporate Plan. As part of this process both Members and Officers had been engaged with a view to refreshing the Council’s vision, mission and aims. All organisations needed a vision by which they could unite and it had become apparent that the Council’s current vision was not well understood by either Members or Officers.
· The Crematorium Project, as previously mentioned by the Leader, had the previous week received planning permission, construction would commence in October.
· The “wraps” were starting to come off the new hotel in Gainsborough, which was due to be open to guests in the Autumn.
· It was important that the Council maintained the momentum it had generated over the last 12 months and therefore the Council had been pleased to announce that it had been successful in its £1.8m funding application to the Heritage Lottery Fund, for a Townscape Heritage initiative project which would assist in improving the historical built environment in Gainsborough. The Scheme would last until 2024 and would bring some of the much needed resources to regenerate these historic buildings.