Agenda and minutes

The Mayor welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Deferral of Agenda Items

The Mayor announced that in the light of increasing Covid-19 infection rates, it had been agreed with the respective group leaders, that the following items be deferred to later meetings of the Council:

·         6(a) Report by Councillor Chris Burke, Portfolio Holder for Customer Experience and Review;

·         6(b) Report by Councillor Bob Bushell (Portfolio Holder for Remarkable Place); and

·         6(d) Report by Councillor Jane Loffhagen (Chair of the Community Leadership Scrutiny Committee).

Mayor's Engagements

The Mayor referred to her engagements since taking up office, which had included:

·         the Theatre Royal in Lincoln;

·         the raising of the flag on Armed Forces Day;

·         the opening of the St John's Ambulance Service Training Centre, by HRH the Princess Royal;

·         the opening of the Lincoln Crematorium; and

·         RAF Coningsby.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 18 May 2021 be confirmed.

Please note that, in accordance with the Members' Code of Conduct, when declaring interests members must disclose the existence and nature of the interest, and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) or personal and/or pecuniary.

No declarations of interest were received.

A petition had been received in the following terms:

            "We demand that the Public Toilets on Westgate are re-opened with immediate effect, local residents and visitors to the City of Lincoln need them back and their extended closure is unacceptable. Using covid to close them temporarily and now making that closure permanent is unacceptable."

As the number of signatures in support of the petition had exceeded 900, the lead petitioner, Fiona Purkiss, had been invited to present the petition in accordance with the Council's petition scheme.  The Mayor welcomed Fiona Purkiss to the meeting and invited her to present her petition to the Council. 

Presentation by the Lead Petitioner

The lead petitioner called on the Council to ignore party politics and to consider this item as a free vote.  Other points in the presentation included:

·         Local businesses had not been consulted on the proposal and had not been approached regarding sponsorship.

·         The facilities were in good, award winning, condition and their state of repair could not be used as an argument for closure.

·         Individuals should not be told by the City Council to use the facilities of local cafeterias and restaurants as an alternative.

·         Whilst the provision for people with disabilities would remain open via the use of a radar key, this was of no use to the elderly, tourists and children.

·         The annual costs of retaining the facilities would be £9,000, which was not a significant sum in the overall context of the City of Lincoln's budget, and there had been unnecessary examples of Council expenditure in excess of this sum.

·         The facilities at Westgate were of benefit to all members of the community, whereas at the facilities at Castle Square tended to be used only by tourists.

It was also stated that the petition had remained open and to date 1,460 signatures had been received.

Debate

It was moved, seconded and resolved that Council Procedure Rule 17.4 [the content and length of speeches] be suspended to allow the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition unlimited time to speak on this item.

Councillor Bob Bushell stated that the Westgate facilities had been closed from March 2020, the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, at that time on a temporary basis.  However, all council services had to be reviewed in the light of the Council's overall financial position and at times difficult decisions had to be made.  The facilities at Westgate would continue to be open to people with disabilities by means of a radar key; and all facilities would continue to be open when significant events were taking place.  Members of the public had not been encouraged to use facilities in cafeterias and restaurants.  Facilities would continue to remain open in Castle Square, at a short distance.  It was highlighted that a request to call in the decision by the Executive on the Public Conveniences Services Review would be considered by the Select Scrutiny Committee on 28 July 2021.

Councillor Tom Dyer, the Leader  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

No questions had been received.

Councillor Eddie Strengiel to Councillor Neil Murray, the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth

Question

Does the portfolio holder agree with me that all future developments should adhere to the ambitious environmental standards, as set out in the draft Central Lincolnshire Local Plan?

Reply

All planning applications were assessed against the national planning policy framework and the current development plan requirements, which for Lincoln was the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan, which had been adopted in 2016.  The plan was in the process of being renewed, and as it progressed further through the system, the draft policies within it could be used as a reference point by applicants.  However, the key document remained the adopted plan until such time as a new local plan was formally adopted.  Once the next iteration of the plan had been adopted, which would follow further public consultation and examination by the Planning Inspector; and formal adoption by the Central Lincolnshire Joint Planning Committee, this would become the benchmark for any future applications. 

Supplementary

What was the expected date for the adoption of the new local plan? If approved, the Western Growth Corridor would not be required to adhere to the ambitious standards in the draft Local Plan. Therefore, what additional steps would the City Council take to ensure that this development, if approved, was as environmentally friendly as possible; and that the development as a whole would achieve net zero, as the Council had previously claimed to be targeting?

Reply

Councillor Neil Murray stated that the new local plan would be adopted in September 2022.  As regards the Western Growth Corridor, it was not appropriate to discuss it, given the advice within the report not to enter into a discussion, as it was a live planning application, and any discussion could adversely affect the planning committee process.

Councillor David Clarkson to Councillor Ric Metcalfe, the Leader of the Council

Question

Following the Prime Minister's recent speech regarding devolution, ahead of the government white paper, can you outline your vision of devolution in Lincoln and in Lincolnshire? 

Reply

Councillor Ric Metcalfe stated that it was encouraging to read the Prime Minister’s and the Secretary of State’s re-affirmation of their commitment to supporting strong local leadership and in turn the devolution of responsibilities to a local level.

Some members would recall that the City Council had voted in favour of a set of devolutionary powers from central government for Greater Lincolnshire in 2016/17.  This would have included an annual dowry of £15 million over thirty years, along with other benefits.  Unfortunately that devolution deal was not supported by the county council and one of the district councils, so after much grief and all work put into it, it came to nothing.  However, the government appeared now to be in agreement that districts had a key role to play in devolution, so that it was not just about county councils and unitaries.  This was welcomed.

The Council had always agreed with the notion of increasing local accountability, as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

This item had been deferred to a later meeting of the Council.

This item had been deferred to a later meeting of the Council.

Councillor Neil Murray, Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, presented his report to the Council which summarised the work of his portfolio.  Councillor Neil Murray thanked all employees of the City of Lincoln Council for their work during what had been a difficult year.

The Council was provided with an opportunity to ask questions, where the following points were noted:

·         The Welcome Back Fund – It was confirmed the Council had bid for £180,000 to help the High Street and uphill area recover from the effects of Covid-19.  As soon as it was clear what level of funding would be received by the Council, details would be shared on how this would be used.   

·         The Towns Fund and Levelling Up Fund – It was confirmed that the Planning Committee had granted permission for the transformation of the Lincoln Central Market and the adjacent city square area.  The business case for the Lincoln Central Market was awaiting approval by the Investment Sub-Committee of the Lincoln Town Deal Board, which was expected in August 2021.  It was anticipated that subject to this approval being granted, work could commence in early 2022. 

·         Western Growth Corridor and the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan – It was reiterated that this was a live planning application and the Council should avoid any discussions on the matter.  However, it was commented that the City Council remained committed to implementing net zero carbon emissions by 2030.  

·         Lincoln Christmas Market 2021 – The plans for the Lincoln Christmas Market were in hand and it was hoped it would take place in 2021.  Plans for the Lincoln Christmas Market would be continually reviewed in light of the changing Covid-19 pandemic; national guidance; local infection rates and in consultation with local emergency services. 

·         Total Business Grants during Covid-19 – It was confirmed that in total £64,000 had been paid to 64 wet led pubs at £1,000 per pub, under the Christmas support scheme.  It was agreed that details of all of the grants paid between November 2020 and June 2021 and the total of the Government Business Support Grants paid so far would be emailed to Councillor David Clarkson, as this information was not clear in the report.  

·         Economic Growth – It was anticipated that the town deal funding would stimulate the local economy.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

This item had been deferred to a later meeting of the Council.

It was moved by Councillor Ric Metcalfe and seconded by Councillor Donald Nannestad that Simon Walters (Strategic Director, Communities and Environment) be appointed as the Council’s representative on the Lincoln Cathedral Fabric Advisory Council for the current municipal year.

Councillor Eddie Strengiel highlighted that the opposition group had not been appointed to any of the outside bodies to which the Council made appointments, whereas other councils offered some of these appointments to opposition groups.  

On being put to the meeting, the motion set out above was declared carried. 

RESOLVED

That Simon Walters (Strategic Director, Communities and Environment) be appointed as the Council’s representative on the Lincoln Cathedral Fabric Advisory Council for the current municipal year.