Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Adam Grist and Steve Kirk.

Members were invited to disclose any interests.  None were received.

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 19^th February 2026.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 19^th February 2026 were confirmed as a correct record.

To consider approval of the proposal for the marketing and disposal of Council owned land at Humberstone Road, Tetney.

1. That the land at Humberstone Road, Tetney, edged red on the plans at Appendix 1 of the report referred be declared surplus to the Council’s requirements.

2. That the Deputy Chief Executive, Programme Delivery and Assistant Director - General Fund Assets be delegated authority to enable the open marketing of the land to achieve best consideration as required under Section 123 of the Local Government Act, 1972.

3. That the Deputy Chief Executive, Programme Delivery and Assistant Director - General Fund Assets be delegated authority to consider any and all offers received, and, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder, accept any offer that satisfies the requirements of Section 123.

4. That the Deputy Chief Executive, Programme Delivery and Assistant Director - General Fund Assets be delegated authority to conclude a sale, following any and all legal advice with regard the content of the resulting conveyance, and

5. That the disposal of land at Humberstone Road, Tetney as edged red on the plans at Appendix 1 of the report referred be recommended to Council for approval.

A report was presented to consider the proposal for the marketing and disposal of Council owned land at Humberstone Road, Tetney

During his introduction of the report, the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Corporate Affairs explained that in August 2024 outline planning approval was granted for up to 34 new homes on Council owned land at Tetney.  Having obtained planning consent, feasibility work had now reached a stage where realistic options for the delivery of new homes in the area needed to be considered.  A range of options were set out in the report with a recommendation to put the land to the market in order to properly assess its value and drive development to help meet the Council’s housing targets and demands.

The full background and details were included at Sections 1 to 3 of the report, pages 12 to 22 of the Agenda refer.  A copy of the site location plans and indicative design and site layout was attached at Appendices 1 and 2 to the report, pages 22 to 30 of the Agenda refer.

The recommendations were duly proposed and seconded.

Members were invited to put their comments forward.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance responded that this represented a sound decision on behalf of the Council, noting that it was considered to be a prudent course of action in the circumstances and that the figures were deemed to be robust.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning offered his support of the proposal, stating that it demonstrated the Council making best use of the assets within its control and ownership for the benefit of the Council and its long-term economic viability, and noted that the land was an allocated site within Tetney.

RESOLVED

1. That the land at Humberstone Road, Tetney, edged red on the plans at Appendix 1 of the report referred be declared surplus to the Council’s requirements.

2. That the Deputy Chief Executive, Programme Delivery and Assistant Director - General Fund Assets be delegated authority to enable the open marketing of the land to achieve best consideration as required under Section 123 of the Local Government Act, 1972.

3. That the Deputy Chief Executive, Programme Delivery and Assistant Director - General Fund Assets be delegated authority to consider any and all offers received, and, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder, accept any offer that satisfies the requirements of Section 123.

4. That the Deputy Chief Executive, Programme Delivery and Assistant Director - General Fund Assets be delegated authority to conclude a sale, following any and all legal advice with regard the content of the resulting conveyance, and

5. That the disposal of land at Humberstone Road, Tetney as edged red on the plans at Appendix 1of the report referred be recommended to Council for approval.

Reason

• Whilst the asset is of strategic importance in terms of its capacity to deliver new housing, it is considered that greater certainty on delivery can be achieved by providing the opportunity for developers and other housing providers to purchase the land  ...  view the full minutes text for item 167.

To report on the Council’s Finances as at the end of Quarter 3 - 2025/26.

1)    The forecast revenue position of a £549k underspend for 2025/26 as detailed in Table 1 of Appendix A of the report referred be noted.

2)    The amendments to the Capital Programme as detailed in Appendix B - Table 3 - Section A to the report referred be noted.

A report was presented to summarise the current financial position for the Council at the end of the third quarter of 2025/26 as of 31^st December 2025 forecasting to the year end.

During his introduction of the report the Portfolio Holder for Finance made particular reference to the following key points:

Revenue Outturn

·       The draft revenue outturn reported a surplus position of £549k at the year-end.

• Income forecasts remained broadly in line with full year budgets but as signalled previously Planning Application fees and Car Parking charges had been under review.  Car Parking income at Q3 was forecast to overachieve by £252k, primarily due to a dry summer period.  Planning Application fees were forecast to overachieve by £310k primarily linked to an increase in volume and value.  At the time of drafting the report, there was some uncertainty over the timing of a significant planning application, however it was now confirmed that an additional fee in excess of £400k had been received, which was not reflected in this report.

• Recent conversations with officers charged with managing the Council’s Building Maintenance budgets had indicated that an underspend of c£120k was now anticipated.

• The Council’s 2025/26 gross budget for investment income was £2.149m, the outturn for gross investment income was £2.855m, contributing to an overachievement of £706k.

• The Corporate Efficiency Target of £1.128m had been assigned to the cost of services in Table 1 and was detailed further in Table 1b.  Taking the efficiency target and the forecast surplus position together, the Council was forecast to realise over £1.6m in savings, efficiencies and additional income in the year.

Capital

For Capital, Table 1 of Appendix B provided details of all capital schemes and their forecast position.  The revised Capital Programme for 2025/26 was £47.2m with forecast expenditure of £38.8m.  The forecast underspend of £8.4m would be reviewed at year end with decisions on any carry forwards made at that point.

Reserves

Table 3 of Appendix A provided detail of the £31.3m of reserves forecast at 31^st March 2026.  The overall movement in reserve balances during the 2025/26 showed a reduction of £7.7m taking account of budgeted movements and usage previously approved.

Full details were contained in Sections 1 to 4 of the report, pages 31 to 34 of the Agenda refer.  A copy of the Q3 Finance Revenue Report 2025/26 and Q3 Finance Capital Report 2025/26 were attached at Appendices A and B respectively.

Members were invited to put their comments forward.

The Leader of the Council concluded that the report demonstrated robust financial management and reflected the fortunate and strong position of the Council.  It was noted that as the authority approached Local Government Reorganisation, there was a responsibility to ensure that communities benefited from careful financial management not only through the services provided but also through wider community grant availability, including the East Lindsey Investment Fund scheme.

RESOLVED

1)    The forecast revenue position of a £549k underspend for 2025/26 as detailed in Table 1 of Appendix A of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 168.

To consider approval of the Data Protection Policy and Records Management Policy.

1.     That the draft Data Protection Policy and Records Management Policy attached at Appendices 1 and 2 to the report referred be approved.

2.     That amendments to the records management policy be delegated to the Assistant Director - Governance in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder to reflect changes in ICO guidance when issued.

3.     That amendments to the data protection policy be delegated to the Data Protection Officer in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder to reflect changes in ICO guidance when issued.

A report was presented to consider the Data Protection Policy and Records Management Policy for approval

During his introduction of the report, the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Corporate Affairs advised Members that the Council’s Data Protection Policy and Records Management Policy had been reviewed to ensure the Council’s compliance with the latest statutory requirements, including the UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, and the new Data Use and Access Act 2025 (DUAA).  The intention was to align these policies across the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership (SELCP).  These policies had been amended to include feedback from overview and scrutiny committees.

The full background and details were included at Sections 1 to 4 of the report, pages 49 to 52 of the Agenda refer.  A copy of the policies was attached at Appendices 1 and 2 to the report, pages 55 to 68 of the Agenda refer.

The recommendations were duly proposed and seconded.

In summary, the Portfolio Holder for Finance stated that it was appropriate for the Council to take the necessary actions in this area and commented that there appeared to be effective oversight of the matter.  It was further noted that delegating responsibility at an operational level to the Data Protection Officer was considered a prudent approach and that the relevant policies were aligned with expectations.

RESOLVED

1.     That the draft Data Protection Policy and Records Management Policy attached at Appendices 1 and 2 to the report referred be approved.

2.     That amendments to the records management policy be delegated to the Assistant Director - Governance in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder to reflect changes in ICO guidance when issued.

3.     That amendments to the data protection policy be delegated to the Data Protection Officer in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder to reflect changes in ICO guidance when issued.

Reason

Reviewing and adopting revised policies demonstrates the Council’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of individual rights, which is vital for public trust.

The impact of the Data Use and Access Act means that the ICO will issue new mandatory guidance to be followed.  To reflect this the policies may need to be adapted to accommodate these changes before the policy refresh lifecycle.

Other Options

Not to recommend or make suggested changes to the policies.

The programmed date for the next Meeting of this Board will be Wednesday 6^th May 2026.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as Wednesday 6^th May 2026.

RESOLVED

That under Section 100(a)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item on the grounds that, if they were present, there could be disclosed to them exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended).

To consider an Exempt report.

That the recommendations contained within the Exempt report be approved.

An Exempt report was presented for consideration.

RESOLVED

1)    That the Meeting return to Open session in accordance with Access to Information Procedure Rule 15 – General Exception.

2)    That the recommendations contained within the Exempt report be approved.

Reason

As contained within the Exempt Report.

Other options

As contained within the Exempt Report.