Agenda and draft minutes

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 28 February 2023 be confirmed and signed by the Chair as an accurate record.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 16 May 2023 be confirmed and signed by the Chair as an accurate record.

There were no declarations of interest.

No questions had been submitted by members of the public.

Councillor Natasha Chapman to Councillor Bob Bushell

Question

Like many other colleagues, Councillor Chapman was delighted by the recent Green Flag awards to three of Lincoln’s parks, including the Arboretum.  Councillor Chapman also stated that it was great to see much-needed work commencing to fix the footbridge in the Arboretum, after the need for repair was queried back in February 2023.  Could Councillor Bushell please explain why the corroded metalwork of the footbridge structure was not highlighted during routine safety and maintenance checks?

Answer

Thank you to Councillor Chapman for giving me the opportunity to highlight again publicly the excellent work done by both staff and volunteers in our parks and open spaces.  It is their commitment and dedication that has helped this Council to not only continue the long-term improvement plans that we have for our open spaces, but also to make sure that what is improved is well maintained.  This is of course demonstrated by the awards of the independently assessed Green Flag scheme.

Moving to a response to the underlying question, the safety of our public spaces is of course vital.  For this reason, we have a structured approach to safety inspections, which meets the requirements of the Council’s official Health and Safety policy. It is appropriately called, for a parks enquiry, The Tree of Responsibility, and it means that our open spaces are routinely checked by experienced staff, with the results referred for action if required.

There are however some aspects of infrastructure that are not so easily assessed in detail, such as the bridge in the Arboretum, where some aspects of its very structure are hidden.   In such cases assessment is more difficult, and expert assessment is required as soon as potential issues begin to make themselves known. This bridge was a good example, where nobody was put at risk, but on the report of a potential issue the bridge was closed pending a detailed assessment.  I am pleased to say that the bridge is now subject to repair.

Councillor Clare Smalley to Councillor Ric Metcalfe

Question

I was very impressed recently, when I attended the Community Leadership Scrutiny Committee meeting, as we were all told that the meeting was being recorded.  Unfortunately, after the meeting I was advised that the video quality was not good enough to be posted online, which was disappointing.  Recorded or live streamed meetings have become the norm now for many Councils across the country, including our neighbours at West Lindsay District Council. We also did manage to stream our own planning meeting in January 2022, which was held for the Western Growth Corridor. 

Can the Portfolio Holder therefore please give us all the assurance that live streaming or the recording of meetings (to be posted online afterwards) will continue to be a priority for the Council, until this is finally achieved.  I am sure we would all agree that providing easier public access to our meetings will improve transparency, our openness and accountability.

Answer

I too share your enthusiasm  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Councillor Ric Metcalfe, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Our People and Resources, provided Council with an update on the work of his portfolio.

Councillor Metcalfe advised that the report provided an update on the Council’s current progress towards Vision 2025 strategic plan, together with updates on each of the service areas under his portfolio focusing on the last twelve months.

Over the past year, it had been reassuring to see the City had continued to recover from the impacts of the pandemic.  However, whilst it was extremely encouraging after a difficult time for all, sight must not be lost on the current challenges the City was now facing, such as those linked to the cost of living crisis, and ensure those challenges remained a key focus for the Council.  This would ensure residents continued to receive the support they needed and the best possible service from the Council.

Those challenges, and the need to provide additional support for residents, came at a time when the financial sustainability of the Council also continued to be challenging.  The Medium Term Financial Strategy 2023-2028 set out a need to deliver total annual revenue savings of £1.75m by 2026/27.

The report set out some key achievements that had been accomplished throughout the year and provided details in respect of the following:

•           Financial sustainability

•           Revenues and benefits shared service

•           Procurement

•           Property services

•           Emergency planning

•           Business continuity

•           Risk assessment

•           Corporate health and safety

•           Human resources

•           Work based learning

•           Craft Apprenticeship Scheme

•           Corporate communications and media relations

•           Civic and international partnerships

•           Legal services

RESOLVED

That the report be received.

RESOLVED

That the Calendar of Meetings for 2023/24 be confirmed.