Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Billy Brookes, Mark Dannatt, David Hall, Andrew Leonard, Stephen Lyons, Kate Marnoch, Edward Mossop and Paul Rickett.

At this point in the Meeting, Members were invited to declare any relevant interests.

·       Councillor Wendy Bowkett asked that it be noted that in respect of Item No. 14 ‘Funding for Good Homes Alliance Pilot Report’, that she was the Executive Member for Adult Care and Public Health at Lincolnshire County Council.

·       Councillor George Horton asked it be noted that he wished to declare an interest in relation to Item 10 ‘Annual Budget Report 2024/25, Medium Term Financial Strategy, Capital Programme and Capital Strategy, Treasury Management Policy/Strategy and Annual Delivery Plan - Table of Fees and Charges at Appendix 4’.

To confirm the Open and Exempt Minutes of the Council Meeting held on 13 December 2023.

The Open and Exempt Minutes of the Council Meeting held on 13 December 2023 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

N.B.  Due to the Exempt status of the report Members agreed to bring Agenda Item 22’ ‘Dispensation Request’ forward.

To consider an Exempt Report.

An Exempt report was presented to enable consideration of a Dispensation for a Member of the Council.  Members considered the information contained within the report and confirmed they did not wish to debate in  Closed Session.

Following which it was Proposed and Seconded that the recommendation contained within the Exempt Report be supported.

RESOLVED

That in accordance with Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972, that a dispensation be approved for a period of 6 months from 28^th February 2024 as set out in the recommendation in the Exempt report.

To confirm the Open and Exempt Actions following the Meeting held on 13 December 2023.

The Actions were noted as complete.

The Chairman had attended the following civic engagement since the last Meeting:

·       Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea Town Council’s Civic Service on 18 February 2024.

Members were informed that a Notice of Appointment under s91 of the Local Government Act 1972 had been published to appoint Councillors to North Thoresby Parish Council to make the Parish Council quorate. 

Members were advised that Item 13 ‘Pay Policy Statement 24/25’ had been withdrawn from the Agenda as the Legal Manager was waiting for further legal advice to be received.

One question had been received as below, following which a written response had been provided in line with Council Procedure Rule 10.9.

A full copy of the question is attached at Appendix 1 to these Minutes.

Report of the Chairman of Executive Board.

The Leader of the Council presented Members with his report and also referred Members to the electronic communication circulated to Members relating to the Council’s position on the current National Grid proposal to run a 400kV overhead transmission from Grimsby to Walpole.  A copy of this is attached to the Minutes at Appendix A.

Following which, questions and comments were put forward as follows:

Flood Support

Councillor Martin asked it be noted that the donation of £2k should read Horncastle Town Council, not Centre.  Thanks were also conveyed to all ELDC staff who worked so hard after the flood to support Members and administered the grants which had been widely and gratefully accepted

It was highlighted that the Environment Agency’s (EA) report on the flooding had just been published which raised a lot of concerns and it was suggested that Overview Committee should undertake some scrutiny work around this.

A Member echoed the Leader’s comments and congratulations regarding the work of the staff, particularly the Wellbeing Team and the Planning Department and highlighted the remarkable impact their work had made,

In response, the Leader acknowledged the concerns raised with the EA’s report and endorsed that this should go to Overview Committee to carry out a piece of scrutiny work.  Flooding was an issue that the Council had to deal with across East Lindsey, and it was not just the potential of the sea flooding but also the rivers and surface water flooding which was a critical issue in some of the communities.

Funding

A Member thanked the Leader for referencing the funding allocated to Goulceby Church and highlighted this as a good example of a community working together and the benefits it could achieve.

In response, the Leader appreciated hearing the gratitude of the residents and stated that it was always good to hear when things happened locally to make a difference to people’s lives.

Digital Support

A Member passed her thanks to Lincs Digital for providing the service and was pleased that this service had finally come to Louth.

Achievements

A Member thanked the Leader for his report and offered his congratulations to the officers who were being rewarded for their achievements.

Wellbeing Service Delivery – Case Study

Further to the case study referred, a Member asked that her thanks be noted to the Wellbeing Service for its excellent work on behalf of her residents.

Recognition was also given to the Household Support Fund which had reached families in need in the district’s communities and who were very grateful for the help they had received.

In response, the Leader commented that a lot of work was undertaken but unseen by members of the public in relation to vulnerable people and sensitive cases.  It was highlighted that the officers did a sterling job every day with a 24-hour service in operation and his thanks and appreciation went to them.

Planning Service Update

The Portfolio Holder for Planning thanked the Leader for his kind words in respect of the Planning Service  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

To consider suspending Council Procedure Rules to allow the mover of the Budget Report and Group Leaders(s) or their nominated representative(s) in response thereto to speak for no longer than 15 minutes on one occasion. (Council Procedure Rule 16.4, Content and length of speeches).

N.B. A recorded vote is mandatory on the Annual Budget Report 2024/25 and Council Tax Setting 2024/25, in line with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014.

RESOLVED:

That Council Procedure Rules be suspended for the following item to allow the mover of the Budget Report and Group Leaders(s) or representative of, in response thereto to speak for no longer than 15 minutes on one occasion. 

To consider for approval the General Fund Budget for 2024/25 including the use of reserves, Medium Term Financial Strategy, Capital Programme and Strategy, Treasury Management Policy/Strategy, MRP Policy and Annual Investment Strategy and the Annual Delivery Plan.

N.B. A recorded vote was mandatory on the Annual Budget Report 2024/25 in line with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014.

A report was presented to enable consideration of the Annual Budget Report 2024/25, Medium Term Financial Strategy, Capital Programme and Capital Strategy, Treasury Management Policy/Strategy and Annual Delivery Plan, pages 53 to 212 of the Agenda refer.

During his introduction Councillor Fry, Portfolio Holder for Finance wished to express his thanks in particular to Christine Marshall, Section 151 Officer, Colleen Warren, Head of Finance (Client) PSPS Limited and Stuart Leafe, Strategic Finance Manager, PSPS Limited for the time consuming and difficult work undertaken in the preparation of the budget whilst the economic environment remained complex and volatile and furthermore for the help and support from all Council service areas, officers and Portfolio Holders.

Members were advised that the 2024/25 Budget had now been embedded into the new financial system and in the future delivery would be expedited.  The success of the SELCP was also recognised for its ‘One Team’ approach in maintaining services, driving growth and most notably vitally bidding for £70m of capital funds.

Main points relating to the budget were explained in detail on pages 55 to 60 of the Agenda referred, as follows:

• Key Budget Pressures
• Council Tax and Business Rates
• Local Government Settlement
• Internal Drainage Boards
• Capital Programme 2024/25-2028/29 and Treasury Management/Investment Strategies
• Reserves
• Balancing the Budget
• Additional Considerations
• Areas for Priority Investment and Consultation

In summary, the Portfolio Holder for Finance considered that in very challengingtimes, the budget presented a positive picture, appropriately met the challenges the Council faced and mostimportantly that the team had delivered a balanced budget to be proud of.

Following which, it was Proposed and Seconded:

• That Recommendations 1 – 11 of the Annual Budget Report 2024/25, Medium Term Financial Strategy, Capital Programme and Capital Strategy, Treasury Management Policy/Strategy and Annual Delivery Plan proposed by Executive Board on the 14th February 2024 be approved.

An Amendment by the Labour Group was Proposed by Councillor Ros Jackson and Seconded by Councillor Claire Arnold as detailed below.

Labour budget amendment 2024/25:

Fair Mileage for Staff

The mileage rate paid to staff at 45p a mile hasn’t been altered by HMRC since 2011.  Since that time costs to motorists have risen, not only for fuel but in a host of other ways including car maintenance, insurance, and higher prices for purchase.

We propose to allocate £52,000 to supplement the 45p rate to 63p per mile for those employees who use their own car for work and claim through expenses, approximately 35% of employees.

This is a single-year plan, due to the current cost of living pressures, and will not impact on future years’ budgets.

Car Park Solar Panels

We propose to invest in improvements to the council’s car parks with solar canopies in order to create an increased ongoing revenue stream for the council, and to assist in the transition to net zero by 2040.  This may also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 88.

To consider for approval the amounts of Council Tax applicable for 2024/25 for each valuation band and in each part of the district.

N.B. A recorded vote was mandatory on Council Tax Setting 2024/25, in line with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance presented a report to enable consideration of the amounts of Council Tax applicable for 2024/25 for each valuation band and in each part of the district.

The East Lindsey District Council budget for 2024/25 was considered by Executive Board on 14th February 2024 and recommendations were now provided to Council on 28th February 2024, setting the band D Council Tax at £166.59, a £4.95 (3.06%) increase on 2023/24.  The Budget report was based on the finance settlement advised by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Full details were set out at Sections 1 and 2 and Appendices A to E of the Supplementary Agenda, pages 2 to 25 refer.

The recommendations were duly Proposed and Seconded.

No comments or questions were received.

RESOLVED:

That the formal Council Tax resolutions for 2024/25 as set out in Appendix A and summarised in paragraph 4.1 be approved.

For the Proposals: Councillors Aldridge, Arnold, Ashton, Avison, Bowkett, Bristow, Danny Brookes, Campbell-Wardman, Cullen, Cunnington, Davie, Devereux, Dickinson, Edginton, Evans, Eyre, Foster, Fry, Gray, Grist, Grover, Alex Hall, Hesketh, Hobson, Horton, Jackson, Jones, Sam Kemp, Tom Kemp, Kirk, James Knowles, Terry Knowles, Leyland, McMillan, McNally, Macey, Makinson-Sanders, Ellie Marsh, Graham Marsh, Martin, Simpson, Watson and Yarsley– 43

Against the Proposals: 0

Abstentions: Councillor - 0

Absent: Councillors Billy Brookes, Jimmy Brookes, Dannatt, Dawson, Dennis, David Hall, Leonard, Lyons, Marnoch, Mossop, Rickett and Taylor – 12

N.B.  Councillor Terry Knowles left the Meeting at 5.10pm.

To determine the Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2024/25.

A report was presented to determine the Council Tax Support Scheme for 2024/25.  This report sought Council approval of the Executive Board decision on the final proposals for the 2024/25 Local Council Tax Support scheme (Executive Board Minute No. 54 from the Meeting held on 10 January 2024 refers).

During his introduction of the report the Portfolio Holder for Finance referred to the results of the 2024/25 Scheme Consultation as set out at Section 3 of the report, pages 215 to 216 of the Agenda refer.

High level findings were summarised as follows:

·       The majority of respondents, (64%) agreed that the council should retain the main characteristics of the current Council Tax Scheme.

·       50% of respondents felt that the current scheme was fair and provided support to those most vulnerable.

·       62% of respondents agreed the Council should increase the scheme in line with DWP provisions for 2024/25 and future years.

The full consultation report was shown at Appendix A.

The recommendations were duly Proposed and Seconded.

There were no comments or questions received.

RESOLVED:

i)        That the continuation of the current Council Tax Support scheme, including uprating in line with DWP’s annual update of allowances and premiums for 2024/25 be approved, and

ii)      The provision for Care Leaver support under this scheme to be increased to age 25 be approved.

To consider a proposed Pay Policy for East Lindsey District Council as required under Part 1, Chapter 8 (Section 38) of the Localism Act 2011.

Members were advised that this Item had been withdrawn from the Agenda, pending receipt of further legal advice.

N.B.  Councillor Wendy Bowkett left the Meeting at 5.16pm.

To consider for approval the use of Better Care / Disabled Facilities Grant funding received from Lincolnshire County Council to fund and host the Lincolnshire Good Homes Advice & Casework pilot.

The Portfolio Holder for Better Ageing and Communities presented a report that sought approval to accept funding received from Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) and approve delegations to fund and host the Lincolnshire Good Homes Advice and Casework pilot.

The background to the report was highlighted to Members, as set out at Section 1 of the report, pages 229 to 231 of the Agenda refer.

Members were requested to consider approving the recommendations to enable officers to progress the pilot scheme.  A Good Home Alliance advice and casework pilot would help the Council’s residents, especially owner-occupiers who were older and vulnerable, to maintain their homes.  This would benefit the community’s health and wellbeing and should lead to considerable cost saving to the public purse.  Additionally, the Centre for Ageing Better would continue to work with Lincolnshire Councils to fund an evaluation of the pilot.  This would provide invaluable information and evidence on the benefits of the service to residents, the savings to the public purse and other operational learning to support the service being permanently delivered.

LCC supported the use of this additional Better Care / Disabled Facilities Grant funding to support the Good Home Alliance advice and casework pilot as set out within Section 2 of this report, pages 231 to 235 of the Agenda refer.

Following which the recommendation was duly Proposed and Seconded.

Members were invited to put their comments and questions forward.

A Member considered this to be a very worthy scheme, however raised a concern that residents had to visit the web pages to access the information.  It was therefore, suggested that this pilot scheme be tagged to the Wellbeing Service.  In response, the Portfolio Holder for Better Ageing and Communities acknowledged that there were a lot of vulnerable residents and assured Members that there were dedicated members of staff in the Wellbeing Team to assist this group of people.

A Member echoed the comment raised, and provided an example where some ward surgeries were held in buildings that had no internet access.  It was further queried if and how the pilot fitted into the Heart Scheme.  In response, the Portfolio Holder for Better Ageing and Communities confirmed that the pilot scheme would work in conjunction with the Heart Team.  With regards to accessing the information, there would be a social media campaign and also information provided at community hubs.

A Member welcomed this scheme and commented that a lot of hard work had been invested in this.  It was queried whether a leaflet could be distributed with Council Tax bills to make residents aware of the service.  In response, the Portfolio Holder for Better Ageing and Communities regretted that there would be insufficient time for this to be included in the mailing of Council Tax bills, however reiterated that there would be a campaign to get the message out across the district.

A Member considered this was a very good scheme and recognised the collaborative work between the 3 councils and officers across the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92.

To consider recommendations from the Independent Remuneration Panel and to approve a Members’ Allowances Scheme from 1 April 2024.  

Members received a report on the Members’ Allowances Scheme and Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) Report to consider recommendations from the IRP and approve a Members’ Allowances Scheme from 1 April 2024.

The Monitoring Officer introduced Nicci Marzec, Spokesperson for the IRP and referred Members to the Panel’s report attached at Appendix 1 to the report, pages 253 to 266 refer.

Ms Marzec thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to present the report and was conscious that Members may have questions on the elements that were deliberated on as part of the report.

Members were advised that there were four key areas that the Panel was asked to focus on that came out of the questionnaire sent out to Councillors in autumn 2023.

• Basic Allowance and Special Responsibility Allowances
• Allowance for the Vice-Chairman of Planning Policy Committee
• To consider remuneration for Co-opted Independent Members
• To consider increases to the Leader, Deputy Leader and Executive Allowances

It was highlighted that a lot of active benchmark work was undertaken on allowances both in Lincolnshire and similar authorities across the country.  Overall, the Panel determined that the basic allowance in East Lindsey was not significantly lower than others either in terms of statistically nearest neighbours or Lincolnshire district councils and the fact that East Lindsey had already adopted the annual cost of living allowances linked to the staff pay award which was applied to the councillor basic allowance.  Over time, if this continued the basic allowance in East Lindsey may end up as one of the highest in the county and had already increased quite significantly over the last 2 years as a result of pay awards and the Panel recommended that this index link continued.

The Panel also looked at the £50 per year increase to the basic allowance which had been the pre-cursor to the link to the staff pay award.  The recommendation was that as this had been put in place before the annual link to the pay award, then that should now cease as it was now outdated.

In relation to a number of the special responsibility allowances, it was essentially determined that the Leader’s allowance should remain as it was, subject to the annual increase from the pay award, however the Deputy Leader and Executive Board Members were lower than the average Lincolnshire allowances for the same role.  In comparison to other Lincolnshire authorities the Deputy Leader allowance was approximately 60% of that of the Leader, therefore it was a recommendation of the Panel to amend the Deputy Leader allowance to 60% of that of the Leader’s allowance.  Similarly, the Panel proposed an increase to the Executive Board Member allowance to bring them up to the Lincolnshire average.

In terms of Co-Opted Members allowances, the Panel undertook a lot of benchmark work with regards to what happened in other authorities across the country and in particular the recommendations from CIPFA in terms of the function of Audit and Governance Committee and the technical expertise required.  As a result,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 93.

To note the further progress of the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership since the last update on 11 October 2023.

.

The Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Corporate Affairs presented a report that set out the progress of the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership since the last update on 11^th October 2023.

The background to the report was highlighted to Members, as set out at Section 1, page 268 of the Agenda refers and particular reference was made to the following:

·       Progress of the Annual Delivery Plan 2023/24 (Section 2)

·       Performance Framework 2024/25 (Section 3)

·       Peer Challenge Update (Section 4)

·       Updates from the Priority Partnerships (Section 5)

·       Partnership Scrutiny Update (Section 6)

Following which the recommendations were duly Proposed and Seconded.

Members were invited to put their comments and questions forward.

A Member referred to the Table at Section 2.5 ‘SELCP £42m Savings Tracker – cashable and non-cashable’, page 269 of the Agenda refers and queried the difference in the total at £24,614,132 against the planned target savings of £42,671,000 in 2031/32.  It was further highlighted that the figures appeared to be on track, until 2026/27 when the projections started to fall considerably.

In response, the Leader of the Council considered that it was the reality of actually projecting that far into the future and how accurate this could be.  The Section 151 Officer explained that it was about capturing those savings which had already crystallised, although there were still existing targets and options being looked at.  Therefore, these savings would not be incorporated into the table until they were real and the gap in the figures was for what was yet to be achieved.  Members were advised that the SELCP was currently doing extremely well against that target.

No further comments or questions were received.

RESOLVED

That the following areas of the report be noted.

·       The progress of the Annual Delivery Plan (ADP) 2023/24 (Section 2)

·       The Performance Framework 2024/25 (Section 3)

·       The Peer Challenge update (Section 4)

·       The updates from the Priority Partnerships (Section 5)

·       The Partnership Scrutiny update (Section 6)

N.B.  Councillor Richard Cunnington left the Meeting at 6.14pm.

To receive Motions on Notice under Council Procedure Rule 12.

Proposed by Councillor Claire Arnold 

Seconded by Councillor Ros Jackson 

Violence against women and girls

Violence against women and girls is a serious problem that isn't improving quickly enough. 

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in England and Wales during the 2021/22 period: 

1.    6.9% of women aged over 16 were victims of domestic abuse. 

2.    3.3% of women aged over 16 were victims of sexual assault.

3.    4.9% of women aged over 16 were victims of stalking.

4.    There were 2887 cases of honour-based abuse recorded by police.

5.    24.8% of women had experienced abuse before the age of 16. 

East Lindsey District Council must seriously consider and play its part by working together, informing others, and encouraging people to reduce the rates of these horrific crimes. 

Therefore, we propose, that by resolution that East Lindsey District Council will: 

1.    Encourage all Councillors to take the White Ribbon Pledge, never to take part in, condone, or stay silent about violence against women.

2.    Undertake the steps to achieve White Ribbon Accreditation, joining many councils and public sector bodies that have already done so.  

3.    Train frontline staff to recognise the signs of Violence Against Women and Girls. 

4.    Act to reduce harms.  

5.    Communicate with the public to raise awareness of the signs of Violence Against Women and Girls and coercive control. 

6.    Appoint a male Councillor as an Ambassador and a female Councillor as a Champion

7.    Mark White Ribbon Day on 25th November each year with a fundraising / awareness event. 

The following Motion was received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12:

Violence against women and girls

‘Violence against women and girls is a serious problem that isn't improving quickly enough. 

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in England and Wales during the 2021/22 period: 

1. 6.9% of women aged over 16 were victims of domestic abuse. 
2. 3.3% of women aged over 16 were victims of sexual assault.
3. 4.9% of women aged over 16 were victims of stalking.
4. There were 2887 cases of honour-based abuse recorded by police.
5. 24.8% of women had experienced abuse before the age of 16. 

East Lindsey District Council must seriously consider and play its part by working together, informing others, and encouraging people to reduce the rates of these horrific crimes. 

Therefore, we propose, that by resolution that East Lindsey District Council will: 

1. Encourage all Councillors to take the White Ribbon Pledge, never to take part in, condone, or stay silent about violence against women.
2. Undertake the steps to achieve White Ribbon Accreditation, joining many councils and public sector bodies that have already done so.  
3. Train frontline staff to recognise the signs of Violence Against Women and Girls. 
4. Act to reduce harms.  
5. Communicate with the public to raise awareness of the signs of Violence Against Women and Girls and coercive control. 
6. Appoint a male Councillor as an Ambassador and a female Councillor as a Champion
7. Mark White Ribbon Day on 25th November each year with a fundraising / awareness event’.

Proposer: Councillor Claire Arnold

Seconder: Councillor Ros Jackson

In her introduction, Councillor Arnold added that she would like to see all Councillors stand together and work collaboratively to raise awareness about men’s violence against women and girls and together this could change harmful and negative cultures and to take an organisational wide approach to promote a safe and positive work culture and a healthy place to be.  By becoming accredited, a strategic plan could be created for all levels of the Council structure where it could empower each and every one to speak out and stop violence against women.

Councillor Jackson added that many staff across Lincolnshire had already highlighted violence against women and girls and this had also been included in Lincolnshire Police’s Campaign ‘You’re right, that’s wrong’.  Unlike a normal motion, it was not possible to illustrate with a specific example but it was stressed that this was happening in Members’ wards and had devastating impacts.  Behind the statistics, lives were ruined, women and families were uprooted and health damaged and this also resulted in additional costs including safeguarding, rehoming victims, Wellbeing Service, police, NHS and other services.  In conclusion, Councillor Jackson urged Members to support the Motion.

The Deputy Leader of the Council agreed with the comments made and added that the more people were prepared to stand and say it was not acceptable, the better chance there was of stamping it out and considered it an excellent Motion to support.

The Portfolio Holder for Coastal Economy concurred with the comments  ...  view the full minutes text for item 95.

To review the Minutes of Audit and Governance Committee held on 24 January 2024.

Members received the draft Minutes of the Audit and Governance Committee held on 24^th January 2024 for noting.

Councillor Ros Jackson, Chairman of Audit and Governance Committee highlighted several key points from the Meeting:

·       An exercise to review the effectiveness of the Committee had been undertaken which had produced an improvement plan.

·       The 2024/25 Budget was discussed with an emphasis on the Internal Drainage Board funds and a robust discussion was held.

·       The Committee would be re-advertising for a second Independent Co-opted Member.

·       Due to a number of incomplete reports for the financial statements and the external auditors, an extraordinary meeting would be convened for these to be presented, anticipated to be held in April 2024.

Members were invited to put their comments and questions forward.  None were received.

RESOLVED

That the Minutes of the Audit and Governance Committee held on 24 January 2024 be noted.

The programmed date for the next Meeting is the Council Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 22 May 2024 at 6.30pm.

The programmed date for the next Meeting of the Council was confirmed as the AGM on Wednesday 22 May 2024, commencing at 6.30pm.